Home at last

Well I am back in the good old USA. It is really nice to be home again. I am not going to complain a lot about being in Italy for about 3 of the last 6 weeks but it is harder than it might seem. The 7 hour time difference is tough to recover from.

My trusty iPod served me well on the flights to and fro...I don't think I could have made it without the music.

I will post a few stories from my travels in the coming weeks but I am a little brain dead right now. Well...a little more than usual anyway.

Two musical moments from the trip...I went in to get a piece of pizza in a little slice shop in Siena and the sweet sound of Grand Funk Railroad was coming from the ceiling...the song was Inside Looking Out. The pizza was good; the song; food for the soul.

We were walking through a piazza in Florence when I spotted a very ratty looking dude...obviously homeless. Coming out of his clump of belongings was the sound of Led Zeppelin. Nothing like a little Whole Lotta Love to help you connect with an Italian street person. It sounded really good to me.

I missed you all and I missed being in the US. As wonderful as Italy is, there is no place like home...

We humans aren't very nice to each other

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Police identified a 23-year-old South Korean student Tuesday as the gunman who killed more than 30 people in a rampage at Virginia Tech. They said at least one of his handguns was also used to kill two people in a dorm room across campus the same morning.

The killing of 32 people Monday at this placid university in southwestern Virginia was the deadliest shooting spree in U.S. history.


BAGHDAD, April 18 -- Four car bombs killed 131 people and wounded 164 others across Baghdad Wednesday, the U.S. military said, as bloodshed spiked two months into a U.S.-led crackdown meant to pacify the Iraqi capital.

Some news accounts suggested the death toll may be higher. The Reuters news agency, quoting local officials, said as many as 170 people had been killed, and the Associated Press said at least 183 had been killed.

These above are small parts of news articles just taken from news websites.

Does one of these stories make you feel worse than the other?
One lunatic shooting innocents
Groups of lunatics blowing up innocents
Are we callous enough to think that because those dying in Iraq are mostly Iraqis, it's ok?
Why does our media go crazy with coverage, outrage and emotional broadcasts for one of these events and not the other?
Is it because Iraq is a political issue?
The story above demonstrates clearly that it's a humanitarian issue.

They are both horrible circumstances. I can't imagine how devastated I would be if I lost a loved one in either one of these two horrific events. But I also can't isolate my feelings for the victims just because of where the innocents were slain. Murder is murder. People are people. Children are children.

Where is our leadership? Where is our media? Where is our outrage?

I was really hoping to laugh

I finally watched Borat last night. What a disappointment. The movie and concept just didn't live up to all the talk and hype. Funny? Maybe if I was in fifth grade...Hell, I think Taladega Nights had more laughs...

Very basic scatological humor, political incorrectness, cheap sexual humor, antisemitism, naked men wrestling around, using unsuspecting people to further his whacked humor....Not very creative, not very original and not very funny. If this movie is considered a good movie, I am missing something. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I giggled a few times. I was uncomfortable more than I was amused.

I'm glad I didn't go to the theater and waste $6.00 on this. So that is my rating, NW6 (not worth $6.00). In fact I will go NW.05.

It's my opinion and my sense of humor and I failed to sense much at all.

Correre via alla bocca

I've been on the road quite a bit and have been remiss in writing. I feel a little guilty about that for some reason. So, I am here to relieve some of the guilt. I think I will just ramble.

Things I'm tired of....

Don Imus is an idiot. I make a point of not listening or heeding what idiots have to say whenever I can. I have exercised my right to my opinion by not tuning into his show and I'm glad MSNBC has taken him out. Now, I wish he would get out of the "news". The guy is nobody to me. I'm sick of hearing about it. Where's Paris Hilton when you need to hear about annoying nobody's. I really can't believe I want to hear about Paris Hilton...OK, I don't.

I really believe that if I look up hypocrite in the Dictionary they will use Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as examples. Well...I looked. They don't, but they should.

Politics, the War in Iraq, GWB, Republicans, Democrats, my digestive system, snow in April, reality tv, ticket brokers, ticketmaster, the trials and tribulations of aging, mean people, dishonest people. Did I say politics? Lot of recurring irritations found in this paragraph.

