Monday, January 23, 2006
Ray and the Wicked Pickett
I was in a motel in Lewistown the other day and turned on the TV when I walked in the room. Oftentimes, I never turn on the TV or at least not until the evening news to catch up on what’s happening in the state. Anyway, the movie “Ray” was just starting, so I postponed dinner a couple of hours and watched the bio. Ray had one sorry life. First, he loses his baby brother to a drowning accident in his mother’s washtub, and then he goes blind from glaucoma. His mama sends him off to the school for the blind where he learns some music, but his mama dies. Later he gets taken advantage of by all his “handlers” and agents. He seeks solace in the big “H”, gets addicted, gets paranoid about everybody around him and has a series of affairs and one night stands, all the while his wife stands by him and raises two boys who hardly get a chance to know their dad. His music is great though, especially the early soul which he pretty much invented. I went home and ordered a 3 cd collection called “The Birth of Soul” on the Atlantic label. It has all the great early hits from the movie, plus everything else from that period in the ‘50’s. Later he did a C & W thing and also wrote “Hit the Road Jack” about troubled times with the girlfriend (they did a great job of singing the lines back and forth to each other) and “Georgia on My Mind” which became the Georgia state song in about 1968 after they had banned Ray Charles from ever performing again in the state back in the ‘50’s when he opposed their segregation laws. Ray did clean up his habit and never touched heroin again the rest of his life.
Wicked Wilson Pickett died last Thursday at the age of 64. He had some great music too, like “Land of 1000 Dances” and “Mustang Sally”. His personal life was as big a mess as Ray’s or worse possibly and he didn’t find any redemption of a meaningful nature in his life. He used to pinch all the secretaries and thus the name Wicked Pickett. He drove his car across a neighbor’s lawn in 1995 or thereabouts pursing the neighbor with the intent to run him down. He spent a year in jail as a result.
I was in a motel in Lewistown the other day and turned on the TV when I walked in the room. Oftentimes, I never turn on the TV or at least not until the evening news to catch up on what’s happening in the state. Anyway, the movie “Ray” was just starting, so I postponed dinner a couple of hours and watched the bio. Ray had one sorry life. First, he loses his baby brother to a drowning accident in his mother’s washtub, and then he goes blind from glaucoma. His mama sends him off to the school for the blind where he learns some music, but his mama dies. Later he gets taken advantage of by all his “handlers” and agents. He seeks solace in the big “H”, gets addicted, gets paranoid about everybody around him and has a series of affairs and one night stands, all the while his wife stands by him and raises two boys who hardly get a chance to know their dad. His music is great though, especially the early soul which he pretty much invented. I went home and ordered a 3 cd collection called “The Birth of Soul” on the Atlantic label. It has all the great early hits from the movie, plus everything else from that period in the ‘50’s. Later he did a C & W thing and also wrote “Hit the Road Jack” about troubled times with the girlfriend (they did a great job of singing the lines back and forth to each other) and “Georgia on My Mind” which became the Georgia state song in about 1968 after they had banned Ray Charles from ever performing again in the state back in the ‘50’s when he opposed their segregation laws. Ray did clean up his habit and never touched heroin again the rest of his life.
Wicked Wilson Pickett died last Thursday at the age of 64. He had some great music too, like “Land of 1000 Dances” and “Mustang Sally”. His personal life was as big a mess as Ray’s or worse possibly and he didn’t find any redemption of a meaningful nature in his life. He used to pinch all the secretaries and thus the name Wicked Pickett. He drove his car across a neighbor’s lawn in 1995 or thereabouts pursing the neighbor with the intent to run him down. He spent a year in jail as a result.
Friday, January 20, 2006
My Pedometer broke the other day!
I have felt disconnected all week. My pedometer broke when I was cleaning up the cords around my computer on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I moved the computer over a few inches and replaced the several old outlets with grounded outlets so we wouldn’t have to use three prong adapters. The adapters are always shorting out and making the computer or my stereo and television shut down. Some day it might do serious harm to the hardware or cause a loss of data. Anyway, I was crawling around on the floor, I stood up and heard something catch the computer desk and snap. It was my trusty pedometer.
I have used the same pedometer for three years of the state fitness program and have recorded all my miles from daily walking for the past two years. The pedometer itself is fine, but the hook where it connects to the belt snapped off. This is the weak point with those pedometers. I have lost another one the same way. I have over 1600 miles so far this year and am hoping to break 2000 by the time 52 weeks have rolled by in April. I also use the clock function on the pedometer as I don’t normally wear a watch. So I haven’t had an accurate count of my steps and miles all week and I haven’t been able to check the time. It is down right disorienting! Besides that it has been cold and the wind has been blowing for several days. We are such creatures of habit!
