Double-Think

Ever had a decision to make and waffled back and forth so long that you started feeling silly? That happens to me a lot… But I’ve been trying to make a certain decision for nigh on two weeks now, and I’m just now coming to the end stages of my internal struggle. I have completely and utterly made my mind up (for the third time). Now all I have to do is ask my vunderful Viennese vife what her opinion is… I shall be certain to post my decision here once it’s finalized. Again.

Things to Think About…

It’s been five years. Why hasn’t our government found Osama bin Laden yet?

The Bush administration has spent billions of dollars on national security. Why, then, aren’t we secure? The 9/11 Commission has recently (in the past few weeks) given our government a failing grade on this sort of thing. (As if we needed to be told, after watching our government’s ineffectiveness during Katrina.)

Why is Haliburton still making money off the Iraq war?

Why is our vice-president still advocating torture? The United States of America is NOT supposed to be the first to abandon the Geneva Conventions. We are NOT that sort of nation.

Why are our children still being left behind? (I read in Readers’ Digest this month that the United States is ranked 24th out of 28 nations in math. In science our 15-year-olds are tied with Latvia at number 24. Wonderful – Latvia has an education system as good as ours. We used to be able to be proud of our educational system.

Why do we have secret prisons in Europe? What are we hiding from ourselves?

Why are there still “detainees” at Guantanamo Bay? Why haven’t they been processed yet? Why are we holding them in Cuba? Boy, I’d hate it if a bunch of, say, brainy Latvian soldiers invaded Iowa and took me off to a prison camp in Cuba and left me there for five years. Thank God we have the Geneva Conventions, and common decency. Oh, wait… (I know, I know. The people being held at Guantanamo Bay are accused of nasty crimes and terrorism. I have no problem picking them up and detaining them. But for FIVE YEARS? In Cuba? That’s not good, folks. We’re supposed to be Christians.)

Does anyone remember back in 2004 when United States President George Walker Bush was running for re-election? Remember all those rallies he had, with cheering people waving flags? Did you know that if the Bush people thought you may disagree with Mr. Bush, they banned you from attending the public meeting. Why haven’t we heard more about that? There are lawsuits pending…

Remember Mr. Rumsfeld? Whatever happened to him. He’s being awfully quiet. Someone had better go see what he’s doing…

What happened to Tom DeLay, former republican bigwig? Last I heard he was in Texas… He was going to go to trial for conspiracy and money laundering, then he got the judge removed because the judge had contributed a couple hundred dollars to liberal causes and got a hand-picked conservative judge on the trial. Mr. DeLay is still going to trial. United States Vice President Richard Bruce “Dick” Cheney heard about this and promptly went to Texas and raised a bunch of money for Mr. DeLay’s defense. (I don’t know why Mr. Cheney had to get involved. Mr. DeLay probably could have tapped into his own funds. Or possibly had his friends help out. After all, Enron donated $28,000 to Mr. DeLay earlier in his career, and has given “DeLay-friendly” causes $133,000. What could be more DeLay-friendly than keeping him out of jail? source)

When did the government throw free speech out the window? Did you know that both the Bush administration and the armed forces have paid journalists and publications to write stories that are good for their cause? That’s fine and dandy, IF you make sure everyone knows it’s advertising. If you write advertising and let people think it’s news, you’re a fink in my opinion.

It’s Going Around, I Tell You…

So, last Tuesday I started having a fever. I gamely went to work Wednesday, and to rehearsal Wednesday night. I did stay home sick from work last Thursday, though. So did my beloved Viennese bride Dagmar. She’d gone to see the nice doctor lady, who told Dagmar that she had a sinus infection and a bronchial infection, and that the bronchial infection triggered an asthma attack. “But I don’t have asthma,” said Dagmar. “You do now,” said the doctor. “Here, have an inhaler…” So Dagmar came home with loads of antibiotics and two different inhalers. She took her pills, huffed her inhaler and went to bed, only to have an allergic reaction to the inhaler.

