January 2014 - Page 5 of 7 - Ramblin' with Roger

Unexpected “vacation” day

The Daughter doesn’t go to school, the Wife DOES go to work because her districts weren’t even delayed, *I* DON’T go to work.

Going to bed the night before a major weather pattern, I figure on one of these three scenarios, given that The Wife is a teacher at BOCES, an educational consortium, working several suburban or rural districts, and The Daughter is a student in the Albany school district.

1. The Daughter goes to school, whether The Wife goes to work or not doesn’t matter, I go to work.

2. The Daughter’s school is delayed, the Wife’s schools are delayed, I go to work.

3. The Daughter doesn’t go to school, the Wife doesn’t work, I go to work.
What I DON’T figure on:

4. The Daughter doesn’t go to school, the Wife DOES go to work because her districts weren’t even delayed, I DON’T go to work.

Now, I HAVE said to The Wife that, as a matter of practicality, if the fourth setting ever came to pass, I’d stay home. But I didn’t think it would REALLY happen.

Although I should have gotten an inkling a few days ago, before a wind advisory, when I was on a bus with some young man from one of our charter schools, who seemed to believe there would be no school for him today.

This leads me to believe that the Albany school superintendent is in touch with the heads of the charter schools regarding the weather, but perhaps NOT with the other district fellow wizards. There have been another time or two when Albany closed and other schools didn’t, around the time one of the hurricanes last year was not a real weather event in the city.

It’s a peculiar way to burn a vacation day. Then again, I didn’t REALLY want to be out there waiting for two buses each way, when it was below zero Fahrenheit, did I?

The Android and me

I know I’m not maximizing the device’s utility, possibly because, since it actually doesn’t belong to me, I don’t want to become dependent on it.

“Do you want the use of an Android device?” our techie supervisor asked me a few months ago Sure, yeah, I guess so. There it was – an ASUS Android 7. First thing: plug it in, which I do. I can’t get it started, but that is a function of not squeezing these two prongs long enough. So it’s working. What should I DO with it?

I know; I’ll download – what do you call them? – applications? They say apps, I understand. But there are about a billion of them, many of them free; which ones should I get? I go to Google Play, which is already on the device, and type in various obvious ones: CNN, the local weather, the local mass transit, FEMA (hey, ya never know), a dictionary, and Free Cell card game. What’s cool is that I can search for apps on my computer and they magically would appear on the device; no plugs necessary.

Hey, it’s locked! How do I unlock it? I keep pressing the lock, when I should have been making a sweeping motion to the left and down, or right and down.

Here’s what it’s useful for: checking my e-mail while working with my daughter on her homework. It doesn’t require 100% attention. I watched a little bit of football, and checking e-mail with that is a good thing. But not so much watching a dramatic series, or JEOPARDY! or any program which I have to view actively.

I discovered where the Internet hot spots are in the area: certain businesses, the 905 bus from Albany to Schenectady. AlbanyNet works some places downtown.

I know I’m not maximizing the device’s utility, possibly because, since it actually doesn’t belong to me, I don’t want to become dependent on it. But I AM glad for the chance to figure out, if only a little, why people’s faces are always buried in some device.

It won’t be me always on the machine, because writing on it is too much work; I obviously just don’t have the thumbs for it, and I type with one finger, which is exhausting. I commented on a dozen blogs, and my neck hurt.

But there is one thing I do like, and that’s the ability to speak to the device and search for websites. Usually it’s one I’ve already been to, but still useful. And making pages bigger – now THAT’S quite user-friendly. I went to the Zillow app and found all the houses in my neighborhood for sale; not that I was in the market, but it was nice to check out, and expanding the page made the listings MUCH easier to see.

One last thing: it’s so big I’m not likely to use it.

Jimmy Page is 70

I just ODed on Stairway to Heaven, I’m afraid. Still leaving it off the list would be an injustice.

ledzeppelin.kch — Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page

Noticed that, of the 18 folks inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more than once, the list includes Crosby, Stills, Nash AND Young; three Beatles; and three guitarists for the Yardbirds: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page.

