Pedalers and pushers..

The only people movin's gonna be the sailors, just castin' their fate to the wind..















I ran across a recording of this unreleased Buffett tune on an old mix cd of mine.. I think he performed it a few times back in the early seventies. It almost applies now!


They're running out of gas for your automobile
The only way to get it gotta learn how to steal
Or push your car home til' your back starts breaking
I'm sorry now, kiddies, that's too much to take and

Chorus:
I wanna be a pedaler, not a pusher
I can't wait til' they find a new gusher
Skinny tires and wires get me where I wanna go...

There won't be gas for campers or trailers
No, none for big yachts, or even Boston Whalers
The only people movin' gonna be the sailors
Just castin' their fate to the wind

Repeat chorus

And I hope this record won't be my final,
But the company is just about to run out of vinyl
Maybe they'll go back to plastic on paper,
Or even punchin' holes in vanilla wafers..

Hell, now people you have heard my warning,
Better get up kinda early this morning
And get yourself down to the bicycle dealer
Pick out a one, maybe two or three wheeler.

I wanna be a pedaler, not a pusher
Don't wait around, there ain't gonna be a gusher
Skinny tires and wires get me where I wanna go...


I wanna get a greasel...

Ebony and ivory..

Sorta. Living in perfect harmony. All up in my front do'.



What I'm referring to is yet another invasion of widow spiders, both black widows and brown widows. The black widows are black, of course. The grown brown widows had these light tan backs with dark scribbles on them, like some sort of ancient scrimshaw. Anyway, I killed them. All of them, I hope. I only noticed a single spider at first, high up in the corner above my

door, but after going through this last year I knew that there were most likely more hiding out. Once I dosed my doorway with spider poison, they came scurrying out of the cracks and crevices of the wood trim. Five BIG fat adults, and six or eight immature ones.

Normally, I don't mind spiders so much. Even creepy ones like garden spiders(or banana, or "writing" spiders as we called them as kids).. I prefer to let them be. I even think the little fuzzy jumping spiders I see on occasion in my kitchen are cute. But widows.. something about their hunched, spindly appearance.. the way they hide so well in plain view.. the speed with which they do move when disturbed.. it just freaks me out. Sort of like a bunch of evil little befanas (yeah, I know she was a good witch, but she still scared the bejesus out of me when I was five) lurking around my cottage door. So, now I have to spray the rest of the house.

Feeling seriously nostalgic for the keys today. I've been sifting through some pictures I took when I lived there, and I surely do miss it. I need to plan a road trip. I need some Tiki time. Some Marley music and a deliciously touristy frozen pain-in-the-ass. With a 151 float. Hells, yeah.

Long time no sea..

And I mean it. I need to get my feet into some salt water, and I mean soon! It's shameful that I live so close to the ocean but never spend time in it. Also, it's been a while since I posted, obviously. Sorry for the cheesy play on words, but folks come to expect it of me.

The past nine months have zipped by ridiculously fast. I helped a friend out by letting him stay with me for a few weeks.. that turned into 6 months. Much awkwardness and no hilarity ensued. My mother was diagnosed with Celiac's disease, and my grandmother with COPD, nonsmall cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung, and stiffening heart valves. They're both doing ok for the most part, all things considered. Dad and my uncle are in relatively good health.

Lil' Mama's Red Pepper Squirrel has closed their doors since my last post.. the owners have a bit too much going on and have decided to sell it. I've been having some issues with my girlfriend over the past several months, a good part of which is due to my own inherent instability. Or maybe it's fear of commitment. Or maybe I want too much and am not willing to give enough. Bottom line, I'm trying to be a better person. Hard. To. Pull. Off. Mainly because being a shit just comes easily. But I'm trying, and progressing, I think.

I talked to a really good friend of mine from way back this afternoon, and that was really refreshing. It's nice to have the sort of friendship that maintains like that.. seems that no matter what's happening in either of our lives, when we talk it's just like it was back in the day. And that sort of stability speaks volumes. He's got a local band together that gained a lot of popularity, and I couldn't be prouder of that. I'm proud that he's pursuing his talents, and I'm proud that he's found a way to express his beliefs in a way that can touch so many folks. Check out www.solidgroundministries.com sometime.. you won't be disappointed.

While I'm still thinking about music, I'll mention that I may have a little something developing around here. I've been in touch with a local guitarist about possibly putting together a small group, and I couldn't be happier. I've loved playing music for over twenty years now, and I've been really jonesing to find someone with similar tastes to practice with. Hopefully we'll be able to hammer out some tunes.

In other news, I'm stopping painting pretty much altogether. I'm sad about not working for myself in that aspect (did I ever mention on this blog that I did interior/exterior contract painting?), but it's probably for the best. I never really made much money at it, and I blew out my knee today for the last time while stepping off a ladder. No more climbing for me! Really, I haven't been taking many contracts lately, so it won't be a huge change for me I suppose.

Move on.