Tuesday Tune Session

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I spent mine with family, as the Red Queen is trapped in NYC for work. I saw my Ma and some of my siblings and a few nephews and my new great nephew who is growing like a weed.

Not much else to add today, so let's get on to the music...

1. Un Tal Baccano In Chiesa! (Tosca Act 1) - Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Etc.; Victor De Sabata: Orchestra & Chorus Of La Scala Milan

2. Mass IV: Sanctus Benedictus - Huelgas Ensemble & Paul van Nevel

3. Bel Conforto Al Mietitore (L'Elisir D'Amore Act 1) - Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Etc.; Richard Bonynge: English Chamber Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus

4. Take This Job And Shove It - Dead Kennedys

5. Tribal Connection - Gogol Bordello

6. Lookout Mountain - Drive By Truckers

7. Maria (Shut Up and Kiss Me) - Willie Nelson

8. Passepied (Handel) - Andres Segovia

9. Caravan - Van Morrison

10. Hallowed Be Thy Name - The Iron Maidens: The World's Only Female Tribute To Iron Maiden

So... What are you tuned in to?

Happy Turkey Day

Being Thanksgiving and all, I know everyone loves the Turkey Drop episode of WKRP, but you're super busy today... So here's the whole thing cut down to 30 seconds. Enjoy.

Hijacker, A 100 Word Legend

Dan Cooper lit a Raleigh cigarette as he purchased his plane ticket FOR $18.52. The day before Thanksgiving, 39 years ago today.

After boarding, he ordered a bourbon and 7up and lit another Raleigh.

He slipped the blonde stewardess a note… She pocketed it without looking.

Dan called her back. “You need to read that.”

She did, and then he showed her the bomb.

The plane landed, let the passengers go and took off again with $200,000 and 4 parachutes.

He hadn’t planned on the storm…

8:10 pm he walked down the back stairs of the plane and into history.

Tuesday Tune Session

Elisson over at Lost In The Cheese Aisle has been doing a random 10 songs on Friday for a really long time. Well, now that I have nearly 6000 songs loaded on my iTunes I thought... "Why not steal a good idea that someone else already stole?"

So... This may be the beginning of a regular thing... Since I just started posting again and I don't want to burn myself out by jumping in too deep again, this is pretty simple and brainless, but may open your horizons.

The premise is simple. I hit shuffle on iTunes, and the first 10 songs that pop up, I post.

So, with no further ado... The Tuesday Tune Session:

1. Truth Be Told - Tal Wilkenfield

2. 666 Pack of Beer - Rebel Son

3. I Am Your Mother Too - Keb Mo

4. Dusty - Kings of Leon

5. Salvator Della Patria (Verdi's Aida, Act 2) - Jose Carreras & Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

6. Streets Of Sin - Joe Ely

7. Back In Black - Hayseed Dixie

8. Ozark - Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays

9. Captain Higgins - John Whelan

10. I Spoke As A Child - Todd Snider

So... What are you tuned in to?

Sunday Ink #46

Say Howdy to "A". Quite a little cupcake, she's a bartender at Tabu... A bar in the basement of an old church that is now a great Italian Resturant... Wow, that was convoluted... "A" may be the subject of more than one Sunday Ink, mainly because she was working and she has other tats that I want documented... Her knees in particular (You sick freaks). The top one is unfinished, colorwise that is.

The second one... Well, that's just yummy. Thanks sweetie, I guess there is some local ink to be addressed around here afterall.

The Age Of War

I'm reasonably knowledgeable about the War between the States. I'm no Shelby Foote or anything... I doubt Ken Burns will choose me to interview just in case he does a 2nd Civil War series... But I know more than most. I just realized an error in my thinking that has me reeling a little.

I always thought of the officers in that war as terribly old men. Ancient wizened warriors, with huge beards and flowing mustaches who held the knowledge of eons within their grasp.

What a shock it was to me, when just the other day I realized that I am older now than most of those men were at the beginning of the war. Sure, they had experience and schooling in the art of war... Sadly a lot of what they knew had been surpassed by the weapons they now possessed... But for the most part, they were very young men.

The venerable white haired old Robert E Lee was only 54 at the war's inception. Offered the command of first the US forces and then the Army of Virginia he was only 13 years older than I am now.

George McClellan was a much younger man than that when he accepted command of the army of the Potomac... In fact he was much younger than I... A young man of 35, he was intrusted with the military might to hold the union together.

Thomas Jackson was a professor at Virginia Military Institute when the war started. Only 37 years old, he never saw the end to the conflict and was accidentally killed by his own men at the age of 39.

