Song Analysis: Closer To Home

The maritime themes of this top-40 hit by Grand Funk Railroad from the fall of 1970 are but elaborate metaphors for the dilemmas surrounding one's sense of control over one's own existence, and over one's life overall.

Your life is your "ship", and as the "captain" how well your "ship" sails and functions depend on the loyalty and cooperation of your "crew" (the elements that make up or interact with your existence), which can be everything from your family and relatives to your associates to your own body functions to even the possessions you own or the facilities you use or do business with in some way.

You depend on each of these factions being on good terms with and favorable towards you.  But there are occasions where you can very well experience incidences of "mutiny" (bad blood, bad health, defective or worn-out items malfunctioning on you, corruption in the family or work place or community or certain businesses).

It's during times of duress, dysfunction, precariousness, and animosities that we, as the "captain" cry out to the world to "return command of" our "ship" to us, the one's who rightfully should be the ones in control (of our own lives).

Sleep
...is a lot like money and sex.   You get it if and when you can

     Uber and Lyft:

...paying out of one's own pocket to accept a ride from a total stranger and ride in their vehicle.
Didn't people use to do this same thing for free a long time ago?
Yes, they did as a matter of fact---and I believe they used the term "hitchhiking" to describe it.

              Immigration/ Health Care Fiascoes
If you want to know how I feel about the "border wall", I think it's little more than an elaborate fantasy trip.
The money allocated for it would be better invested in the creation of a 7th branch of the military, one whose specific duties would be to assist the Border Patrol agents and U.S. Customs.
A branch allowed full military authority and authorized use of lethal force if and when deemed necessary.

As for the dismantling of the Affordable Health Care Act?
First off, let me explain why, essentially, I'm in favor of some form of a universal health care system run by one's government:
It has not so much to do with how well or responsibly one takes care of their own health issues (a.k.a.: proper diet, healthy lifestyles, getting enough exercise) as it does with the fact that a lot in the world and in our lives are elements we have no control over:  being injured in accidents caused by another; viruses and contagious illnesses; dangerous conditions resulting from another's incompetence, neglect, or carelessness; inclement weather situations.

As for the Affordable Health Care Act----it was never really a universal health care system, as the insurance companies forced the Obama administration to taint it by infusing stipulations dictated by their agendas into it.
Hence, I've always had mixed emotions about it.  Although I doubt the current Trump administration is likely to come up with anything better, and, quite possibly, are liable to come up with a health care system even more inferior.  

                 Governmental Control vs Privatizing
There are many who, when observing institutions run by either state or federal government agencies (such as the Postal Service, or the prison systems, or Social Security), contend that "government is only capable of mismanagement, politicizing anything it gets its hands on, and wasting taxpayer dollars"
...then they go on about "the virtues of" the private business and corporate sectors, and express the notion that privatizing these government agencies by turning them over to those private sectors would be a solution to resolving their (alleged) failings.

...to which I say "No, not really".

For starters, panaceas almost never work nor live up to their promises (think: "Three Strikes" laws; sex offender registries; Me-Too; political correctness; quota systems; rehab programs; plans to "improve" traffic and public transit; dealing with school shootings by "arming school teachers")
...and the fact that the primary difference between governments and corporations is that governments exist mainly to regulate and control their citizens and resources, while corporations are mostly concerned with making profits and with how much they can pick from the pockets of consumers and customers in order to enhance their profit potentials.
...each under the guise of "serving the needs or desires of" the general public.

In short:  the alleged agendas of their services are, for the most part, a charade, just them going through the motions of "dutiful servitude" to their constituents, all the while covering up their true intentions, plotting how to subliminally exploit those they "serve".

Personally, I think corporate control will be just as bad as governmental control, and services and agencies will still ultimately end up just as big a mess under one as it will under the other.

