Old junk" can work better than "new and improved" !

Go figure.  This is further proof that, more often than not, "Old junk" can work better than "new and improved" !

At the same estate sale that I bought the Farfisa organ, I bought a  Morley Power Wah guitar pedal - for $1.  There was a sign taped to the pedal that read, "Needs Work - $1".   I paid a total of $26 for the Farfisa AND the Morley pedal. I use many effects pedals, including chorus, distortion, tape delay and wah pedals attached to many of my keyboards, from the digital piano to my Wurlitzer piano and now, the Farfisa.

The work that it needed was that the tiny light bulb that is the basis of it's function needed to be replaced.  It isn't economically viable for  electronics companies to sell and ship these tiny bulbs individually.  They are only 22 cents each. 

So.... I went to Walgreens and bought a string of mini Christmas lights.  I pulled a blank metal plug out of a hole in the side of the pedal, and stuck in a couple of the tiny lights.  This pedal now works perfectly - for a total of $6.99!


On the other hand, the guitar pedal that I bought new several years ago only has about 5 minutes of play time on it, because the damned thing doesn't work right.  It never has.  


A rigged 1970's vintage guitar pedal, bought for a total of $7  - works perfectly.
A brand new $70 pedal doesn't work at all. 


Go figure.

- Michael

Attending Summer's Funeral

Yesterday, October 25, 2011, the temperatures in the St. Louis area reached a balmy lower to mid 80's.

My yearly membership at the Missouri Botanical Gardens expires on Halloween, and I wanted to get one more free entrance to the Gardens before my card expires, and before the cold fall rains set in.  

This membership is only $65, and pays for unlimited free entrance to the Gardens for 2 people (with this level of membership), a 20% discount at the Gift Shop, and free or drastically reduced entrance fees to the big events at The Gardens, not limited to, but including the Japanese Fest, the Best of Missouri Market, and much more.  I will renew my membership in a couple months.

When I go to the Gardens in the middle of Winter, with the exception of the always-balmy Tropical Rain Forest (the Climatron), and the Linnean House (the oldest greenhouse west of the Mississippi River), there is no life in the Gardens.  The flower beds and every other planting the is exposed to the elements have long since been tucked away for a long winter's slumber.  There are no flower buds or green grass, and the reflection pools that were home to beautiful and bountiful water lilies in the summer months have been drained of their contents.  They are now nothing more than cold , desolate, sterile, geometric concrete pits.  What remains in my mind when I view this beautiful winterscape is that Summer is intangible:   It is far out of reach.  There is no doubt that Summer is not making a return to this area any time soon.

During this visit, I walked into the Gardens at a unique moment.

The atmosphere was obviously "Summer" in nature, but it was evident that I was attending Summer's funeral.  I could see Summer's remains, but I knew she was not alive, and I knew she had been viable not so long ago.  Autumn was present, and she was giving Summer's eulogy with a colorful flourish.

I was taken aback when Spring arrived at this memorial service as an unexpected mourner.  She manifested her presence in several different ways.

As I was walking through the English Woodland Garden section near Henry Shaw's Tower Grove House, I noticed several young May Apple plants making an appearance.  Just a short distance from the May Apples was a red azalea bush with a few new bright red blooms.  In one of the beds that surrounds the Kemper Center Demonstration Gardens, I noticed a "Common Lilac" bush in bloom.  This bush had recently been pruned back, and instead of the new shoots being buds or branches, they were healthy bunches of fragrant flowers.  Our sense of smell is the strongest link to our memories.  I took one whiff of this lilac, and I was immediately transcended to an early spring afternoon.

Summer's remains were laying in quiet repose.  The last Spring mourner to pass Summer's corpse was a healthy Iris, "Baby Blessed", in full bloom.  This particular iris is not one of the few reblooming varieties (such as "Autumn's Tryst" or "Total Recall"), but under normal circumstances, would bloom in late April to early May.

Baby Blesses

"Total Recall"

I know there must be a scientific explanation as to why these spring favorites made a sudden Fall appearance in the Botanical Gardens.  I can't explain this phenomenon on a scientific level - but I CAN enjoy them, and I cannot possibly express to you the level of gratitude that I possess that I have this jewel - The Missouri Botanical Gardens - in my back yard.

My life without the venues that I frequent in this area would be a bleak existence, indeed.  We have often thought about relocating, and even though there are always trade-offs when it comes to making a move, the area in which we would relocate would have to offer at least as much - or more - than what I have here.  There are a few cities that come close to having venues that are similar to those that I enjoy here in St. Louis.  My choice would have to be made very carefully.  Southern California / San Diego is on the top of the list!  :)

- Michael

That's not an outfit - that is an ENSEMBLE!

