In the Spirits of the Season

So the plan was to go back down to Chapel Hill and partake in their annual Halloween party and parade celebration down Franklin Street. I wrote about it last year and I really enjoyed it, but this year I even have a good costume.

That is, until I went to Hillsborough last night and had some dinner and did some last minute candy and costume shopping before coming back home. True to my luck, I was speeding along with the smell of tasty Bojangles' chicken warming me when the nice folks from the State Highway Patrol pulled me over. Turns out, it wasn't speeding (of which I was thankful, I thought I was close...but, hey, it is approaching the holidays, bonuses may come into play), but instead something I thought was more mundane: no back lights except the license plate lights and the side running lights. No brakes, no back tail lights at all...eeck. And that was not good news, as I've had this problem off and on for the last two years, which somehow always gets resolved with new bulbs, only to be told by a friend following me some months later that the lights are out again. I got a written warning last night, but it's gotta be fixed by Monday to the SHP's satisfaction. And I can't drive after dark until they're fixed to said level of approval.

Unfortunately, this morning, I found out that a 'quick fix' is not on the horizon this time around...despite making it my highest priority on the agenda. It turns out I have the much-dreaded 'electrical short', and, additionally, I need a new socket set for both lights (which apparently is in high demand and price from local junkyards given the age of my darlin' truck). The costs of the new socket sets, plus the labour to install them, drained my mood. Then it hit me: given that I'm limited on schedule with how long I can stay on Franklin Street, given that we have no late night bus transportation near the homestead, and given that I'm the only one of my immediate set even going downtown tonight...well, I guess I'm not, after all. And that has me bummed. All prepped and candied up, but no real way to do it properly and still pay for the new equipment expense. Damn it, too, Halloween is my favourite holiday.

I'm really hoping I have some trick or treaters tonight, I really am.

There's a silver lining to this, I just know it. Maybe "Carrie" or "The Exorcist" will be on the telly. Maybe I won't gain any weight if I only sample a mini-Twix® every 4 hours or something. Maybe I'll have tons of kids show up at my door, but that will be a first in more than 10 years now...I think everyone just takes their offspring to the respective malls now. (Ho hum...no fun, kiddies.)

In the meantime, I did find a this link from KNBC to put me more back in the mood. Some of the most famous (and reportedly untouched) 'haunted' photos ever developed. Some look a bit more genuine than others, and some are a bit on the freakish side...especially if they were not manipulated in some fashion. Scary even, but then again, it is Halloween.

All have fun, party safely, and enjoy in the revelry. And come get some candy.

And the countdown to the big thirst is on

I made it out to the Guilford College Homecoming festivities this past Friday night, to see old-time faves The Squirrel Nut Zippers (review to come), but in case I needed a reminder, there's a drought going on. A major one, even. A rather epic one even to the point that even we, water-wasting mid-Atlantic Yanks and Rebs that we are, have started to take notice and have started to feel the harsh pinch of inconvenience. To get an idea of just how bad it is (well, state-wide, even), take a look here from the graphics from the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council. Keep in mind 'notice' does not necessarily mean converting to more water-saving measures like those used in Asia, Europe and Australia (such as the dual flush toilet and reduced flow shower head)...that's a bit too draconian still...but hey, in some places we are talking about closing down the car washes and all residential watering until this crisis lessens. Fines for water abuse, and even the monitoring for such fines, clearly aren't working and/or aren't consistent, Lord knows.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I was greeted with these signs plastered in the womens' bathroom at the performance hall at Guilford (the only place, still, where I have seen such reminders all this summer):



Sorry for the crumpled up appearance, as several of these (including the one captured here by my trusty digital), had been tossed in the trash. Why? Because while these lovelies depicted Greensboro as The Grand Canyon of dryness, outside (for the first time in weeks if not in months) it was raining buckets (to the point that grown adults were playing around in it at 11pm in the parking lot, it was such a welcome sight). And who needs to be reminded to conserve water when it's raining, after all? I wonder now if any of the signs made it through the weekend's showers.

Unfortunately, our precious rain was only for about two days, and off and on at that. Now we're back to counting down the days until our various municipal water supplies are completely depleted, and whether or not we really need to go to a higher level of water restrictions. How quickly I forget...drought is temporary, but denial is forever, or so it seems.

Pull the ripcord to stop a NASCAR® team's free fall?

And I thought I was jinxing them (well, not really, but hey racing can be a superstitious sport) by attending the last two races (in Charlotte on 10/13 and last week in Martinsville on 10/21) in person. So, in theory anyway, I'd stay home this weekend and the more winning ways would return for My Boys racing for Home Depot®. Wrong.