More Notable Songs Whose Themes Are Obvious

Brand New Key
Melanie
Female stalker who doesn't drive or own a car

Girl
Beatles
Charlie's Shoes
Billy Walker
Guys who get the coveted "trophy cunt", only to get done in by the Catch-22s of her insatiable desires and demands

Video Killed The Radio Star
Buggles
About how the advent of television in the late 1940s/early 1950s did away with the original radio versions of dramas, variety shows, situation comedies, and soap operas---leaving the radio format to focus on either news, sports and commentaries, or promoting the latest phonograph records

The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades
Timbuk 3
Guy boasting about how secure his overall future is, as High Tech is "the wave of the future" and anyone with knowledge of and aptitude for it has a guarantee of "the good life"
...these days full apologies are owed to a lot of laid-off and underpayed employees of "Silicone Valley"

Tales Of Lucy Blue
Bob Seger System
About a fictitious hard-luck heroine in either a paperback novel or television drama script

Distant Drums
Jim Reeves
The Last Farewell
Roger Whittaker
Ongoing romance interrupted by the ominously beckoning shades of impending war

Draw Of The Cards
Kim Carnes
Fate is a lot like a game of poker.  Same kind of crapshoots and consistent inequitablenesses.

All I Really Want To Do
Cher/Byrds
About the most platonic lyrics ever written (courtesy of Bob Dylan)

Rice Is Nice
Lemon Pipers
A guy eager to get engaged to his girlfriend, with hopes of a successful marriage to follow.  His main concern?  Whether or not she will remain loyal and faithful to him in the years to come.

Drunk
Jimmy Liggins
Guy has an obvious drinking problem, but doesn't seem too concerned about it.  In fact, he's quite comfortable with it---not a problem as far as he's concerned.

  To all concerned:
I need $1 dollar bills for bus fare.
I need quarters for the coin laundry.

So, all you cashiers:
Please quit handing me back "paper shredder" bills and quarters used to scrape gum, tar, and mud off shoes as change.
-----Thanks!------




                                  Another site to check out: www.bartidiothalloffame.com

                                 Hate water-saver
Putting governors on plumbing doesn't work
...unless one thinks half-hour showers and it taking ten minutes to fill the sink basin with dish water is somehow such an essential act of conservation as to really be all that helpful in our efforts to "save the planet".

I think it's little more than a time waster myself.  Just taking longer to use the same amount of water you normally do anyway.



                                    Another site to check out: www.raconteurreport.blogspot.com

                At the computer terminal in the library:
Other patrons are coughing and sneezing---right onto the keyboards!!

Am I the only person wise enough to always bring a napkin/tissue with him on every visit to the library to catch my coughs and sneezes?
How come it's never occurred to anyone else to do the same?

Song Analysis: Radio Radio

I don't know if this 1978 song by Declan ("Elvis Costello") McManus was ever released as a single, but it seems like the kind of song one would expect to find on a "45".  I could even picture a song of this kind getting brief AM radio play during the early '70s.

The song starts out with the listener trying to change stations and the tuning knob breaks, upon which he hears the aftercomments the announcers and staff ordinarily make when they think their listeners have turned their station off.

During this bout of "media metaphysicalism" they brag about how they program their station to toy with the minds of their listeners, how they engage various psyopic ploys and other propaganda techniques to, along with the programming format itself, influence their listeners into a collective compliance with the social systems and institutions.

That the rock and roll stations are actually not this bastion of "creativity", "free thinking", or "defiance".
That all media are, essentially, primarily commercial ventures, and that even rock and roll radio is a lot more conservative, conformist, and in cahoots with the establishment than most would be willing to admit or accept.  That the rock n'rollers are not so "cool" after all.

The gist of this song is the feeling of betrayal the idealistic rock n'roll worshipper  feels upon learning this inconvenient fact of life.

                             Just say "No!" to Artificial Intelligence
I am a bit apprehensive about the notion of everything eventually falling into the hands of Artificial Intelligence.

Take the example of those coupon books supermarkets send their customers by mail.  Anything you've been purchasing on a regular basis, whether frequently or simply on more than one occasion, the have calculated to a tee.

But, say, you decide to favor another product or another brand?  Say there's a certain food product you no longer eat because your system doesn't seem to be able to handle it the way it used to, perhaps due to some of the metabolic changes that accompany aging?

When those coupon books come in they'll continue offering that product you no longer buy.  It'll take at least a couple months before the products you're now buying start showing up in these books----alongside the ones you no longer purchase.

That's what I don't like about all these "A.I." trends.  It's all based on profiling and pigeonholing.  It's bound to miss nuances and idiosyncrasies because it's constantly "summing up" all its subjects.
And they want to put EVERYTHING under control of A.I.?  Medical?  Legal?  Records of home addresses? Records of phone numbers?  Analyzing anyone's lifestyle and habits?

