January13th, 2017

Sanibonani !! (“Good Morning to you all ” in Zulu to you!)

On Tuesday morning we learned that Steven passed. One horror has passed and a new one begins. There are funeral arrangements to make. His children have to be cared for and acclimated into a world now without their daddy. His family has to figure out how to go on without his participation. Everyone is worried about everyone else who is lost in the strange sea of sadness and guilty relief that his suffering is over. Keep a good thought for those making those changes in their lives and trying to find a way to say goodbye to a sweet boy who grew to be a nice man.

Today, would have been my mother’s 87th birthday. I miss her and think of her often. Jack Keller also celebrates something like his bicentennial today… Happy Birthday Jack!!!

In your day to day life, what makes you angry more than anything else? What act or statement or treatment can take you from your normal pleasant state of mind to rage in a nano second? I would have thought that I knew my own anger buttons but was surprised to when it happened twice this week and I realized what it was. I don’t think I am unique in my anger in anyway but I was still surprised. I like to think of myself as self-aware but if you aren’t aware of the “Now you have done it” button inside you like me, you might want to give it some thought. For me, whenever I loose my temper, I feel bad. It feels like a failure to be the Zen-like creature I imagine myself to be in my head. I feel bad for the things I do and say when angry. Notice that I am not qualifying. For me, it simply does not matter how “justified” my angry reaction might be or that it might be perfectly “normal” to feel anger under those circumstances. Being able to explain it later, is only valuable if there is something that I can do to to avoid it. I often get all spiritual when considering the perfect nature of life and how balanced the universe and all the creatures in it are. As far as I can tell, anger only occurs in the highest primates. No one has ever documented a furious ferret, or enraged rat. Hmmm.

This week I learned some stuff:
• Did you know that if your family (well 2 adults and 2 children) can share a single Amazon Prime account? I found that out this week and used Jessica’s account to ship some stuff and watch, “Justified” (Timothy Oliphant and a wonderful ensemble) using an app on my iPhone to play it on my Apple TV. Very cool.
• I learned that Cosco will scan your photos and put them into DVDs in logical searchable chapters on DVDs with music as well as allow you to share them via a cloud sharing function. Amazing! I am guessing its not free thought.

Website Update
• New Vocabulary Quiz!!
• I added a new recipe for Chicken Piccata to the Things to Eat page for those times when you don’t have any baby cows around.

Painting Update:
• No painting this week. The 25th is my last day working for SDWS. I hope to resume my painting (classes and work) after that.

Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
• I just competed the content editing done by Noah. And although it still editing still sucks like having your butt wire brushed by angry orangoutangs, I have to admit Noah does an amazing job of making it: 1) a learning experience and 2) an interactive dance of intellects. I gained a lot of insight into my writing as well as fixed a whole lot of broke stuff from the first edition. So now begins, something called Fine Line Editing which I anticipate will be similar to being skinned alive and dipped in really cheap tequila but I am keeping an open mind.

Music Update:
This week on UJT Radio we have a very nice selection of music for you:
• Hootie and the Blowfish – Goodbye — From the Vinyl!!! A deep cut from their, “Cracked Rearview Mirror” album. A sad a love song sung and played well.
• The Derek Trucks Band – The Sky (Album Version) – This one comes from their, “Songlnes” album. Its a euphoric dalliance in a sunny green meadow filled with Dandelions watching the clouds floating over us. It reminds me of a sweet jam we might have listened to in Coconut Grove Park down next to Dinner Key back in the 1960s.
• Billy Joel – An Innocent Man – The tile cut from his 1983 release. I alway loved this song. I hope you do too.
• Matchbox Twenty – Back 2 Good — These guys are just amazing to me. This one is from their, “Yourself or Someone Like You” album.
• Men At Work – Who Can It Be Now? – Colin Hay was being hounded by bill collectors before Men At Work made it big and he wrote this song. I think this one fixed the problem.
• Led Zeppelin – Ramble On – This one starts out this sweet little ballad and turns into they Mr. Hyde kick ass rock and role music. A deep cut but this one is a great example of why this band just blew us all away.
• Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers — Every Little Kiss – This one is from the free live “They Way It Is -Live 2016”. Sweet song sung by an older Bruce renews the innocence of the music. You can feel Bruce’s affection for the Grateful Dead in this longish live version.
• Joe Bonamassa- Woke Up Dreaming (Live from the Royal Albert Hall) This is a long jam that will make you smile especially if you appreciate the amazing virtuosity of Joe’s guitarwork. This one show cases it better than any other cut on this incredible record.

That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; And always remember … The best is yet to come! 

As always, thank you for being my friend! 

James
Under the Jacaranda Tree URL: http://www.jfmccann.com