Whine Fest

 No, I did not misspell WINE.  This is a "whine festival."  My 2nd choice for a title was:  "When will it all end?"  You may not have noticed in the past, sometimes it never quits.  Something will go wrong - agaon - then, before you recover, another thing will happen - And, it just seems to pile on and on and on.  Tis problematic ya know.   You will see that this writing will turn into a marathon.  Why?  Because it NEVER ENDS!!!!

You bump your toe.  You holler and which causes the dogs to bark.  The barking makes you jump (why, I don't know, it happens all the time) and you trip back falling over the lump in the floor (another dog?).  On the way down you grasp at the tablecloth pulling stuff off the dining room table.  On the table was a container of syrup.  You have to mop the floor.  A dog walks through the syrup...  Where does she walk?  It never seems to end... 

So, I think this is how it goes.

#I  ]   A while back the daughter came home from work with a tire going flat.  She has to have transportation to get to work 30 miles down the road.  We put an air compressor to work.  Poor solution apparently.  She takes off for Discount Tire in Temple to get it fixed "TONIGHT" instead of later.

#2 ]  The tire starts to go down when she is a couple of miles from the store.  She pulls over and calls me.  The wife is loaded in the Flex and we head that way with "Air and a Prayer."  

It is SOOOOO hot out.  105 maybe in the shade.  Daughter decides that she cannot wait for me to help change that tire in this heat, so she takes off driving on an almost flat tire.  Tire is flat when she arrives at the store.  And, (just perhaps) she might be driving on a rim.  I don't know.

#3 ]  I get to the "calling" place.  She is not there.  Text messages can be so wonderful.  I continue to Discount Tire.  Discount tire operates on appointments.  But, if you get into the store in time, the tire will be fixed before they close and go home.  They conned her into 4 new tires (probably needed for sure).  She had a few hour wait to be finished.  We went and ate Mexican food.

#4 ] got back to store as they finished.  We dumped her off & went home.  An hour or so later I gets this text that she has decided to stop & have oil changed at Ford House.  I rarely do anything at the car dealerships.  Oil changes seem fairly safe.  Wait.  The guy tells her she has several leaks.  Of course there is no oil on our driveway.  He talks her into having the truck checked over.   By the time they are through, they find enough stuff to repair that they quote over $9000.  Yes, $9000.  I tell her pay what you owe & leave.  That would be $175.  No oil changed yet.  She comes home.  I have heard of a local guy who has a shop in his back yard.  He has a day job & does this in spare time.  EVERYONE says nice things about him.  

#5 ] It takes 2 days to get the truck over there and have a discussion.  He has a couple of cars in front of ours.   Today, It has now been 3 weeks without the truck.  Ford house implied truck was going to catch on fire if driven much.  Fear mongers.  Thus, for past 3 weeks, my daughter has been driving my car to work.  I am without a car.  That's okay.  We have no place to go, & we do have my 2003 Mercury Marauder as a backup.  There is a problem.  The Air Cond has gone out on the Marauder.  It is now an emergency backup  only.  It is 105 degrees out.  This is all fine.  It is no problem.  I don't mind.  I have no place to go ---- yet.

#6 ] Later that same week, walking through the house, I noticed that I am sweating.    Check thermostat.  82 degrees in the house.  I can hear the AC running but not cooling.  It is a heat pump.  Big time people love heat pumps.  I'm not quite sure.

I call this local guy who has helped me before.  He can't help me and says, "Call David." I do.  David will be over as soon as he can.  He is in Burnet right now (well over 90 miles away me thinks).  

Just for you, I'm gonna summarize this as best as I can.  Yes, I could make it a lot longer.

Eventually, he shows.  Finds leak in coil.  Needs replacing.  Compressor has been making this 'Gawd Awful' noise for a year.  He gets new coil.  Then, he finds - and demonstrates - another leak in the compressor.  Things go down hill from here.

#7 ] We now have a new air cond system - outside as well as in the attic - It cost more than I should spend.  I trust David primarily because he was suggested by local friend. But, he is over-priced, I am sure.  But, we have a new system that should last 10-20 years.  This is money I'll never get back.   It took S I X full days before the system was fully operational.  Meanwhile we spent S I X full days ranging from 75 degrees to 87 degrees.  

It is over.  We move on.

#8 ] Daughter didn't work on that following Friday.  I walked by MY car and noted that the left tire was wearing.  Yes, I've hit a few curbs recently.  I know it is out of alignment; but I don't want to get it fix today.  She can drive that tire for another week.  No problem.  Research:  found a place who can do an alignment - no openings till next week.  Set the work up for the following Friday & ordered two new tires.