What if one makes a major life change?  Or they come into some kind of financial fortune (a.k.a.: trust fund or such)? Or a traumatic event initiates a permanent change of certain habits?
Is A.I. going to keep up with all these, or are the person's online credit reports going to continue to show information based on how that person's been living the past 20 years or so, simply reflect its summation of that person's "general lifestyle, character, and habits"---some of which would by now be irrelevant?

                                             Musing For Today
I, myself, find the police to be, more than anything else, obsessed with "being good little robots" and with their intimate knowledge of applicable legalese.


                                                     Schadenfreude
When your place is the only one being bombed you tend to take it personally
...but should you find out other places are also being bombed as well, then you start to think maybe it's the "other guy" who actually has the problem, and you feel at least a little bit better about your whole predicament. 

               Just don't call it "immigration" (revisited)
I'm tired of everyone using the term "illegal immigrant".
There is no such thing.  One cannot be an immigrant without being legal.
Because to be an immigrant requires going through whatever legal procedures the country one is attempting to change their citizenship to demands in order for said country to consider whether or not said one is "fit for" inclusion into its society.
And to have that country approve said request and act accordingly.

A better term for those here illegally would be "unlawfully present foreign outsider"---someone who's either overstayed their VISA and continues to hang around, or who's managed to enter another country covertly.

                             Musing #3 For Today
It's not just government, politicians, authority, or the officials I'm dubious of
...a lot of average folks seem to exhibit a lot of the same traits:
*Sketchy
*Somewhat amoral
*Clandestine in their interpersonal interactions

A Cardinal Rule Concerning Written Laws:

If a law serves to solve a certain problem (assuming stringent and impartial enforcement) then you'll generally be okay with it, even if the law is a bit harsh, as long as it stands to improve things for you in some way.

If, on the other hand, a law seems to do little more than "exist to penalize you" while not doing anything to improve your life any, then you'll be resentful of the law as well as anyone who tries to enforce it against you.

Best human traits:
Being open-minded
Unbridled candor

Worst human traits:
Narrow-mindedness
Too much entitlement
Having too much authority

The problem with those in authority:

They're too much like the censors---they always seem to be misunderstanding things.
They'll regard anything "outside the box" or presented too candidly as being abusive, improper, lewd, predatory, or offensive.

They tend to read "malice" and ill intent into a lot of innocuous and innocent behaviors, conduct, and spoken or written words.
Anything ambiguous or hard to clearly define is automatically interpreted in the most negative light.

They come across too much like domineering metaphorical godparents, the kind who think their offspring to be mindless drones, eternally naive and unaware, sure to go astray without strong punitive discipline and constant direction and correction.
Power-tripping reformers, constantly punishing or correcting those below them.

I don't believe in evolution:
The theory is too dependent on capricious crap-shoot scenarios and improbable happenstance.
And it doesn't explain the orderly patterns in nature and the universe, obviously the results of a deliberate following-through of some kind of cosmic "blueprint" on the part of whatever's in charge of all that exists.

And I don't have any religious beliefs either:
I don't like any religions.  They all comprise too many dogmatic beliefs, artificial perfunctory rituals, and myopically simple-minded assumptions about the spirit realm.

                                       Musing #2 For Today
One should approach any subject the same way one would approach electricity
...in that it's essential to know exactly what it is you're dealing with---its substance, what it's all about---so as to be able to know how to render said subject the proper respect it is due.

                Societies are like the proverbial abusive parents:
They fulfill their moral duties to clinically instill proper instructions into the minds of their offspring---like "Show proper respect and consideration for others" and "Be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others"
...but treat said offspring like shit and speak down to them condescendingly, slightingly, and degradingly.

This is why we still "owe others respect", even if they behave insultingly toward us
...or why "empathy" is expected of us, even though we live in a "dog-eat-dog" world, where others are either constantly trying to "hustle us" or are so callous and insensitive toward us they "wouldn't piss on us even if we were on fire".

                                          Musing For Today
           Other peoples' issues seem to have a domino effect on everything around them
                                     ...and I don't enjoy being one of the dominoes.

                                          Musing For Today
When someone makes a statement like "Your rights end where the other person's begin" notice how they never mention just WHERE it is that other person's rights begin, or how large that other person's microcosmic bubble might be.
I'd be suspicious of the motives of anyone who would send such a specious cliche your way.

