Ponderings for April 16th 2022

[br6205]

I hate to be a downer but there is a new strain down under that has raised its ugly head.

 

[mikeyank]

I hate to be a downer but there is a new strain down under that has raised its ugly head.

Perhaps I am naive or a wishful thinker, but I truly believe that the worst is over and that there is something called herd immunity and that the vacinnes and boosters do work. Look how scared we all got over Omicron. Yes it was highly contagious and tons of people contracted it but how many got very sick and how many died?

In 1918 we had a similar worldwide Flu pandemic with no vaccines. I sure hope I am not wrong but I do believe we are on the way back to normal life and like the 1919 Pandemic, so will go the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

[br6205]

Unfortunately the NZ Hearald reports deaths in the hundreds including children as young as 8.

 

[chac54]

I was thinking today about music. Technology for the most part has made it possible for just about anyone to slap together a song and release it (yes I know it's more involved but just roll with me here. LOL) With auto tune, and all the magic we can do with a few clicks of the mouse in a music editing suite, an artist and a good producer can fix most vocal and instrument errors in a song and get a very decent product. Years ago you didn't have that luxury, you actually had to be able to sing and play the instrument especially when performing live. I have not yet had the pleasure of attending a live concert, but there have been many that I would love to time travel back to experience.

I would have loved to have seen Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and others at Live Aid for instance. I watch these on YouTube and it's almost magical, it brings a smile to my face, and if I'm having a down day, a song can cheer me right up.

I wonder how many of these young artists of today will be still producing music in 30, 40 or 50 years. Will the new music they produce today be hits like what we consider the to be the classic hits now? If you look at some of the musicians from the 70s, Elton John is still touring, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and the list goes on.. these folks are still doing what they love decades later.

 

[tampa24]

I was thinking today about music. Technology for the most part has made it possible for just about anyone to slap together a song and release it (yes I know it's more involved but just roll with me here. LOL) With auto tune, and all the magic we can do with a few clicks of the mouse in a music editing suite, an artist and a good producer can fix most vocal and instrument errors in a song and get a very decent product. Years ago you didn't have that luxury, you actually had to be able to sing and play the instrument especially when performing live. I have not yet had the pleasure of attending a live concert, but there have been many that I would love to time travel back to experience.

I would have loved to have seen Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and others at Live Aid for instance. I watch these on YouTube and it's almost magical, it brings a smile to my face, and if I'm having a down day, a song can cheer me right up.

I wonder how many of these young artists of today will be still producing music in 30, 40 or 50 years. Will the new music they produce today be hits like what we consider the to be the classic hits now? If you look at some of the musicians from the 70s, Elton John is still touring, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and the list goes on.. these folks are still doing what they love decades later.

Yes. I am thrilled to live in an age now where so much entertainment, and easy (almost free) access to it is now the norm.

 

[mikeyank]

I was thinking today about music. Technology for the most part has made it possible for just about anyone to slap together a song and release it (yes I know it's more involved but just roll with me here. LOL) With auto tune, and all the magic we can do with a few clicks of the mouse in a music editing suite, an artist and a good producer can fix most vocal and instrument errors in a song and get a very decent product. Years ago you didn't have that luxury, you actually had to be able to sing and play the instrument especially when performing live. I have not yet had the pleasure of attending a live concert, but there have been many that I would love to time travel back to experience.

I would have loved to have seen Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and others at Live Aid for instance. I watch these on YouTube and it's almost magical, it brings a smile to my face, and if I'm having a down day, a song can cheer me right up.

I wonder how many of these young artists of today will be still producing music in 30, 40 or 50 years. Will the new music they produce today be hits like what we consider the to be the classic hits now? If you look at some of the musicians from the 70s, Elton John is still touring, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and the list goes on.. these folks are still doing what they love decades later.

You are right that attending a live concert can be thrilling. To be part of 20,000 or more fans together at an event. From your list I saw Elton John at Madison Square Garden. Also Rolling Stones at MSG but in a different time, 1970. The band I saw the most live was The Who. Once at my college gym. They did the whole Tommy album. Then at four other venues as time went by.

Also I saw Billy Joel open for Jay Geils band at a small theater in Albany when I was in college. Billy Joel was unknown back then. See pic below.

 

[br6205]

Alas all my music heroes and masters are long dead.

 

[mikeyank]

Alas all my music heroes and masters are long dead.

So are so many of mine including the great John Lennon and Jim Morrison. I am so grateful that one of the musical geniuses of my lifetime, Bob Dylan is still alive and performing at eighty years of age. God bless Bob Dylan.

Bobby in 1963.



And today.

 

[br6205]

Glad for you, he is a year older than me.

 

[tampa24]

I saw the Rolling Stones in Tampa in 1999. I saw Styx in Tampa around 1983. Van Halen in Toledo in 1980. Journey in St. John's Hollow, Ohio around 1978. I saw Hart and John Cougar Mellencamp in Tampa around 1984.

