Gratitude

The Crickets, led by Buddy Holly, had their first hit with “That’ll Be The Day” in 1957. Many more hits would follow  for Buddy Holly and the Crickets until his tragic death on February 3, 1959. He had just left a gig at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, when his plane crashed in the middle of a frozen cornfield. All three passengers – Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson – and the pilot were killed instantly. 

Last summer I visited the site of the crash which is only 45 minutes from where I grew up. There are no signs on the gravel roads leading to the cornfield and there is no dedicated parking. Once you get near, though, the presence of other visitors is soon evident.

The site lies at the end of a half mile walk along a dirt road with weeds and grass growing in the center. There is a small entrance at the start of the road that is festooned with horn rimmed glasses, flowers and other mementos.

The Entrance

As I walked past the entrance and down the half mile path to the crash site, I couldn’t help but notice something remarkable – crickets! Every person I encountered on the path I asked, “Can you believe it? Crickets!” The younger ones looked puzzled but the people my age nodded politely and kept walking back towards their car. Eventually, I stopped telling people about the crickets.

As I walked out of the cornfield and approached the entrance, a man about my age walked towards me in the opposite direction. I said to him, “I can’t believe the crickets!” He looked at me puzzled at first and then realized what I meant. He pointed at his ears and said, “I can’t hear high frequencies any more.”

As he walked by me, I stopped for a moment, pulled the hearing aids out of my ears and I could no longer hear the crickets. I put them back in and the crickets were audible again.

On that day, I was extra grateful for my hearing aids because they helped me hear the crickets singing for Buddy Holly.

All I Got For Christmas 2021

Most all I got for Christmas
  • Beacock Music folder
  • Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes: A Cautionary Tale of Race and Brutality
  • Gutter cleaning pressure washer attachment
  • Lawnmower deck cleaning tool
  • Philips Hue starter kit
  • Luthier toolkit
  • Magnetic knife bar
  • Ernie Ball guitar strap
  • Counter top water distiller (not pictured)
  • $25 Visa gift card (not pictured)
  • New Mexico Christmas 2021 commemorative stocking cap
  • Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (not pictured)
  • Soldering pen and accessories (not pictured)

Daily habit goals, November

[table]
Time[attr style=”width:50px”],Action
07:00,Wake
08:30,Get out of bed
,Clean bite guard
,Blood sugar
,Make coffee
,Kitchen chores while waiting
,Make/eat peanut butter toast (15g carbs)
09:00,Apply for jobs/career development
,Medications with second cup of coffee
11:00,iOS developer training
13:00,Bike ride (10 miles minimum)
14:00,Lunch (60g carbs)
14:30,Meditation
15:00,iOS developer training
16:30,Chores
19:00,Dinner (60g carbs)
19:30,Free time for…
,…Music
,…Chores
,…Reading books
,…TV
22:15,Brush teeth
,Bite guard
,Bed
[/table]

Daily habit goals, October

[table]
Time[attr style=”width:50px”],Action
08:00,Wake
08:30,Clean bite guard
,Blood sugar
08:35,Bike ride (10 miles minimum)
09:30,Make coffee
,Kitchen chores while waiting
,Make/eat peanut butter toast (15g carbs)
09:45,Apply for jobs
,Medications (second cup of coffee)
11:00,iOS developer training
12:30,Chores
14:00,Lunch (60g carbs)
14:30,Meditation
15:00,iOS developer training
16:30,Bike ride
19:00,Dinner (60g carbs)
19:30,Free time for…
,…Music
,…Chores
,…Reading books
,…TV
22:15,Brush teeth
,Bite guard
,Bed
[/table]

Daily habit goals, July

[table]
Time[attr style=”width:50px”],Action
08:00,Wake
08:30,Clean bite guard
,Blood sugar
,Put water on to boil
,Retrieve ear phones
,Walk
8:45,Make coffee
,Kitchen chores while waiting
,Make/eat peanut butter toast (15g carbs)
09:00,The Daily Bowie
,Apply for jobs
09:30,Medications (second cup of coffee)
11:00,iOS developer training
12:30,Yard work
14:00,Lunch (60g carbs)
14:30,Meditation/mindfulness
15:00,iOS developer training
16:30,Yard work/chores
19:00,Dinner (60g carbs)
19:30,Free time for…
,…Music
,…Chores
,…Reading books
,…Walking
,…TV
22:30,Brush teeth
,Bite guard
,Bed
[/table]

Daily habit goals for 2017, revisited

[table]
Time[attr style=”width:50px”],Action
08:00,Wake
08:30,Clean bite guard
,Blood sugar
,Make coffee
,Kitchen chores while waiting
,Make/eat protein breakfast*
09:00,Apply for jobs
09:30,Medications (second cup of coffee)
11:00,Mindfulness
11:30,Lunch: (tbd) calories and (tbd) carbs
13:00,Blood sugar
15:30,Snack
15:30,Yard work/home repairs
18:00,Dinner: (tbd) calories and (tbd) carbs
19:30,Free time for…
,…Music
,…Chores
,…Reading books
,…Walking
,…TV
22:30,Brush teeth
,Bed
[/table]

* snack pack, peanut butter toast

Dive

The sun bakes the brown skin on my back. I peer through a knot hole at the water below. The warmth feels good but I’m not here for the sun. I’m here for the water.

