After eating healthier for the past two weeks, this morning I decided to add some working out to my routine.
I felt like was killing myself as I lifted weights and did some sit ups. I can’t wait for spring so I can hit trails and road with my bike. I’m hoping to do some major long distance cycling this summer.
I felt better this morning after working out, now it’s just a matter of making it a habit.
It’s always good to perk up your evening with a retro dance track or two off your iPod. We’re not going way back tonight, as I’m currently listening to “Justified and Ancient” by the KLF featuring Tammy Wynette, The First Lady of Country Music.
It’s funny, when I listen to music I tend to look up these lost artists I’m listening to on Google. I’m kind of curious as to what they’re up to. Of course Tammy Wynette is no longer with us, but as I was doing a little research on her participation with The KLF for “Justified and Ancient”, the next song on my iPod came on…
“Boom Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back To My Room)”, Paul Lekakis, 1987.
Who would know that Paul Lekakis would have his own website? And it has his resumé on it. Very odd. I feel rather old as this song came out in 1987 and it seems like it was just yesterday that I was dancing to this track in a little bar in Jamestown, N.Y. called “Doc’s”. My college roommate Steve and I would go out with a bunch of friends from the music school at SUNY Fredonia. The bar was called “Doc’s” because it was in the basement of a doctor’s office. That must have been a hoot for the patients in the waiting room. “What’s that thumping noise?” “Oh, it’s just the gay boys cranking up the tunes in the basement.” “Oh.”
“Baby Love”, Regina, 1986.
Now we’re on to “Baby Love” by Regina. I remember this song very well as it came out when I graduated from high school. Co-written by Stephen Bray (who worked with Madonna on early records), this could easily have been a Madonna cast-off, but contrary to the rumors, this track was never offered to her.
Because I first heard this song in spring ’86, I always think of summer when I hear this track. It does have a summertime feel to it. This song is definitely in the J.P. Top 25. I should compile that list some time and share.
Speaking of summertime, it’s always good to spin this track up at the end of January…
“Summertime, Summertime”, Nocera, 1986.
Another track from 1986, the year that dance tracks started making a return to radio. One of the first freestyle tracks I ever heard, I found the syncopation in this type of music very fun. “Together Forever” by Lizette Melendez and “Temptation” by Corina were both bigger freestyle tracks as far as chart action goes. Both of those songs use almost identical beat tracks, in fact, when I was a DJ I used to spin those two back-to-back, followed by “What Goes Around (Comes Around)” by Giggles. It worked for a while but then the crowd would get bored and I’d have to change it up.
“Situation”, Yaz, 1983.
Yaz/Yazoo (depending on what record you’re looking at) can always fill the dance floor with “Situation”. At least they could up until 2001 when I stopped spinning. But it had to be late in the night. Always late in the night, after folks were liquored up a little bit. The later into the night, the more daring I could get with music selection. That’s what makes spinning in Buffalo or Albany fun, the bars are open until 4:00 a.m. and people really get into the music in the later hours.
“Because of You (The Original Mix)”, The Cover Girls, 1987.
The last song on my iPod tonight. When I worked in a home for disabled senior adults, this song used to come on the radio as we were driving back from the day treatment center. (I always hated that term: “day treatment”.) Anyways, my co-worker and friend Dawn and I taught the folks some hand movements to do to this track. It made the drive go by faster. Now that I think about it, Dawn and I once took the folks out for a ride and drove to a place where there were rumored to be satan worshippers. So there we were in two vans full of senior adults driving in a gravel bed. It’s a wonder we didn’t get fired.
“Because of You” is a great track but it never really did that well on the charts. People are more familiar with “Show Me” and “Wishing On A Star”, the latter being a remake of the Rose Royce classic. “Wishing…” was also the last song ever played on the radio station I used to work for.
O.k. I admit that I’ve O.D.’d on technology over the past couple of days. I’m at the point where I want to throw out all the non-Mac computers I have in the basement. (I’ll probably just give them out to family members as presents though.) I’m selling off unwanted clocks in my collection. I haven’t turned on my cell phone in quite a few days.
