WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?

It is a "Bullie Bag" from Saco De Toro, Inc. I actually got one of these from my wife as a Christmas gag gift. I'm not sure what was going through her mind when she ordered it, but it did get a good belly laugh from me, especially when Baby Mackie started giving it a good going-over with the ol' sniffer... he almost put his head inside it, which would have been classic. Anyway, I guess this item is good in that it shows that all parts of an animal are being used, but still.... sigh.... !

I am not sure what I will do with it... heh... I'm taking suggestions. And yes, I have already considered using it as an athletic "cup"! Hehehe...

*CUTE LITTLE INSTRUMENTS AND DEVICES

About a week ago I received a TASCAM DP-01FX/CD in the mail! It is basically an 8-track digital recorder with a built-in CD burner. I have read the manual a couple of times, and now it's time to apply myself and get the thing figured out! I have yet to receive an Alesis SR-16 drum machine I ordered, but it is on the way. I tend to not like drum machines, but I like using them for making demo recordings. I would have posted its picture too, but for some reason my computer won't let me add the picture to this post.

I also acquired a Talman TCM50 acoustic-electric guitar by Ibanez. It isn't a jumbo-size acoustic, and it is probably more useful as an amplified instrument than as a plain acoustic. I have ordered it, but it hasn't arrived yet. I think it will probably get here during the next week or so. I am salivating with anticipation! I have never owned an acoustic-electric, so this should be fun. The acoustic guitar I have been using for about 20 years is a Fender, one of their first acoustics, I think... it has a nice sound, but the action is a bit stiff. This Talman has a neck more like that of an electric guitar. When it comes to guitars, I am a decent acoustic player and a terrible electric player, so this instrument should make for a happy medium!

I also got a very cool instrument I got as a Christmas gift from my most wonderful wife Kit. The instrument is an Epiphone Mandobird-VIII. It is about the size of a regular mandolin, i.e. it is small. I have an old Sears catalog-style mandolin from the 20's or 30's that I can play a bit, although it is not a very high-quality instrument... it has a slight warp in the neck, buzzy strings, etc. This Mandobird, from all indications, appears to be well-made, and it sounds great when it's plugged in! I have been fiddling with it a lot during the last couple of days, playing it through a small Peavey guitar amplifier and using some fun distortion and effects with it, although it also sounds very nice when played "clean". I know it will be fun for adding texture to recordings! It may also have some occasional uses with the band I am in.

Anyway, I will have lots of fun with this music stuff. I promise I will figure out a way to get some of the music onto my weblog for you!

I hope you had a happy winter solstice and enjoyed the various holidays that we associate with this time of year! In other words, Holly Happidays!!!

*CUTE LITTLE CRITTERS

(There used to be photo of a Dark-Eyed Junco here.)

We have these little guys all over around our house. My daughter Kelly put out a bunch of bird seed on our front porch, and we have been enjoying watching these birds up close. Very jaunty-looking, very energetic! We also get some occasional American Goldfinches and Rosy Finches, along with the usual pesky pigeons, squirrels and starlings!

We had 3"-4" of snow, but that has just about all melted off as of this afternoon; when this happens, the Juncos tend to head back into the nearby hills. I usually don't like the snow very much, but I always have to remind myself that when snow comes, so do the snowbirds!

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS CAROLS

1) Schizophrenia---- Do You Hear What I Hear, the Voices, the Voices?

2) Amnesia-- I Don't Remember If I'll be Home for Christmas

3) Narcissistic-- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

4) Manic-- Deck The Halls And Walls And House And Lawn And Streets And Stores And Office And Town And Cars And Buses And Trucks And Trees And Fire Hydrants And...........

5) Multiple Personality Disorder----We Three Kings Disoriented Are

6) Paranoid---Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Us

7) Borderline Personality Disorder--- You Better Watch Out, You Better not Shout, I'm Gonna Cry, and I'll not Tell You Why

8) Full Personalit y Disorder--- Thoughts of Roasting You On an Open Fire

9) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder---Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, JingleBells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...