There are three kinds of music:
That which you like
That which you don't like
That which makes for ideal background noise or bathroom breaks

                                               Adages For Today

     Normal people are always so hard to get through to because they subsist on a diet of red herrings

                                         What is a jogger, but a bicyclist minus the wheels?

    They're killing off all the mockingbirds and hummingbirds, leaving the crows to take over

       This is why we can't have nice things ...
You fill your apartment with nice furniture, a nice stereo system, a spiffy flat-screen TV and home theater set-up, fancy stylish shelving units for books, art work and other artifacts.
You conscientiously strive to keep your unit neat, clean, and in overall good upkeep.


Then, one day, an explosion occurs in the unit occupied by the idiots who live above you who have apparently been operating a meth lab from their own place of residence.


...and, on account of someone else's greed and stupidity, you wind up losing everything you went so far out of your way to attain and obtain.


Such is life in a "free society" where "the other guy has rights and liberties too".

Double Song Analysis: The Man In The Raincoat and Last Time I Saw Him

The first song, "Man In The Raincoat", was a top-20 hit in 1955 for both Marion Marlowe and Priscilla Wright.


In this one the gullible protagonist gets taken for a ride by a con artist who "proposes marriage" to her, but "needs money" to set things up.
After a no-show on his part when she goes downtown to meet up with him the next day she figures out, too late, she's apparently been had.


The second song, "Last Time I Saw Him", a 1974 solo hit for Diana Ross, hits upon the same theme.  Except the protagonist in this story is a bit daft as she never catches on that she's been bilked by the guy who said he "had to borrow some money so he could get us both set up"
...and the only thing he "set up", of course, was her.


Even after all that she still refuses to believe the obvious, still sticking with her idealistic expectations and hopes
...even going so far as to eventually purchase a bus ticket to travel to his home town, figuring that if he "hasn't made it back by now something must have gone wrong" and that he "might be in some kind of trouble", so she's "going to him" because he probably "needs her by his side".

                                         Musing For Today
It amuses me to hear about President Trump stating that "the stock market will crash for sure" if he's ever impeached.
That one surely deserves a place in the annals of "most self-aggrandizing statements ever made".


This guy can't seriously believe he's really the "end all".  That the U.S. is going to "shut down" if HE gets shut down.
Like any president prior and in the future he, too, will have to "pass the baton" to whoever his successor is, whether it be after this term or, if he gets reelected, the next one.  He shouldn't be coming off as some kind of panacea.  He's not.  In fact his successes in life have all been as a professional robber-baron.  Hardly anything to boast about.


I remember I was 9-years-old and naïve when Kennedy was assassinated, and I was feeling panicky---like "What's going to happen (to this country) now?  How are we going to continue on, now that the President is dead?"


...but when Johnson got sworn in, I was "Oh, is that how it's done?  The country already has a back-up plan 'just in case'?"
One of my earliest lessons in Civics, for sure.

                                        Adage #2 For Today
                                        Opportunity cost is the norm, not the exception

                                              Adage #1 For Today
You must stay on top of things.  Otherwise things may wind up on top of you, crushing you under their weight.

CeleDeath: Aretha Franklin

It's about time I put my two-cents worth in on the final "waterloo" of the legendary R&B/pop singer/keyboardist last Thursday.
Ms. Franklin was also a part-time songwriter as well.  THINK, ROCK STEADY, and DAYDREAMING were self-penned.
Most of her other hits were improvised cover versions (well, okay, her remake of SEE-SAW did stick faithfully to the arrangement of Don Covay's original).

More Notable Songs Whose Themes Are Obvious

A Brand New Me
Dusty Springfield/Aretha Franklin
The benefits of having someone who's a good influence and who believes in you

Society's Child
Janis Ian
Does Your Mama Know About Me?
Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
Brother Louie
Stories
Parents against interracial dating (and/or engagements)

Blessed Is The Rain
Brooklyn Bridge
Never make anyone (or anything) your "personal guru"

I'd Love To Change The World
Ten Years After
Specious platitudes rambled off as an excuse for rationalizing resigning oneself to lazy narcissistic apathy

(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
Otis Redding
Clearly this song is a first-person account of experiencing clinical depression

It's Good News Week
Hedgehoppers Anonymous
"...they butchered up the sacred cow, they got enough to eat ..."
Terrific metaphorical double entendre, in that there are many kinds of "sacred cows".
It's true: If you can shed off the dogmas, the stigmas, and need to be "moral" or "correct", and just let loose and enjoy life for a change, you'll find the experience to be quite liberating and nurturing
...although also quite dangerous and risky if no-one else around you is keen on doing the same.
NOTE: The song itself is basically about slamming the news media for its habit of routinely indulging in hyperbolic sensationalism.

