The Real Memphis Mike (don't settle for imitations)

OK, I was planning on writing my year end VENT but decided against it. Why? Just not in the mood. I've been too busy listening to the ghosts of the past. Now before you start thinking that I'm a schizophrenic in dire need of his meds , allow me to clarify. I love music of all kinds. A friend put music in a different perspective to me last night. As a non musician, she perceives it thusly : Music is what makes all of us move. To the song writer, its what we create. To the musician, its what we learn. To the dancer, its what we listen to and then translate into physical movement. If we're depressed, music lifts us up. If we're feeling good, music takes us to an even higher ground. Music is all around us and it runs through us...at all times. That said, I've been indulging my love of old 1920s-30s blues lately. Damn there's some great stuff out there. These are the ghosts of today's 'popular' music. Without these geniuses, caught somewhere, somehow on t...

I'm not very good at holidays...never have been. I always become extremely introspective and melancholy. However, I do tend to sweep that mess under my karmic carpet and at least make an attempt to make the holidays special for those I care about. This year is no different. Sure, I'm still broke (thanks in no small part to the ongoing legal battle) but I've found that money doesn't necessarily buy the best gifts. (don't worry...if you're on my gift list, you're still getting a present! HAHA ) But the past few days, I've been giving thought to the things that are truly precious. Just the other night, my neighbor's house burned down. While there is no good time for that to happen, I think that the holidays has got to be the worst time for such a tragedy. My heart just goes out to them. Everyday as I pass the burnt out shell of a house, I think of all the times I saw this family in and around their home. Their noisy little yip yip dog would bark at me a...

This is the 4th year in a row that I've posted this blog. I hope y'all enjoy it! A lot has changed in my life since the 1st time I posted it but all in all, life is good! Cheers! BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!!!!! 4th YEAR!!!!!! Thanksgivus Thanksgivus: that's what she called it. The 'she' in question would be a very short, loud, middle aged black woman with retardation who I supervised for years. Her name is Omega...fitting because she truly is THE END! Omega didn't exactly have a speech problem but I think her hearing wasn't 100% on the mark, as certain words would get slurred together such as "Thanksgivus". Another fave was her version of Social Security, which often sounded more like "sociable secretary" (of which I've known a few). Thanksgivus (which is what I now prefer to call the US holiday Thanksgiving) is the last Thursday of November (this is for my overseas friends who may not be fully knowledgeable of the subject). It is the h...

In the last few days, life has shown me some things about myself. I can honestly say that I like who Ive become. Being in my 40s is nowhere near as dreary as I thought it would be! It's definitely never boring! Friday, I debated all day whether or not to go see SUN Records legend, Sonny Burgess and his band The Pacers. Normally you'd think that I'd jump at the chance to see one of the originators of the music I love...but I've seen Sonny a bunch of times over the past 14 years and I can honestly say, he was best the 1st time. I was also reticent to spend $15 to see him...but as my friends Wes & Mike's new band was also on the bill, and I'd come into some extra cash, I decided what the hell. My friends' band ARR, were really good. Just good old fashioned rockin' hillbilly boogie kinda stuff. No showboating, just good music. Then Sonny and Co. came on and I knew life was about to get weird. When Sonny put The Pacers back together in 2001 or so, I share...

Welcome to my dark side. We all have one. You can lie to yourself and everyone you know and say that you don't but you do. I know I do. My dark side is simple enough though. Those closest to me already know all about it. It may come as a surprise to everyone else though, that I have lived with/suffered with chronic depression pretty much my entire life. As it turns out, its a genetic trait passed down on my mother's side of the family. My mother quietly battled depression. Her twin sister did the same. Their mother eventually committed suicide due to hers. My first suicidal impulses started at age four. They've continued for 39 years. Sometimes they're frequent, sometimes not so frequent. The most important thing I learned about them is that they are impulses, nothing more. They're like a nagging itch in my brain. If I ignore it, it gets worse. I had to find my own way to "scratch that itch" though. I learned to talk myself through it. I remind myself that...

I can sympathize with Charlie Brown. He tries to be a good kid and do the right thing but life often, like Lucy Van Pelt, pulls the football away at the last second. So, Charlie Brown was just a good kid with odd luck and an unabiding love for his dog. Went to court today in hopes of finally ending my nearly 2 year legal ordeal. For those of you unfamiliar, look back through these blogs and you'll be caught up. You know you've been in court too many times when you're on a 1st name basis with the clerks and bailiffs! LOL After 2 and a half hours of sitting doing nothing, the court proceedings finally get under way. 2 cases ahead of me; a drug addict pleading guilty to forging scripts to get probabtion and a simple assault case being postponed...and then me. But then I see my lawyer talking with the prosecution...I've learned this never goes well for me. My lawyer takes me out into the hallway to inform me that the case is being postponed. Again. Until February 2010! Whil...

I wish I was an Okie from Muskogee...you know, that place where even squares can have a ball. It seems like too many people have lost the ability to just have FUN anymore. These days, it seems like folks can't have a good time without drinking, smoking pot, snorting something, popping a pill or belittling someone else (usually someone not present). What happened? I thought that we, as a species, were evolving. Instead, it seems that we've stunted...and as 8th graders to boot! I remember when I was a kid, I couldn't wait to be 'grown up' so that I wouldn't have to deal with childishness anymore. Alas, it seems that the grown ups have all gone off and died and left the brats in charge. Everywhere I look these days, I see rampant immaturity. No one wants to take responsibility for anything anymore. Guess what, part of taking responsibility means facing up to the mistakes we make. These days, it seems that most folks would rather sweep their follies under the prover...