Top 5 On Friday - Week 209

From The Music Memoirs

Top 5 songs to rock out to.

» "More Than a Feeling" by Boston (from the album Boston)
The quintessential rock song. Remember the Scrubs air band episode?

» "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (from the album A Night at the Opera)
If you've seen 'Wayne's World' (or a Weber State hockey game), you know what I'm talking about.

» "Crushing Day" by Joe Satriani (from the album Surfing with the Alien)
One of Satch's best solos and best overall songs.

» "Don't Tread on Me" by Damn Yankees (from the album Don't Tread)
Better known for it's ballad(s), this group had some real rockers, too. This is probably the best one.

» "Don't Need You" by Cross Canadian Ragweed (from the album Cross Canadian Ragweed)
A driving bass line. Pounding drums. Crashing cymbals. Wailing guitars. It's thrash country.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 208

Brought to you by The Music Memoirs.

Top 5 Unique Band/Artist Names

Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash
Outlaw country

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Swing revival

Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans
Country from North of the border

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Punk/Parody

Squirrel Nut Zippers
Neo-Dixieland


And, although they're not real bands, two honorable mentions:

Ionic Elm
Our group's Rock Band band

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
Muppet rock extraordinaire

Signs & Portents

Work at the call center has been slow. That, in and of itself, is not news. It’s usually slow in December and January. After election season—our busiest time of the year—things typically drop off until the early spring. Due to the state of the economy in general, however, things have been abnormally slow. The kinds of companies that usually provide us with even a little bit of work in the winter aren’t doing so this year.

It’s got to the point where the owner (to whom I’ve colloquially referred as ‘The Big RT’ in the past) has taken some fairly drastic action. For example:

* We’ve lowered the starting wage at the call center by 50¢ per hour. We’ve actually done this before. When things have become tight, we’ve temporarily lowered the starting wage, then raised it again when things become busy. This helps control the number of applicants we get. However,
* We are also now under a hiring freeze. We’ve never done this before, not in the 6+ years I’ve been with the company, anyway. The freeze went into effect in mid-December, then was lifted for a few days at the beginning of January. Now we’re frozen again.
* We usually offer a $50 referral bonus to employees who recommend their friends and family to us. This has now been eliminated as well.
* Perhaps most surprisingly, there is now a moratorium on raises, too. We traditionally offer employees a 50¢ per hour raise after they complete their probationary period, with additional raises ever 90 days after that. The probationary raise is still in effect, but the quarterly raises have now been suspended.

All of these changes are in effect until further notice. I don’t know how long that will be, but based on what I’ve heard my boss say, these measures aren’t going to change any time soon.

To quote Han Solo, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

RE: Today's Big Event

Last night Nancy asked me if I'd be watching the Presidential inauguration today. The answer is no, I will not.

It's not because I don't like Barack Obama. He seems intelligent, decent, and earnest. It's not because I'm a big fan of George W. Bush, either. I don't think he's the worst President ever like a lot of people seem to think (see below), but he's had problems, some of them very serious. It's not even that I disagree with Obama's politics. He wasn't my first choice, as long time readers will already know, and he's not the candidate that best represents my own views. But I appreciate the value of a diversity of opinions in matters of national policy. No, none of these are the reasons I won't be watching the inauguration.

It's because if I have to see one more media talking head wet themselves over the greatness and glory of Barack Obama, I'm going to vomit.

Didn't the folks in the media at least try to give the impression that they were unbiased once upon a time?

Now I understand that this is a big moment in our collective experience. A historic moment, even. But seriously, have you listened to the news anchors and the reporters and the political commentators? They're enraptured. They're treating today's inauguration like the second coming of...well, I don't know how to finish that sentence, because I can't think of anyone whose first coming generated this kind of media awe and adulation.

I just hope that those in the media aren't setting themselves—and their viewers, listeners, and readers—up for a big disappointment.

NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, whose host and panelists have never met a George W. Bush joke they didn't like, was rife with pot shots at the outgoing President last week. More rife than usual, I guess I should say.

Wordsmith.org's Anu Garg, who's never been hesitant to use A.Word.A.Day to promulgate his own leftist political agenda, opened yesterday's mailing with the statement, "Tomorrow Barack Obama will become president of the US, and not a moment too soon."

The message is clear: With the end of the Bush Presidency and the coming of Barack Obama, all of our national problems are over. Everything is going to change for the better.

I hope that's the case, I really do. But even I'm not naïve enough to believe it's going to be the case immediately. The stock market's not going to rise to 12,000 again today after the inauguration. The insurgents in Iraq aren't going to lay down their arms just because we have a new administration. Osama bin Laden's not going to walk into the U.S. Embassy in Kabul or Islamabad and give himself up just because Bush is gone. Obama's presence is not going to get rid of lead paint in Chinese toys or salmonella in peanuts.