Pretty sad when your job is technology based, isn’t it?
I think I’m going to read a book instead of surfing the internet tonight. Perhaps Earl and I will play a board game. If we watch the State of the Union we could call it a Bored Game. I won’t watch the State of the Union though because I can’t stand Bush Lite’s “I can’t believe I’m President!” look whenever he speaks in public. I read his expression as “These dumb asses voted me in!” I’ve seen more intellectual expressions on roadkill.
What was I saying? Oh yes, technology. I’m in the mood where I don’t want to touch tone my way to a phone call. I want to DIAL the phone. There’s too much in the way of beeping and flashing lights going on around me today. “Thank you for calling Diggem Funeral Home. If a family member has died, press 1. If you’re still breathing, press 2. If someone close to you is ready to flat line, press 3.” Why can’t people answer the friggin’ phone anymore? Don’t screen me, I’m important.
Now I’m babbling. On a computer. Maybe I’ll shut the Powerbook for a while.
I’m feeling all spiritual today. I don’t know if it’s because I slept surprisingly well last night, because I had a rather sedate weekend or if it’s because maybe I have indigestion or something, but I’ve been thinking this morning about this whole chaotic existence we call life.
As a reincarnationist, I believe that we all have a journey to follow down a pre-chosen path. We are here for a reason and that’s to experience all we can experience and then learn from what we’ve encountered. As we reincarnate, we subconsciously know what we’ve learned in previous lives, though we can’t remember the specifics, and then we add more to our “knowledgebase” as we continue to move down our chosen course.
Remembering these beliefs helps me curb frustration I feel towards people that I view as acting rather idiotic. The person that drove through the red light. The woman that pushed an elderly man out of the way in the grocery store. The man that seems to be stumbling his way through life, making one bumbling mistake after another. I just tell myself that these people are learning, just as I’m learning how to be less frustrated and more tolerant of others. Some of us have reincarnated more, jumping into the pool with both feet and swimming to the other side so that we just get back up on the diving board and do it all over again, while others stick their toes in, try the water out for a little bit and then sit and watch from the sidelines for a while before doing it again.
Some people don’t like the idea of a pre-chosen destiny. “You’re destined to be smart.” “He’s going to be rich and famous.” “She’s going to die at a young age.” When these things occur, not only is the subject learning from the experience, but those around them are learning from the experience as well. LIfe is a great puzzle where all the pieces fit together in an intricate pattern.
Next time you’re sitting somewhere, depressed because whatever is happening doesn’t seem right, instead of thinking about how dreadful the situation is, try to concentrate on learning from what’s wrong with it and what you need to do to make it right.
Gosh, that previous paragraph sounds quite preachy and bossy. But it’s something that I’ve just figured out for myself over the past couple of months. And I just needed to share.
You know, I find it a little humorous that I was sitting at home on Friday night thinking, “Gee, the entire weekend is stretched out in front of me and I’m sitting at home on call.” Next thing I know, it’s Sunday night and I’m in the midst of preparing for the work week.
I wish I could tell you what we did this weekend that made it fly by so quickly.
Looking back, I don’t really know what I’ve done that made the time pass. Laundry is caught up. I even washed the sheets for the second time this week. (Usually we wait until Tom makes burying motions with his paws, then we know the sheets are getting kind of gross.) I’ve sorted out the junk in the basement enough to know what computers are going to the dumpster and what computers are staying in my lab. I had eight computers down there. Only three are worth anything. The trash man is going to love me this week.
Last night we watched “Brother Bear” on DVD and then followed it up with an episode of the Superfriends, followed by the more cerebral but no less entertaining “SportsNight”.
I don’t feel like anything has been accomplished, but I do feel quite good about the weekend I guess. I just have no idea where it went.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a huge “Bewitched” fan. I absolutely adore the show and have ever since I was a little kid. As a fan, I’ve often participated on the message boards at a website devoted to the show, Harpies Bizarre. There’s currently a discussion going on about who can twitch their nose like Samantha did and who can’t.