Sat. morning.  The three of us go to town.  shopping for food etc.  When we get home the dot spots a slash on the side of the tire.  The tire has a 3 inch gash on the sidewall.  You don't go anywhere with that type of problem.  Well, most folks don't.  She cannot drive that car to work.   I must do something now.  And

#9 ] Off to Discount Tire in Temple.  Will the tire make it?  Yep.  I arrive at 2:30.  They close about 5 ish.  Remember, must have appointment.  They projected I'd be out by 7:26.  roll your eyes.  

Long story short.  Finished.  Got 2 new tires up front.  following Friday, alignment at a different tire store & put 2 new tires on the back.    All of that was about $1300.  We do have 4 new tires, aligned.   It is over.

#10 ] Repair guy  gets ready to work on daughter's truck.  First of all his grandfather died.  Local, well-loved, I'd say a wonderful old gent.  Sad.  then, repair guy has to go out of town for his company for a few days.  Today, Sept. 1st, parts are ordered and work has begun.  

The three weeks that I wish I had missed.

Tomorrow, Labor Day, I shan't do any labor.

love ya, Mtz

I had a dream

I had a dream 2 nights ago.  Most dreams disappear, but this one stayed with me.

I retired from band directing 20 years ago.  It was good that I retired - - or they might have fired me -- or -- I might have hurt someone.  Y'never know.

But the dream.  As with most dreams, it jumped around and was confusing - didn't make real sense all the time.  I was in a school system with a middle school and a high school.  Apparently, I had an associate who taught middle school primarily...though that person never appeared in the dream.

It started with me walking from the H.S. to the M.S. on the 1st day of school.  Walking.  You know this has to be a dream.  I went into the MS bandroom - it was large.  no chairs or music stands.  but large.  In the center right of the room was a pond.  Yes, it was an indoor pond - not a swimming pool as such.  As I fumbled around with some younger students walking in,  another teacher brought his entire class to the band room to go swimming.  I tried to explain that I had a class in there.  Didn't seem to matter.

I left the room & students to walk to the principal's office.  I need to pick up all the mail from the summer that had accumulated.  No thought was given to the left behind students or swimming hole.  Walking around the building, I finally found a front door that had a staircase to the 2nd floor.  As you know, all principal offices must be on the 2nd floor.

I walked into the office.  Nobody was there.  Big cluttered office empty of personnel.  No reason.  I walked around a corner to the mail boxes.  There was no mail.  I left.  Into the hall looking for stairs to return to band room.  There were no stairs.  A door slid open  to an elevator with an elevator operator.  The elevator was about 1 1/2 ft deep.  No room...kept looking for stairs.

Suddenly, I am back to the H.S. walking into that bandroom.  Yep, no chairs or stands.  Just a big room.  Then I noticed that half of the room had couches (divans) and soft chairs, a nice carpet, recliners - lamps - it was the teacher's lounge set up in half of the band room.  Empty.  I marveled at how wrong this was. 

Then, wham, I was awake.  Clock said 6:30 a.m.  got out of bed.  did business.  shook my head.  went back to bed and slept.  No More Dreams.

So the dream was really about facilities and administrators who were messing with my facilities.  I suppose there is a message here.  I'll never figure it out after 20 years of retirement.

m   

Anna Who?

 I have always liked to play with names.  That is ... I like to change a name around and call someone something other than the actual name given at birth.  Using someone's real name has always been difficult for me.  I've been known to call my wife Bertha, Bubba, Girl, Wilbur, y'know - anything that seems to come out of my mouth.  My wife has rarely seemed to be offended.

When I was teaching, I would give students a nickname sometimes.  One girl was called SideKick because she hung out with another girl alot.  Occasionally, I would hear other students use my different nicknames - don't think anyone was ever offended.  They knew names were used not as a bully might.  Form of Affection.  Had a girl who worked for Taco Bell -- We referred to her as our Taco Belle.  Play with it.

Had a boy student who like to be called Slick.  Why?   In my first teaching school, Sudan, a fellow teacher had a son he called Shotgun.  The parent said that everyone MUST call the boy Shotgun  (he was pre-school age).

We have a dog Sadie.  Sometimes she is called Sadie Mae   or  Sadie Lou.  You get the idea.

