We were watching the hummingbird feeder this afternoon expecting to see our migrating little friends.
As I went into the kitchen Cynthia exclaimed loudly “Oh my god! What the heck is that?”
When I got to the window I did not immediately see what she was talking about but I spotted it shortly.
I had never seen one before and never expected to see one down here in Texas feeding at the hummingbird feeder, but there it was…
a Baltimore Oriole.
We put out the feeders today.
This guy showed up as we were hanging them.
I’ve been playing music for a long time now. Not conventional music, either. My band is eclectic and has almost zero commercial potential. Still, we have managed to sell a few thousand CD’s with a modicum of effort and enjoy a small but enthusiastic following.
Our primary outlet these days is festival performances, primarily the Texas Renaissance Festival each year.
While playing these festivals one thing became obvious. Bands with unusual instrumentation enjoyed much larger audiences and sold more product than those who lacked said unusual instrumentation. I’m talking about bagpipes, hammer dulcimers, hurdy-gurdies and the occasional glass harmonica.
I actually coined a term for this.
I call it the Freak Instrument Principal.
Any band, no matter their overall actual talent, that sported a freak instrument was going to do much better than a band that did not feature a freak instrument.
You can see this in action if you pay attention. There are two bands at faire that I like a lot. Cantiga and Wyndnwire. They are beyond talented.
But check out their shows. Not a huge crowd and a small but steady trickle of CD sales.
Then check out The Rogues or Tartanic. Piles of people gathered around clapping and hooting and buying CD’s hand over fist.
Are The Rogues or Tartanic better or more talented than Wyndnwire or Cantiga? Not by a long shot. But the sheer bombardment of sound combined with men wearing dresses compels people in a way that other bands will never be able to compete with.
The Freak Instrument Principal does seem to have a counterpart in politics. This is exemplified in the upcoming election for Texas Governor. I’m talking about Kinky Friedman and his bid to get on the ballet for 2006.
Yup, it’s the Freak Candidate Principal.
Should he be governor? I honestly don’t know.
I kinda lean towards no on this.
Will he become governor? We’ll see.
He’s compelling. He’s outspoken. He’s probably crazy. The idea of Kinky being elected to public office has a “theater-of-the-absurd” appeal that just might get him to his goal, not because he’s suited for the job but because he is so ridiculously NOT suited for the job. And many people here in Texas seem to think that concept qualifies him in and of itself.
He’s not the first one of his kind.
Jesse “The Body” Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota, Arnold Schwarteneger was elected Governor of California (even though Gary Coleman was far more freakish) and let’s not forget they guy who was the original freak candidate…
Who could have known?
The important thing is, we know now.
Vote wisely!
Many years ago I changed careers from psychology to to technology. Best life decision I ever made. The psych field is made up mostly of scammers and others who are probably more psychically and psychologically damaged than the patients they treat.
Since my move to the tech field over 12 years ago I have had a great time, earned some decent money and had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most dynamic people one could hope to run across.
Unlike those who ponder the fragile psyches of their fellow man, these folks write software and design networks and network security systems intended to further the technological wonderland that is the very heart and soul of the Internet age we enjoy today.
Over the years, as I have moved from job to job, I have met and kept track of a handful of these guys.
Once in a blue moon when the stars are aligned just right we come together to catch up and shoot the proverbial shit.
Yesterday after work was one of those times.
Blake, myself, Kevin and Jeremy
Blake lives in Idaho now and telecommutes to work at McAfee. Kevin writes software at the same company I work for and Jeremy came back to Houston just recently after a stint at Sourcefire in Maryland. He’s back in Houston doing some work for my friends over at Alert Logic.
Ralph
Ralph is an enigma, wrapped in a riddle and preparing to insult you.
We love Ralph.
A pleasant evening at the 3700 S. Main Entertainment Megaplex.
Got chill with Mitch Pauls, England James and Peter King of the Light Rock Express at the fabulous Sig’s Lagoon before their set at The Big Top.
Thomas has created such a cool space. That’s him in the second pic with Trey standing to his left.
The main attraction was Sharon Jones performing with The Dap Kings at the Continental Club. Old school funk. It was a very nice groove and a heck of a Saturday night.
Last night’s show was odd.
The magnitude and scope of the aftermath of Katrina seeped into the program last night.
Calls ranged from those wanting to talk about the toxic sludge that will be pumped into Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River and the environmental impact to questions about data recovery services.
The mood seemed somber and very low key in the beginning. Still, we managed to flesh it out with the humor and lightheartedness that is the trademark of what we do for two hours every Wednesday night.
In some small way I like to think we were part of the recovery process last night. Life returning to normalcy…a chance to reflect but also to just “be” again without the awfulness slapping you in the face in a constant barrage or images and sound bytes culled from the cesspool of disaster that is Hurrican Katrina’s legacy.
I have to remind myself to turn off the news and watch/listen to/read something else lest I be beaten down with the enormity of this event.
So yea, last nights show was odd, but in a good way.
Leaving the station Dwight Silverman commented on the silhouettes of the show’s crew on the front porch of the radio station. It was rather eerie and captured a certain mood so I clicked this shot:
The crew; Dwight, David, Phliktid and Barrett
For some reason my mind has been drifting in and out of scenes from the film version of Mutiny On The Bounty.
With a very few exceptions Fletcher Christian had the best lines…
I believe I did what honour dictated and that belief sustains me, except for a slight desire to be dead which I’m sure will pass.
We need only persuade the British people of something they already know – that inhumanity is its poorest servant.
But I assure you, sir, that the execution of my duties is entirely unaffected by my private opinion of you.