As it's now obvious to my fellow Tony Stewart fans and myself, something has went decidedly wacky (and uncharacteristically subpar) really since the bizarre 'shoulda/coulda/woulda' won controversy that was the Kansas Speedway race last month. Today, God help us, The Orange Army entered The Pep Boys Auto 500 in Atlanta, 4th in points (249 back behind the leader) and with a strong hope for victory, normally at a track that has historically been good for the team. Tonight, post-Atlanta, we've fallen back to 5th place in the points (322 points behind, with only 3 races to go before a champion is crowned), after barely surviving today for a 30th place finish. It was a woefully long day, and one filled with tension, frayed nerves, and raw emotion...three things becoming all too common for us these days. For highlights of the massacre, click here. (Highlights from ESPN, one of the networks that has down an abysmal job of production of the races this year, for what it's worth.)

It's just not been the same for the #20 team since Kansas (see video link below), and it's been a roller coaster ever since...mostly down, as the points now show. To say we Home Depot® and Tony Stewart fans are depressed is a major understatement. Not too long ago, we could at least touch victory, if not outright taste it. Alas, certainly not tonight.

The fiasco at Kansas from September 30, complete with all the confounding NASCAR® rules glory (video from YouTube, as usual):

So, five weeks ago, Smoke & Company were still in strong contention for the Championship. Now, after two so-so weeks which were then followed by three very problematic weeks (to put it mildly), we're now out of contention for all intents and purposes (unless something mathematically wondrous happens and Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson both implode somehow...which has less favourable odds than yours truly winning the Powerball lottery). I know I'm one of many Stewart's and Zippy's ("Zippy" being the very level-headed crew chief of Stewart, Greg Zipadelli, fondly referred to as "Saint Zippy") fans who openly wonders just how the hell did this all happen, with this quality caliber of team, on these race tracks, and this damn quickly.

(All together now...drink. It will make you feel better when watching the sports recap on the news.)

So, while all of us #20 fans are off finding and/or finishing off liquor of some sort to go heal what ails us (or at least until reality sets in, whichever comes first), we're also all hoping Our Boys have a 'coming to God' meeting with management, friends, family, everybody and anybody...and immediately. Championship or no Championship this season, it's time to hang on for dear life, breathe deep and restructure for next season...and, please, dear Lord, finally stop the free fall from continuing any further.

Emergency Preparedness and the 'Redneck Rash'

So I'm up late, prepping for my weekend getaway to Charlotte. Yes, it involves NASCAR and lots of 'rednecks' and 'rabid race fans' and the like...but the season is quickly winding down, so cut me some slack. This one in Charlotte this weekend and then one next weekend in Martinsville, VA. And then, with the exception of the God-awful TV coverage that only the seriously deficient ABC/ESPN networks can provide, I must stay content watching on the television until next year. Sadly, as the colder months come on, my beloved racing (both local and national with the Busch and NASCAR series) winds down. I really hate to see the summer go, and each year reminds me that I need to find a job where I'm always somewhere in warm weather. I don't know why that is exactly, but today's 20 degree temperature drop appeared to me as a bad omen. And yes, I fully acknowledge it's the middle of October already. I'll stop griping about Mother Nature.

So, as I said, I'm up late doing some last minute laundry and cleanup (which apparently a lot of women do, but men don't seem to comprehend...something I'll never understand really). As per my nature, I scanned over to Drudge to check out the latest headlines before going to sleep (nothing like a casualty report from the war to make one have restless dreams). Imagine my surprise when I read this headline: "REDNECK RASH: Congressional staffers urged to get immunized for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and influenza -- before going to NASCAR races!" Apparently some Congressional aides to the House Homeland Security Committee were encouraged to get a whole slew of immunizations and booster shots before doing surveys at...wait for it...some recent major NASCAR races, including the ones held this weekend in Charlotte. Now I can appreciate a good sensational Drudge headline as well as anyone, but even this one (and even at 1am) was just too good to not click through on and read.

(And before I have to endure the kidding of friends who will oh-so-subtly remind me that I should not be surprised at this, given NASCAR's 'reputation'...read on to the next paragraphs before casting this off as some 'redneck thing'. While I am sure there are a slew of communicable and perhaps very dangerous diseases involved in the racing circuit, I am also very sure that these surveyors could simply exclude the Pit Lizard Beauty Pen and no one, Congressional aide or Jeff Burton fan or food vendor or otherwise, would ever come into harm's way. And, honestly, I'm not sure the immunizations recommended would do much help against the Pit Lizards, anyway. If any one person could have 'Redneck Rash', I suspect a Pit Lizard would...but that's based only from reputation, so I may be being too harsh and stereotypical.)

