Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Rolly Polly Fish Heads.....

Here's a blast from the past. The intro to this video is a little too long, but get past that and the original Fish Heads video is well worth it. Happy Memories!!!!

Manly Men

Personally, I prefer men who don't have the asshole personna..... However, some men think that putting forth such an attitude makes them attractive and masculine. I don't think so.

Here's to men who are NOT assholes -- CHEERS -- don't ever think acting like a bad ass adds to "manliness" because is doesn't. It just makes you look like an ass.

Los Angeles Airport

Today was one of those long days. I was up before dawn to catch a 6:30 AM flight to Los Angeles for a meeting. The meeting adjourned at about 3:30, so that left plenty of time to hang around until the 6:50 PM flight back to Sonoma County.

What to do...... What to do.....

My business companion and I decided to just hang out at an eatery to have a bite and perhaps a glass (or two) of wine. We found an eatery/bar inside LAX once we got our boarding passes, cleared security, found our gate, etc.

We sat down and ordered some food. The waiter brought us bundled eating utensils wrapped in a napkin. I unwrapped the napkin to discover that the KNIFE was plastic, but the FORK was metal.

WTF?????????

I know we live in a hyper-alert-post-9-11-world, but couldn't a metal fork pose just as much potential danger as a metal knife? Why not a plastic knife AND a fork? Why just a PLASTIC knife? A person could drive a fork into somebody's neck just as easily as a knife? WHERE IS THE LOGIC?????? If they are going to allow metal forks beyond security, THEN GIVE ME BACK MY WINE OPENER AND HAND SANITIZER YOU CONFISCATED FROM MY PURSE!

The irony was just too much and I took a picture of it.

Peter Frampton with Yes

Well, well, well.... two concerts within one week for me. That sets a record. 'Tis the season for senior citizens on tour. Damn... I missed the Neil Young concert last night, but I'm sure the pot was just as good. The lay reviews I received from friends who attended Neil Young last night was that nobody could distinguish Neil Young from a whispery Hobbit. FRODO!!!!!!!

Which brings me to Peter Frampton and Yes. Some friends of ours invited us to join them for the Frampton and Yes concert at the Luther Burbank Center. Ooops... I suppose now it's called something commercial like the Wells Fargo Commercial something-or-other these days, but just like other landmarks in Sonoma County where people try to change the name (Black Mountain comes to mind) it will ALWAYS be the Luther Burbank Center no matter what corporate monstrosity happens to hold title for the day for commercial recognition and/or gain. Whatever.

So back to the Frampton and Yes concert. We went to dinner at a nice restaurant in Rail Road Square. After dinner we made our way to the Luther Burbank Center. Anyhoo, upon entering the parking lot at the Luther Burbank Center, we were welcomed by a non-foggy evening with temperatures still at the slightly-above-comfort level. Perfect timing for tailgating and a glass (or two) of wine.

Aged hippies in a Volvo arrived and parked next to us. They smiled at the sight of us young whipper snappers who DARED to bust against present day "political correctness" and DARE to have wine out in the OPEN for all to see. OMG!!!! Wine out in the OPEN in a PUBLIC PARKING LOT! Just where is the POLITICAL CORRECTNESS POLICE when needed? To top it off we were LAUGHING and having a GOOD TIME. SOMEBODY CALL THE COPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The aged hippies hung with us for a while and spoke of "day on the green" music festivals in SF of years gone by. Little did they know we were old enough to have experienced "day on the green" ourselves. I took that as a compliment.

After the friendly chat with the aged hippies we parted ways and entered the Luther Burbank Center. The lobby was under construction and FULL of people, so we meandered out to the front. Now we know why our aged hippie friends missed "day on the green" so much as it was obviously burning and eminating that distinctive smell.

The lights began to flicker so it was time to go in and sit down for the show. I have to admit that it took a few moments to figure out that the bald guitarist was actually Peter Frampton. Holy COW! What happened to the long, flowing hair that drove all the girls wild in the 1970's? Well, time waits for no one and Peter Frampton is no exception. Still, he has the same seductive eyes and wistful smile he's always had. So what. His hair isn't what it used to be. BFD. Who's is? He's still cute as ever. At least he's not pathetically trying to look like he's still 24. Bonus points in my book. HEY PETER, YOU ARE STILL SUPER SEXY!!!!!!!!

Then onto the band Yes. Yes is a band that spans several decades, as does Frampton. One music patron who sported a long, grey beard, birkenstocks, and a knitted beanie on his head looked as though he was one step out of the homeless camp/hippie commune. You decide.

Anyway, this homeless hippie was just waving his arms and jiving to the music and dancing in the isles. He did not give a shit what anybody thought of him. God Bless him. Party on, dude.

Paul McCartney in San Francisco

Wow... I waited a long, long time to see Paul in concert again. The last time I saw him was in 1989 in at Berkeley.

Paul's broad base of fans creates the most interesting energy at live performances. There were all types of people present. Many people were sporting apparel from previous McCartney concerts. Beatles paraphenalia was everywhere.

I guess now that Paul is rounding the curve to age 70, that would officially put him in senior citizen status. His original fan base is aging accordingly. The older guy sitting next to me was actually SLEEPING during the concert despite the sound decibles. His wife saw the Beatles live at Candlestick in 1966.

What was also funny were the aging hippies. There were some from the hippie generation I thought looked fantastic despite the fact that they were drugged out of their minds during most of the 1960's.

What also struck me as funny was the smell of pot wafting through the stadium. Maybe that's why the older guy sitting next to me was sleeping;)

Even Paul commented on the pot smell wafting through the stadium. I was waiting for somebody to jump up on stage to offer Paul a toke of a big, fat joint. Hey, we can always claim "medical necessity" right?????

Elder Swimmer

There is an elderly lady at the club I belong to. I see her there a lot hobbling in with a cane in one hand, and her bag containing her swimsuit in another. She shuffles her way slowly to the locker room. She puts on her swimsuit and inches her way out to the swimming pool.

That's where the magic transformation begins.

When she reaches the pool she elegantly enters the water. It is obvious she is comfortable in the water and that at one time she was a champion swimmer. She confidently swims laps that would put a 20-year-old-something to shame. She seems so free.....

After her swim she gets out of the water to regain her cane and again do the slow, pained shuffle back to the locker room to change.

In my opinion she is an amazing woman. I wish she had the same freedom of movement out of the pool that she has in the pool.....

Kids in Restaurants

Personally, I don't think there should be any "age" requirements for kids to eat in restaurants. I've seen perfectly well behaved small children. On the flip side, I've also seen adults that should be ejected. Let me tell you a little true story:

When our son was small (age 5) we were dining in a nice restaurant. Our son was proudly displaying his best table manners and was delighted that he could join the grown-ups.

In walks a group of 4 adults (two senior citizens) and they were seated at the table next to us. The senior man began to loudly complain that the reason that they come to this restaurant is that it is child-free. He hated being subject to kids misbehaving at dinner.

While I agree that kids (or adults) should not be allowed to ruin another diner's experience, I became enraged that the senior man's comments were unjustly aimed at us.

I cooly turned to the senior man and said, "Funny.... but the only whining and crying I'm hearing is coming from an old man."

Silence. Not a peep thereafter.