Things I never get tired of...

Música, musique, Musik, музыка, De muziek, musikk, 音樂

l'amore per i miei bambini

l'amore della mia vita

cibo delizioso

golf giocando

ridere con i miei amici ed il mio ones amato

la mia collezione di chitarra

OK...so after going multilingual I lost it and settled into Italian. What a beautiful language it is! I can wait to butcher it again sometime soon in Italia!

Does anyone know how to work a date book?

Where do I begin today? I have lots to write about but I will start with the concert I went to Tuesday (4/3) night in Moline Illinois.

Moline is part of the Quad Cities and is located about 2 and half hours from where I live. Eric Clapton was booked to play the Quad Cities! Rather than get back on the road after the show, we had made a hotel reservation and were planning on spending the night in lovely Davenport Iowa.

For some reason we had put the concert on the calendar for Wednesday (04/4) night. This is where the fun begins! About 3:30 P.M. on Tuesday I decide to go up to EC Access, Clapton's fanclub site to see if anyone had thoughts on the fan club Crossroads festival presale debacle that left most members ticketless, including me. I happened to see a message posted regarding "going to Moline". I clicked on it and the writer was talking about how he was "about to leave for the concert in Moline tonight". I thought, "Wow, they must have added a show" but thought I should look at my tickets. I looked and they said "Tuesday April 3 at 7:30 P.M.". OMG!!! I walked around the corner to my wife's office and said "the Clapton concert is tonight!" She literally shouted "WHAT?" and then "Can we make it?" I said "yes, I think we can but we have no time to spare." She was on her way home to pack a few things within milliseconds. Rather than get back on the road after the show, we had made a hotel reservation and were planning on spending the night in lovely Davenport Iowa, thus there was minor packing to do. I'm not sure I have seen her move at that pace ever! I printed the tickets and was right behind her. We were on the road to Moline at 4:15.

While on the road, we left a voice mail for our "dog sitter" figuring if she was unable to help we might have to call in backup sitter, my son J. Fortunately, she called us back fairly quickly and said there was no problem. It was at this point that I think my blood pressure was beginning to get under control.

We made it to the Quad cities by 6:30 P.M.. Alright it is possible that I exceeded the 65 mph speed limit from time to time but I can't be sure of that (your honor). We checked into the hotel, wolfed down a very mediocre dinner and made it to the show about 10 minutes late. We missed a couple of Robert Cray's opening numbers.

The concert...Robert Cray was very good. The size of this gentleman makes his Stratocaster look like a ukulele. Big man, great style.

I was really looking forward to seeing this leg of the Clapton tour since I had seen one of the earlier stops on the US leg of this tour last September. I thought the band was not quite "smokin" the first time around. They were good...they just weren't killer.

Well, no Derek Trucks this time around. He's apparently off doing an Allman Bros. reunion, so the apples to apples comparison went out the window. I was really disappointed that I wasn't able to watch this kid play again.

Overall, the band was better. EC and Doyle Bramhall had some outstanding guitar duet moments and Doyle had a couple of great solos this time around. Hell, the band is made up of a bunch of all stars...Steve Jordan on drums and Willie Weeks on bass. Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on keyboards.

EC is EC. He's a virtuoso at any age. At age 62, he's still amazing. He makes it look effortless and that's genius. He pisses me off. He obviously hogged up all the guitar talent because I can't seem to get much. Awesome EC, just awesome.

"Got to Get Better in a Little While" was rockin'. "Cocaine" was the worst rendition of that song that I have ever heard. They were going through the motions. Robert Cray joined the band for a go at "Crossroads" and it was killer.

Summary...nice venue, nice crowd, excellent show, EC is a gift.

Dreamland Concert Series

This summer is shaping up with some good concerts coming to town. It started with the news that Pearl Jam is going to headline Lollapalooza. Nice....hope it happens and I hope it's not a logistical nightmare...could be though...

Roger Waters is bringing his Dark Side of the Moon show back through town. OK...that should be fun. Got tickets for this one already but there is a conflict brewing. Hmmm...
He's playing the United Center.