Actually, when you actually read the above-linked article, it's clear that the shots are more intended for protection from all the venues that the aides may travel to, such as hospitals and large holding centers where communicable diseases are far more likely, while they evaluate emergency response problems and procedures in case another terrorist attack should happen at a large sporting event. The fact that the immunizations were encouraged before said aides were in Alabama last weekend for the yawner of a Talladega race and also in North Carolina this weekend with the Bank of America 500 appears to be just a collateral (and unfortunate public relations) happenstance. (And we fans just know this same Drudge headline would have been written completely differently if it had been attached to another sport, say golf, basketball, or soccer.)

You can read an additional article on this here.

All I can say is that in 2001 I went to Egypt (and was actually there on Sept. 11, a very long story, even for here), and, prior to travel, I had to get a whole litany of shots 'just in case'. One month after my return, I was examined by my family doctor who told me the International Travel Clinic I had visited for the shots had went a 'bit gung-ho', but at least I was pretty much immunized 'against everything' now. Little did we know then that I was simply getting well prepared for race watching in Concord, NC, now.

I'm actually not sure which is funnier about this whole affair:

the quote attributed to NC Representative Robin Hayes...

"I have been to numerous NASCAR races, and the folks who attend these events certainly do not pose any health hazard to congressional staffers or anyone else,"...

a quote from a man who clearly has not spent much time with the rather hard-partying aspects of the NASCAR and dirt racing crowds, their tattoo tents, their open keggers at 3am, the slightly undercooked 'mystery meat' from the grill, and the shared but overrun PortaPotties that are the staple of the whole racing 'experience'. Not all the fans are new to the sport and not all are are made of money (although current management might take heed of that last part a bit more), not all arrive in luxury SUVs and stay in a Sheraton. 'Going to the race' was once the equivalent (and still is to many) of a week-long camp and/or Spring Break-like party, and on-site, too, damn it, with thousands of your newest friends (and enemies). So as to the thought of current NASCAR fans and attendees being a potential health hazard? yes; but as potential communicable health hazards? hell no. If you haven't risked your health and/or sanity doing something fun and undisciplined at a race (especially if you're not a driver), Mr. Hayes, you're not doing 'racing' right.

or,

the part that someone in Congress seems to think some semblance of order from emergency management could even exist, should a terrorist-like attack occur at a NASCAR race at all. This is a sport, after all, that starts with a prayer, then the national anthem, then a flyover of some extremely expensive military equipment to show our supreme aerial fighting power. And generally all of that has followed some sort of showing of military might, whether that be a distinguished honour guard, heavy duty field machinery on the backstretch, or a continuous loop of Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" playing at full volume in all corners of the property. (The latter is the unofficial theme song of not only the South and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s 'Nation' of fans, but also racing in general...even if you're a Yankee and you're far, far away from Alabama.) So, we not only believe in a Christian (and generally Baptist-leaning) God, but we also believe in a God that has no problems with us kicking someone else's ass with our large weapons arsenal. Additionally, this is a sport that still desperately clings to its Southern roots, present 'globalization' campaigns by the NASCAR overseers be damned.

And we're not even talking about the hardcore, 'old school' fans yet...many of whom are veterans, reservists, or proud Mamas and Daddies of those currently serving this country (and thanks to all of the above, by the way), and many others who have no military connection but have a fondness and talent for using personal firearms. It's no accident that all of the military branches either sponsor cars outright and/or have information centers alongside the merchandise vendors. In short, this is about a terrorist-unfriendly place as one can readily find in the US of A. Should there ever be an attack at a NASCAR race, there will be no order, there will be no 'well laid out plan' track security can implement within a set time frame. As any NASCAR fan knows, track security can't even keep the Jeff Gordon and the Dale Earnhardt, Jr., fans apart to keep the peace. Or the Jimmie Johnson and the Tony Stewart fans apart, for that matter. Or the Denny Hamlin...never mind, you get the idea. If track security can't even keep order for an afternoon or evening race, just how does Congress envision this 'response' from emergency personnel and security teams to actually work, anyways? Add lots of beer and hot wings to this patriotic, freedom-loving, and 'ready to fight and defend one's driver and country without hesitation' crowd at any given moment and stir: welcome to NASCAR. It's not just an enthusiastic fan base, it can be a mob. A mob that does its own damn thing, when it damn well feels like it, thank you.

Personally, I question just how much these aides' trips have to do with the stated mission of 'exploration'. While I appreciate that the Committee wanted to do this at two of the biggest races of the year, different venues (Watkins Glen, for instance, as it's a road course and the fans closely line the track throughout vs Talladega where fans are more 'contained' but are well known beer can and other item 'tossers' onto the track) and different races (the Daytona 500 in February, which is the race in many eyes) would have given a better glimpse at preparedness perhaps. Not to mention NASCAR's attendance is dropping at some of the races, too (see above comments about (mis)management), so maybe other sports should be looked at as well. Otherwise, why not a college football arena, or a professional hockey rink, etc? And, it's only been 6 years now since Sept 11...I guess I should be thankful someone got around to looking at protecting sports fans in general (sarcasm).

