In a Seattle airport bookstore I caught a glimpse of a car magazine with a Dodge Challenger on the cover.  At first I thought it was an original 70’s car, but no, it was a new retro concept car.

I must say it’d be very cool to have one of these.   Of course I’m a previous Challenger owner.  The interior seems very similar too.  Stats from cars.com’s Challenger review:

The concept uses the 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 that graces all the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep SRT-series vehicles with 425 horsepower and 420 pounds-feet of torque. It drives the rear wheels through a six-speed-manual transmission controlled by a pistol-grip shifter. Dodge cites a zero-to-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds, a standing quarter-mile of 13 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph.

For more pictures, see MotorTrend’s Dodge Challenger Concept Wallpaper Gallery.

Anyone else interested or annoyed by the retro car trends of late?  I currently have other needs in a car to get one, but I still like to look!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/01/13/windows.sounds.ap/
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2148180/robert-fripp-helps-microsoft

I saw this as I was blasting 1974-era King Crimson from my Linux machine. Sigh.

Although I didn’t post to one of the previous threads on artists allowing their songs to be used in commercials, I agreed with Ttop that an artist can do what the heck he/she wants with their songs or talent.

However, I can’t help but be a little disappointed in this case. Particularly given RF’s statements on the record industry and corporate culture in general, and particularly given Microsoft’s…., well, just given Microsoft.

The moment that I have been waiting for since last June is finally here. Sunday night the much anticipated return of 24 on Fox.
I don’t know bout anyone else but I am hooked on this show, I first did not give it much credit I thought Kiefer Sutherland Ho Hum no big deal.
A friend was sleeping on my couch and we tuned in last season and have been hooked ever since. I know it’s highly unbelievable but still it’s still one of the best that Hollywood has to offer. http://www.fox.com/24/

I spent the last

three nights watching “Country Boys” on PBS. Wondering if anyone else saw it and what they thought.

This is sort of a finish up to Randalf the Grey’s post on BEST LIVE PERFORMANCES ………. Check out these ticket stubs:

The ELP one is mentioned by Jek and Huskysooner in comments #6 and #7…….
The Stones one is mentioned by Sunn in comment #5…….
The other one is from 1973, and let me tell you that “Zadda” guy sure looked and sounded like our “Frank Zappa”……. I guess the printers and The Civic Center personnel didn’t have a clue who he was…… Zappa and ELP didn’t have opening acts, but The Stones did…… Anyone out there (besides me) remember who it was?…… And, for bonus points, what was the last song played?……

…..And across the plains, of Oklahoma, that is…… I don’t know for sure if I’m responsible for the recent firestorms that are raging across Oklahoma or not, but I made a post on the 13th of October – Weather or Not? about all the weird weather that was happening around the world and the possible causes….. Well, since that post, the state of Oklahoma has received but a few drops of moisture and now we’re facing the worst outbreak of wildfires ever with no relief in the foreseeable future…… As a matter-of-fact, tomorrow (07JAN06) is rated as a “Level 5” fire ban day….. The top of the scale…… I don’t know if “the Big Guy in the Sky and/or Mother Nature” didn’t care for my comments or if it’s just a “Coincidence of Consequence“…… Whatta ya think?…..
Anyone else have any abnormal weather stories to relate or debate?…… Oh, yeah, this year’s Blog user dues should be paid in “gallons of water” delivered, preferably by air mail, to any location inside the state line…… (Just in case someone misreads this and starts calling me names and complains – There are no Blog user dues – just a little “HOT” humor)……. If you visit Oklahoma anytime soon, bring your own hot dogs, marshmallows, and fire-fighting equipment…….

Here’s the question: Why aren’t all the smart people rich?

The Answer: The basic problem with the free enterprise system is that it often rewards the wrong people with the money……

As economist Walter Bagehot pointed out,“At particular times a great deal of stupid people have a great deal of stupid money.”

I’m really poor…. Somebody pass me that panhandle, please…….

“Hello, Hello, Hello, is there anybody out there?” Did we all make it to 2006? I did – I think?…… A toast to all and to a better year……

HAPPY NEW YEAR!…….. to all and to all a good night – time for some R&R…….

This one you need to think about for a moment……

The Optimist thinks that this is the best of all possible worlds…….. The pessimist knows it……..
– J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientist

So-o-o, you either go into 2006 thinking everything couldn’t be better, or everything’s going to Hell in a handbasket……. I’m short a handbasket……

Well everyone, heres saying good bye to another year.
How bout all the high points of 2005……………..Hmmmmm………….Hold on I’m thinki’n!
Happy 2006 everyone!!!

Not long until New Year’s……. Anyone out there made any New Year’s resolutions yet?……. With the trouble I’m having with certain posting protocols, I’m going to make a resolution to learn more about HTML……. Another one is doing more music……. Over the years, I have managed to write tons of lyrics and about the same amount of music riffs and progressions and I hereby make a resolution to see if I can combine some of them into some form of passable completed songs…… And for the last one that I can think of now is to start in at least November of 2006 on “A Season’s Song” in order to have a polished finished project by Christmas 2006 (with a little help from my friends)……

So-o-o, anyone else want to put their resolutions in writing in front of the world?…… Well, our small world, anyway……. Love to hear ’em…….