So my daughter's dog Anna. I called her Anna Conda today.  Don't know why.  It worked at the time.  Dog didn't care.  Gimme a cookie, I'll forgive anything.  This made me try to figure out a few more  for her.  List to follow:

Most use ANA instead of ANNA. There is Anna Belle of course (too easy).  Anna Purna,  [I might mention that spelling doesn't count here.]  Anatomy doesn't work because of you put the emphasis on the NAT   Uh-NATomy.  Anagram works.  Anaphyloxies - Anaesthetic - Salute to Calif Anaheim -,  Anagoric ??  Analyze is good.   Anastasia and Anamorphic.

My favorite has  been Anakin (Skywalker).

Nicknames are forever here.  Brother Jim and I were called:  Pickle Puss and Dumb Head.  You can guess which one was me.  Because my very young children could not say certain words - we used  Yah-Yah  and  Ninny (or ninnypoo)  and Wah-ger  and so forth.  Bro Jim was called DEE  when  little brother had trouble with the letter J.  The list continues.  I'm sure you have had a few.

see ya later,

m

Provocative Title

Provocative Title:  It has come to my attention that I have more readers when the title is a bit provocative...not political...but hints at naughty.  Now, why izzat?

My original title was going to be  "Thursday, Trash Day."  That is an attention getter, you must admit.  Every Thursday is "put out the trash" day.  Trash pickup day is Friday about 8:30-9:00 in the morning.  Now WHO!!!  in their right mind wants to get up in the morning and roll that Green plastic can to the curb.  Doing it on Thursday is better.  well,  except for the heat.  It's hot out there.

My inboard temperature gauge noted 105+ yesterday with no wind and lots of humidity.  I'm sure we are special.  Nobody else is having these hot temperatures - just us.  It is a punishment for the many wrongs I have done over the past many years.  KARMA.  I have got to figure this out.  

How much Karma is attached to each bad deed?  Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you spit off a bridge on top of some guy's bald head.  He, of course, thinks a bird splattered him (his Karma).  How long must I be punished for this deed - and - how severe should that punishment be?  Should I have a toe removed?  Or is 2 weeks without a Coke enough.  Perhaps a rock hitting my windshield or a plop of mud.  There has to be a gauge.  Maybe it is just enough for me to drop my sandwich on the floor.  I don't know.   I do know that if some kook thinks of this, he will write a PhD dissertation with research  from throughout the world.

An Aside:    I started a PhD once at UTDallas (UTD) several years back.  It was truly a wrong decision.  Humanities.  The courses offered for this degree were off the wall.  I learned some stuff for sure.  Didja know that there are 3 (or is it 4) editions of Lady Chatterley's Lover? In one class, I had to read all 3 editions and compare them - differences - etc.   This assignment came in the fall semester as I was teaching and writing a marching competition show.   We had one week to read all 3.   NoWay!!!

One of the Profs commented in a class while talking about our future dissertations - he said, "I would question any dissertation that did not have research in a foreign language."  I knew I was lost at that point.

Eventually, I quit the coursework and move several miles away to return to teaching.  I lacked 2 classes and the dissertation.  Doesn't matter.  You can still call me Doc if you'd like even though it is inaccurate.

Think I'll go take a shower.  I've put it off all day.  Mowed the back yard this morning and did a bit of sweating.  We have a thousand frogs in the back yard.  I worry about mowing the frogs.  Mowing can be stressful for that reason.

As I close, I ask:  was this provocative enough?

love ya,  Mtz

Monday - 27th

Monday, July 27th

The start of a new week.  Every week is about the same as you age.  Occasionally, there is a disaster which changes the flow.  I am shooting for none today.  Nobody is going to the Emergency Room today.    

Olympics are on TV.  I guess everyone is having a good time.  Never being much of a sports person, I find little joy in the Olympics.  The opening ceremony had some fun times and nice music along with some "What the Hey!!" and yucky music.  The people who plan these opening events are way above average.  I'm not sure that I could have dreamed such an event.  Genius is a good word.  I still remember China opening ceremony.  Impressive.

I still don't understand why "they" (whoever they are) keeping pushing the homosexual angle at us all the time.  It serves no real purpose in my thinking...just trying to make waves. Oft times, when pressed with this, I just change channels.  I don't have to watch that stuff.  I'd rather watch an old Adam 12 or Matlock - whatever.  Movin' on.

Monday.

