Bob Dylan

I first really became aware of Bob Dylan in the late 1960's. After all, I was more in tune to the British Invasion. But, my brother gave a Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits LP for Christmas, and I just loved it. It also came with a cool poster. Even a barber shop in Columbia used that poster's artwork for a mural on the side of their building. I know Bob gets the reputation of mumbling through his music, but the thing I like about him in concert is that he never does his songs the same. He either changes the lyrics or the melody. So often when you see somebody in concert, they will sing it just like the record, or in the case of some people, will just lipsynch to the record. Remember Milli Vanilli? But, Bob doesn't do that. So, sometimes it is hard to sing along with him at his shows, and he forces you to listen. I have seen Bob twice. The first was in 1988 at the Carolina Colisseum in Columbia. A reggae band called Steel Pulse opened for him, and I was first exposed to that kind of music and really liked it. Then, Bob came on, and it was magic. I saw him again about 15 years later at Township Auditorium in Columbia. I don't normally dance in concerts, but I did this time--nonstop. After the show, I saw his bus pull away. I ran to my car to follow it out of town. I was running lights and doing 70 in town to catch up to it. I did and was riding alongside it. He was heading to Knoxville, which was his next show. I got about 10 miles outside of town, when I realized I was running out of gas. Had I had a full tank, I would have gone all the way, but I had to pull off. I honked my horn, and Bob looked out of the window of the bus and waved at me. Another magic moment. He tours all the time. If you get a chance to see him, please go. He is a legend.

Smoking Stuff

I can't stand those asthma commercials on TV. People talk about how long they have had asthma. Some say 5 years, 14 years, or all their lives. Okay, I have asthma. I don't have bad symptoms like some, but usually this time of year I will cough and feel a tightness in my chest. When I was a kid, itwas pretty tough around the State Fair time. They used to use sawdust around the fair that would cause me severe problems. They have since paved the fair area, so it isn't as bad. But, if I go near hay in the animal barn, I can start coughing. I also have chronic bronchitis. Some attacks can be severe. I have been known to separate a rib or two. I know there are some things I can do to keep that from happening. I have also used an inhaler. So, I say all of this to talk about smoking. When I was in junior high school, I thought it was cool to smoke. Unfortunately, my parents didn't share my feelings. I was too young to buy cigarettes, so I stole cigarettes from people's cars, if I saw them on the dash while riding on my bike. I also found half-smoked cigarettes on the ground at our high school from other students who had gone to their cars in between classes to smoke but couldn't finish them. I had a problem. When I got home, I would wash my hands in mouthwash and eat a bunch of mints to try and mask it from my parents. I don't know if they ever knew, but I think they suspected it. When I got to college, I wasn't smoking. But, in my junior year at PC, I discovered two things--small cigars and grass. I did a play that required that I smoke on stage. My Mother said that she found it uncomfortable to see me smoke. I told her that I didn't inhale and actually blew into the cigarette to make it glow. That wasn't true, but maybe she believed it. I continued to smoke off and on. I had my last cigarette in 1984. I just quit cold turkey. Thanks to my asthma, bronchitis and ex-smoker's lungs, I have a little problem breathing today. I also used to run for exercise. I used to be in top shape. Now, not so much. When I am around smokers now, I feel the tightness. I cannot judge smokers for what they do. I just know that I can't do that anymore. Kind of like drinking, but that's another story.

Hearing Loss

What? My father was hard of hearing. It was very frustrating growing up, because his favorite word was "What?". I spent the majority of my life repeating what I said to him. When my Mother had her stroke, and her speech was slurred, I had to be the interpreter between her and my father, because he couldn't hear what she said. What? I am a product of rock and roll concerts. There are artists who have lost their hearing, because they stood next to their speakers. I have lost a bit of hearing in my right ear partially because of going to those concerts. The worst was The Who in 1989. They were in the Guinness Book of World Records for the loudest concert. I went to one of those. We sat in a football stadium in Raleigh NC. On one side of me was the stage. On the other side of me was a guy who yelled right in my ear for 2 hours straight. I literally could feel my brain move around in my head. The sound made me sick, and I had to leave before the show was over. I also have a slight deformity in my right ear, where the canal is a little smaller than my left ear. What? I don't think I am as deaf as my father was, but who knows what will happen, as I get older. Speaking of getting older, I also find that it is harder now to get up off the floor, if I happen to sit down on the floor. I've fallen, and I can't get up. What? At least, my mind is young, even if my body is not. What?

OJ Simpson

I woke up this morning to the news that OJ was found guilty of robbery in Las Vegas. 13 years ago, he was found not guilty of killing his wife. I have mixed emotions about this situation. But, there have been some parts of my life that have happened along with OJ's timeline. On my last night in the house I grew up in on Belmont Drive in Columbia was the time of the chase along the freeway between the police and OJ. That was 14 years ago. It was on my birthday of June 17th. I laid on the floor of our den watching a small TV. All of the furniture was gone. There was a lot of dust in the air in the house. I was glued to the TV. On the day that the verdict came down that OJ was found not guilty in Los Angeles, that was the last day of my work at Belk. We had closed the Columbiana Center store. There were a few of us still there who were packing up the store. This was the last day, and there was a big screen TV in the Men's Department where we watched the verdict. It was shocking. Do I believe he killed his wife and Ron? Probably, but there was a doubt. Fast forward to last year. OJ walked into a hotel room, where there were people who had some memorabilia of his, and he wanted it back. If he told friends to bring guns, there would have been a gangsta thing. A lot of the situation dealt with perception. OJ might have made a bad decision. Maybe there were guys there who wanted to make a statement. But, I don't think he was guilty of kidnapping. Now, there is the robbery aspect. Speaking as a dealer of memorabilia, I can tell you that I do not fear Paul McCartney flying over here to get back a backstage pass from his 1989 show that I have. After all, I own it now. I paid money for it. So, unless these dealers actually stole these items from OJ's house while he wasn't home, then maybe he would be guilty of robbery. His legal team will appeal. They will say the jury was tainted by previous events. They will probably try to play the race card. I hope they don't. But, I also hope OJ won't spend a lot of time in jail. If so, another prisoner might try to kill him. That would be a shame.