I’ve got about 30 years of practice behind me, but I am proud to say that I can twitch my nose with the best of them. And for the first time ever, this amazing feat is available for the general viewing audience.
If you have Quicktime, you can this wonderous act here.
Enjoy.
As I whittle the day away playing on the computer, taking care of work stuff and catching up on laundry, I’m finding that my eyes were getting a little tired.
So here I am in my Clark Kent persona. Savor the picture, it’s rare that I wear my glasses.
With traditional television having little to offer these days, Earl and I often find ourselves watching Logo, the “all-gay” channel owned by Viacom, parent of CBS, MTV and that whole bunch of stuff. One of tonight’s offerings was “Kyliefever 2002”, Kylie Minogue’s 2002 concert in Manchester during her “Fever” promotional tour. What a fun concert to watch! Energetic, colorful and full of catchy tunes, I really feel the need to go out and grab the DVD so I can see it without commercial interruption. I wish I knew about this concert sooner!
Kylie Minogue has been around since the late 1980s. She began her career as a star on the soap opera “Neighbours” and then hit the charts as a female vocalist for the production team of Stock, Aiken and Waterman, who also produced a bunch of other music at the time including “Together Forever” and “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, “That’s What Love Can Do” by Boy Krazy and Donna Summer’s late 1980s album “Another Place And Time” which includes the single “This Time I Know It’s For Real.” Her early singles included “I Should Be So Lucky” and the number one remake of “The Locomotion”.
Kylie’s fame was then pretty much limited to Europe and Australia, though she maintained a gay following here in the states. In 2000 she made her comeback here in the states with the album “Light Years”, which featured the single “Spinning Around.” It was popular in the clubs, but not that big on the radio.
I have always been a fan of Kylie Minogue, so I tried to help her along here in the states by programming “Spinning Around” into heavy airplay back during my radio days. The song is fun and was very “Wow Worthy” at the time. I didn’t even get an autograph for my efforts. (At least Madonna sent me a gold record for helping out with “Ray of Light”.) Oh well.
Kylie then released the album “Fever”, featuring the songs “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” and “Come Into My World”, the former being written by a dance diva from my baby DJ days, the wonderful Cathy Dennis.
Many remember Cathy Dennis for her 1990 album “Move To This”, which includes “Touch Me (All Night Long)” and “Just Another Dream”. Side note: Contrary to popular belief, Rick Astley did NOT sing the male backups on “Just Another Dream”, they were sung by D-Mob’s Dancin’ Danny D.. Cathy stepped out of the limelight and became known for her songwriting. In fact, if you’re a fan of American Idol, you hear her ever week; she co-wrote the theme song and she’s the voice of the “Oh Whoa Whoa”.
It’s music like this that gets me jazzed about being a DJ. It’s totally fabulous.
I was just interviewed on the street for a segment on a local talk show.
Them: “What excuse do you like to use when you call in for work?”
Me: “I don’t want to work.” (Leave it to me to state the obvious).
Them: “So you tell your boss you don’t want to work.”
Me: “Yeah, I say ‘I’m not in the mood to work.'”
Them: “What if he’s not in the mood to pay you?”
Me: “Then I go to work.” (Again, leave it to me to state the obvious).
The interview then did one of those television chuckles. Ah ha ha ha ha ha. Where the mouth moves up and down abnormally. They then said thanks and moved on to their next victim.
I’m ready for my close up.
When work gets a little too hectic, I simply look over to the corner of my desk and gaze upon my few pictures, my two paperweights and Lucky Cat.
He’s from Epcot at Disneyworld. I picked him up during our trip in 2000. This is the second desk he has lived on.
I believe that one’s work area should contain just enough personal items to make the space feel comfortable, but be sparse enough that it can all be picked up in five minutes or less in case of lay off or other employment catastrophe.
Here’s another picture of my knick knack corner.
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!