10) Agoraphobia---I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day But Wouldn't Leave My House

11) Senile Dementia---Walking In a Winter Wonderland Miles from My House in My Slippers and Robe

12) Oppositional Defiant Disorder---I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus So I Burned Down the House

13) Social Anxiety Disorder---Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas While I Sit Here and Hyperventilate

14) Attention Deficit Disorder--We Wish You......Hey Look!! It's Snowing!!!

THE GREATEST ALBUMS???

This is a list of albums TIME magazine believe are the "greatest albums of all time". Lots of room for debate in this list... Ones I have are in blue.

2000s

The Essential Hank Williams Collection: Turn Back the Years, Hank Williams, Mercury, 2005
The College Dropout, Kanye West , Roc-a-Fella, 2004
Portrait of a Legend 1951 - 1964, Sam Cooke, ABKCO Music & Records, 2003
Elvis: 30 No. 1 Hits, Elvis Presley, BMG/Elvis, 2002
The Anthology, 1947 - 1972, Muddy Waters , Chess, 2001
Kid A, Radiohead, Capitol, 2000
Stankonia, Outkast , LaFace, 2000
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, PJ Harvey, UMG Recordings, 2000
The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem, Interscope, 2000

1990s

Sunrise, Elvis Presley, BMG / Elvis, 1999
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams , Universal, 1998
OK Computer, Radiohead, Capitol, 1997
Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan, Sony, 1997
Endtroducing..., DJ Shadow , Mo' Wax, 1996
(What's the Story) Morning Glory, Oasis , Sony, 1995
Live Through This, Hole , Geffen, 1994
My Life, Mary J. Blige , MCA, 1994
Ready to Die, The Notorious B.I.G. , Bad Boy, 1994
Slanted and Enchanted, Pavement , Matador, 1992
The Chronic, Dr. Dre , Death Row/Interscope, 1992
Achtung Baby, U2 , Island, 1991
Nevermind, Nirvana , DGC Records, 1991
Out of Time , R.E.M., Warner Brothers, 1991
Phil Spector, Back to Mono (1958 - 1969), Various Artists , Abkco, 1991
Ropin' The Wind, Garth Brooks, Capitol, 1991
Star Time, James Brown , Polydor, 1991
The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest , Jive, 1991

1980s

Like a Prayer, Madonna , Sire/London/Rhino, 1989
Paul's Boutique, Beastie Boys , Capitol, 1989
The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses , Jive, 1989
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy , Def Jam/Columbia, 1988
Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A , Priority, 1988
Document, R.E.M. , I.R.S. Records, 1987

Paid in Full, Eric B. and Rakim , Island, 1987
Sign O' The Times, Prince , Paisley Park, 1987
The Joshua Tree, U2 , Island, 1987
Graceland, Paul Simon , Warner Brothers, 1986
Master of Puppets, Metallica , Elektra/Wea, 1986
Raising Hell, Run-DMC , Arista Records/Profile, 1986
Legend, Bob Marley and the Wailers , Island/Tuff Gong, 1984
Purple Rain, Prince , Warner Brothers, 1984
Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads , Warner Brothers/Wea, 1984
The Great Twenty-Eight, Chuck Berry , MCA, 1982
Thriller, Michael Jackson , Sony, 1982
Back in Black, AC/DC , Atlantic, 1980

1970s

London Calling, The Clash , Sony, 1979
One Nation Under a Groove, Parliament /Funkadelic , Warner Brothers, 1978
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols , Warner Brothers/Wea, 1977
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac , Warner Brothers, 1977
Hotel California, The Eagles, Elektra/Wea, 1976
Ramones, The Ramones, Sire, 1976
Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder , Motown, 1976
Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen , Sony, 1975
Horses, Patti Smith , Arista, 1975
Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson , Sony, 1975
Call Me, Al Green, The Right Stuff, 1973
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John , MCA, 1973
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust , David Bowie, RCA, 1972
Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones , Virgin, 1972
Talking Book, Stevie Wonder, UMG Recordings, 1972
The Harder They Come, Jimmy Cliff and Various Artists, Island, 1972
Blue, Joni Mitchell , Warner Brothers/Wea, 1971
Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton , RCA, 1971
Hunky Dory, David Bowie, RCA, 1971
Led Zeppelin IV (a.k.a. Zoso), Led Zeppelin, Wea International, 1971
Paranoid, Black Sabbath, Warner Brothers, 1971
Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones, Virgin, 1971
Tapestry, Carole King , Ode/A&M, 1971
What's Going On, Marvin Gaye , Motown, 1971
Who's Next, The Who, Mobile Fidelity, 1971
After the Gold Rush, Neil Young , Reprise, 1970
Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel , Columbia, 1970
John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band, Apple/EMI, 1970
Moondance, Van Morrison , Warner Brothers/Wea, 1970

