Sawyer Brown

Mark Miller's voice bears a strong resemblance to Gordon Lightfoot's.

Separated at Birth?

One of these is a former Miss Virginia and is married to actor Dan Aykroyd.

The other isn't.

Cowboys Stadium Concert?

Probably the biggest upcoming event at the Arlington Taj Majal is Paul McCartney's concert.

I've often said I regretted missing his '76 Wings Over America tour, but, at the moment am a bit faint of wallet, and the reviews of the sound quality at Cowboys Stadium wouldn't exactly make me happy to part with loads of lucre for a mediocre auditory experience.

Thankfully, I did the next best thing tonight.

My daughter and I tossed a couple of zero-gravity reclining lawn chairs in the SUV, drove down the block, and watched Me & My Monkey perform at the local park.

For free.

Although they had some intermittent electronics gremlins, the sound was otherwise great, and of course, with the catalog of tunes, they never do the same playlist. One of tonight's standouts was a very trippy I Am the Walrus. (Actually, I thought Wilford Brimley was the walrus...)

And for a real treat, as an encore the band performed Revolution and Back in the U.S.S.R, the latter possibly describing the country between Canada and Mexico in the age of Obama, the former maybe a clue to a Jeopardy question.

Fort Worth Gun Show

Unlike the Decatur lawyer who went to a recent gun show to make fun of it (they mock what they don't understand), I went to this past weekend's show in Fort Worth to look for something. I hadn't been to a gun show in over a year, my most recent visit having been to Market Hall.

Anyway, I was initially pleased to see that it was well attended, with no, or few, empty tables, although I was taken aback a bit by the $8 entry tariff. My main reason for attending was to find some bits and pieces for the M6 Scout project, possibly a Lyman/Ideal .22 Hornet reloading tool, and various and sundry other accessories.

Gun shows, in the FTW/D area at least, reached their zenith in the late '80s or in the '90s. Used to be good shows at Will Rogers, and to a lesser extent, TCCC. Likewise, the big daddy show in Dallas was at Market Hall, but the DCCC show wasn't bad. Unfortunately, good ol' former Dallas Councilman Al Lipscomb put the kibosh on the DCCC shows by sponsoring an ordinance that prohibited selling ammo on city property, and that show venue died out, not surprisingly.

Since I'd accomplished my major Saturday objective before going to the gun show, I took my time and savored (if you'd call it that) the ambience, trying to make sure I didn't miss anything. I don't think I did, but I also didn't find anything worth parting me from my hard earned dollars, especially considering the inflated prices. My sole purchase was a 50¢ mounted abrasive that I plan to use to re-face the valve seat on an outdoor water spigot.

And as far as finding that Lyman/Ideal tool - I think I'll have better luck on eBay.

Just a little off the top, please...

A man in the UK was rushed to a hospital after attempting a self-circumcision with, um, nail clippers.

Oy! What a Shlameil!

Two observations: 1) Alcohol was likely involved, and 2) Some things are best left to the professionals.

Edit: OK, two observations and a statement - Dude, what were u thinking?!!!

Lyrics, No Video

Leave the radio on just to hear a voice other than mine Because I can’t bear to hear the cold truth running through my mind Because everything I’ve did wrong just keeps haunting me it won't let me be Lying here without you, girl I’m starting to see why you gave up on me What I wouldn’t give Just to go back when You were in my life I’ll do it right this time What I didn’t do Was give my whole heart to you And that’s why you’re gone I know I was wrong And I'll never hold you again Because of what I wouldn’t give It kills me to think How much you tried to make things to work I wouldn’t listen to you All I would do is put myself first I took you for granted And I pushed you away a little more each day Somewhere inside this hell I have seen my mistakes Oh but now it's too late What I wouldn’t give Just to go back when You were in my life I’ll do it right this time What I didn’t do Was give my whole heart to you And that’s why you’re gone I know I was wrong And I'll never hold you again Because of what I wouldn’t give What I didn’t do Is give my whole heart to you And that’s why you’re gone I know I was wrong And I'll never hold you again Because of what I wouldn’t give Because of what I wouldn’t give

-Blake Shelton, What I Wouldn't Give

What Mattered Most

Certifiably Codger

OK, I'm not going to recount every stop I made on my way home from work today, but, for reasons that defy explanation, I found myself in the craft store, Michael's. (Actually, having let that cat out of the bag, I guess I have to de-gayify by explaining that I was there looking for black elastic to make .22 Hornet ammunition loops for the M6 Scout project.)

Anyway, the cute young thing points me to the back of the store to find the elastic. Once I'm there, it takes awhile to actually find elastic, and none of it is black, or 2" wide.

But, there was a song on the muzak or whatever - Gentle On My Mind. Cool, I thought, some Glen Campbell. Only it wasn't Glen Campbell. It was the pride of Steubenville, OH...Dean Martin.

Dino!

It sorta took me back to my childhood, when I would sing the Best of Glen Campbell songs at night - until I fell asleep or my Dad told me to shut up. (Note to Todd the Blogger: No, I did not sing show tunes.)

I surmised that Gentle on my Mind was a Jimmy Webb tune, but it's actually John Hartford. The more interesting thing I uncovered while researching this post is that Jimmy Webb is only 63, about a year older than Don Henley. I woulda thought he was a generation older, or dead.

You know you're really getting old when you can remember both Glen Campbell and Dean Martin.

Maybe sometime I'll write about my conversations with Jimmy Durante...just kidding.

More Errata

I've established my bona fides as a curmudgeon.

I don't like TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, People magazine, or any of the other dozens of purveyors of useless drivel about useless people.

And predictably, I've been nonplused by all the hype over The Gloved One's demise.

But, there in the self-checkout line at the Wal-Mart neighborhood grocery, in the newsrack, was People magazine, with a turn of phrase that encompassed alliteration as it encapsulated the cover story.

The phrase?

Michael Jackson - Talent and Tragedy.

That pretty much said it all. Now, can we all get back to doing something productive?


(Like, say, blogging?)

Non Sequitur

I stopped by the dry cleaners this afternoon to pick up my dress shirts.

Though I have a steam iron and ironing board, I'm not very good at it. But, if I'm careful, I've found I can sometimes get 2-3 wearings from a shirt by touching it up between trips to the cleaners. (I'm just cheap that way.)

Now, about the non sequitur.

Just before I entered the store, I caught the unmistakable aroma of ... Borkum Riff.

Borkum Riff?

I'm certain that term had not crossed my mind in, say, 30 years. As a matter of fact, maybe longer. I think I purchased some Borkum Riff as part of my accoutrements for the role of Major Metcalf in a high school production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap in 1977 or 1978.

When I left with my shirts, I again noticed the smell, but no indication whence it came.

Funny how a smell or sound can transport you across space and time.

And by the way, if anyone has Prince Albert in a can - for heaven's sake, let him out!