I hope that Obama and his team will make significant progress in all these areas. I think he's got a real chance to make a positive difference in the world and in our country. But it's going to take time and effort—a lot of effort, and most likely, a lot of time. It's not going to happen overnight.

I'm tired of all the media wits acting like it's fait accompli just because it's Inauguration Day.

So no, I won't be watching the inauguration today. Someone tell me how it turns out, will you?

--

As far as George W. Bush being the "Worst President Ever", I have just one question: Are you serious? Worst President ever? (Okay, so that's two questions. But, still.)

Worse than Lyndon B. Johnson, whose stubbornness got the United States mired in Vietnam?

Worse than Jimmy Carter, who, while being a good and decent human being and doing some nice things with Israel and Egypt, was utterly unable to deal with Iran, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, or the struggling US economy?

Worse than Richard Nixon?

For my money, that's three US Presidents who were worse than George W. Bush—or if we're going to open it up to ad hominem attacks as so many people have been doing with W over the past eight years, four (Bill Clinton).

And that's just in my lifetime.

Worst President ever? Give me a break.

A Quick Thought on Football

So, the participants in this year's Super Bowl have been determined. The upstart Arizona Cardinals will face the Pittsburgh Steelers for the NFL championship. The game is a week from Sunday in Tampa.

It occurred to me today that if the brain trust at the NCAA had been in charge of the NFL, the Super Bowl matchup would have been set a month ago: the Tennessee Titans vs. the New York Giants. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Arizona would all have had high-paying 'postseason' games as 'rewards' for a good season, but none of them would have had a chance to play for the championship.

But the BC$ still makes the most sense, right?

::rolls eyes::

I'm a Scary, Scary Man

Back in November our Ward had an election party. The three members of the Bishopric were all candidates, running for President of the Ward. The Ward was divided into three parties--the Builders Party, the Plenty O' Promises Party, and the Donner Party. Each party had a pre-election meeting where they put together their platform (reduce tithing to 8%, change the meeting time to 11:00 - 1:00 permanently, that sort of thing), plan strategy, and generally get people excited. It was a lot of fun.

Each party had a number of officers besides the candidate. There was a campaign manager for each candidate, a party heckler, whose job it was to harass the other candidates and their followers, and various others. And there was security, whose primary jobs were to stand around and look scary and to put the kibosh on the other parties' hecklers.

I was asked to be security.



Obviously, I decided to go for the Secret Service look. Effective, no?

Tuesday Tunes: Week 65

From The Music Memoirs.

A little something different. I'm going to give you a list of drinks and you give me a song/album/artist that fits that particular drink:

Espresso: "Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)" by Marillion
The only thing I could come up with is this song from the band's excellent "Misplaced Childhood" album.

Wine: "Red Red Wine" by Neil Diamond
You did know that he wrote that UB40 song, right?

Beer: "Beer for My Horses" by Toby Keith and Willie Nelson
When Toby pitched the song as a duet, Willie agreed to do it based on the name alone.

Milk: "Xanadu" by Rush
"To seek the sacred river Alph / To walk the caves of ice / To break my fast on honeydew / And drink the milk of paradise...."

Water: "Aqua Vitae" by Rocket Scientists
The term aqua vitae is Latin for 'water of life'. It is also used colloquially to refer to spirituous liquors.

Tea: "Tea In the Sahara" by The Police
Not the best song from their "Synchronicity" album, but it fits.

Cappuccino: "I Feel Fantastic" by Jonathan Coulton
The song doesn't mention cappuccino specifically, but it sounds like he had five or six of 'em before he recorded it....

Margarita: "Margarita" by Traveling Wilburys
You probably thought I was going to go with Jimmy Buffett's 'Margaritaville'. And I was. But I thought I'd at least try to find something different, and I did.

Tuesday Tunes: Week 64

From The Music Memoirs

Word association time again! Give us the artist/album/song etc that you think of when you see the following words:

Country: "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" by John Denver
Break: "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet
New: "New Blue Moon" by the Traveling Wilburys
Instrumental: "Nether" by Rocket Scientists
Horrid: "Merry Xmas (War is Over)" by John Lennon [I can't stand this song. Sorry.]
Bells: "Bells of Saint James" by Kansas
Cute: "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves
Cat: "Stray Cat Strut" by Stray Cats
Mother: "Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother" by Jerry Jeff Walker
Inspirational: "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago

Immediately Blessed

I was doing a little cleaning the other day (hard to believe, I know), and for whatever reason, my mind started drifting towards King Benjamin's address in the Book of Mormon. I was thinking specifically about his comments on man's indebtedness to God, and this verse came to my mind:

And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? (Mosiah 2:24, emphasis mine)

And I'll confess that verse had me feeling perplexed. I really have been blessed in my life, my too-frequent complaints and lamentations notwithstanding. But there have been times when I've felt like I could really use a particular blessing in a particular circumstance and haven't got it—times when I've tried to do the right thing, but not been blessed at what I thought was the right time.