Friday, both of us went to work. After work, I loaded up my basses in the car and off we went to the Chesterfield Friday Afternoon Social Club, where my happy band was playing. On our way there, the doctor called Dagmar. “I need you to come in again,” said Mrs. Doctor Lady. So Dagmar dropped me off in parking lot of the club and made her way across town to the doctor’s office.

About the time I had my amp, speakers and guitars all set up in a corner, Dagmar called. “I haf de influenza type ‘A’,” she wailed. “Now I haf to take MORE antibiotics…”

The gig went well last night, even though our keyboardist had prior engagements and couldn’t make it, and both our guitarists were feeling ill. But I was happy to get home again.

Today I was going to go in to work to make up the lost day last week. However, it’s now 6:26 p.m., and I’ve probably been awake for less than two hours all day. I just can’t keep awake… My chest is feeling tight, I’m coughing more than I have since I quit smoking four-plus months ago, my muscles hurt… But I don’t particularly fill ill, oddly enough. But my wife is taking something like two-and-a-half pounds of antibiotics a day. We’re lucky the cat knows how to cook…

I feel completely and totally worthless. I needed to be at work today. I certainly hope tomorrow’s better! If I can put in a good eight or ten hours at work I should be caught up, for the most part. (Thankfully the Packers are having a lousy season, so I know I won’t miss much as far as football goes. I mean, really… They lost to the Vikings, for gosh sakes.)

Winter, With a vengeance

Well, a few days ago, winter struck. There was no sneaking around this time. One week I’m riding my motorcycle, the next I’m shoveling snow. The last few days we’ve got quite a bit of snow, and a considerable amount of wind to contend with, too. Last night, though, was one of those pretty snows – big fluffy flakes falling straight down. We usually get the little itty-bitty stinging flakes that hit your face at thirty miles per hour… I thought big fluffly flakes only existed in the movies.

Decisions to Make

Last week I was approached by another Sioux City band who needs a bassist. “We know you already play with the Smokin’ Clams,” they said, “but do you think you’d be interested in playing with us when the Clams aren’t playing?” That’s a no-brainer… Of course I’d like to play with that particular band; they’re one of the best in Sioux City, and they’ve long been my favorite band to watch myself. The problem is simple – would my schedule with the Clams allow me to be in two bands? Hmmm… (Quitting the Clams is, was, and never shall be an option – they’ve earned my trust and faith. The only way they’re getting rid of me is to vote me off the island.) The Clams haven’t played in quite a while, and there’s nothing much on the schedule, and my billfold is nearly empty. Gosh, it’d be great to get out and play some more!

Off to the Clams rehearsal I go last night. I’d e-mailed everyone in the band already and told them what I was thinking, so it was no surprise to them when I said, “Hey, by the way, what’s our schedule like? How often do we want to play? Everyone seems to be awfully busy with other things…” Turns out that almost everyone else in the band was wanting to play more often, too. So the Clams schedule is expanding rapidly, which makes me happy.

It’s unfortunate that I can’t play with the other band, as they’re great people and play great music, but it just wouldn’t be fair to join a second band only to tell them I could only play once a month. So tonight I get to call them and politely decline.

I feel very blessed and humbled to be in one of the most popular bands in the area, and have another top-notch band show interest in me! That’s quite a compliment, and I’m humbled.

Sick Day

We went out for Dagmar’s birthday a few days ago, and I came home with a 100+ degree temperature and a chill I haven’t been able to shake. (So if my writing today is more incoherent than usual you can blame it on my fever…) “You’re not going to get any better unless you stay home and sleep,” said Dagmar this morning. “Your head is too hot and you keep shivering.” So I’ve been in bed all morning, and will shortly be back snoozing again. It sucks to take a sick day (unpaid of course, my bosses don’t believe in paying sick days) when you’re really sick.

Sadly, I have yet another six inches of snow to deal with when I get out and about.