Up and atom.  I will do 3 load of clothes today.  I went through 61 years of marriage without washing one thing except on trips where I shared the experience.  I have never ironed anything larger than a handkerchief.  Hanging up clean shirts was never my job.  My wife did it all.  Never complained.   I did my thing; she did hers.  She never changed a tire.  I did a lot of that when we had tubes in our tires.   We have our division of powers.

Now that she is getting sicker, I do those things too.  I wash.  No ironing anymore.  I cook food and do the grocery shopping, feed the dog, mow the yard, weedeat when I feel the mood.  She does like to sweep and mop and dust...oh, yes, she can't let a bed go unmade...or a divan throw go unthrown.

---------

I've been trying to do the math on this.  Follow me now.  We were married on August 5, 1962.  Fine,  I am sure it was a lovely wedding.  1st Baptist church in Levelland with the 1st Methodist preacher.  He was a nice man.  I'd been in college for 4 years and never really got to know him much.

This year is 2024.  How many years since 1962?   Well it has been 62 years come August.  Do you see it?  1962 - 62 years later.  I'm not saying it was a perfect 62 years.  I was a jerk some of those years.

Lets say we married in 1963.  When would 63 years be?  2026.                   1945,  45 yrs = 1990

There is always that particular year sometime in the future.  It really is no big deal.  I just thought it was interesting.  But shouldn't it be celebrated just a bit more than normal?  Maybe an extra trip to Taco Bell?  What cha think.  OOOOO ooooooo Oooooo here's an idea.  All of you BAND together and do a crowd sourcing thingamabob and send us on a World Tour - private jet of course - personal guides - no major walking - son Roger says 11 days on a cruise ship is a bit much - new traveling clothes - I could go on and on and on - Some of you may think I already have ....   (be nice)    howabout just a gallon of gas to make it to Taco Bell twice.  Never mind. We're good.  You tried.  time to move on.

All of this reminds me, before Christine was born in late 1964, we drove to New York City for the 1964 World's Fair.  Brother Marshall lived in NY at the time.  He went out and found us a 1 bedroom apt to rent for 6 weeks one block off Central Park and that big Museum.  The normal girl renter was going to California for the summer and was tickled to have us move in and pay the rent.  Nice apartment, I guess.  2nd story walk up with 2 big windows facing the street.   No AC.  That's ok.  I have so many stories about that trip.  Maybe they'll follow.  Everyone should do something like that.  6 weeks in New York.

The STONE for today - re-read above - me helping with laundry at a laundrymat - We were raised in the Panhandle of Texas. Water was really hard out there.   Really Hard well water loaded with minerals.  I never knew that soap could lather.  One day we loaded up some dirty clothes - about 2 loads full - and walked down the street to a NY Laundry Mat.  It was okay.  No crazy people inside.  We loaded our clothes, read the instructions, put in our TIDE, paid, and hit Go.

These were not top loaders.  Our washer started.  The soap began to foam.  And foam.  That's when I learned about soft water.   We had soap flowing out all over the floor.  People just stood and looked at us.   When it was over, we had to re-wash to get the soap out.  Stupid kids.  Nobody ever told us about soft water.  We left quite a mess as we rushed down the street.  Marshall educated  us that evening.

New York was a fun and terrifying place to visit.  We were never mugged.  We were dumb enough to be mugged.  Weren't.

later.

m

                                               

Homecoming

 If you have read the news quip to the right of this page, you will have noticed that I have spent my teaching career as a H.S. Band Director (note the Uppercase Caps - shows respect). I have not been in the biz since about 2004 when I retired (graduated, if you will).  I did spend a semester in a different small school where I learned that returning to teaching was not going to be fun.  Many of the students were just little jerks.  They took the fun out of teaching.   Another time I spent about 2 months as a long-term sub while the school looked for a permanent director.  Those kids were good.  I liked being there.

So in my retirement, I attend some band concerts and contests.  I go to an occasional football game to watch the halftime.  My Facebook has me connected  a group called  Band Director Jokes.   And I visit certain websites sponsored by folks with connections to bands.  One of these is something called the Yellow Pages.  It is for directors.  They do not seem to appreciate when non-director types get on and make comments.  I understand that.

Some of the subjects brought up by some directors are very educational and good.  They ask some very fine questions.  Then, sometimes, the whine gets out of control.  I feel sorry for those folks.  They should quit and go work at Buc-cees.   

Recently, a young director (I would guess he is young), ask what bands play for Homecoming.