The Police are playing Wrigley Field this summer. Maybe Sting can pitch or hit or do anything like a baseball player? God knows the Cubs can always use some help. Got tickets for this one too.

Then, the best news, Eric Clapton is organizing another Crossroads Guitar Festival and its gonna be in Chicago at Toyota Park on July 28th. I attended the first one in Dallas and it was guitar heaven. I will do everything in my power to witness this again. I've never been to Toyota Park but it's outdoors and it can't be worse than the Cotton Bowl. What a day of fun this will be...

Ok...now it's your turn to put together a music festival...include any band or performer. You can only include 7 bands and you must consider the order in which they play.

1. Lynyrd Skynryd with Ronnie VZ...this will get the crowd going!
2. Allman Brothers Band..more great "Southern" rock n blues
3. Eric Clapton...Duane Allman joins in for some Derek tunes!
4. Stevie Ray Vaughan...I'll need a smoke after the first four here...
5. Jimi Hendrix...SRV would have loved "opening" for Jimi
6. Led Zeppelin...are you kidding me? This band could rock...
7. Ladies and gentleman...The Beatles!

What a nice fantasy...I think I'll make this into an Ipod playlist somehow...

Italy One

Italy is coming...the prelim

Update

Nothing But Nets Update! So Far...So Good. We're up to $10,150 or 1015 nets. Thanks go out to all that joined us in saving lives. We continue to make a difference. C'mon squeeze out a few bucks and take a chance on saving someones life. Tell your friends. Post it on your blog. E-mail everyone you know. Thanks!

Your Quit Date is: 02/21/2007 12:00:00 PM

Time Smoke-Free: 26 days, 23 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds

Cigarettes NOT Smoked: 405

Lifetime saved: 3 days, 2 hours

Money Saved: $70.88

Houdogini

Well, I was right about Ani (rat baby)...she is an unbelievable little beast.

We bought these special doggy travel cases...the number one rated cases. See the picture...no those are not our pets; it's a stock photo that I took from the website in the corner. I thought since I borrowed their photo, they should get some free advertising.

She escaped from the case, not once, but twice. I was traversing the zigzag at security when one of the guards said, "Excuse me sir, your dog is out." I looked down and there she was dashing around in circles. I grabbed her quickly and put her back in her top rated case. She had opened one of the zippered entrances, or in Ani's case I believe they should be called exits. They were all closed tightly...she just figured out how to open them.

Later as we were in the Jetway just about to step on to the plane...she's out again. This time I feared she might panic and fall onto the tarmac. I was able to catch her quickly but we were struggling to get her back in the case and we were causing our own little doggie induced Jetway delay. So, my wife just took here under her arm while wheeling in the other escape challenged dog behind her. I was left wheeling the empty case. At least the case was quiet...

Well...we struggled a bit getting her back in the top rated escapable case but we finally succeeded. There were no further escapes...but I kept a close eye on all the zippers. We survived and it was interesting, embarrassing at times, but interesting...kinda like coca cola going through your nose interesting...

Rat and Fat are at it again

Today is the last day of my glorious run of being in Florida. I'll admit it...I hate winter...I love 80 degrees. So, I'm sorta bummed that I have to return to the frozen northlands. I did take a chunk out of winter so I guess I am fortunate. To those of you that have been unable to escape winter, I apologize for whining and I know I deserve a kick in the head. I am sad to leave the weather and I can't deny that feeling...

The worst part of leaving is going to be the flight home....with the 2 dogs. My lovely wife thought it would be a good idea to try bringing the dogs with us. If the dogs were low maintenance, it would have been a good idea. The little white female dog from hell is anything but low maintenace. Tiger (aka Fat Baby), was ok...not happy but ok.

They are miniature schnauzers and travel in the cabin under our seats in specially designed dog carriers. On the trip out here, the dogs were not happy being in the carriers and being stuffed under the seat. It's easy to understand. They were shaking all the way. Then Ani (aka Rat Baby), as I expected, made shrieking noises as we were moving through the airport; noises that were close to making my ears bleed. At one point a woman said "You need to put some WD40 on that" and then realized it was a dog making the noises, not the wheels on the carrier.

