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

Gypsy. You've all heard the word. Some of you may even think you know a thing or two about gypsies. You probably don't. I used to think I did...until now. I've been attempting to research my family for years. A major stumbling block was always my great-grandfather Albert. He came to the US in the late 19th century. One would think that finding a ship passenger registry with his family listed would be relatively easy in this day and age. Not so. Here's the problem. My great-grandfather used an assumed name in the US until just prior to his marriage to my great-grandmother Lizzie Nauman. The story I was always told by my grandmother and great aunts was that just before their wedding, Albert told Lizzie he had to confess something to her. Meyer, the name he had been living under, was not his real name. His reasons for using it were never clear. He informed her that his true name was Zigan and he would understand if she didn't want to marry a Zigan. OK, I never un...

I've been reading about the Church of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) lately. I'm a religious man yet as an American, I believe all are free to believe as they see fit...or believe nothing if that is their wish. I try to see the value and merit of all religions. I have a rather syncretic belief  that God taught the various cultures the same things, but in contexts that each culture could understand. When most of us think of Mormons, we think of polygamists, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Utah, and clean cut white folks. They don't drink, smoke, or tell dirty jokes. Hell, they don't even drink coffee or tea! While many may find this odd, these (with the exception of polygamy) aren't reasons to look down one's nose at someone. But there's more to the Mormons than meets the eye. I do not claim to be a scholar on the subject and I'll admit that there is a lot more to read on the subject...but what I have been reading strikes me as truly disturbing. While...

Kinda sounds like a comedy routine, doesn't it? The young'un LOVES candy. One of her faves is Skittles. Now I'll whole-heartedly admit that I've enjoyed a Skittle or two in my day...but nowhere near as much as the young'un does. She can eat a 5 pound bag of them in one sitting. My only real problem with Skittles is their smell. I think they smell like urinal cakes. For those unfamiliar with urinal cakes, they are the deodorizing pink 'cakes' placed in urinals in public restrooms to keep the odor to a minimum...basically because most men are too fucking lazy to flush a public toilet. The smell is somewhere between Fruity Pebbles cereal and baby aspirin. That's what Skittles smell like (to me). It's not a particularly horrible smell...although a tad sweet smelling. The problem for me is this: when she's eating a bag of Skittles, and the smell reminds me of urinal cakes, my brain equates this with the stench of a dirty public restroom...and I ...

I've been playing guitar for a loooooooong time. Almost 35 years. A lot of folks will tell you I'm pretty good. I still think my best playing was when I was 15.  But if there's one thing I have learned, it's that a lot of guitar players sell themselves short. They tend to rely too heavily on effects. Now I'm not putting down the stomp boxes. I own a couple of them (although I rarely use them). It's fun to make some weird noises with them...and sometimes, it's nice to enhance your sound with them. That said, too many pickers hide behind them. A distortion pedal hides a multitude of sins. Throw in a delay, a wah pedal, a chorus, and a few dozen other effects, and your actual playing, your real skill, is hidden behind a wall of noise. QUIT SELLING YOURSELF SHORT! OK, we all wish we could play like Danny Gatton or Joe Pass. They were geniuses. Sadly, a lot of younger guitarists out there probably have no idea who these cats were. So, if you're a guitar...

If you know me, then you know I lost my job January 1 due to county-wide funding cuts.  I had a choice to either transfer to a different site in November or stick it out until the end with my clients, many of whom needed assistance in securing alternate housing. Well, I chose to stick it out with my clients. It seemed like the right thing to do. I figured a position within the agency would open up sooner or later or I'd just find another job.  This turned out to not be the case. I had some money stashed away, so I figured I'd be set for a while. I also was expecting a decent tax return, so I figured it would all work out. Well, the car needed a lot of work, so that got put on the back burner until the income tax return came in. Then the IRS decided to take my tax return and give it to my student loans. Then I got hit with a couple of surprise bills. We all know the story. Life is good at throwing curve balls. Every day, I looked for jobs. I sent resumes, filled ou...

This is one of those times that I'm somewhat embarrassed of America. People killed just because they chose to go to see a movie. If that isn't bad enough, in typical American fashion, we overreact after the fact. Yes, the shootings are a tragedy. A local as well as national tragedy. My heart breaks for the victims and their families. It's something that no one should ever have to go through. While not in any way condoning the actions of James Eagan Holmes, I have to question the failings of our society that led this young man to his actions. For a person to be this obviously disturbed (he allegedly had this in the works for 2 months!) for such a long time, how did no one notice? How did he slip through the cracks? His actions are due to our society's failure to pay attention to each other. I'm not suggesting that we spy on each other (we have things like the Patriot Act for that). I'm saying that we need to take notice of each other more. Say HI to your neigh...

A really nice thing happened to me last week. I was walking down my hill and passed a boy of about 8-10 years of age, pushing his bike up the hill. Out of the blue, he stops and says to me, "I hope you have a REALLY nice day!". This kinda stopped me in my tracks. Most kids nowadays are, as most of us know, little assholes. This kid wasn't. He was genuine. I thanked him and hoped that he too had a good day and enjoyed riding his bike, and we went our separate ways. OK, so this probably wasn't as monumental as you thought it would be...but sometimes it's the little things, the smallest gestures, that make life good. Mind you, this happened almost a week ago...and I'm still smiling from it. I hope that kid knows how contagious his happiness is. I hope YOU catch it too! ******************************************************************************** So, I was looking on Facebook (aka Big Brother) and saw where a neighbor had posted about "woodland critt...