I have felt disconnected all week. My pedometer broke when I was cleaning up the cords around my computer on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I moved the computer over a few inches and replaced the several old outlets with grounded outlets so we wouldn’t have to use three prong adapters. The adapters are always shorting out and making the computer or my stereo and television shut down. Some day it might do serious harm to the hardware or cause a loss of data. Anyway, I was crawling around on the floor, I stood up and heard something catch the computer desk and snap. It was my trusty pedometer.
I have used the same pedometer for three years of the state fitness program and have recorded all my miles from daily walking for the past two years. The pedometer itself is fine, but the hook where it connects to the belt snapped off. This is the weak point with those pedometers. I have lost another one the same way. I have over 1600 miles so far this year and am hoping to break 2000 by the time 52 weeks have rolled by in April. I also use the clock function on the pedometer as I don’t normally wear a watch. So I haven’t had an accurate count of my steps and miles all week and I haven’t been able to check the time. It is down right disorienting! Besides that it has been cold and the wind has been blowing for several days. We are such creatures of habit!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Marathon Yearnings
I have been thinking alot about walking a marathon lately. I ran across a walking website the other day that had a feature on walker friendly marathons. I have done a couple of long walks already. Last summer I did a 27 mile walk, five miles up the old BN tracks to the continental divide, nine miles along a new section of the CDT and back down the old highway. That took about 8 hours, the last two or so in the rain. Then a year and 1/2 ago I walked from Butte to Whitehall on a whim one Saturday, a month later I followed the old Milwaukee line from Tech through Durant Canyon and then the BAP line over smelter hill and into Anaconda. Whitehall was about 21 miles in 7 hours and the Anaconda jaunt was 24 and took 8 hours.
But an actual marathon offers something else. Not really par with running, but an achievment that with a shirt and printed results. Also, there are some great venues out there, the Deadwood Marathon on the Mickelson Trail in SD, the Niagara Marathon from Buffalo to the falls (my mom used to ride her bike along that route as a young girl), the Big Sur marathon and maybe the Baatan Death March Marathon in New Mexico. Maybe once I get this marathon thing out of my system, I will settle for half-marathons. 13 miles seems a lot easier. But first, I must engage in an 18 -24 week training schedule to prepare for the big walk. Setting a finish time and pacing myself for it will be good discipline. It is also a way to focus on better weather to come in this time of winter bleakness, although I did get my first X-country ski outing in for the new year. Fast Snow! and Visions of a Fast Walk come spring! Probably Deadwood will be first as I can do the Volksmarch to Crazy Horse the day before. If a another challenge is needed there is always the 50 km Bridger Run south of Bozeman. This is time limited "run" and involves a lot of altitude gain and loss.
I have been thinking alot about walking a marathon lately. I ran across a walking website the other day that had a feature on walker friendly marathons. I have done a couple of long walks already. Last summer I did a 27 mile walk, five miles up the old BN tracks to the continental divide, nine miles along a new section of the CDT and back down the old highway. That took about 8 hours, the last two or so in the rain. Then a year and 1/2 ago I walked from Butte to Whitehall on a whim one Saturday, a month later I followed the old Milwaukee line from Tech through Durant Canyon and then the BAP line over smelter hill and into Anaconda. Whitehall was about 21 miles in 7 hours and the Anaconda jaunt was 24 and took 8 hours.
But an actual marathon offers something else. Not really par with running, but an achievment that with a shirt and printed results. Also, there are some great venues out there, the Deadwood Marathon on the Mickelson Trail in SD, the Niagara Marathon from Buffalo to the falls (my mom used to ride her bike along that route as a young girl), the Big Sur marathon and maybe the Baatan Death March Marathon in New Mexico. Maybe once I get this marathon thing out of my system, I will settle for half-marathons. 13 miles seems a lot easier. But first, I must engage in an 18 -24 week training schedule to prepare for the big walk. Setting a finish time and pacing myself for it will be good discipline. It is also a way to focus on better weather to come in this time of winter bleakness, although I did get my first X-country ski outing in for the new year. Fast Snow! and Visions of a Fast Walk come spring! Probably Deadwood will be first as I can do the Volksmarch to Crazy Horse the day before. If a another challenge is needed there is always the 50 km Bridger Run south of Bozeman. This is time limited "run" and involves a lot of altitude gain and loss.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
The Meaning of Christmas
My post-teenage son asks if his grandparents have left a check of him. Translation, am I still loved by my grandparents? A young lover waits expectantly to see if her beau will offer an engagement ring for Christmas. Translation, does he love me enough to want to marry me? Our mailboxes are full of appeals for various charities. Translation, if your heart is filled with love for your fellow man you will send some money to our charity. Family members ask what you will be serving for the annual Christmas feast. Translation, do you care enough about us to serve our favorite recipe as mom, grandmother, etc. used to prepare it? A spouse says I would like (fill in the blank) for Christmas. Translation, if you still love me you will do it!
