Well, isn't that just ducky?

• This morning on the way to work, Jody Dean played John Lennon's #9 Dream.  I've always liked that song - kind of an ethereal (like Honey Bunches of Oats?  No.) feel to it - but suspect that its popularity owes at least in part to the racy-sounding refrain.
• He noted, as has been done many times today, that it's the 30th anniversary of Lennon's passing.  Passing?  Can I help you?  He didn't pass - he was murdered.
• I have written previously that I wasn't a huge fan, but certainly I like quite a bit of his music.  And it would be silly not to recognize the immense influence he had individually, as well as with the lads, on music and popular culture.
• The Pied Piper blogger of the county northwest of here (but who resides about five minutes away) doesn't care for Mike Huckabee, but I'm disappointed that WBAP has moved him from 7:30a to 5:30a.
• When receiving criticism, I'm getting better about shutting up and listening more.  Kind of.
• Guess I'm gonna have to remove the '[approaching] middle age' notation from my profile.  I'm here.
• Mr. Corner, please give W-spouse a big ol' kiss from me. 40?  Why, thank you!
• Another sign of the times:

• One of the recent new hires used to work for the auto auction, shown above, which has been repurposed as a recreation vehicle auction.  Nice boats!  Lots of motorhomes, too.
• Back in the day, I used to finance auto floorplan (inventory) lines, and my dealer customers would sometimes loan me their access cards so I could go to the auction and shop for cars.  Used car floorplan lending fell out of fashion in the late '80s-early '90s.  Not 'sexy' enough, mortgage lending became the rage.  I guess we know how that worked out.  I could write a heckuva floorplan financing policy for a bank, though, and I think there's much to be said for that kind of nuts-and-bolts lending.
• Visited briefly with a man this morning - an immigrant from the other side of the globe.  My age or a bit older, he's been here 25 years, a citizen for 15.  It's an interesting perspective you get from talking with people not born here.  A business owner, he loves the opportunities available here, bemoans the state of the economy and the myopia of some of the people in his industry sector.  The one thing he expressed strong concern for was that Americans seem to be throwing out the values system that made this country great. 
• I agree.
• Last night while searching for videos of Alice Cooper, I was disappointed that Vincent isn't quite the meticulous performer I'd imagined.  A lot of the performances were fairly lackluster.  I watched a KISS video a couple of weeks ago, from Thunder Tales - wasn't too impressed, but not surprised, either.  I've heard Mr. Furnier didn't do drugs back in the day, but did spend most of those years sauced. It shows.
• A piano prodigy in the making:

• I've said it before: I love the Stockyards.
• There was a Wild Bill Hickok-looking dude near the Rodeo Arena today.  I could dig riding a horse up and down Exchange Avenue, but I doubt that it pays very well.
• But I don't understand this:

A little closer...

• I mean, sure, I've heard of shotgun weddings.  But I'm getting this odd mental image, what with the stock pens and all, of a rancher dad following behind the groom with a cattle prod and zapping the boy on the 'nads...