Our vet strongly advised against sedating the dogs. If he knew Rat Baby like I do, he would have suggested that the humans be sedated. Wish me luck. I am so not looking forward to this adventure.

Don't let the little white one's demeanor in this photo fool you...she's the Rat Baby.

Your Quit Date is: 02/21/2007 12:00:00 PM

Time Smoke-Free: 23 days, 180 hours, 47 minutes and 23 seconds

Cigarettes NOT Smoked: 357

Lifetime saved: 2 days, 17 hours

Money Saved: $63.00

An Ace

I made a hole in one yesterday! I know this doesn't excite everyone but it's a big deal in the golf world. I think it's a nice bit of luck. I would have rather used that luck to win a piece of the $370 million plus power ball lottery but that's a no go. So, I'll settle for my 4th hole in one. I think the odds for amateurs are like 1 in 13000 or something. I have always considered myself one of the luckiest guys in the world. This is just another very minor reason why I think that.

My Stats:

Your Quit Date is: 02/21/2007 12:00:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free: 14 days, 20 hours, 36 minutes and 2 seconds
Cigarettes NOT Smoked: 233
Lifetime saved: 1 day, 16 hours
Money Saved: $39.38

Creating my first original meme

Music, music, music...

1. What was the first record or cd that you owned?
She Love's You by the Beatles. I remember the 45 with a black Swan label. (A 45 is not a pistol)

2. What was the worst concert you ever saw?
Stevie Wonder. The production was so poor I did not hear one song I could recognize. I don't think I was 15 rows from the stage.

3. What cd or album in your collection are you embarrassed to say is there?
Uriah Heep - Demons and Wizards. I can't believe I liked this in college. Can you say stoned? They had to be...lol

4. What was the last song that gave you goose bumps?
The Luckiest - Ben Folds. The guy writes some great stories.

5. If you could sit in with one musician or band, who would that be?
This could be a huge list for me. Living - Eric Clapton Gone - SRV. My guitar lust comes out.

6. What's the best place you've ever seen a concert?
The finest acoustics were at the Civic Opera House in Chicago. I saw Paul Simon when he was on the Graceland tour. It was a fabulous show. The auditorium theater in Chicago is also a great venue.

7. The worst?
What used to be the Tweeter Center...now the Some bank name music theater. The place must have been planned and designed by Pablo Picasso. Nothing is in the right place, acoustics suck, traffic is hell. I will only go back there if Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon are on the bill.

8. Did your Dad have a love for music? How about your Mom?
My dad liked opera. Of my music he only said, "turn that shit off". Sorry dad but I do understand. If I could have I would have said the same thing about opera. My Mom liked pop music so she was a bit more accommodating about getting us a hi-fi and buying records.

9. DRM stands for __________________ .
Dimwits ruining music

10. What singer's pipes blow you away?
Linda Ronstadt has some powerful pipes. Aaron Neville has alien pipes. Neil Young has no pipes (but I love his work).

I look forward to your answers...give it a go...

It's a start

Nothing But Nets Update! We are off to a good start. In the month of February we raised $7,340 or about 734 nets! Thanks go out to all that joined us in saving lives. We are making a difference. Feel free to give some more or if you haven't yet contributed, do so. Tell your friends. Post it on your blog. E-mail everyone you know. Let's see how much we can all do with just a little bit of effort. Thank you all!

Are you sure it's not Friday?

A Thursday that feels like a Friday
Random Ten (give or take)

1. Little Child (Mono) - The Beatles
2. Give Me Love - George Harrison from the Live in Japan Disc
3. Telegraph Road - Dire Straits
4. I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Jeff Healey Band
6. You Saved My Life - Joe Satriani
7. Rapunzel - Dave Matthews Band
8. Oh Atlanta - Little Feat
9. Damn Right I've Got the Blues - Buddy Guy
10.Raspberry Beret - Prince
10a. Best Imitation of Myself - Ben Folds
10b. Diamond Dust - Jeff Beck
10c. Wasted Time - The Eagles

It was sounding so good I blew right past 10. Nice cross section of music there. Special thanks go out to the shuffle gremlins in my iPod.