Paint It, Black
The Rolling Stones
Guy whose lover has obviously passed away suffering from depression over it so bad he just can't get on with life at the present time.
The Beatles' BABY'S IN BLACK has a similar theme, but with a role-reversal---about a guy whose girlfriend lost her previous lover and still can't get over him enough to assimilate herself into the new relationship

Long Long Time
Linda Ronstadt
Love Stinks
J. Geils Band
It always seems that those we're attracted to usually don't find us attractive---while those who DO find us attractive are often those we have no kind of interest in 

Roly Poly
Joey Dee & The Starliters
Fat Bottom Girls
Queen
Guys who are infatuated with heavy-set girls/women

Christine Sixteen
Kiss
A young dude openly expressing his intense lust for a well-groomed properly raised middle-class teenage girl

People
Barbra Streisand
An anthem of the universal need for human contact

Rainy Day People
Gordon Lightfoot
The antithesis of the "fair weather friend"---those who are still loyal to you even when you're at your lowest point in life

Instant Karma
John Lennon
We all have to share the same world whether we like each other or not

The Crusher
The Novas
Parody of "Big Time Wrestling" and all those "dance craze" songs that permeated the air waves in the 60s

Be Free
Loggins & Messina
Longing to leave the decay and corruption of the urban environment and return to nature and a simpler existence

If Walls Could Talk
Little Milton
Nowadays they CAN---and often DO

Barefoot In Baltimore
Strawberry Alarm Clock
About how "flower power" is now making its way to the east coast (circa 1968).
Although, if taken literally, the song's title comes across as more of a foolish dare. 

Don't Go Out Into The Rain
Herman's Hermits
Essentially somewhat of a latter-day incarnation of BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

 Attention Pedestrians!!!!!
A new menace has arisen to further impede our right to move around freely on foot.

...battery-operated mini-scooters!!!

If it wasn't already bad enough that we can't walk anywhere without having to look over our shoulders constantly, on guard for stormtrooper-minded joggers, bicyclists, and skateboarders who seem to come out of nowhere and force us onto the curb or onto the grass or the side of buildings....or tolerate reckless stormtrooper-minded motorists who fly into side streets, parking lots, and alleys without slowing down, signaling, or yielding---with a driveway, alleyway, or side street every 30 feet at that, necessitating a mindset befitting "one driving on a remote two-lane highway known for having unmarked railroad crossings with no lights or gates, and with a speed limit of 60 MPH, on a dark night during a new moon" on our part---along comes this new flood of rich "environmentally conscious" trust-fund twits who abstain from driving so as to "not be responsible for contributing more to global warming", while still being too lazy to walk themselves, with their make-shift version of "alternative transportation".

                Pedestrians, you've been warned!
                                                      Take care, and be safe.

Residing in an apartment unit is a lot like being responsible for the care of a newborn.
The way it's completely helpless, totally dependent on you to take care of all its needs, the way it constantly uses up all your time, money, and resources.

Residing in a government subsidized apartment unit, on the other hand, is more like caring for an aging parent
...the same helplessness, dependency, and exhausting your time, money and resources
...except that it still assumes authority over you, and tries to "be boss over you", even though you're still expected to take care of everything yourself.

                                         Musing For Today
I've noticed ...
...that when I attach the AC cord to my phone and plug it into the wall the screen lights up and a pop-up panel states "Phone Charging"

...and that, when I pull the plug from the wall, the screen lights up again and a pop-up message states "Charger Disconnected".

It's imperative these devices remind me of what I'm already doing, lest I have a sudden mental lapse and I forget where I'm at and what I was doing ...

Being "Owned"
I hate anything that stagnates.  The only things that deserve to linger are those that entertain or amuse, or have some enhancing qualities to their existence.  Anything else (especially unpleasant) is only Sisyphean if they hang around indefinitely.