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Turkey Legs (thoughts, beliefs and actions!) and Tradition

A mother is preparing a Thanksgiving meal for her family. Her young daughter watches her closely, and asks, "Mom, why do you cut the turkey's legs off and lay them beside the turkey in the pan before you put it in the oven?" Her mother answers, "Because that is the way my mother always did it. Go ask your grandmother." The little girl heads into the livingroom and asks her grandmother the same question. Grandmother responds, "Because that is the way my mother always did it. Go ask your great-grandmother." The little girl finds her great-grandmother relaxing on the porch swing before the big meal. The little girl asks her, "Great-Grandma, why did you cut the turkey's legs off and lay them beside the turkey in the pan before you put it in the oven?" Great-Grandma answers her, "Because the pan I was using wasn't big enough!"

95% of the population have no idea why they think the thoughts that go through their heads on a daily basis, or why they do the actions that they do. You never think or do anything "Just because." Never. There is always a reason.

Michael says: "This story really isn't about turkeys. It's about everything you do in your life. Do you do it, or more importantly, NOT do it, 'Just because somebody else before you did it, or didn't do it'? Since none of our families have lived in Morocco for many generations, for example, and our lives are a conglomerate of many customs and traditions, I hereby declare you free from doing mindless repetitions of things you don't even think about, and to use your brain cells to make an educated distinction between which behaviors that you do on a regular basis that are worth keeping, and those that need re-examined, altered, or altogether eliminated from your life. If you need the Wizard of Oz to give you a declaration, there! You have it! But much like Dorothy, you already have the power within you do make whatever changes you deem necessary to your lives. Just because your Mother, Father (insert relative!) 'always did it' doesn't mean you are obliged to do so! I shudder to imagine even for a second the dark, self-constricted world I would live in, and what a bitter, bored person I would be if I mindlessly copied and relived the behaviors, beliefs and thoughts that were handed down to ME! Good God! Those were the FIRST to go!

Please don't misunderstand the intend of this barrage.

I find nothing more respectful, more traditional and more beautiful than religious / ceremonial or arts and crafts traditions that have been handed down for THOUSANDS of years. (Buddhism, for example, is 600 years older than Christianity, and Hinduism is about the same age as Judaism, which is thousands of years older than Christianity.)

My personal belief system is composed of a motley of beliefs, ranging from Buddhism, Hinduism, Jewish, Christian, Native American and Wicca - just to name a few. I don't believe than any one of these groups has the ENTIRE answer to life. I do believe they ALL have a part of the answer, and some of these religions, traditions and beliefs have more of the "Answer to life" than the others. Don't be fooled. In my mind's eye, the ratio to which belief has more of the truth that I follow than the others is probably not in the same proportions as you would suspect. (Hint: Christianity, just as an example, is not at the top of the list!)

HOWEVER… it’s about more than religion. Much more. In fact, debating religious beliefs is not at all the intent of this entry. My purpose is much more simply stated than that. If I say “We need to reexamine the reason we do the activities (believe the beliefs and think the thoughts) that we do on a daily basis.”, it is all too easy for someone to think that I am talking about ANYONE but them. Oh, no. Let me rephrase that:

“YOU need to reexamine ALL the reasons that YOU do ALL the activities, believe the beliefs and think the thoughts that YOU do on a daily basis.”,

The moral(s) of this saga:

1) You are not bound by what any of your ancestors may or may not have done in the past - you are FREE to roam about the cabin!

2) Get a bigger pan for the turkey, and stop mindlessly cutting the poor thing's legs off! (Substitute "turkey" for any behavior, belief or thought that you knowingly - or unknowingly! - repeat without first examining it!

- Michael

If Someone is Living In Your Head Rent-Free, Put Them to Work!

(Compliments of artist Bruce Holwerda @ www.bruceholwerda.com)

Not giving your power away is easier 'Said than done'", and it is a chore that I have to work on every day, but I am bound and determined to win the war.

HOWEVER.... (Fury, anger, stress) produces stress - and stress produces adrenaline, and there might be a silver lining to that cloud.

A study was done on rats. They were placed in several inches of water in a tub. Prior to placing the rats in the tub, a clear plexiglas platform was placed in the middle of the tub, with only an inch of water covering it.

The rats were placed in the tub, and eventually found the plexiglass island in the center of the tub.

The next day, half of the rats were given a 'booster' shot of adrenaline before being placed in the tub. The rats that received the shots found the plexiglass island in half the time required to find the platform by the rats that were not given the shot.

The conclusion reached by this experiment:

Even though living in a constant state of fight-or-flight is not a 'good thing', occasional boosts of adrenaline definitely does improve memory!

(Compliments of artist Bruce Holwerda @ www.bruceholwerda.com)

I practice reading music and playing piano or organ every day, usually 2 - 3 hours a day. If I keep tripping over a spot in the music (and I am sure that I have previously played that passage with no mistakes), the only thing I have to do to get over the speed bump that is tripping me up is to envision smashing the face of some untalented individual who exists in my past who previously poked fun, jeered, or would walk by me when I was practicing and say, "That's not how you play that song!" when they, themselves, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, even if I carried it for them! Unfortunately, that person has historically been a family member, but....I digress.

