My Top Ten Led Zeppelin Songs (this week)

Can you narrow it down to ten? I know, some of you could narrow it down to zero!

Unlike many groups lyrics are all but irrelevant in much of Led Zeppelin's best music. For me it is almost as if Robert Plant's voice is more of an instrument in itself. Their lyrics are completely forgettable and sometimes really dumb.

I tend toward favoring their blues and harder driving stuff the most, but that's just me. Well, not exclusively - I like D'Yer Maker. And I know, I don't have Kashmir in my top ten. Silly me.

Memories of playing pool in Greg Busdicker's awesome house on Sylvan Drive, Columbia. Phil Owens, Greg, and me shooting pool and jammin' to LZ for summer days on end. Where O where are Phil and Greg?

Here's the list...

1. Since I've Been Loving You (I can't stop listening to this song - anthemic)
2. When the Levee Breaks (Those harmonicas! Great adaptation)
3. Stairway to Heaven (Is there a bustle in YOUR hedgerow?)
4. Heartbreaker (Unbeatable air guitar song)
5. I Can't Quit You Baby (Oh man, those slow blues!)
6. How Many More Times (What an opening!)
7. Bring It On Home (A little Memphis blues, and then watch out!)
8. Rock and Roll (Still a top ten ever driving song)
9. D'Yer Mak'er (OK, a softee, but I like it)
10. You Shook Me (Totally groovin' simmering slow blues song)

An End to the Abortion Wars? I Don't Think So.

Yesterday while walking through the lobby of my office building I heard a very short bit on the lobby TV about Obama's abortion legislation. I didn't catch the whole piece and am not sure what Obama has in mind. But I do know that our President needs to proceed with great caution on this issue.

Americans have come - out of necessity on both sides - to a kind of fragile truce and fragile balance on the issue of abortion. Those passionate for abortion rights have their rights in almost all cases, with only the ban on partial birth abortion and some parental consent or waiting period requirements in various states. Roe v. Wade stands firm. And a Democratic President is in there for 4-8 years to watch over any new Supreme Court nominees.

Those passionate about the right of the unborn to life have had to concede that Roe V. Wade is not going anywhere. Pro-life advocates did at least achieve the ban on partial birth abortions, a barbaric procedure that most Americans oppose. Apart from that ban there isn't very much to celebrate on the pro-life side.

These being the lines of a very fragile truce, energies have shifted to other tangential areas. No one is terribly happy with things as they stand; after all, this is a truce not a peace treaty. sometimes a truce is all you can hope for.

If Obama tries to break the truce by passing the Freedom of Choice Act, he will, in one wave of his hand, profoundly alienate a very large percentage of the American people and totally destroy any benefit of the doubt being extended to him by conservatives. He will have wrecked all hope of change in the way things are done in Washington.

If he thinks that passing FOCA will in some way end the abortion wars he is either not as smart as we think or he has plans to suppress dissent. For the voices of dissent will rise like a tsunami.

Instead of ending the abortion wars FOCA will fan a spark that has been simmering for a long time - and a new war will begin. There will be many many screams - and these won't be silent. Perhaps Obama does not know the depth of feeling and passion on the other side of this fragile truce.

I remember hearing Bill Clinton say during his wife's campaign that if pro-life people really thought abortion was murder they would be storming the clinics (or something like that). Well Mr. Clinton, many pro-life people do believe that abortion is a kind of murder, partial birth abortion being the most egregious expression of it. The reason we do not storm clinics and such is because we (most of us) adhere to the rule of law. We do not like anarchy or vigilantism.

It may not always be so. Legalizing again partial birth abortions will create a tidal wave of renewed passion on the issue of life. I worry that not everyone will submit to the rule of law and that bad things may happen. Maybe that is what the left wants...

But it will be war (morally and politically and culturally); and it will wage until a truce can be restored, if that would be possible.

Obama has a shooting war to wind down, major legislation to pass on the economy, and profound energy issues to address. Lift the ban on partial birth abortions and he will lose any good will that is now extended to him on the other side of the aisle. He will become - in a flash - a fearful specter - a heavy handed left leaning president who has a congressional majority. It will all but guarantee a Republican comeback in 2010.

And one more note about the fragile truce that exists now. I believe that it is in Obama's best political interest not to stir the nest and to keep that truce going if he can. But in the end this issue is much more significant than whether a mere country is divided. On this issue families divide, friends divide, workmates divide, and even churches divide.

If we have a fragile truce for a while it would be in our countries best interest to preserve it. Obama will find that out too late that he has exacerbated and not ended the abortion wars.

Clancy in the Kitchen

Clancy, 1971-1981, my buddy, my friend...

This is quite obviously not a great photo, nor was the photo in very good shape when I scanned it. I can say as regards this picture..."There were one or two I know that you would have liked a little more But they didn't show your spirit quite as true." This picture captures the simple cheerfulness of my favorite pet growing up.