That's why I don't like it any time I need help from someone else.  That other party always seems to assume you "sold yourself to them willingly" anytime you ask them for their assistance or need their services.

And, sure enough, invariably, they assume license to "take over the rest of your life", and you find yourself constantly "on THEIR time", to the point where you find you don't have the time to tend to your other needs and pleasures.

Everyone does this: relatives, businesses, clinics, agencies, any charity you may have volunteered for, your employer---and so forth.

We're all "just one person".  We can't know everything, or have aptitude for all tasks, jobs and professions.  We're forced to co-depend at certain points in our life.
But to do so seems to envelop "giving ourselves away to another".

                              Just say "No" to Change
If I had to name one of the worst traits of society it would be its propensity for habitually making random changes, often without precedence or cause.

Even when everything is functioning smoothly, just right, the way it is, sooner or later whoever has just then acquired the company or organization gets the notion to rearrange this and that, or alter procedures without warning or prior announcement.

This is bad, as it throws one's ecosystem off, as one routinely interacts with a multitude of factions, so having everyone's arbitrary system memorized so that you always "automatically know what to do and when and how to do it" upon entering each establishment ensures smooth functionality on your part.

Unexpected changes cause confusion, as you wind up back to a "square one" mode of having to "learn the ropes" all over again.  This disrupts your ecosystem and makes you awkward.  And in a crowded society, where it's too easy to "get in the other person's way" if you hesitate or get clumsy, it's then too easy to fuck up if you haven't yet figured out "which end is 'east' and which end is 'west'".  Being a crowded society it's not possible to fuck up without also fucking up the guy behind you---which now makes you a "causation" and a "liability".

Being unfamiliar with anything can make one klutzy and awkward.  It's like the professional musician who also works part-time in a warehouse, but manual labor isn't exactly his forte, so he's constantly dropping things and running into inventory with his forklift.
To his coworkers he comes off as a total fucktard

...but, once back in the studio, in front of the keyboards or with a guitar in his hand, the notes and chords just pour out effortlessly, in perfect harmony and on tempo.
He is, once again, a true "secular sorcerer".

The New Dark Ages

Walk into a STARBUCKS, order a coffee, then try to find a place to sit...
...and just about anywhere you look, the tables are dirty, coffee spills and crumbs galore.  The floor is littered with napkins, wrappers, muddy footprints.
STARBUCKS cares not about its reputation as a corporate cafe catering to civilian aristocrats, it seems.

This whole society's like this now:
Doing everything on the cheap.  Laying off workers at a time when tax revenue for social safety nets is dwindling.  Eschewing the ethos of health and safety procedures and knowledge.  Business, government and authority all obsessed with the "bottom lines":  profit and power tripping.
Even legitimate businesses and companies are behaving like "snake oil" scam artists.  And those in charge are "taking lessons from Stalin and Draco".

Racism is in vogue again.
Rules and laws seem to just be a joke:  libraries are noisy; reckless driving is ubiquitous; bicyclists race their overpriced 20-speed two-wheel contraptions at full speed on crowded sidewalks; "normal" people behaving like storm troopers everywhere they go---pouring into public and commercial spaces "out of nowhere", acting aggressive and loud, taking up tons of space and blocking aisles and doorways, as if they just "bought the property" and "they're the new owners now" and "everything's going to done THEIR WAY from here on in" ...

Professionals perform their tasks half-assed and are seldom punctual when it comes to scheduled appointments, keeping customers/patients/clients waiting for long periods of time---or not even showing up at all.

                           2nd Musing For Today
I was just listening to I WANT TO TELL YOU, from the REVOLVER album.

One question:
Has there ever been a recording act who has had more "potential singles" that were never released on 45-RPM than The Beatles?
Of course because CAPITOL and PARLOPHONE realized, often ahead of time, that the albums would be multi-million sellers, hence it would be a waste of time, money, and resources to release more than a couple tracks from each LP as a single.

I guess Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley might also fit this category as well.

                                          Musing For Today
When one gets a letter from an official source---say, from their landlord, or a government agency, or a summons to appear in county court---one tends to regard such notification in a literal sense.

Landlords, don't send notices to your tenants stating "it's been determined that" their unit "has a bedbug infestation", followed by instructions for preparation for treatment by professional exterminators.

