I learned this week…
…that Donald “Duck” Dunn has died. You might not recognize his name, but I guarantee you that at some point, you’ve heard his telltale bass line. He was a member of the studio band at Stax Records in Memphis and played with such artist as The Blues Brothers (he was in the movie), Eric Clapton, Arthur Conley, Neil Young (with whom he extensively toured), CCR, Wilson Pickett, Bob Dylan (who you all know I loathe), Rod Stewart, Otis Redding – just to name a few. One of my favorite songs is a little ditty called “Green Onions” by Booker T & the MGs. He wasn’t the original bassist on the 1962 recording, but I think he does it best.
…that Donna Summer has died at the age of 63. I often talk about how my father’s love of old school country, early rock & roll, and 60s R&B influenced my taste in music. However, in all honesty, my mother probably had a greater impact on my personal “musicology.” She is a lover of all music. She doesn’t discriminate – from old Dean Martin and Sinatra to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and the Beatles to Gordon Lightfoot and Simon & Garfunkel and everything in between and beyond. When I was a kid, one of my mother’s favorite things to do was to throw open the windows, cue up a homemade reel to reel tape and crank the volume until music filled the house – and the neighborhood. Sometimes we listened to oldies, sometimes to folk, sometimes to country, but more often than not, we listened to disco. What could be better than doing your Saturday morning chores to the infectious beat of ABBA, the Bee Gees, and yes, Donna Summer? She will be sorely missed in my house. My friend Kelly said “disco died today.” Perhaps it did.
…that I have been nominated for the Kreativ Blogger Award by kittyb78. She’s a fellow writer who just happens to be a Black Dragon Kung Fu instructor. I’m not sure what that is, but it sounds very cool and makes me want to write her into one of my stories as that bad ass character who…okay I digress. Many thanks to kittyb78 for bestowing such an honor on me. I appreciate it very much.
Of course, these things come with rules. I’m supposed to tell you seven interesting things about myself and then pay the award forward to a few bloggers I think are deserving.
- I give good stink-eye, and not always intentionally. I have an odd face with a heavy brow and a natural frown. It makes me look angry – even when I’m not. It serves me well. People leave me alone. Usually.
- I hate the sound of people eating. Seriously. I hate it.
- I am cynical by nature, but I try very hard to use humor to stave off the negativity. It’s made me a happier person.
- I am a James Bond fanatic.
- I have no natural rhythm and no amount of alcohol can change that. Ask my BFF how long it took her to teach me the Electric Slide back in the day.
- I have an affinity for dates.
- I love striped pants.
…that yoga for a grade is like a bad penny. It just won’t leave me in peace. As a memento of our time together, it has left me with a little hip injury. Nothing too serious, just some tendonitis. They tell me it will go away – with a little time and four weeks of physical therapy.
…that I am captivated by the train-wreck that is Ancient Aliens. I spend the entire hour yelling at the television, snorting in disbelief, and cursing their flawed logic, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to change the channel.
…that last, but not least, this weeks awww moment is brought to you by a pair of small woodpeckers who distracted me from my gardening this week. From their behavior, I can only assume they were a mother and her lazy child who refused to get off his ass and get a job. I could be wrong, though.
Of Bears and Boating 