Since I never bought a Yardbirds album until after the group broke up, I wasn’t really familiar with Page until the group that evolved from the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, came out with its first album in 1969.

Here’s an interesting, and applicable, quote of Jimmy Page about what “he wanted Led Zeppelin to be, from the very beginning:
“‘I had a lot of ideas from my days with The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds allowed me to improvise a lot in live performance and I started building a textbook of ideas that I eventually used in Zeppelin. In addition to those ideas, I wanted to add acoustic textures. Ultimately, I wanted Zeppelin to be a marriage of blues, hard rock, and acoustic music topped with heavy choruses – a combination that had never been done before. Lots of light and shade in the music.”

And so it was.

I’ve already discussed my affection for, and irritation with, Zeppelin, especially Page and vocalist Robert Plant, so I guessed I’d list my 20 favorite songs by the group, not the best ones necessarily. Except…

Strange that my affection for songs by Led Zeppelin usually depends on what I’ve listened to most recently. Except for the #20 song, the ranking here is fairly arbitrary.

Links are to all songs, which WERE working at the time of compilation. Citations are to the albums I, II, III, IV, Physical Graffiti (PG), and Houses of the Holy (HotH)

20. Stairway to Heaven (IV) – yeah, I know that it has that building energy, a great Page guitar intro, it’s technically impressive. But I just ODed on it, I’m afraid. Still leaving it off the list would be an injustice. You would think it was released as a single, but oddly, only as a promo.

19. Houses of the Holy (PG). Strangely left off the Houses of the Holy album, it shows up on the next album. I find the beat seems to change on me. Something about the groove is infectious.

18. Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You (I) – starts off as a sweet song, actually, that reportedly is a paean to Joan Baez, who had recorded a version. Then moves to the more plaintive, driving sections. Back and forth – think I like the schizoid nature of the performance.

17. Celebration Day (III) – bluesy in an off-balanced manner.

16. Trampled Under Foot (PG) – lives on the funky bottom. This was released as a single and actually got to #38 in 1975.

15. Immigrant Song (III) – a slab of unrelenting metal that starts a generally more quiet and reflective album. Notably, it has no guitar solo, which allowed it to be released as a single and get up to #16 in early 1971.

14. Gallows Pole (III) – I knew this song first as performed by Leadbelly. Love the guitar, and the musical interlude.

13. Rock and Roll (IV) – actually a loud blues number, and often used as the band’s concert opener. Only got to #47 as a single in 1972.

12. The Ocean (HotH)- a great outlet for the bass/drum combo of John Paul Jones and John Bonham.

11. Black Dog (IV) – “Hey hey, mama, said the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.” Went to #15 in early 1972.

10. In My Time of Dying (PG) – rather like putting church through the heavy metal grinder. At 11 minutes, their longest song

9. Whole Lotta Love (II) – a great hook, great vocals. Nicked a Willie Dixon song, which wasn’t uncommon for them. Tom Skulan of FantaCo used to describe the pronunciation of his last name from the second line of this song, “I’m gonna send ya back to schoolin'”. Their biggest single, it went to #4 in the beginning of 1970.

8. Communications Breakdown (I) – there is a guy named Lefty Brown who used to organize a mixed CD exchange. I started one of the discs with this song – this feels so urgent – followed by Barabajagal by Donovan, featuring Jeff Beck. I think they go well together.

7. The Battle of Evermore (IV) – a softer side of the group, with a mandolin (I think), which would have fit on the third album.

6. How Many More Times (I) – it’s a fascinating pastiche of rocking blues, which segues into some psychedelic thing. I remember my copy of the original LP listed the running time as 3:30, reportedly so that radio DJs would play it before realizing it was five minutes longer.

5. Kashmir (PG) – it has this exotic sound, peculiar meter, awash with strings and horns. I’ve seen this song on lists of the best LZ song, and it may well be.