Everyone is seeking a reassurance of love in their lives. We seek the assurances we are loved and we are capable of loving others. It is a human need to be loved. Doctors and psycholigists have shown a baby that doesn't receive love and nuture will fail to thrive and in the extreme to perish. Others seek in this season to demand that we express our love of the Christ Child in different ways. There was the controversy this year about whether you expressed your greetings as “Merry Christmas” or simply “Happy Holidays” this was especially directed at some discount chains. Another was do you call the Yule tree a “holiday tree” or a “Christmas tree”. Another media item was whether some churches would hold services on Christmas Day since it was also a Sunday. In past years, there have been arguments about whether manger scenes are allowed on public property or if Christmas carols could be sung in public schools.
My understanding of Christianity is that what we celebrate at Christmas is the birth of Jesus who was born as a redeemer to the people of Israel and to rest of us Gentiles also. This was an active demonstration of the love of our creator for the people whom he had made, who had become distracted by their own interests and become alienated from Him. To respond to this demonstration all that was and is required is to sincere attempt to return that love to Him and to love others created by Him. The feast day set aside in honor of this birth should be a reminder to us to express that love. The existence of Christmas or even Christianity is not dependent upon practicing any set of rituals whether by greetings, decorating, feasting or even the exchange of gifts. Christmas has only been a public holiday for the last 150 years or so. The creation of a legal holiday was designed to stimulate commerce. Now many stores make their annual profit dependent upon December sales. The publishing of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was used as media tool to create the present day legal holiday. You may recall in this tale, there was no holiday from work on Christmas. The celebration was marked by a Christmas meal and the exchange of a few small gifts. Are we not still distracted by our own interests?
I would suspect if we could enter the creator’ mind we would learn, it would be His desire that this love which is universally sought, should be something we express in our lives continually, not just at a specific season. It would probably also be something that should entail our ability to admit when we are hurt or have hurt others and seek or offer forgiveness. I would think it is intended to be a way of life, a way to view all others we deal with or have an influence over and it should result in positive relationships and treatment of all mankind. This would truly represent “Peace on Earth” and “Joy to all Mankind”, to be able to live in harmony with our maker and with our fellow man. Merry Christmas!
My post-teenage son asks if his grandparents have left a check of him. Translation, am I still loved by my grandparents? A young lover waits expectantly to see if her beau will offer an engagement ring for Christmas. Translation, does he love me enough to want to marry me? Our mailboxes are full of appeals for various charities. Translation, if your heart is filled with love for your fellow man you will send some money to our charity. Family members ask what you will be serving for the annual Christmas feast. Translation, do you care enough about us to serve our favorite recipe as mom, grandmother, etc. used to prepare it? A spouse says I would like (fill in the blank) for Christmas. Translation, if you still love me you will do it!
Everyone is seeking a reassurance of love in their lives. We seek the assurances we are loved and we are capable of loving others. It is a human need to be loved. Doctors and psycholigists have shown a baby that doesn't receive love and nuture will fail to thrive and in the extreme to perish. Others seek in this season to demand that we express our love of the Christ Child in different ways. There was the controversy this year about whether you expressed your greetings as “Merry Christmas” or simply “Happy Holidays” this was especially directed at some discount chains. Another was do you call the Yule tree a “holiday tree” or a “Christmas tree”. Another media item was whether some churches would hold services on Christmas Day since it was also a Sunday. In past years, there have been arguments about whether manger scenes are allowed on public property or if Christmas carols could be sung in public schools.
My understanding of Christianity is that what we celebrate at Christmas is the birth of Jesus who was born as a redeemer to the people of Israel and to rest of us Gentiles also. This was an active demonstration of the love of our creator for the people whom he had made, who had become distracted by their own interests and become alienated from Him. To respond to this demonstration all that was and is required is to sincere attempt to return that love to Him and to love others created by Him. The feast day set aside in honor of this birth should be a reminder to us to express that love. The existence of Christmas or even Christianity is not dependent upon practicing any set of rituals whether by greetings, decorating, feasting or even the exchange of gifts. Christmas has only been a public holiday for the last 150 years or so. The creation of a legal holiday was designed to stimulate commerce. Now many stores make their annual profit dependent upon December sales. The publishing of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was used as media tool to create the present day legal holiday. You may recall in this tale, there was no holiday from work on Christmas. The celebration was marked by a Christmas meal and the exchange of a few small gifts. Are we not still distracted by our own interests?
I would suspect if we could enter the creator’ mind we would learn, it would be His desire that this love which is universally sought, should be something we express in our lives continually, not just at a specific season. It would probably also be something that should entail our ability to admit when we are hurt or have hurt others and seek or offer forgiveness. I would think it is intended to be a way of life, a way to view all others we deal with or have an influence over and it should result in positive relationships and treatment of all mankind. This would truly represent “Peace on Earth” and “Joy to all Mankind”, to be able to live in harmony with our maker and with our fellow man. Merry Christmas!