There is a "note" on the Flickr picture makes me think of how Clancy and I would often greet, well, after he got over the excitement. I would get down on all fours and we would nuzzle foreheads. It was a kind of "kiss." He very obviously understood it as a rite of affection.

I am one of those who thinks we have greatly underestimated the intelligence of animals, including their emotional intelligence. Though Irish Setters are normally high strung and less than brilliant, Clancy was a great friend, and we had a deep bond. I just wish our dogs lived as long as we do so we wouldn't have to go through so much grief at their departures.

OK, Does Anyone Know Where THIS ONE Is?

I had such success getting an ID on the other old picture I sent out that I thought I'd try this one. I found this picture in with a bunch of other pictures taken of my great great aunts back around 1910 or so. I had two great great aunts who had moved to Oakdale Tennessee where their husbands worked on the railroad, and their sisters in Kentucky would visit them. These are wonderful shots even if they are pocked up a bit. Based on other pictures it seems they took an outing along the railroad somewhere, so I think this is near Oakdale Tennessee, which is about an hour west of Knoxville. However, there is a note on the picture that could be taken to mean that the picture was taken in Virginia.

If you go to the photo on Flickr, click on "All Sizes" and you will get a larger view. I have never noticed until today that there is a person in the picture - lookin the top right quadrant! This is absolutely priceless. I just wish I knew where it was!

The Dream of America

I finally got to sit down last evening and see footage from the events of Tuesday January 20, 2009. A usual I have comments :-). Yes, I realize that my reflections are but a minuscule drop in a huge river...still...

As I await the unfolding of the Obama administration I do so as one with serious differences on several issues. I worry over the possible signing of the Freedom of Choice Act, the reversal of the the Defense of Marriage Act, and resurrection of the Fairness Doctrine.

Having said that, and being on record as having the opposite view than the Democratic Party on these and other issues, I offer some reflections upon the Inauguration of Barack Obama.

When I think of the idea of the the "American "Dream" I think not of bourgeois comfort and social values but of opportunity for all. Specifically I think of the opportunity that any person, of whatever race or socio-economic status or gender or creed - the opportunity that any person has to achieve great things. This is the hope that America offers. This is the hope embodied in Obama's election and inauguration.

Several recent events have given me a sense of peace in the moment, despite the passion I may have for the issues above.

First, there is the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 last week. It is nothing short of astounding to consider that a commercial airliner filled with 150 people could make an emergency landing on water with no serious casualties or fatalities. Yes, it is a dangerous thing to try to interpret Providence. But I had and have this sense that what happened with Flight 1549, coming as it did right at the end of the Bush administration and just before the Obama administration has significance, that it means something, and something good for our country. I cannot prove that and I may be wrong, but this is what is rolling around in my mind and heart.

Second, the fact that a million plus people could assemble in Washington DC and that there would be no arrests, no major injuries, and no attempts to do mischief also astounds me. Again, I ask, why?

Third, watching people all over the world watching and celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama is incredible to me. I think these people, our neighbors in other countries, are celebrating with us the amazing significance of a black American rising to the office of the President. It is almost as if Obama were the president of the world the way so many are celebrating. And maybe in a sense he is. It just seems right to me that he be our leader at this time.

Fourth, the graciousness of George and Laura Bush is noteworthy to me. I have always felt that George Bush a decent human being in a way many people are not. We needed his graciousness. Obama needed it. Obama has had - and still has - enough to worry about given all the issues we face as a nation. It is worth noting how unusual in the world today it is to have such a peaceful transition especially from one party to another. Again, this peaceful transition of power also embodies the hope that is the United States of America.

Fifth and finally President Obama said things in his inaugural address that needed to be said, things which only he could say with credibility. He was not merely sailing past us on the empty clouds of rhetoric. He was calling us all, rich and poor, black and white, male and female, Democrat and Republican to action, to responsibility, to united effort. In such times that is the right thing to do, and he did it very well.

These things all give me hope. Yes, if I wake up tomorrow and the Freedom of Choice Act is signed into law, the reversal of the the Defense of Marriage Act has succeeded, and the Fairness Doctrine is making itself to the President's desk, I will despair. I hope Obama finds the middle ground on these issues. We'll see. Mean time I watch, hopefully.

So Far So Good

I did not get to watch the inauguration today, though I read the text of the speech. I will read it over several times. A friend of mine encapsulated my feelings almost exactly:

"I read the inaugural speech ... I did not hear it presented, but it must have been something else. Whoever drafted the speech (I hear Obama is an excellent writer and has much influence in these matters) did an excellent job. Here's hoping he can deliver on 10-20% of his intentions ... if so, I think he will have a good run. I just hope those who see him as political 'messiah' will open their eyes to the reality of all our problems and the reality of how government works. Lots of pressure on that man."