In other words, it's the word 'immediately' that's been throwing me. I know that I've been blessed; I just don't feel like the blessings have always been immediate, or even timely.

When I graduated from high school, I received a $50 savings bond for something or other. I took it with me to college. And one day during my freshman year when I felt a little strapped for cash, I took it to the bank to redeem it. I was surprised and disappointed to discover that I couldn't get $50 for it. It wasn't worth $50—yet. It would be, one day, but not at that time. It had a maturity period of which I was unaware.

It occurred to me as I was cleaning the other day that the Lord's blessings might just be like that. While God does bless us immediately for our obedience, the effects of the blessings may be—frequently are, actually—deferred.

We may want certain blessings at certain times. But what we want and what we need, and what is actually best for us, are often very different things. An omniscient and perfectly loving Heavenly Father is not content simply to give us what we feel we want in a moment of desire or longing, even if we really deserve it. Instead, He gives us what we really need, at the time and in the circumstances when we need it most.

There's a reason that patience is a virtue.

Chat Comment of the Day

"Last year, my New Year's resolution was 1280 x 1024. Now it's 1680 x 1050."

-IndianaJoe3, Hero System Discussion Boards Chat, 1/1/2009

2008 in Review

The year 2008 was an interesting year for us. Nancy got a new job as a reservations agent with a major airline. It's been an interesting experience for her, to say the least. Sure, she's had more than her fair share of jerks, morons, and those special individuals who think that the louder they shout, the more likely they are to get the person answering the phone to cave in and give them what they want. On the other hand, she gets to work from home, so that's been pretty cool—especially when gas was up over $4.00 per gallon. Overall, I think it's been a positive experience for her.

I've been keeping busy too. I'm working on my Master's Degree in Education from Western Governors University. I'm hoping to do my student teaching in September and to have the full degree wrapped up by the end of next year. I'm also working a couple of part time jobs. I'm still at the market research company, where I've been serving as the Quality Assurance manager. I've also been getting training over the past couple of months on our computer system. The powers that be essentially want to move our IT guy to the downtown headquarters and have somebody, namely me, take care of all the day-to-day stuff at the call center. So that's been interesting, and educational. I'm also doing quite a bit of substitute teaching, primarily for science classes. No surprise there, I suppose.

As interesting as 2008 was for us in terms of work and school, it was even more interesting where church was concerned. We learned in February that our chapel, built more than 50 years ago, was going to be decommissioned and demolished. Two of the seven Wards (congregations) in our Stake were to be dissolved and combined with the remaining five Wards. Our Ward gained about 2/3 of one of those two Wards in the process, effectively doubling our membership. We subsequently moved to another building in the Stake and got a new Bishop in the process. That Bishop, who had been a Mission President, was a task-oriented, results-driven man who was just what the Ward needed to get through the transition. Then he and his family moved in the summer, and we got another Bishop. And then in October, we found out that the Church is going to build us a Stake Center. To do it, however, they'll have to demolish one of the buildings in the Stake—that's right, the one to which our Ward had moved in February—and build the Stake Center in its place. So we moved again. For those keeping track, that makes three Bishops and three buildings in 2008. I've never experienced or even heard of such a thing before.

And now for a word or three about the rest of the family. My parents are doing well. Mom is enjoying her retirement, filling her time with weekly visits to my niece's elementary school class and occasional trips to the mountains (i.e., the casinos) with friends. Dad is working with a feed company and spends a lot of time working with ranches in New Mexico. They are particularly enjoying the new house they moved into just over two years ago. It's a nice place. As a side note, I think they've seen every episode of "The Deadliest Catch" that's ever been made.

My younger brother Aaron is living in a group home in Colorado Springs. He fell down a flight of stairs a year and a half ago and went into a coma from which the doctors didn't think he'd ever awake. I think it's fair to say that he's recovered a lot further than any of us had dared hope. He's functioning at a very high level, but he's frustrated that he can't do more. I don't know that he'll ever recover to the point where he was before the accident, but he's made a lot of progress so far. We all had a nice visit with him in November.

My youngest brother, Sam, got married last June. His house got hit by a tornado two weeks before the wedding, so the occasion was a bit more subdued than may have been expected. But he and Kendra didn't waste time feeling sorry for themselves; they got to work and made the best of the situation. It was a fantastic wedding. And long overdue—they'd been dating for longer than Nancy and I have known each other! The two of them are just awesome.

I suppose that covers it. 2008 had its fair share of challenges and rewards, trials and opportunities. I expect that 2009 will be much the same. I look forward to sharing the coming year with all of you. Best wishes to you all for a happy, safe, and prosperous new year.