Nope, I suspect 'exploration' means that these aides wanted to see the races, up close and in person...and, given my luck, they'll have a much better view than the ticket I bought long ago for myself. Before I even knew there was a 'health threat' and all. Yeah, rigggght.

That's just me and my opinion, though, people...and I've gone racin'.

Hercules Mulligan Redux

Well, for what seems like ages given my 'under the weather' state, their fortnightly playing schedule at The Hibernian in Cary, and a slight change in the music due to vocalist Chris King's schedule the last go around, the WR and I made it last night to see the mighty Hercules Mulligan play again last night and I could thoroughly enjoy it without pain or fatigue. It was a very nice tonic for me, especially since I've been sort of 'hit and miss' lately with my multitude of wellness issues and I've really missed them, really felt I wasn't giving them their proper attention. I admit it: I'm a Hercs groupie and I need my biweekly fix. Good music and good friends can be the cure to what ails you.

I will have a much more detailed review (complete with brief note on a very drunk 'Beverly Hillbillies'-type wanker who added some ahem colour to the night), but I'm off to work right now. (Preview highlight: I thought I was going to have to enact the 'he's not gay, he's my boyfriend/husband' routine with Richard to get this guy to move. Said wanker was an overachiever at three and a half sheets to the wind. Unfortunately, when I went to fetch beer and occasionally afterwards, I saw something a bit worse...and probably a first for a Hercs set, I'll presume even. Although, in the process of discussing said wanker, Richard clarified to me what can/cannot be done by straight people in a bar versus gay guys in a gay bar. Good to know...LOL. I'm telling you, the things one can learn while listening to a great band play Irish and bluegrass music...now you understand why Richard is known as 'Wise' Ricky/Richard.)

Here are some pics from last night, enjoy:

The very entertaining and 'too hard on his own singing' Chris King (left) playing the boudrain (Chris, in addition to the lead vocal duties, does one mean whistle, too) and Dave Cauthron on guitar.

The multitasker bluegrass pros, who play 2-4 (more?) instruments every gig (and personally Zack's knowledge would probably scare me if I knew the extent of his musical talent): Zack Mondry on the left and Chris Mankoff on the right.


While I can remember Dave doing some singing around town at some of the many bluegrass gigs he's performed at, I can't remember him singing lead for a song before with the Hercs. Dave, who is normally 'on the dark side' of the stage at The Hibernian, actually got some 'camera time' with this song.

Probably one of my favourite pics ever of Zack and Chris, and I don't care if the flash didn't go off. And, yes, they play on a stage which also reflects the college football games in the background. Great music and great sports, tough to beat at The Hibernian. Oh, yeah, the beer is pretty damn tasty, too.

That said, the Hercs have their MySpace page up and going (and has been for awhile, I've just been a slacker here (on that and so many other things, I admit) and also has some samples from live performances to listen to, too. (Although truthfully the musicianship can't be praised enough and one has to really see Chris King carry on to understand his repartee with the crowd.) Their next gig is at The Hibernian on October 23, and then again at Tir Na Nog in downtown Raleigh on October 27. Please come out and see these pros work their magic. (And, yes, I am an uncompensated endorser.)

More show review and updates at 11, or whenever I get home this weekend...whichever comes can be accommodated first.

...To See What Condition I'm In

Stopping by again, now that I've got the computer and the photo downloading software speaking in a temporary truce. It's rather troubling to see exactly how much crap you can have on a computer that needs to be reloaded again after a reformat. (Or for that matter, all the crap that was on there that should never been added in the first place.) It's even more headache-inducing when one realizes that all the backup and/or installation disks seem to have spread to the four corners of the world when everything was working so well all those many years. Just when I needed them most...I discover they've went on permanent vacation.

On the medical front, there's a mixed bag of news. I'm doing somewhat better and my energy levels are on the rise again, which really could not have come at a better time for me. The good news is we may have stumbled upon a plan of treatment to help get me back to 'pre-exhausted' state; the bad news is we've stumbled across it while focusing on a working 'diagnosis' of some sort of an auto-immune disorder. The jury's still out and while we all know I'm a tad bit weird mentally, I'm really hoping I've not become so much so physically. For probably the first time in many years in my life, I'm actually hoping I test out 'normal'. (That last statement alone shows I'm not at my regular level of performance, if anything ever did.)

Your prayers, emails, and best wishes are and have been very much appreciated.