Thoughts and Ramblings

Born August 1st 1942, Jerry Garcia would have been 68 were he still alive today.

If you don’t know who he is - take a listen .

He has become an icon, and was (actually still is) a musical revolutionary…..both in spirit, and in the music he made.

No  or has ever played like Jerry (some have tried) – and no one ever will.  As soon as  a song he’s playing is heard, there’s no mistaking that it’s Jerry.  Even if you don’t hear his voice, his guitar sounds like none other.  That’s quite an accomplishment for any musician.

And now, today, he is inspiring others to follow their own “music” through keeping old traditional songs and forms/styles of music alive by tweaking them to fit today.  I think he’d be proud!  After all, that’s how he came up.  Playing acoustic guitar and banjo with the bluegrass bands in the early 60s.  Playing those old traditional songs that his own mentor, Bill Monroe was keeping alive.  I guess you’d call it the “audio tradition”.

Its fitting he, even after his passing, is the inspiration to so many.

“Let There be Songs – to Fill the Air!”

Jerry Garcia – 8/1/42 – 8/9/95

{ 0 comments }

I’ve had pretty poor posture my entire life.  I can see several reasons for it and am now ready to change it.  For good.

Slouching is just so bad for me, and it creates a bad “look” for my body.  My belly protrudes and my upper body hangs down.  I walk/run over a mile every day and do crunches and other ab exercises too – I want that to actually show; not be clouded by my crappy posture.

As I was looking for ideas on how to improve my posture – I even learned it is probably the culprit of my lower back aches I always get.  Never figured that would be the case.

It will take some constant vigilance on my part I think.  I’ve developed some really really bad habits over the many years of poor posture – and they’ll be difficult to break.

The other thing I’m going to try and do is include some pilates and yoga exercises in my daily routine.

I always feel better after doing the Cat/Cow (on all fours hold your back straight, then rounded as if you’re a “scared cat”.  Relax back into the flat back or “cow” then, repeat.).

There’s also a great exercise from a Pilates DVD I used to use.  You lay on your tummy with your legs spread shoulder width apart and your arms both raised above your head.  Tighten your abs (like a string is pulling your belly button toward your back) and then, make a wide sweep with your arms down to your sides; almost like you’re doing the breast stroke.  As you do this tighten your shoulder and back muscles to pull your upper body up as well.  Lower your upper bodyback down as you reach up tall with your arms.  Repeat from beginning.

That last one really makes my back feel great and strong and helps pull my shoulders into the proper place….I’m a big shoulder sloucher.

It doesn’t help that I work on the computer, and am often carrying a baby on my hip.  But, I’ve got to give it some effort and try to get this under control.   There have been too many bad posture years and if I let it go any longer the effects will be even worse, and the habit that much harder to break.

{ 0 comments }

It never ceases to amaze me how much one has to clean in life to keep things at least in some semblance of order, not to mention sanitary!

Laundry piles  piece after dirty little piece into an unending stash of clothing screaming for your attention to wash, dry, fold, and put it away again where it will rest….until next week!

Dishes are the same way.

And neither of these cleaning chores can be left all that long until there is nothing to either wear, or eat off of….not to mention the odors that erupt.

And how about the floors.  A family of 5 can really make a mess of the floors fast.  Add the pets to the mix, and sweeping everyday is a must.  Even then the dirt is never really all gone, it’s constantly being produced!

So really, no matter how hard I try, the chores are never all done.  When we’ve had showings or family up, it gets very close….and I relish in the feeling.  But, even then, its so short lived.

Life happens and leaves giant messes in its wake.  Thats simply reality.

I’d rather be constantly cleaning than live a life without its all its messy activity.

I’ll remind myself I said that next time I’m bitchin’ about cleaning!

{ 0 comments }

I have a little rant today.

Its about unreturned messages.

Email.  Telephone.  Even snail mail (although I don’t use that as much anymore).

When someone doesn’t return your message, they’re basically ignoring you.  Saying you don’t matter.  Its kind of like turning your back on someone during a face to face conversation.  At least in my opinion.

I do always try to give people the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe they didn’t get my message I remind myself.  Or, even I forget….shoot, I forget a lot.  So, I leave 2 and 3 messages.  Nice ones.  But sometimes, people just don’t return messages.

Theres a woman I know socially who doesn’t return emails (like consistently).  She’ll even send them out to a group and then when I respond, nothing.  Irritates the hell out of me.

In another current situation (which is the one really causing this rant) I’m trying to credential (in other words, make her a member of their network of providers so she can bill for services provided to their eligible members) a mental health therapist I work for with the agency that administers the contract for mental health services in the state of New Mexico.   I have to talk to this one paticular person and I’ve left her 3 messages at this point, actually 4 as I just left one.  Not one returned call.  No phone tag, no email (I left that too on my messages), nothing.

I can’t do my job until this woman gets in touch with me, and I have to waste my client’s money and time while I keep trying and trying to get this woman to talk to me.

There’s no reason for that.

None.

So, I called someone else today, and made sure that this woman’s name was mentioned.  I’m playing a bit of phone tag with that person right now, but I’ll definitely be making sure it is clear that I’ve had to waste time on this issue – 3 weeks.  And this process is never quick.

Meanwhile, the person I work for can’t start her business until this is all done!

Are you a person who doesn’t return messages?  Tell me why?  Help me understand.  Please.

Or, do you hate unreturned messages as much as I do?  Take a minute and commiserate with me!

{ 0 comments }