Hot Springs

I was reminded of this story yesterday. A friend from Arkansas called me, and he mentioned having visited Hot Springs, AR. I remembered that my parents took me there on the way to a trip to New Mexico. I was probably around 8. Hot Springs has pools of hot water that are supposed to be healing. Of course, we had to feel them. I don't think we got completely in, but I do remember putting my toes in the water. I think that is what sealed the deal of me liking hot baths. I love to sit in a hot bath. It is so relaxing. I can just sit there and think about the important things of the day. I haven't been in a hot tub, but I would really like to experience the joys of a hot tub. When I told a doctor about my delight in a tub bath, he said that he would feel not quite as clean in a bath than in a shower. I suppose that there are opinions on both sides of bath vs. shower. If you don't have much time, then a shower would be the way to go. But, if you have some time, and just want to soak, go for the tub. I know the tub probably uses more water, although I have heard about people taking extra long showers, so that may be a mute point. I must admit to you people, and this might gross you out, but when I was in college, during my hippie days, I didn't bathe very much. I did use deordorant and some soap and water, but it wasn't the same as an all-over bath or shower. It just wasn't a priority in those days. I guess my baths make up for that. And, during those days, I didn't wash my hair much. Maybe that's why I don't have much hair today. Confession is good for the soul. And, then to conclude, let's go back to the hot springs. Near the springs, there was a cool stream. I was playing on the rocks of the stream and fell in, wearing my clothes. I remember that my Mother was not happy with me falling into the stream, because I had to change clothes, and she had to dig them out of my suitcase in the trunk of the car. So, two lessons learned that day--hot baths are good but don't go into the water with all your clothes on.

Life's Challenges

When we came into this world, there was no guarantee that life would be wonderful. In fact, most of us cried as our first emotion. During our early years, we cried more. We cried for food. We cried at the doctor's office. We cried just to be crying. Then, we learned to talk. We learned how to whine, much to the disgust of our parents. Life made it hard for us to smile, but we tried to laugh. After all, laughing helped us cope with life's problems. If you put yourself in a happy place, things just seem to be a bit better. "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. " We all remember Mary Poppins. So, everyone has challenges. It may be where to go to college. How am I going to pass that test? Why won't anyone love me? Who are my friends? Or, it might be health issues. Or financial issues. I had, and continue to have, financial challenges. When Macy's stopped giving me raises, and costs kept going up, I could no longer afford to live. I overextended myself with credit cards, and couldn't pay them back. I have collectors call me every day. I don't answer the phone, unless you identify yourself as someone I know. It is a horrible way to live. I have thankfully had some friends help me get through the rough times. If it were not for them, I would have crashed my car into a bridge. Depression is an awful thing. I have lost people, who I thought were my friends. When I told them of my problems, they just turned their backs on me and won't speak to me anymore. Were they my friends to start with? I thought so, but we all moved on. I have learned to be more understanding of others. So, as bad as my life has been, I just put that stuff in a corner of my life and carry on. I use this medium to express my emotions. It is therapy. People who don't know me will read it and will think badly of me, or maybe admire me. Who knows? So, today there is another challenge. My dear friend Joni told me yesterday that her sister has been diagnosed with cancer. I don't know if they caught it early, but I pray that they have. Her sister is a very nice person with a family. I hope things will be okay, but it is a challenge. Joni's friendship means a lot to me. I wish I could be there today, so I send her a long distance hug. I hate to bring this up now, but I have told a couple of friends about my plans for my funeral. My father was a stickler for funeral plans. He was buried 9 years ago yesterday. His funeral was just what he wanted. In my funeral plans, I have asked my friends Thom and Mary Ann Stone to sing the song "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin. It could be described as my theme song. Look it up. When you read the lyrics, you will know my philosophy of life. There are challenges out there. Smile.

The Beach

In South Carolina, we are lucky because we have all kinds of places that we can go for vacation and not have to travel far. For those who like the mountains or skiing, we have that close by. For those who like amusement parks, we have Carowinds and maybe Hard Rock. And if you want to go a little farther, there is Six Flags, Maggie Valley, or Dollywood. Of course, there is the zoo in Columbia or Greenville. There are other things around from museums to a safari park to water parks. Then, there is the beach. If you don't live in SC, you will think of the beach as Myrtle Beach. That is the commercial center of the tourists. If you want a more sedate section of the beach, you will go to Charleston. I have cousins in Charleston. They have lived there all their lives and love it. I used to go to Charleston 3 times a year, when I worked at Belk. I went there to unwind and clear my head. The beach will do that to you. And you don't have to go to the sand to go to the beach. It is just a generic term to see the ocean. It can be very calming. After all, scientists say we came from the ocean. I don't believe that part, but it is very magnetic. People are drawn to the ocean. I don't care much for what salt air does to your car, but the main thing is to be seen. You have to make a statement. Although, the residents don't have to make a statement. Just the tourists. So, if I could afford the gas right now, this would be the perfect time to go to Charleston. It isn't too hot and not too cold. It is just right. And if you want to go to Myrtle Beach, take a lot of money. Oh, and if you take a slight turn to the north, you can go to South of the Border. Confusing? Not if you are from SC. But that's another story.