He has my prayers.

I am disappointed with the Drudge Report for running a headline entitled, I think, "Obama Flubs Oath." They have since taken that headline off - now it reads "Obama and Chief Justice flub oath of office...nerves as America swears in 44". It is a link to a clip of the little stumble in the second phrase of the oath. I thought the Chief Justice didn't do a very good job with it myself. But why does this have to be pointed out?

Anyway, I have no more stomach for the right doing this to Obama than I did with the left (and David Letterman) doing it to Bush.

Does Anybody Know Where This Is?

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad as a child. The actual photo is tiny and streaked and pocked with damage. This is about as good a rendering as I can come up with.

In the picture are my grandmother Mary Sue Gillespie (nee Andrews, and known as "Nanny" to us grandkinds), Curtis Claunch Gillespie Sr (called "Brother in Extended Family and Pop to grandkids), and Curtis Claunch Gillespie Jr. (called "Sonny" in extended family, or for me, just "Daddy") .

I cannot figure out where this picture was taken. Behind and in the distance is a river. I wonder if this may be near Chattanooga, or maybe Chimney Rock. I really have no idea. I'll give ten bucks to anyone who can tell me with accuracy where this is.

OK - I want to thank Roch Smith for discovering the identity of this rock - it is "Umbrella Rock" on Lookout Mountain Tennessee. Roch sent a link to an awesome picture taken of the rock during the civil war. The rock doesn't look quite the same, but the identity is certain. Here is a vintage picture taken of the same rock, and another and another. Sometimes you just have to love the internet.

Check out my Flickr photostream.

I Hear the Train a Comin'

The "9007" crossing the tracks at S Elm and McGee. I caught this from my fifth floor fire escape.

Yes, I did hear the train a comin', and yes, it was rollin' round the bend. The bend would be the big 90 degree curve running behind The Depot as the train goes from heading south to heading west, or the other way as the train goes from heading east to heading north. When the trains are coming- either down from the north or from the west - they start blowing their whistles as they approach downtown. They do this before they cross the bridge southbound over Washington Street, or before they cross S. Elm eastbound. So I can hear them coming. I can't always tell from which direction, but if I look out my window I can see if a train is coming southbound approaching the bridge over Washington Street. If I don't see it I go to the fire esc....OK, for real I just this second heard a whistle....OK, I'm back. That whistle just now was from a train that was coming from the west just crossing S Elm Street going east. I stood there on the fire escape until the engine was on the bridge over Washington Street, and the train had still not cleared S Elm Street!

Anyway, I love trains. I will never tire of hearing a train whistle, feeling the slow rumble, watching the engine and caboose and the shaking. OK, a story about trains....coming soon.

Train Behind The Depot, from 5th Floor Fire Escape, Guilford Building

I am not inclined to offer praise to my own pictures since I am a mediocre amateur at best. However, the chances are fairly decent that I would snap a good one every now and again, and this may be the coolest picture I've taken of downtown Greensboro. It looks to me like a photo of a model railroad, like a toy train and toy station. I took the picture through the rusted looking fire escape steps, which, due to their not being in focus highlighted even more the sharply focused train and station, giving it that model railroad look. You can see many more recent pictures of downtown in my set of downtown pictures, scroll to the bottom.

This Is For Real - Former JP Building in Glow of Sunset

Digital cameras are known to manipulate images or interpret light wrongly. It is hard to judge a photo anymore in terms of trueness to the real object being photographed. But in this picture the old JP building was in fact this exact color. I did not color correct. I took this over by the jail, near the drive through Wachovia "branch" on Washington Street. The other picture - to the right of this one - was taken five minutes later.

Diet and Exercise - Back to the Grind

It hit me yesterday. I may have been overly caffeinated, but still, the heart palpitations were unambiguous. I can feel it when my heart kicks into a different rhythm. My size 36 pants, falling off me a year ago this time, are now uncomfortable again. I suspect my blood sugar is pushing upward again too. I got into the dietary regimen 18 months ago because of hearth health and fear of diabetes. I cut out sugar and simple starches of all kinds, even certain kinds of fructose. I started exercising - walking at first and then busting my butt on the elliptical machine at a local gym. In 8 months I went from 126 to 180 pounds. Then I got sick. Actually I had been sick and did not know it. The last two months of working out meant a daily migraine and extreme tiredness. What I didn’t know was that my hemoglobin had crashed, and my iron stores were about nothing. I woke up one morning with a migraine and I could not stand up. The doctors surrounded me with urgent calls to have my GI tract checked. I hardly had any tiem to process anything. So I did all that, and it seems the culprit was two small ulcers in my stomach - not bacterial related. 

It took me months to recover. I started eating like crazy - including lots of foods rich in iron. I took iron pills. Finally many months later my hemoglobin was normal, and then soon after my iron stores were replenished. And I was fat again - the kind of fat the afflicts my gender - stomach, beer gut with no beer. 