...and then, after possessions have been bagged and piled up in the middle of the front room and bedroom, mention that "it's merely an inspection to determine whether or not there is an actual cause for concern".
Then, after the inspection, tenant's unit is given the "all clear" ...AFTER their having gone through all the panic and time and expense of preparation for a problem that doesn't even exist.

"That's just a general notice.  We send it out to ALL the units".
Nothing like a good scare tactic to keep the tenants on their toes, I guess.

Also quite dishonest as well, if I may say so myself.  I don't know if it's intended to be some kind of psyop or what, but I think it's morally wrong to traumatize and shock another in order to "get them to take some kind of initiative".

...plus, when one receives an official directive they tend to take whatever's stated at face value.  One's not exactly going to read a notice from an employer, a landlord, a government agency, or a court order the same way they would read the works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Emily Dickenson, Robert Frost, or John Keats.
One doesn't reread a "summons to appear in county court" looking for subliminal metaphors and social commentary or hidden sarcasms.  It's just understood that official directives are intended to be interpreted literally.

That's why it's important for such directives to be precise and concise, to the point, and accurate.

Then again, I've long doubted the level of transparency of most businesses, professions, agencies, and institutions.  They've always seemed, to me anyway, to be big on psyops, power-tripping, and pigeonholing. 

Song Analysis: Native New Yorker

Late-'70s disco-style R&B/pop hit by Odyssey seems to be about someone born and raised in New York City who either moved away to--and tried to set down new roots in---another city or state, or about one born and raised in New York City who still lives there and is having a problem dealing with out-of-town/out-of-state transplants who express disdain and contempt for anyone who displays any characteristics of one who has lived their entire life in the "big apple".
                              "You grew up riding the subway,
                                   running with people, 
                           up in Harlem, down on Broadway ..."

                              "...you should know the score by now,
                        no-one opens the door for a Native New Yorker ..."
...that rift between a true-blue New Yorker and those from the rest of the country:
                           "...everyone's dancing, closer and closer,
                          making friends and finding lovers.
                          There you are, lost in the shadows,
                     searching for someone to set you free from New York City ..."
I kind of like any type of theme that deals with ostracizing, which explains my particular affinity for this song.
Not that the stereotypical "New Yorker" could ever have personality traits which could ever be regarded as charismatic in any way.  I just indulge in the "alienation" aspects.

Why is it ...
...when you have to buy a new phone (and new phone service) they give you a hand-me-down phone number?

Considering they charge by-the-minute, is it right I end up wasting some of those minutes playing back a Voice Mail that was intended for whoever had the number before but obviously didn't see fit to inform those they do business with of their new number?

And, for all you businesses and clinics, I'm on a low-cost budget plan.  Meaning I'm paying for 120 to 240 minutes per three months.  I don't really have the money to be able to afford anything beyond that.
And, as you can guess, my phone is one of those "flip phone" types.

In short, I can't afford to play any "phone tag" games or waste all my minutes on automation or being put on hold.
So send me all my test results and other critical correspondence by mail, and allow me to make appointments in person, via walk-in and face-to-face, in the reception area of the clinic itself.

Caitlyn Jenner:
It must be nice to be an old woman who never had to go through menopause or hot flashes

The main issue I have any time I go out in public:
Everyone seems to "have to drag the kids along"
...or "bring their friends with them".

Can you say "bottleneck"?
Life is but an endless queue.

Upskirt
"Just what I thought.  'Hanes Her Way'.   I kind of figured her to be a  'Hanes lady'.  She just looks like the type."



                                 Another site to check out: www.heatherchristenaschmidt.com  

Apostle Paul put to death by lethal injection for war crimes dating back over two millenniums

A Biblical legend long revered for his loyal commitment to the savior Jesus Christ following his conversion to Christianity after many years spent persecuting Christians himself while a high-ranking official of the Roman government was put to death by lethal injection after finally being tried and convicted of the war crimes he committed while still an official of the long-defunct Roman empire---a consequence of numerous laws dealing with war crimes both recent and past, allowing for retroactive prosecution of such offenses regardless of when or where they were committed.

Loyal followers of the late apostle protested that Paul had already been exonerated of his then-heinous acts by divine intervention and decree, and that secular mortal judgments have no place in making any decisions based on his particular case.