Who are those guys up there? Bonus points for 3 out of 4

Quit Stats

Your Quit Date is: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 12:00:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free:7 days, 16 hours, 9 minutes and 16 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 115
Lifetime Saved: 21 hours
Money Saved: $21.00

Note to Apple: I don't think much of you either

I came across this blurb in the February 22, 2007 issue of Rolling Stone. If you are not a subscriber, go buy this issue...lots of entertaining info in the mag.

"500 Greatest Songs Come Alive

In May, 500 bands will gather in Atlanta to play every tune on ROLLING STONE'S 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time - counting down from "More Than a Feeling" to 'Like a Rolling Stone" over ten nights. The series, which runs May 3rd-12th at Smith's Olde Bar, benefits Songs for Kids Foundation, a nonprofit group that brings musicians to sick children. "Probably every artist in Georgia will be performing" says organizer Josh Rifkind, who has already booked more than 100 acts and is soliciting more at 500songsforkids.org. He hopes to get some of the original performers to play their songs such as Georgia natives R.E.M. and OutKast."

I am not the only music nut case that thinks the 500 is pretty cool. I have the 500 songs as a playlist on my iPod. I created it after being at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and thinking that the 500 would be cool to have. I was right; it's pretty cool. The process of collecting all the music took a lot longer than I thought and cost much more than I would have guessed. Try finding Dave Clark Five music...it ain't easy. And that was just one of the tough finds. But I really had a lot of fun running them all down. I own a lot of CD's I purchased for one song.

The amount of time and $ put into the project and the rest of the 8000+ songs in my iPod has made me a certified iPod backupaholic. Apple has made my life difficult with the way they limit how you can back up their little music machines. I own all the music in my iPod. I paid for every single song; some multiple times if you count lps, replacement lps, cds, replacement cds, and songs purchased from the iTunes store. I own it not because I am afraid of the copyright police. I own it because I believe that artists should be compensated if I listen to their music. Apple and the rest of those attempting to control how I use MY music are punishing me and those like me because of those that steal music. So, what they are saying to me is that I am not trust worthy. So, what I say to them is that they are idiots. I hope these morons didn't use these same principles to raise their children.

I was seriously considering chasing down the 500 albums of all time...but I'm pretty sure that list does not include Dark Side of The Moon. They lost me there...

My Stats:
My Quit Date is: 2/21/2007 12:00:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free: 6 days, 6 hours, 17 minutes and 30 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 94
Lifetime Saved: 17 hours
Money Saved:$15.75

Stomping out the Demon

I am on my way to being an ex-smoker. I am ready this time. I need to do it for my health and happiness. If I am not healthy, I won't be happy. Cigarettes are not a health supplement last time I checked.

The info below is provided by the program I am using to help with the quit.

"You've been Quit 2 days. $5.25 and 5 hours of your life saved!"

I am having a hard time getting excited about "I" bands. I know quite a few but none really have changed the face of music for me. Incubus? Billy Idol? Indigo Girls? Isley Brothers? Ink Spots? Iron Maiden? Iggy Pop?

Probably the closest thing to a difference maker in classic rock is Iron Butterfly. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida baby! It never was one of my favorites but it does have a place in my musical past.

A newer "I" band that I enjoy is the native American blues band, Indigenous. I saw them open for Dave Matthews once and enjoyed the set. Excellent rocking blues. The group is comprised of two brothers, Mato Nanji, guitar and vocals , Pte, bass guitar, their sister, Wanbdi , drums and vocals and their cousin, Horse, percussion. Mato Nanji's playing is reminiscent of SRV...that's high praise.

Any more I's that deserve mention?

Wond'ring Aloud

And now we come to J....This is going to be a shared category because I can't pick just one. All of the J's I mention have a place in my life.

Billy Joel...a large body of work...a lot of it very good. New York State of Mind is killer...Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, You May Be Right, James to mention some others. The first time I saw Billy he was the opening act for the Beach Boys. The crowd was rude and paid no attention. It was difficult to hear but he was excellent. I remember he made some snide comment about not being "Elton John" which became funny to me when he toured with Elton 20 or so years after making the comment. Thanks for the music Billy.

