Half-demolished Kitchen of the Soul

Music Video Monday: Natacha Atlas

(Sorry this ends suddenly)

Curmudgeon's Driving Handbook: Look Down

Every once in a while, take a quick break from scanning the traffic ahead and behind to look down at your instruments. You might be surprised by what you see, like how low your gas is, or how high your water temperature is, or that your turn signal has been flashing for the last fifteen miles.

Rural wisdom

A divorce gets stupid

Not mine. Mine is very fine. We're buddies and we're getting together next month to celebrate what would have been our 20th anniversary. We're both weird like that.

This is about a friend's divorce. His wife left him a couple of months ago. There was no infidelity on either part. He simply failed to provide the lifestyle she aspired to.

This past week she hacked into his business website and crashed it several times, then had his business and personal phones disconnected. Since she's hoping for alimony, how does it serve her interests to mess with his ability to earn money? That's stupid. But vengeance usually isn't all that rational, is it.

Errrrrgh

I've resisted moving up to digital cable TV. I guess it's that little bit of Luddite in me. And part of it is I like to pretend TV isn't that important to me.

Actually the first reason I haven't made the change is that I have everything connected and working together with my fancy universal remote. I have to add another box to get digital, which means reconfiguring everything and reprogramming the remote. I don't want to do that.

The second reason is that there's not room in my cabinet for another box. It would need to go on top. But that's where the TV and two of the speakers sit. I could mount the TV on the wall, but then I'd need to reroute the wires that go to the speaker that's on a shelf above the TV.

But thanks to the deviousness of the cable company, I'm going to have to make the switch. Starting in October they're moving HBO to digital only. Yeah yeah yeah, they're promising the first year free. And I'll get more channels. And a better picture. But still... Grumble grumble grumble...

My Motorcycles: Suzuki GS550

I finished college, moved to California, got a job and, after a while, earned enough to buy a real motorcycle. Mine was like this, only the next model up, with aluminum wheels. Four cylinders, dual overhead cams, whoopie!

I tipped over once when I went too hot into a hairpin turn. Neither the tires nor I were up to the challenge. No real harm done.

After a few months, I traded it in for a bigger one.

Trapped

I woke up from probably the only type of dream that really freaks me out. I dreamed I was trapped way underground, unable to move. 

I was still freaked out after I woke up. I couldn't stop imagining similar situations. I had to get out of bed and walk around. 

See, I can move freely. Relax.

My claustrophobia is very specific. I can wedge myself into small cars, or you can cram me in a closet and I'll be fine. I can even tolerate a middle seat in coach on a transatlantic flight. It's just that being buried under hundreds of feet of unyielding rock...

Rats, I've freaked myself out again.

Irony of the day

Ryan Jenkins, who was wanted for the brutal murder of his ex-wife, Jasmine Fiore, hanged himself in a motel in the British Columbia town, Hope. I guess he couldn't find Mount Despair, also in BC.

Increasing your word power

I learned a new term today. The opposite of do-it-yourself is a "point-and-pay."

Music Video Monday: Chris Isaak