Let me explain.  Every H.S. / College has Homecoming.  Everyone has his own traditions.  Some schools get carried away while others just do something before the game - wham, bam, it's over.  Let's play football.  You've got the Homecoming Queen - and court.  Some schools will have a King.  Some involve parents in the mix - Why?  I don't know.  It just complicates it.

At the ceremony, the band and cheerleaders are pretty much a backdrop to the festivities.  For years, I would march onto the field while playing the Fight Song - park the band - not move - and play some slow song as the the Court was introduced over the P.A.   When the girl was crowned, my girl band students would get all excited & the music would go down hill.

It hit me one year.  I asked the administration if we could just stand and watch.  I told them our music was so loud it covered the P.A. announcements - which it usually did.  They bought it.  So, we marched out - stood  -  girls got excited without messing up the song - and marched off.  DONE.  LET'S MOVE ON. NOTHING TO SEE HERE.  A few times one of my band girls got crowned.  That really upset the music delivery.

Moving on.  On the yellow page band director "page" this week, some guy as what song to play.  I answered with my story.  Some of the others started listing songs.  This got out of hand to a certain degree.  Band Directors are rarely known as lovers of Homecoming.  It gets into our way.

Songs of the nice songs listed were:  (I hope this was not copywrited)(There is a word the spell check doesn't like - copywrited)

You are so beautiful;  Only Time;  Ice Castles; My heart will go on;  Mahogany theme; Bellavia;  Can't help falling in love; Muskat Love,  my girl;  shadow of your smile; I'll be there...

Keeping in mind a director's attitude:  other songs were:   Fat bottom Girls;  Send in the Clowns;  Land of 1000 dances played really slow;  hang dog;  Cruella De vill;  If I only had a brain;  The evil clown;  Price is Right theme song played in a loop;  I like my women just a little on the Trashy side;  and I got friends in low places.

Another person suggested playing the Alma Mater.  Now come on, if you play that, everyone stands at attention and nothing gets done - that would be similar to playing The Star Spangled Banner.  As an aside here, I noticed over the years that different schools call their Alma Mater - the School Song.  Others call the fight song - the School Song.   You never really know what  school prefers until you join in their festivities.  

Once had a school band which "HAD" to play the Theme from "Rocky" as the team entered the field.  At that time, this band had trouble playing any song with 8th notes.  

To me the School Song and the Alma Mater are the same song.  That's what it use to be in Levelland - it must be right.  The fight song is the rabble rouser.  Forget Rocky.

Schools have so many little traditions.  You have to be careful or they will run you out of town on a rail.

Y'all take care now, y'hear? 

m

Here we go!

 Several years ago a friend and I were camping in the great outdoors.  We had been out there about 2-3 days.  He liked to shoot rabbits and cook them over the open fire.  Rabbits really are not my favorite meat.

One day he was out hunting when he took a tumble down this ravine.  His gun went off and shot him in the shoulder.  It was a mess.  As it turned out, camping next to us was an old country doctor.  Luck was with us.

The old man decided that he had to get that bullet out right then and stop the bleeding.  His companion jumped in their car and drove to the entrance store and called an ambulance.  I stood around like a dummy.  I did unload the rifle.

Anyway, the old doctor had this leather thong around his neck.  We didn't have any anesthesia to knock the guy out.  The doc gave the the leather to my friend and instructed him to bite down hard on it - "Chew on it".

Everything worked out.  The ambulance came.  Friend went to the local hospital.   He did get a bit of infection in the wound - after all we weren't really in sterile surroundings.  It was what it was.

The next day I made it to the local hospital - plopped myself down in the chair beside the bed - and - asked him how he was doing. 

He responded, "The thong has ended, but the malady lingers on."

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In today's Temple paper I read that the guy who is believed to have invented

"auto-correct" has died.  Sad.  May he restroom in piece.

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Speaking of someone famous who has died, I understand that the weatherman who invented the system of heat index temperature concept - anyway he passed on last June.   He was 83 years old - but he felt like 92.

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My favorite groaner happened after the hurricane hit New Orleans a few years back. ?That was the one where people were living in the football stadium  - and the dikes broke swamping much of the town.  That happens when you build below sea level.  Anyway, the TV news gal was interviewing different people.

She wanted to know how the neighborhoods looked - did the schools get messed up - and those type of questions.  Much moaning and groaning - as it should have been. The reporter asked this one heavy set lady, "What about churches?"  

The response: "I don't know much about that.  Most of my friends go to Popeyes."  I swear that is a true story.  It must be.  I found it on the internet.

sorry