4. What Is, and What Should Never Be (II) – like many of my favorite LZ songs, it changes moods, from contemplative to rocking.

3. Good Times, Bad Times (I) – the first song from the first album hooked me instantly. As a single in 1969, before the album was released, it got only to #80 on the charts.

2. Friends (III) – this is the second song on the album after Immigrant Song suggested that the group was going to have another album rather like the first two. Instead, they went into a more melodic direction which led to the album being their worst seller. But I always liked it a lot.

1. Four Sticks (IV) – the song drives about in hypnotic fashion, changing time signatures frequently, from 5/4 to 6/8 to who knows what. The lyrics are banal, but it’s the beat that hooked me.

Lisa thinks I’m a Liebster?

Honesty, integrity, and sleep.

So Lisa decided that I “deserve an award for being darling; beloved, liked very much, favorite, preferred above others, liked or loved above others.” And who am I to argue with her?

The rules are simple … post 11 random things about myself, and answer 11 questions the sender asks, then ~~torture~~tag 11 bloggers and give them a set of 11 questions to answer. The goal is to ~~drive each other crazy~~ help others discover new bloggy friends. And we all need more friends, right?

11 new random facts that haven’t already been covered (as far as I know):

1. I know lots of odd facts. But The Wife will almost always ask something about it and I’ll have no idea. For instance, I read about a couple married 81 years, and my wife will ask, “Where are they from?” I have not a clue. But I remembered he was over 100 and she under. (He’s 102, she’s 98, and they are from Connecticut.)

2. I don’t complain about the cold. But I don’t put myself in situations of being out in the cold – skiing, sledding – beyond the necessary stuff, such as shoveling snow, clearing the car off.

3. The Wife, the Daughter, and I like living near the bus route, even though we do have a car. When we got snowed in one Sunday, we got to church anyway.

4. I hate doing webinars. Talking in front of people is OK, but talking to headphones with no sense of how people are reacting is not my thing. Probably why I won’t do a podcast, besides my inability to learn the technology.

5. I try to seek out people at parties and similar events who seem not to have people to talk with.

6. I prefer having a watch to looking up the time on some electronic device I have to pull out of my pocket. Faster, more elegant, IMHO.

7. Having been on food stamps in the late 1970s for a few months – back in the days they had the actual paper coupons, not a plastic card – cuts to food stamps, leaving the food pantries even more to do, rather ticks me off.

8. I tore the meniscus in my left knee 20 years ago. STILL hurts.

9. My work computer was replaced in October, and it was disastrously installed by some techie, and I had buggies that made work hellish for a few months until our internal techie fixed it.

10. When I get back to a database I haven’t used in a while, I can never remember the password.

11. In fact, there are databases I’ll join and forget I’ve done so until I try to register for it again.

11 questions to answer from Lisa

1. What’s been your biggest surprise about blogging?

People I know personally don’t read my blog. People from halfway around the world DO read my blog.

2. What is your favorite book and why?

Top Pop Singles from Billboard. I read the titles and I can recreate the tunes in my head.

3. What do you do to relax and recharge your internal batteries?

On the last Monday of the month, I take off from work. I pay my bills, catch up on the newspaper and/or TV, write a blog post or three, then go to the monthly meeting of the Friends of the Albany Public Library. If I’m caught up, see a movie. Actually, when that is disrupted, as it has been too often recently, I feel like I’m constantly behind.

4. What do you miss about being your childhood?

I miss very little about my childhood. The geographic closeness of a couple of friends, and my sisters, but I wouldn’t want to go back.

5. What is your most favorite smell in the world and why?

Baking bread, and that does not need a reason.

6. Have you ever done a random act of kindness? If so, what was it?

Ever? I hope that I do so regularly, whether it be a surprise back massage, or help push someone’s car that’s stalled out of the middle of the street, or buy some hungry guy a slice of pizza. But I’m not really keeping track; I hope that it has become second nature.