They were all good times. It's especially cool if you go with friends to share the experience with.

 

[chac54]

I got nothing for tonight, it feels like my brain is cooked more than the turkey in Christmas Vacation.

Hugs everyone!!

 

[tampa24]

Thanks Chac.

 

[br6205]

TY.

 

[chac54]

Tonight's rant: I fucking hate spiders. It's the one thing about spring (besides pollen) that I really dislike. I have killed 6 in my house in the last day alone. I'm not a slob, I vacuum and clean regularly, but living in a condo that is 50 years old I guess it comes with the territory. I'm making a trip to Home Depot tomorrow to pick up a gallon of Ortho home defense to obliterate them (I hope!)

I might be a bit pissed at them because a few months ago I was bit on my face by one. Consensus by the doctor and family members is that it must have been a brown recluse. Thankfully I have not seen anymore of those yet, I wouldn't want to go through that again. I almost ended up in the hospital from the infection the little bastard gave me (my lymph nodes in my neck were huge). I now have several depressions on my face where the holes were. I guess it will be a cool story to tell to any guys I may date if they ask LOL

 

[br6205]

I rarely see one in my basement abode.

 

[chac54]

On my way to work this morning I witnessed a gentleman get hit on his bicycle by a truck doing about 30 mph I would venture to guess (speed limit is 45 and truck slammed on brakes). It was not the fault of the truck driver, the bicyclist just cut across a multi-lane highway against the lights without looking (it all happened in a few seconds, you know that horrible gut feeling when you are watching something and your brain is analyzing what it sees and it senses this is one of the fight or flight danger moments and it pushes the emergency dump adrenaline button?) He was thrown from the bike and had no helmet on unfortunately. He was responsive when an off duty fireman pulled over and checked on him, then a nurse stopped and soon probably 4 citizens were helping to keep him from moving. Then the police and EMTs showed up. I'm so grateful for our first responders, they are heros. I'm grateful for the citizens that stopped when they could have kept on going. My first aid training is a bit rusty from my boyscout days, but in a pinch it would work.

After my heart calmed down and the adrenaline started to wear off, I took a few minutes to just decompress in my car. I had my phone on shuffle and when I started my car it started playing Bette Midler's "The Rose". I've never really paid attention to the lyrics of the song before, but I did today and it hit home hard. I realized that I'm that rose seed and I've been the bitter snow keeping myself from learning to love. I guess the universe is trying to tell me something. Okay, I'm listening......

 

[br6205]

That was awake up call to all of us, most rules are there for a purpose. I hope the man was in the end okay & learned to follow the safety rules & you are okay as well.

 

[mikeyank]

On my way to work this morning I witnessed a gentleman get hit on his bicycle by a truck doing about 30 mph I would venture to guess (speed limit is 45 and truck slammed on brakes). It was not the fault of the truck driver, the bicyclist just cut across a multi-lane highway against the lights without looking (it all happened in a few seconds, you know that horrible gut feeling when you are watching something and your brain is analyzing what it sees and it senses this is one of the fight or flight danger moments and it pushes the emergency dump adrenaline button?) He was thrown from the bike and had no helmet on unfortunately. He was responsive when an off duty fireman pulled over and checked on him, then a nurse stopped and soon probably 4 citizens were helping to keep him from moving. Then the police and EMTs showed up. I'm so grateful for our first responders, they are heros. I'm grateful for the citizens that stopped when they could have kept on going. My first aid training is a bit rusty from my boyscout days, but in a pinch it would work.

After my heart calmed down and the adrenaline started to wear off, I took a few minutes to just decompress in my car. I had my phone on shuffle and when I started my car it started playing Bette Midler's "The Rose". I've never really paid attention to the lyrics of the song before, but I did today and it hit home hard. I realized that I'm that rose seed and I've been the bitter snow keeping myself from learning to love. I guess the universe is trying to tell me something. Okay, I'm listening......

Interesting life observation Chac. I never listened that carefully to the lyrics of that song before myself, although I’ve always loved Bette.

I just really listened Chac, and after hearing it hundreds or perhaps thousands of times, I really heard it this time. Very meaningful and powerful indeed.

 

[br6205]

She was an icon but alas like all like all celebs their time is limited as we humans are so fragile & the more astute know this and use their time wisely.

 

[chac54]

Today was a bittersweet day. I lost my Mom a bit over a year ago. She was an amazing person, always there for me, encouraging me to be a better person, and handing out constructive criticism when deserved. I miss her terribly. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I spent the morning with family and watching my nephew play baseball at a scrimmage match. It was only about 50 F outside, but the wind was whipping, had to have been 30 mph+ or so. I felt frozen solid despite having multiple layers on. I'm thankful for whomever discovered coffee because it certainly hits the spot when you are cold!

Hugs to my fellow forumites!