1960s

Abbey Road,The Beatles,Capitol, 1969
Bitches Brew,Miles Davis,Sony, 1969
Stand!,Sly & the Family Stone,Epic, 1969
The Band,The Band ,Capitol, 1969
Astral Weeks,Van Morrison,Warner Brothers/Wea, 1968
At Folsom Prison,Johnny Cash ,Sony, 1968
Lady Soul,Aretha Franklin ,Atlantic, 1968
The Beatles ("The White Album"),The Beatles ,Capitol, 1968
Are You Experienced,The Jimi Hendrix Experience ,Experience Hendrix, 1967
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You,Aretha Franklin ,Atlantic, 1967
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,The Beatles ,Capitol, 1967
The Velvet Underground and Nico,The Velvet Underground ,Polydor/Pgd, 1967
Blonde on Blonde,Bob Dylan ,Columbia, 1966
Pet Sounds,The Beach Boys ,DCC, 1966
Revolver,The Beatles ,Capitol, 1966
Highway 61 Revisited,Bob Dylan ,Columbia, 1965
Otis Blue,Otis Redding ,Atlantic, 1965
Rubber Soul,The Beatles ,Capitol, 1965
A Love Supreme,John Coltrane ,Impulse, 1964
Live at the Apollo (1963),James Brown ,Polydor, 1963
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,Ray Charles ,ABC/Paramount, 1962
King of the Delta Blues Singers,Robert Johnson,Columbia, 1961

1950s

Kind of Blue,Miles Davis ,Sony, 1959
Here's Little Richard,Little Richard ,Specialty, 1957
Songs for Swingin' Lovers,Frank Sinatra ,Capitol, 1955
In the Wee Small Hours,Frank Sinatra,Capitol, 1954

SNAVE'S NOTE: Looks like I'm a 60's and 70's kind of guy, all right, at least according to TIME. In this decade so far, I have only one of nine titles, or 11%. For the 90's, I own 8 of 18 titles, or 44%. The 80's make me a 22% guy, with only 4 of 18 titles. I have 18 of the 29 titles mentioned for the 70's, and 12 of the 22 listed for the 60's, for 62% and 55% respectively. However, I think my "best albums" list would look lots different than the one TIME has generated...

CHECK OUT THIS LINK

http://www.under-tec.com/index.php

I don't mind giving these people some free advertising. This is a product whose time has come!

?????

I posted this picture a couple of months ago of a sticker on a desk I inherited from a retired teacher at the middle school where I work. While I might disagree mightily with this retired teacher's politics, I think he was an excellent teacher. He not only left the desk, he also left a coffee mug. It doesn't have any conservative slogans on it, but I have to wonder... I am drinking from that cup of his as I write this. I am already an American heterosexual, but am I now doomed to become a Christian pro-life right-wing conservative? Drink! Drink from the cup of.... ?

773 days to go.

HOW I SPENT MY SATURDAY

Well, six hours of it anyway... and I was interacting with the dummies in a HEALTHY way, getting my CPR/First Aid card re-certified. Loads of fun. Our instructor is a really nice guy who was a National Guard medic in Iraq for a year. He said about the only good thing that has come out of the war is that designers of prosthetic devices have had lots of people to try new technology on; new high-tech artificial legs, arms, etc... sigh... Anyway, he looked like David Letterman with a crewcut... the gap between the front teeth and everything. Maybe it was Dave... Nah.

MACKIE