I can do this little exercise 'at will'. Should I start stumbling while playing my music, I only have to call up a certain mental image, and there is no possible way that I can convey to you how effective this exercise is, when it comes to getting me by a tough spot in the music that my memory previously perceived as a 'block'. It works like a charm!

(Compliments of artist Bruce Holwerda @ www.bruceholwerda.com)

The moral of this little saga:

Even though it is technically not a 'good thing' to let somebody live inside your head rent free, and to give away your power to them, there is no law against gaining SOME compensation for their inconvenience in your live by putting them to work to pay for their stay (inside your head!) If you are going to let them dwell in your head, put them to work!

- Michael

When I need an Inspirational Infusion....

Meet Theo Jansen, a Kinetic Sculptor:

This man is truly inspirational. I was captivated from the first second of this video!

I believe **everybody** is given the same amount of energy, and that before one's life is over, that energy will be and must be spent.

This gentleman is a great example of a person who has chosen, on a daily basis, to use the energy that was given to him in ever-increasingly creative and beautiful ways.

Our brains are in a fluid state, so-to-speak. Some people think (or they are to lazy to think about it at all!) that the information that is in their minds is there on a permanent basis. (Watching 'Brain Games'on NatGeo should change their minds, but it probably won't):

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/brain-games/

Like our brains, our energy is never static. It doesn't stand still. Our energy will be used - either for good or for bad purposes. Someone will win. Someone will lose. There are no 'in-betweens', and we can't call a stalemate.

The people that ARE reading this comment are great examples of me "preaching to the choir."

The people that need to read my comment will be the same people that will not do so because I don't want most of those individuals any where near me.  A few of them have slipped past the super-sensitive radar that I use to screen out lazy, bitter, uncreative, destructive individuals who do nothing to make the world a better place before they make their exit. They're too lazy (or guilty!) to read this, so they won't get this far, either! It's much like offending an Amish person on TV. Due to several beliefs, they can't watch TV, so they wouldn't see the offense in the first place. Ya know?

- Michael

The Pet Shop Girls..... Out of the mouths of.... Parrots!

Conrad is so much like his daddy!

This morning, I heard him yelling, "I love you - and ME!"

Yesterday, I had him in the bathroom, playing on the counter while I took a bath. After several attempts at getting me to come and get him ("Come here! Come here!") he proceeded to pick up everything off the counter (my contact lens case, a hair brush, tooth brush, etc), and threw them - one by one - at me!

Like humans, African Greys do not readily recognize themselves in the mirror, but they can be taught to do so. After Conrad threw everything from the counter at me, he spent the remainder of my bath time doing his version of the "sticking your tongue out at yourself" in the mirror! Like his daddy, he loves mirrors, too - and he KNOWS he is looking at himself.

‎(I failed to mention that after Conrad threw each item from the counter at me, he would duck down.... The normal routine is that when he throws something at me, I pick it up, and throw it back at him. He was preparing himself for retaliation by ducking after he threw it!)

African Grey Parrot

Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot

There was a yellow-naped Amazon parrot at a pet store that I used to frequent in Quincy, IL. Her name was Penny. Because of psoriasis - and I like the way I look - I have been tanned for decades. VERY tan. When I walk by Penny's cage, she would call me the "N" word, then she would quickly duck down in the bottom of the cage, yelling, "You'd better watch that! You'd better watch that!"

Where did she learn this routine? The pet shop owners had to set up hidden cameras, and they caught their evening staff showing Penny pictures of black people, and telling her to call them the "N" word! When she would call somebody that word, they would take a whack at her cage in retaliation, and they would say, "You'd better watch that (who you say that to) !" She learned to duck and hide in the bottom of her cage, and say "You'd better watch that!" after she called a person the derogatory term!

Needless to say, the evening shift was fired and replaced.

HOWEVER.... Once a parrot learns something, you can hope and pray to change it, and with VERY minor success, but for the most part, once it's learned, it is EXTREMELY PERMANENT!

Yellow-naped Amazons are immediately behind African Greys when it comes to their ability to use human speech appropriately.

 There are a couple differences between the 2 species:

1) Amazons enjoy 'mimicry', as well as using the language for a specific reason.  Greys do not particularly enjoy mimicry, although they will occasionally engage in such activity, and get rather bored quickly by that simple game.

2) You will rarely ever see an African Grey parrot in "Bird Shows" on TV, or in amusement parks, for 3 reasons:

a) They do not enjoy mimicry games, which is required for human entertainment in "Bird Shows".

b)  They are NOT happy being perched in one spot for more than a few minutes.  A macaw, Yellow-naped Amazon or Cockatoo can be left on a perch in a public for many hours.  If a Grey is left in such a spot, they will jump off (or climb down!) off that perch in a few short minutes, and they are outta there!

c) It is an unfortunate fact that the even though the African Grey parrot has the highest intelligence of all parrots, they are also the most shy of all the large parrot species, AND they are smart enough to 'not talk when they don't want to do so.'  That can be frustrating to a silly human being who thinks African Greys are little puppets that will do everything at the whim of a beckoning human being!  The Grey will have other ideas.

- Michael