I have gained 36 of the 46 pounds back. My dietary regimen over that year was good - I could eat whole grain breads, vegetables, meat of any kind, milk and dairy products, lots and lots of yogurt, and lots and lots of high bran cereal - dry. 

It has nothing to do with the new Year, but as of today I start back. I won't be able to use a gyn. I'll have to let the world be my gym, and do dumbbells and core exercises at home and in my office.

I figured out how to run or walk briskly downtown. I just head off and at every light I go where the sings say walk - a different route every time.  If I get to the border of downtown I just turn around. It's kind of fun.

My biggest challenge (next to laziness) is sweat - I don't like getting wet and then having to do office work, so I need to figure that out. Someone suggested baby wipes.

I went to a movie last night and bought popcorn. I savored the stuff because I won't be having pop corn again for months.

I don't care really how much I weigh, but my cardiologist says that exercise will cause the body to produce the very same kinds of chemicals as taking medication. he also told me not to rejoice too much that my congenital  mitral valve prolapse had stopped prolapsing. He said that my heart muscle was a little overweight too, and that as I lost weight my prolapse might return.

I choose not to get diabetes II. It scares me more than cancer for some reason. There is only one way to avoid it - exercise and diet.

So, if anyone sees me downtown running or power walking, I am not showboating, except to show off how out of shape I am - I am trying to get healthy.

I guess we'll see how it goes.

New Lincoln Building Through Glass Corridor, Greensboro

Taken on Tuesday December 30, 2008, from the Lindsay (Marriott) Parking Deck 

See some more new downtown pictures here. 

The Greatest Gift - Page One

When I taught public high school in the early-mid 1980's I was the faculty adviser to a Bible Study Group that met once a week in the morning. One year the group wanted to share an invitation – not to the bible study so much, but to Christ. A couple of the students and I worked on the letter, and the last day of school before Christmas break students handed out the letter above to all the other students as they came into the building. It was kind of cool.

To view in a larger size go to my Flickr Photostream, click on the picture of the letter, and then "all sizes."

The Greatest Gift - Page Two

When I taught public high school in the early-mid 1980's I was the faculty adviser to a Bible Study Group that met once a week in the morning. One year the group wanted to share an invitation – not to the bible study per se, but to Christ. A couple of the students and I worked on the letter, and the last day of school before Christmas break students handed out the letter above to all the other students as they came into the building. It was kind of cool. This is the second page.

To view this scanned document in a larger size, like if you want to read it, please go to my Flickr Photostream, click on the document, and then click on "all sizes."

Greetings from Toyland, 1962

My mother's father, Maurice Sanders, owned a combination toy store and sporting good store in Sherman Texas in the 1940's until his death in the mid 1960's. This is the front cover of the 1962 Christmas catalog. 

You can see a photo of the actual store, well, in 1951 anyway, HERE. It's really cool. Above the picture click on "all sizes" and look at it in large - the detail is really cool. This is the only picture I have of my grandfather Maurice Sanders at his wonderful toy and sporting goods store in downtown Sherman. He died in 1967. He was cool.

I have scanned and posted the entire catalog. Click here for my Flickr Phostream and scroll down just a tad.

Go Tigers

Clemson orange rocks! I went to this game with my dad (my one and only foray into Florida my whole life), and there took my favorite picture of my dad -farm1.static.flickr.com/110/310764108_3b39bf94e2.jpg.

I just found this button in a box of stuff.  It is about 2 1/2 inches across. I could not keep the edges from being cut off in the scan. 

My Photostream

Mountain Laurel Blossom

Thinking of spring/summer today. This is Kalmia latifolia better known as Mountain Laurel, taken while hiking on Cook's Wall Trail, Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County, NC.

This flower is the inspiration for my third daughter's name. I was always a sucker for "botanical" names!

My Photostream

Monkey Bar Portraits

Sarah, Madeline, Liam, Rebekah, and Bremely , Bur-Mil park playground,  November, 2008. I would have preferred a blue sky rather than a white cloud as background, but this is kind of cool in its own way. For a view of the sky that day look here.

Bur-Mil is a great multi purpose park, and the managers of grounds and buildings do a fantastic job.

If you're interested in knowing how much a Tonka truck or Cooties cost in 1962, look here.

Clouds, and Lone Crow

Taken at Bur-Mil park Greensboro, NC, November 2008.

For more pictures of or from Bur-Mil, and for my photostream, look HERE.

Night Falls Over Moore's Wall - A Pensive Moment

Here at the office early on a Friday evening I feel pensive. This picture captures how I feel right now. It was taken from Hanging Rock proper after the sun had set over Moore's Wall. It got dark very fast afterward. We are blessed to have such a beautiful place so close.

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