I place my palms down on the gnarled wooden surface of the dock and hoist myself to my feet. I quickly look around to assess the situation: Who can I impress? Who should I avoid? Who might I frighten with a sneak attack?

I face the shore and stand on the edge of the dock plank, balancing on the balls of my feet. Hands at my sides I take a deep breath and fling myself into the space beyond the dock.

The water is barely six feet deep so the dive must be shallow. Shallow dives don’t allow for much finesse but as I jump, I sweep my arms outward until they meet above my head just before I hit the water. I feel graceful and superheroic never considering that I may look less so.

The water is cool and murky green. My older siblings won’t swim here and some friends level charges of “runoff” and “swimmer’s ear” but I never believe them. This is my habitat.

With eyes wide open I immediately glide to the sandy bottom. I take massive strokes with my arms, inverting the motion I used in the air moments before. My hands pass in front of my face each time I reposition my arms for a new stroke. I feel all the power and grace my non-athletic body will ever manage. I know I am a better swimmer than my peers and that is a great comfort.

I swim silently, slightly above the sand, with no other thoughts in my head but suppressing my desire for air. Eventually that desire will overpower me but I know I’m one step ahead of my future self. When at last I can take no more, I will begin the ascent to the surface, forced to continue swimming by virtue of my position at the bottom. This, I know, will give me an advantage in future underwater swimming contests, should they ever arise.

But none of that is necessary for this dive because the shore arrives before my air supply dwindles. I take one final stroke and glide into the shallow water where it is no longer possible to hide my awkward body from the world. When I can go no further, I raise my head above the surface, taking care not to stir the water unnecessarily or to make any gasping noises with my first breath.

I linger briefly in the shallow water, feeling my body float effortlessly while my belly rubs slightly against the sand. I revel in the moment. I know I belong here. I long for the rest of my life to be this effortless.

Dedicated to Mary Lou, 2016.08.21

Daily habit goals for 2017

[table]
Time[attr style=”width:50px”],Action
08:00,Wake
08:30,Brush teeth
,Blood sugar
,Start hot water
,Walk
09:00,Make coffee
,Make/eat protein breakfast*
09:15,Begin work
09:30,Medications (second cup)
11:00,Standup
11:30,Lunch: (tbd) calories and (tbd) carbs
13:00,Blood sugar
15:30,Snack
17:30,Chores
18:00,Dinner: (tbd) calories and (tbd) carbs
19:30,Free time for…
,…Mindfulness
,…Music
,…Chores
,…Reading books
,…Second walk
,…TV
22:00,Brush teeth
,Bed
[/table]

* eggs, snack pack, peanut butter toast, cottage cheese, string cheese

A comment I wrote to William Shatner in a Reddit thread

Bill (can I call you Bill?), I want you to know that Has Been is one of my favorite albums of all time. I try to get people to listen to it but nobody takes me seriously. I recently had a “win” as a parent when my oldest son (17) asked me about Has Been.

I love how you poured yourself out for everyone to see and I use it as inspiration in my own (meager and infrequent) attempts to be an artist.

I bow to you and thank you, sir. 😀

PS: How do I get invited to one of your legendary parties?


Here’s the original thread which was brought to my attention by an r/bestof posting. I submitted my comment twice but Reddit didn’t accept it. I suspect that Bill has temporarily disabled comments. 

Summer Playlist

After a few hints from the family, I have concluded that is time to end my blues exploration – at least for the time being. I had a revelation while eating dinner with the family the other night: The Summer Playlist. I’ll describe it in detail below but first a little context about the music listening situation in our house.

iTunes MBPDuring the work day I spend most of my time in my office, the kitchen or the bathroom (in that order). On the left side of my desk my MacBook Pro (MBP) runs iTunes all the time. The MBP is connected to my awesome PMIX-100 personal audio mixer (seen on the right of the photo). The mixer is connected to my Cambridge Soundworks desktop speakers which are located 18 inches in front of my head in the classic stereo position. This is where I do almost all of my listening these days.
Continue reading “Summer Playlist”