The Night Shift

[draglist]

They LOVED the CD, John. In fact, hanging out with my cousin in law (?) Ron Beck, I was reminded again of how much you two guys remind me of one another. I have got to get you guys together one of these days somehow. We sat around playing CDs at his place until 1:30am. Included were a few selections from the Citykings. Ron's son Steven (who teaches guitar with 25 students at a place in town and is forming a band), got his own copy and he loved it. Steven regaled us with hard core, solo, fully amped guitar versions of Frankenstein by Edgar Winter, plus a few of the newer songs by bands whose names escape me (due to my geezerdom). It was great. This kid has a future and it would be great if you could meet him some day, too. Damned distance! bp

[wheelzman]

(due to my geezerdom).

I knew I had a unique ailment but could not for the life of me pin it down. Now I knows what it is. GEEZERDOM, I'm going to talk to my doctor on my next visit and see if he has any pills for it? BP you ain't right!

[jim sanders]

Wheelz as much as i have tried not to bee.... I am a geezer also.... I can't relate to anything that is hip/cool nowadays.... a buddy of mine the other day handed me my first cell phone with my own number on it.. i said i will spend a couple days reading the booklet he said if you hear it ring just open it !!!! i said i don't want to rack up charges on it !

[wheelzman]

Doc I have a problem with movie stars. I never was much of a movie buff but many new TV and screen actors and actresses are ???? to me. Then the new commercials just go waaayyy over my head. I don't know why they show or do what they do? Does not register with me or when it does it is sooooooo stupid. Like the new Hummer ad. I know I am out of the target audience but for cryin out loud someone needs to use their brain. Oh well that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. DUH!

[jim sanders]

yep Jack !!!!! thinking back the last first run movie i have seen in a theater was American Grafitti........ I have been watching old stuff on P.B.S. in the middle of the night lately just to get caught up !!

[WildcatOne]

There's about 8 dozen new "stars" whose names or faces I could never tell you who they are or what they do. My generation has (had?) iconic identities that you could immedialtely know who they are (were?) and what they did, etc...nowadays, it's flavor of the week. I lost touch with the current trends a while back. I know exactly what you guys are saying. The commercials I see for the most part make me sick to watch because they are glorifying office nerds and people of their ilk, like it's cool to be a corporate dingleberry without an individual life. There's already millions of these parasites feeding on the junk culture. They all think, look and act alike. I guess that's why they have their own commercials. They have money, too. Don't get me started! Anyway, thanks again, BP, for bringing our CD to these folks. I am glad to hear that they enjoyed it. I would love to meet these folks. I just got through listening to Four Lifetimes on a great stereo system over at Bill and Kathleen's. The Catfish dinner was excellent. I got a burger for Duane on the way home. He's feeling better. I am making him take 3 of my Centrum vitamins every 6 hours and now he's going to eat a big burger bag from Jack-In-The-Box. Some adjustments are going to be made around here immediately, and they don't include those guys Duane was with Friday. He's thinking about turning them in...maybe that'd be the right thing to do, but I haven't decided yet about that. One of 'em's going to turn up dead here pretty soon, but it isn't going to be one of my boys. Cheers, WC1

[WildcatOne]

Last night was the last class I gave at College of the Mainland in Guitar For Beginners. I dreaded having to go through it because I anticipated the first class would decide to give me their parting shot. On the way down there on the beltway, I had a talk with myself and I said that I'd give the class for the required 90 minutes and not let anything those jerks come up with get me down, just do it and then it's over. As it turned out, the 3 ringleaders of the disruption did not show up, and the class was amazingly transformed into a group of well-behaved, attentive and interactive students who were intent on learning and participating in my lesson. They got out CDs and I played them and showed them the chords and how the bands played the songs, and the 90 minutes whizzed by like Rapid's pass at Eddyville. They filled out the evaluation forms on me with full A-pluses, and they asked for my (and Nick's) email addresses so they could keep in touch. It was a great relief and a wonderful end to what was the most difficult 8 weeks I had ever spent in the teaching profession. The second class only had 2 of the students show up; the 2 best girls, and they were happy to discuss the course and they got up and drew thank-you pictures and notes to me on the blackboard. Their moms showed up and stayed for the last class, and we talked about the whole 8 weeks and how different the 2 classes were. They were delighted that their girls were so well-behaved and they both told me that they learned more from me because of my way of teaching, which is to teach the basics but to emphasize the performance aspect...the act of playing...over the technical, tedious parts, so the kids'll stay interested. They all insisted that I give another course, and they guaranteed they'd be there for it. The girl who missed last week was heartbroken because she missed Nick's performance. I could not have been more rewarded at the end of this course. I can't help but think, how far could I have taken that first class if those 3 kids hadn't been there all along...the percentages I talked about earlier are actually more like 20% instead of 90% in junk-culture populace. The rest of the class was just afraid to make them stop for fear of being labeled by them as a square. Apparently they all go to school together. Without the 3 troublemakers, the class was a complete opposite. Will miracles never cease? WC1

[Billy Mac]

sadly..there's one (and in this case, 3) in every crowd......You persivered (sp?) Cat.....and turned some kids, who "wanted" to learn, on to some great musical instruction......You are my Hero

[Gator]

Exactly, Billy......

[jim sanders]

yep well done WC !!