7. If you could design a tee-shirt/coffee mug/bumper sticker saying, what would it say?

Happiness runs in a circular motion.

8. What did you learn about yourself last week?

That, at least on Facebook, I can avoid being baited by some schmuck.

9. Are you a planner or more spontaneous in your approach to your day?

Well, ya know it depends. I like to plan to get to the movies, take public transportation on time, or early. But I don’t plan out much else, except as it applies to other people i.e., the schedules of The Wife and The Daughter.

10. What is the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome in life?

Don’t know that I’ve overcome it as much as learned to fake it, but acute shyness

11. What are the three most important things in your life?

Honesty, integrity, and sleep.

I’m supposed to come up with questions for other people and tag those others. Ain’t doing the latter – but do it if you would like – and I have no inspiration of questions. So hey, YOU, answer the questions Lisa answered.

1. What is your dream vacation spot and why?
2. Where did you come up with the name of your blog?
3. How do you define blogging success?
4. What is your favorite type of “going out” entertainment?
5. How many states (name them) have you lived in?
6. What is your favorite holiday and why?
7. What’s your favorite number and why?
8. What would be your dream vehicle to own?
9. What is your favorite hobby?
10. How do you try and keep your blog fresh?
11. Where do you do your best thinking?

Houses and dogs and books…

In all likelihood, you will pour every dime into the purchase, so that inevitable first repair of something you did not expect, you probably can’t afford.

Let me answer the rest of the questions from New York Erratic:

What would you say is the most difficult part of buying your first house? Is there something that you wish people would have told you?

I didn’t own my first house until I was 46 when I moved into the house my bride had purchased seven years earlier.

“Everyone” said that you’re “supposed” to own a house. I was never that interested in doing so.

My parents didn’t own a home until I went away to college. So I had no models in this area. While having to move every few years could be a pain, it was less of an encumbrance than a house.

In 2000, we bought our current home AND we were landlords; I HATED that. It was enough to take care of the living abode, but going over to mow the lawn and shovel the snow off the roof – it had a flat roof – was a royal pain. We sold it in 2004, shortly after The Daughter was born.

So to the question:
1) You DON’T have to buy a house.
2) If you do, it would be helpful to be handy with tools, which I am decidedly not.
3) In all likelihood, you will pour every dime into the purchase, so that inevitable first repair of something you did not expect, you probably can’t afford.
4) This will almost inevitably lead to buyers’ remorse. “How did I not notice that the dryer has a capacity of four shirts?” (This is true in our case, BTW.)
5) If you DO buy a house, you may spend lots of money on stuff that nobody can see. I was visiting my cousin Anne at Thanksgiving, and she told of the thousands of dollars spent to avoid flooding in the basement, expenditures no visitor or future purchaser will ever see. Some of our similar improvements involved spending thousands of dollars having a hole dug in the front yard to dislodge a tree root from the plumbing, lest we have sewage in the basement.

A LOT of investment in a house is all but invisible, and that can be REALLY discouraging. If I had it to do over again, I doubt I’d buy a house at all.

The single advantage is that people seem to think you are a “grownup” when you own a home.

Have you ever owned a dog?

Yeah, I was around 10, maybe (give or take two years). We had an Alaskan husky called Lucky Stubbs; I have no idea who named him, but it wasn’t I.

Anyway, he would nip me. I would say BITE but it didn’t draw blood or anything, so nip. But then he nipped one of the daughters of our minister. THEN my father gave him to a farmer where he’d have more room to roam than our tiny city back yard.

PS: after that, I was rather wary of dogs for years.

What’s your favorite spice?

Scary Spice.

OK, I jest. Cinnamon.

Old used books or brand new never read books?

Usually new, unless they are vintage. Books are like cars in that when they’re about 20 years old, they’re just old, but at some point they become VINTAGE. I have a hymnal from 1849, and another book from that period called Verdant Green, and THOSE are, as the kids used, are COOL.