However, Hans Van Muer, a spokesperson for the International Court, explained that the late apostle's offenses while still a Roman official equaled or exceeded some of the worst ones committed by Nazi officials in Germany during World War II, many of whom were tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials of the 1950s.  And that the modern justice systems we have now are all based on revenge and clinical retribution, so the notion of forgiveness for past offenses, regardless of the passage of time, is out of the question in today's social and legal climate.

That, these days, anything an offender does or did that violates or has violated what are now the current laws, or the rights and dignity of another, will be permanently held against that offender, regardless of any personal changes the offender may otherwise have made during the time it takes to finally get them on trial.

                      HATE FREE ZONE
So what happens if someone does or says anything disparaging, inappropriate, or "abusive" while inside this establishment?

Are they told they "have to leave"?  (Isn't that a kind of discrimination in itself?)

And if the customer lashes back "Piss off, buddy!  'Freedom of speech', moron!", or simply defies said directive and continues to hang around, does the management then call the cops?

...who are sure to "lovingly" and "compassionately" escort said petulant dissident off the premises in a "respectful", "dignified" and "civilized" manner ...

          Oh, and by the way:   NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS. CUSTOMERS ONLY

              When visiting the city of Flint Michigan
              visitors are advised to not drink the water

                                     Musing For Today
                 I don't get why women get so uptight about the term "cunt"
                            ...all it is is the feminine version of "prick"

Song Analysis: Painter Man

This obscure nugget by a British group, The Creation, is a commentary about how those blessed with extreme artistic ability are forced to "sell out" to commercial ventures and venues these days if they're to expect any kind of recognition.

How the modern-day Beethoven, Grieg, or Mozart are best off going the route of Irving Berlin, Bacharach and David, Jimmy Webb, or Lennon and McCartney, and embracing the ethos of the popular music genre
...and, thus, forget about composing exotic symphonies no-one will even pay the time of day to anyway.

Or how the modern-day Picasso and Van Gogh pretty much has to forgo the dream of becoming another legendary historically famous painter or sculptor, and instead try to cash in on either cartooning or putting their talents toward billboards, commercials, or magazine covers and articles.

How modern-day society is just too superficial, formulaic and commercialized to have room for any kind of involved and intricate creativity.

        (One note:  this song is from the year 1967, just for the record)



                                    Another site to check out: www.bobwirehasapoint.com

Just because you're paranoid doesn't necessarily mean they're not out to get you
One subject I enjoy indulging is that of the Targeted Individual---those subject to some kind of secret vendetta implemented by some secret organization or group of governmental operatives.

Albeit misspellings and poor quality grammar, some of these web sites make for some interesting and seductive reading for those times one is bored and hard-up for captivating reading matter.

So-o-o-o-oo ...
Here's MY common sense and logical barometer for determining whether or not you are being subjected to deliberate efforts on the part of parties unknown to impair or destroy you or your life:
Similar or loosely related incidents happening ...
Twice in a row:  Coincidence
Three times in a row:  Questionable
Four or more times in a row: Conspiracy for sure!!!

This formula should pretty much give one a good enough idea of whether or not they're possibly being tampered with in some way.

              Society's two main issues:
Authority figures I have to "coddle".
People in charge who are so inept they commit constant oversights, or operate on outdated information.  I have to keep correcting them any time I have a need to do business with them.  I'll even wind up doing half their work for them sometimes
...yet they still have control over me.  And are still allowed to make all final decisions.

And then there are those "deputized" citizens who expect to be treated like royalty, and are given license to exploit the services of proper authorities for purposes of getting revenge on anyone who dares to do or say anything they deem "offensive".

Song Analysis: Subterranean Homesick Blues

This is Robert Zimmerman's first-ever national top-40 hit (out of 1965).

Essentially, this song deals with experiencing a major cultural shock
...not as a result of visiting another country and being thrown for a loop by its strange customs and practices, but, rather, as a result of one finally venturing out on their own in THEIR OWN country, the one they were born and raised in, and discovering all the long omnipresent "trade secrets" and dark underbellies inherent in one's society that no-one's ever bothered to teach them about.

This early song is, par for the course, peppered with the kind of idiomatic metaphors and subliminal insinuations Dylan songs have always been notorious noted and reputed for.