I had an interesting Christmas day……. I had a visit from my brother, talked to my son a couple of times in Seattle……. Both nice things in themselves, but, I mostly spent the day in Too-Loose studios with a guitar, a mike, a Tascam US-122 interface and my laptop with Cubase SL recording/mixing program and I managed to eek out a rough demo of “A Season’s Song”…… Yes, just as promised, it’s done, done, and done!…… I’m including two versions – one high quality for those with high-speed connection or if you want to spend the time on dial-up for the quality, and one low quality (less than half the file size) for those on dial-up or if you think it might not be worth checking out…… I take no responsibility concerning your taste…… I’m not that great of a singer……. I wish Randalf would have still been in town and I would have tried to sucker him into doing the vocals for me……. So-o-o, if you want it, here it is, come and get it……..

A Season’s Song: HIGH (3.84MB 128kbps) or LOW (1.68MB 56kbps)

Let me know what you think……. Good, Bad, or Ugly…….

Yeah, I got up early….. Why?…… ’cause it’s CHRISTMAS! and it only comes once a year (that’s only 24 hours and I’ve already slept through a quarter of them)……. People to see and a recording to do (don’t ask, but if you read the post just before this you’ll know)…….. Busy but enjoyable……. I hope you have the same or better and to all a “HAPPY MICHAELMAS” because “Christmas time is here again” (two quotes from The Beatles off their fan club records……. Enjoy the day with you and yours…….

Note: This version now contains some lyrics supplied by Jek….. They are printed in bold and italics…… Thanks Jek…..

If you have been following this post you know that I’ve been writing a Christmas song over the last couple of years…… The problem is Christmas comes too fast when you start only a week before, so I just leave it on Notepad and dig it out again about this time every year…… When I first made this post a few days ago I’d written one (Yes, One) verse and the chorus, and basically revised them each year, which takes about a week and then stuff it back on Notepad again……. So, I asked for any suggestions, criticism, new verses, anything to try and finish it this year with help from fellow posters (that’s you)…… Apparently, everyone is too busy with Christmas so I finished it myself, although, it is still not set in stone…… So without further ado, may I present to you, the Christmas song of the year, ready for your ears (with no offense to Billy Shears)……..

Note – Finished – This is version 2.4 of 25DEC05

Guitarists tune down 1/2 step to Eb to match the recording or you can play it in regular tuning if you want…… It’s all in the vocals anyway……. Keyboardists will have to transpose down 1/2 step to match the recording…..

A Season’s Song

—-Instrumental intro in Em—-
Em                     D
It’s been a good year, A long road to here……
A            C                 Em
Enjoy today, Don’t let it slip away……
Em                 D
Run, Rudolph, Run, Have some holiday fun……
A                 C         Em
A White Christmas, For everyone…..
Em   G    D   Em   G    D   Em
With Love for all, Love for all……

CHORUS:
D                  A
This Season’s Song is the best I know……
C                          G               Em
Sing it, Shout it, Belong, your future will grow….
D                     A
Be thankful for life, The good times – The strife…..
C                     G                 Em
Hold loved ones dear, a new beginning is here,
Em   G    D   Em   G    D   Em
With Love for you, Love for you…….
—–Instrumental Break in Em—–
G    D   Em   G    D   Em
Love for all, Love for all…..
Em                        D
Under the Christmas tree, Presents wrapped and free…..
A                   C             Em
Toast the New Year, The future is here…….
Em                     D
Santa’s come and gone, The Holiday’s done…..
A                  C              Em
Back to work, ’til next Christmas comes……..
Em   G    D   Em   G    D   Em
With Love for all, Love for all…..

—–Repeat 1st half of Chorus—-

Em   G    D   Em   G    D   Em   G    D   Em
With Love for all, Love for all, Love for all……
—-Instrumental outre in Em——

copyright 2005 – MRambler and Too-Loose Productions

That’s it.. Enjoy……..

As an opposite to Randalf’s BEST LIVE PERFORMANCES, I thought it might be interesting to fess-up to some of those performances you could have went to but didn’t for some reason or other and now after all these days/years regret your decision…… There are two concerts I didn’t go to that quickly come to mind…. The first was The Beatles in Dallas in 1965…. I was a big Dave Clark Five fan (Yeah, yeah, I don’t wanna hear it) at that time and saw them at the Civic Center in OKC instead…. I did get to see Paulie in Dallas in 1990, it was great and he did a lot of Beatle stuff, but alas, it wasn’t The Beatles (I might know of a tape of that concert… sh-h-h-h…) The other biggie I missed was Jimi Hendrix…. He played at OU on May 8, 1970….. Just a few months before his death…. I really regret not catching that one….. I didn’t hear about it until it had already come and gone….. Damn, where’s that time machine?…… Jimi, meet you in the next world and I won’t be late…….