I’d rather do something useful, like practice guitar. Or practice vocals, which I really, really, need to practice. Or practice anything in the here and now, and not waste precious time on something that exists only between the ears of believers.

If you want to know how I feel about religion, watch a few George Carlin routines.

I’ll make it easy for you:

If I had to proclaim faith in anything, it would be in the scientific method. Where things are verifiable, observable, repeatable, and not based solely on a belief, rattling around in someones head, which is none of those things.

I also have faith that most people who are believers, are unmitigated assholes. They manage to prove it almost every time I run into one. Well, where are all of these assholes you ask? Try the church down the road, or a Trump rally, the internet, Congress, or even SCOTUS. I’m sure you will have really good luck looking in any of those places.

You’ll bag a shitload of assholes. If there’s anything I’m sure of in this world, it is that. No faith required.

Daily writing prompt

Do you practice religion?

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I’m a goddamn sexual Tyrannosaurus of course!

Well, maybe not quite, but close 😉

Seriously, I am a jack of all trades kind of guy. I weld/ fabricate. I fix stuff, from cars, to outboards, to diving gear, to home appliances. There’s not much I can’t manage in those departments. When I do run across something over my head, I’ll break down and pay someone who can do it. (Or in some cases if the numbers simply add up to it, I might as well pay to get it done, considering parts, time, and special tools for the job.) But I really, really, hate to pay someone to do it for me. I’ll scour the net for info, videos, for whatever I find myself in the middle of, and when all else fails, I call the professionals.

Long story short, I’m a hard headed, cheap bastard, who would rather do it myself than pay through the nose to have it done for me.

I’m a good enough guitar player that I understand how much I still need to learn, after playing one for ~45 years.

I’m a good enough amateur astronomer I can point out the planets, the constellations, and navigate by the stars if I had to.

Even at my age, I’m still a pretty good shelldigger too. But I can tell I’m slowing down. When you can talk about what hurts for 20 minutes, you probably need to slow down anyway 😉

Guys like me are a dime a dozen. We’re nothing special. We get by on the edge of existence, hoping things will finally allow us to retire to the rocking chair sometime soon. But know full well, it ain’t happening yet.

But it’s right around the corner, I just know it.

Daily writing prompt

What are you good at?

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Due to my bass player, who is a local, and knows just about everyone around who dabbles in music, I’ve met and shared a stage, or a jam, with a lot of local talent that I had no idea existed. I am blown away by the talent right here in my neck of the woods. Amazing.

Some people I’ve met, and shared a stage with, up in Murray Ky. are tapped in to the local scene there. They are a man and wife duo, who are incredibly talented. They even tour, in fact they are heading out on tour soon. These folks have been all over the country playing, sharing their art, and consequently have met other talent like themselves, who are out there grinding away in the music biz.

So, since they know people, and know when they are coming through town on a tour, they started hosting small, invite only, in home shows. They put the starving, touring artists up for a day or two, and have a small concert in their living room. (The music scene is nothing like it used to be, there’s not much $$$ involved, unless you are backed by the biz.) From what I understand, the people who come through, reciprocate, that is, they will do the same for those who help them, when they come through their town on tour. Awesome. Life is tough on the road. Nobody gives a shit about a starving musician… Except other musicians who understand their situation.

Our wonderful hosts have a tip jar at the door. They also allow the artists to sell merch in the dining room. They give the artists a bed and a shower, and an opportunity to make a few bucks between booked shows. They even guarantee a minimum $150 take. That is, if the tips don’t get to the minimum, they chip in the rest to make the minimum guarantee.

The last concert I attended was one of these. A small, initimate show, hosted in the home of some friends. I had a great time. There were two solo acts, who tour together, and share a few songs together, and a local I’ve met before, who were there. Musically, it was all original, mostly folkish stuff, with some Americana. Not full blown rock bands in the living room, though I’d be alright with that 😉

Can’t wait for another opportunity. Are we there yet?

I’d bet a shiny new quarter, there is some local talent in your town. You should get out and see! Music is meant to be experienced. Experience it. I don’t mean the cover bands at the local tavern. No, there’s original acts out there trying to share their art. Quite likely right in your town.

Get some culture in your life, it can make you, a better you 😉

Oh, here is a FB page with the tour dates, I’m sure they won’t mind me posting this, it’s already public. She can sing like a bird, and has a unique guitar style. I highly recommend going to check them out. Down to earth people too. Did I mention highly talented? Tell them SD sent ya.

https://www.facebook.com/melanieadavismusic

Daily writing prompt

What was the last live performance you saw?

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That’s easy, a compass.

Now, I’m pretty good at knowing my directions, I’m one of those with a good sense of direction. I know enough about the night sky, I know my direction in the dark.

But, when you come up from a dive, and you are fogged in so bad you can’t see the front of the boat, I don’t care who you are, or how well your innate sense of direction is, you’re lost. There had been current throughout the day, I thought, “I’ll toss out my anchor, when the boat pulls tight, I’ll know which way is S.”* Well they shut the current down, the same current that had been running all day, was now nill. No wind, which would have helped, but nope.

So, the next thing you do is try crank up the outboard, and head in the direction you think an island near you is. No matter how straight you hold the helm, all you do is make a wide circle, quite soon you will be hitting your own wake.

Now I take stock of my supplies, one granola bar and a bottle of water. Slim pickings for supper. Lost and hungry, great.

The sun, if I could have seen it, would have helped. In the fall afternoon, around these parts, the sun will be in a westerly direction. But the fog was so thick the location of the sun was impossible. Every avenue of any way to find a direction was just not there.

I got lucky though, I heard a slow moving towboat. I cranked the outboard, headed in the direction of the towboat. Shut off the motor, listen, get a new tack on the direction of the towboat diesels, and make another short run. I did this several times, and I finally closed in on the tow. I suppose the captain saw me coming with his radar, there was a guy standing on the deck, I yelled, which way you headed? He replied S. Excellent, that’s the way I need to go, so I followed along.

We soon hit a bend where the river channel cuts close to the bank, and I could see land. I knew exactly where I was at! All I had to do was follow the shoreline and it would take me to the boat ramp where my truck was parked.

So I had supper at home after all. And I never, no matter if it’s a beautiful sunny day, ever, go out in a boat again without a compass.

Sorry, this is a rehash of an Old Divers Tale, you may have heard it.

Now, just in case the meaning of this WP prompt was meant to be a deeper diven (haha) into the word “direction.” all I can say there is, direction found me, not the other way around.

*The Tn. river runs S into Alabama, then turns and runs in a northerly direction till it hits the Ohio river. Bet ya didn’t know that. I don’t know of any other river that runs N.

Side note, made my first diving trip of the year yesterday, everything I have hurts right now. Very demanding on the body. But at the same time, I’m sitting here thinking of heading back out regardless. That’s the power that diving, and just being out there living, has on me.

Daily writing prompt

What gives you direction in life?

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