Next up, Sir Elton John. I've seen him twice. The first time in the 80's. It was a show that I did not expect to like and I was dead wrong. Excellent production in a big venue was what I came away with. It was a great show. The second time was his show in Vegas. The music was excellent despite his voice being a little ragged. The staging was way out there. At times a bit uncomfortable...He's doing Bitch is Back and the whole time there is a huge video screen behind the stage and Pamela Anderson is doing a pole dance. 15 seconds of that was too much but an entire song...not for me. There was a huge inflatable woman's breast, numerous phallic fruit concoctions...bizarro. He still gets a nod for many years of good work.

James Gang...this is a direct result of my love for the work of Joe Walsh. He's a delightful crazy and one hell of a player. I've seen him numerous times and he never fails to make me smile. That is a good thing. Funk 49 still has legs. The guy is hilarious and talented. I am an avid Joe fan.

Jethro Tull...this goes back to my freshman year of college where I swear Aqualung was playing everywhere I went. I know it played non-stop in my dorm room...which was affectionately known as the Club 402. My roomate had an 8 track player that he rigged up that sounded quite good for the time and the thing played endlessly. My first year of college was a great year in my life and that album is the theme song. It never fails to grab me and take me back. I only saw them once...at the Chicago Theater...and they were terrific. Our seats were actually where they had set up the sound boards so we were moved to the orchestra pit. Talk about good seats! I was ready to catch Ian Anderson if he lost his balance.

I can't think of any more J's. Who did I forget?

Riding with the Kings

Oops I seem to have left out a couple of very important K artists...no I'm not talking about King Crimson or Kid Rock. I am talking about Riley B. King. Blues Boy King. BB King. His influences on Blues and Rock and Roll are notable. John (I am becoming a great guitar player) Mayer mentions BB as one of his early influences. I'm thinking BB King has grandchildren older than John.

I have been fortunate to see BB a number of times including as part of the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas. The best part of the BB segment is that Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, John Mayer and Jimmy Vaughan all came out and did a jam and a half. BB refused to leave! He was having the time of his life...near 80 years old and still cooking. It was also during that jam that I got to see John Mayer's skills for the first time. Blew me away...

Thanks to BB for all the enjoyment and congratulations on your receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in December.

Another blues guitarist that left his mark on a lot of players is Albert King. If you want to sample Albert, try his session with Stevie Ray. Nice live blues work.

Pretty Special K

I'm finally ready to reveal my "K" musical selection. These are some of the K's that passed through my mind...

Kiss - never owned a single track and proud of it! They do get some props for "Rock and Roll All Night" but that's it.

Kansas - interesting band that did some good music but no...

Lenny Kravitz - Lenny is good and I own quite a bit of his music but no...

Kraftwerk - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! NO

Kinks - I would have to give them the nod for position 1a. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame kind of says it all. You Really Got Me, Lola, Well Respected Man, Sunny Afternoon to name a few.

But the K goes to (I've been watching too many award shows) Carole Klein better knows as Carole King. Carole is also a Rock Hall inductee and multiple Grammy winner. The list of songs that she has written or co-written is spectacular...Let's see to name but a few...

Will you Love Me Tomorrow?
The Locomotion
Up on the Roof
One Fine Day
Pleasant Valley Sunday
You've Got a Friend
(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman
The entire Tapestry album...So Far Away, Where You Lead, It's Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move and more. This record tops the 15,000,000 mark and was on the charts for at least 6 years.

She's an awesome woman. If you haven't listened to the Living Room Tour, you are missing something. Go buy it and try it on. If you are any kind of Carole King fan, I guarantee a big smile. One of the most satisfying listens I've had in a long time.

Go! Now!

Nothing but Nets

My wife M showed me an article in Sports Illustrated that was written by Rick Reilly on the malaria pandemic in Africa. Yikes! Well, we are sending nets and I want to enlist everyone to send nets. We started our own campaign at Nothingbutnets.net. We are the Insight Insurance Netters.
Go there and join our team and give what you can.

In addition our company will donate $10.00 for every policy we write starting in February and will continue to do so until we reach our goal.

Let's help these kids.