Even U.S. Grant, eventually the President of the United States had yet to reach the ripe old age of 40 at the start of the war that he saw ended at Appomattox with the surrender of the Confederate forces in 1865.

James Ewel Brown Stuart, known to his contemporaries and thousands of history buffs since as Jeb, was a mere lad of 28 when he donned the grey and led his cavalry on exploits that became the stuff of legends... And only 31 when he was killed in combat.

And lastly my own kinfolk... My Great Uncle Brig. Gen. Lawrence S Baker Namesake of his grandfather, a Revolutionary War General was only 31 at the beginning. My Great Grandfather enlisted at the age of 31 (Sadly no picture in uniform) and turned down the position of captain in the infantry to be a private in the 4th NC Cavalry. And, here I am... An old man at 41... Advanced beyond the age when these men fought great fights and did great deeds... Deeds that shaped a nation. Fights that I, and thousands of others don uniforms and reproduce en masse for they were that important and wonderful and horrible no one should forget. And I still think of them as old men. Maybe they were made old by their fights and deeds... maybe I feel young because I haven't been through the fire.

Brainless, A 100 Word Story

The dreaded Z virus that consumed the human race and zombiefied everyone had worked its course. Most of the normal people were dead, and now even the zombies were disappearing due to starvation.

This confronted Chad the chipmunk none at all. He was fairly indifferent about humans anyway except for the drunken biker who killed several of his cousins one cold night.

The problem was the z virus had mutated to the animal kingdom… And in chipmunk kind it was so much worse. He watched the horde of zombies approaching him… Their high pitched chipmunk voices repeating one word…

“NUUUUTSSS!”

Swimming In Trunks

I like old stuff. Always have I guess. I like the look and feel of real antiques. I suppose that's why The Red Queen and I picked a house that's 150 years old... And why we're furnishing it with the real deal antiques.

I especially love my study, with its Victorian professor's desk with the slanted top and the 6'6" glass front lawyer's bookcase on the wall facing the desk.

Being a civil war re-enactor, my study is filled with accoutrements both real and reproduction. I decided I needed a place to keep some of my gear, so I began the search for the perfect trunk, It had to hold my stuff, and also fit under the low window of my room.

After much searching, I found it. Sheathed in tin with raised rosettes, used but use able, I even found a key that will work its ancient lock.

Trunks are cool. They make me happy. My brain whirs as I wonder what treasures used to lie within them. At one point they held someone's most prized posessions... If not, why have a nice trunk with a lock? No?
Sadly, the oldest local furniture store just went out of business. The new owner, if you can call a man who has been there for 68 years new, decided he was done. He was selling off the inventory and retiring. He grew up half a block from my house and knew The Confederate officer who built my house. (A story for another day)
Down in the lower level of his store were two trunks. Huge trunks. Beat up and missing some hardware, but they called to me. As it turns out, they were antiques when they were brought to the store... 98 years ago, to be used for storage. I asked the price.
He asked for an offer.
I made the laughable offer of $100, and he sutably laughed at it. He countered at $250 and a deal was struck. All I had to do was get them home.
Easier said than done.
So, after much inching and pinching, and adjusting the top of the Jeep, I rolled them home. One is now situated in my study taking the place of an old camp chair...

(dog shown for scale)

The other is in the unfinished dining room, awaiting the decision on its new locale... (Odds are on the foot of the king bed in the master bedroom)

(once again, dogs shown for scale)

As of yet, there is nothing stored in these huge boxes. We'll probably fill one with blankets and comforters, but the other? Who knows?

Side note: In the little antique stores around here, I've found many items perfect for my house, including keys that fit several of my doors. I wonder how much of it came out of my house in the first place...

Sunday Ink #45

Back, for a limited time only... Sort of like the McRib Sandwich... I give you... SUNDAY INK!

I quit taking tattoo pictures a long while back. I think I have a couple left over from my ATX days, so I'll use the rest of my stockpile and we'll see what happens from there. This is the only new ink photo I have. I went to see my beloved Pirates get beaten by the Heels in Chapel Hill with my buddy Doc. At the bar where we met before the game, we both noticed this young lady at the same time. So... For old time's sake I snaped a shot with my handy dandy iPhone. If I got her name, I forgot it... So not even a first inital for 45. I thought it was an odd mix of celtic and a sort of latin feel. I do remember that it's an original, a one of a kind... Gotta love that. Thanks Darlin'. You just may be the start of a new era for me.