Craig's Blog of Destiny

Ok, so here’s what I’ve been reading:

 I just finished Neil Peart’s book “Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times.”  Frankly, I was a little worried about liking it because I had read “Ghost Rider:  Travels on the Healing Road” and wasn’t that excited about it.  It seemed to me a little to much like a simple travelogue.  However, I believe this one, “Traveling Music,” was better written and much more enjoyable to read.  You probably need to be a Rush fan to find it terribly interesting, but of course, I am and I did.  One of my favorite passages is a description of Alex creating a lead solo.  He describes Alex as playing “with total abandon, total surrender, his body nodding and twisting like a puppet to his own fingers, rapt in the physical expression of his soul.”  In addition to the insights into the creation of some of that music, it was very nice to have a background on Neil’s life, the music that influenced him and some of the glimpses into some of the things that he’s experienced.

I’m right now in the middle of “102 minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers.”  I’m disappointed in it, as I was expecting a little more of a story quality to the narrative, but it reads more like a text book.  And the tone is very critical: critical of the procedures of the NYPD and the NYFD, critical of the New York Port Authority (which owned the property), critical of the designers, architects and builders of the World Trade Center; critical of politicians who enforced (or failed to enforce) the building codes, even those who wrote the codes.  In fact, about the only folks the book hasn’t been critical about are the victims and the terriorists that flew the planes.   I don’t think I’ll actually make it all the way to the end of this one, though I’ll get close on the plane rides I have coming up.

At college I took a writing course.  One of the things that got drilled into me was that anytime I’m writing, foremost in my mind has to be my audience.  The instructor always made us identify, to him, the audience before he would grade or evaluate anything we did.  I recognize that in writing things for this blog, I have to identify and consider my audience.  Today, I would like to specifically, and actually, address that audience.

I believe that you know me, and know something about my experience, background and priorities. (I know, I know, I have to get that “About Me” page done and posted sometime.…)  I hope you would like to know a little more about me, but if not, that’s ok with me (see “My First Post – July 9, 2007”).

One of the most important things is that I will be making some assumptions that you know what I’m talking about.  For example, if I write that “J’Neil got the Ibanez down and we played some of the songs I do with the band as well as a little bit of Rivendale” I hope you recognize that J’Neil is my daughter, that she got the Ibanez bass we have (my first bass!) and we played some songs together – songs that I play with the Four Rivers Band and a Rush song about the Lord of the Rings home of Elrond on the banks of the Loud Water.  (By the way – she did very well and it’s fun jamming with her, now on the bass as well as the piano, flute or marimba!)  I’m a little afraid that sometimes I may miss on that assumption and reference something you won’t follow; for that I apologize.  Please ask if you feel a need for clarification. Or I’m afraid that there will be something that most of you know, but some don’t.  I’ve started an upcoming post that references Geddy – I recognize that some of you may not know who that is.  I’ll try to foot note some of those, but I’m sure that I’ll miss some, so again, please ask if you feel the need.

I also know that many of you in my audience will have experienced the same things as I have, or will have been there when some event I reference actually happened.  And it’s so possible that you’ll say to yourself, “Wait a minute, that’s not what happened…”  Alas, I’ve come to recognize that my memory is only that: my memory.  (I was somewhat disappointed recently when Sam got a cd of classic Bill Cosby routines and the memory I have of one of those routines, and have told many people about, was inaccurate.  Heavy sigh….).  So, if you think I got something wrong, I’m sorry.  Please chock it up to an old man’s misfiring brain.

Finally, I recognize that some of you see the world a little differently than I do (viva la difference!) and that sometimes you may think that I’m out in left field.  If so, please remember that we all stand on our own home plate and from where I am it’s you that seem to be out in left field.  I value and have utmost respect for your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values, and opinions, and do not want, in any way, to offend anyone.  (I’m such a nice guy….)  So if you ever feel offended by something you come across here, stop it.  (There’s a quote in the rotation about being offended, I’ll let you come across it.)  (Are you starting to notice that my style (my voice, if you will) has a whole bunch of parenthesis in it?)  I sincerely do not want to offend anyone.  If you feel offended, again, all I can say is:  stop it.

I appreciate your willingness to check in every now and then and hope you enjoy stuff I put up.

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This Song Has No Title, by Elton John

Back when I used to read Sports Illustrated on a real regular basis there was one small part of the Scorecard section I never missed, titled “This week’s sign of the Apocalypse.”  Recently I saw one of those signs of the Apocalypse on TV.

Have you noticed that movie studios have taken to advertise their movies on television more often these days?  Some are ok, but I tend to be annoyed by the horror/slasher movies being advertised.  I don’t understand the appeal to those types of movies at all.  Why would anyone want to see people getting murdered, or killed in some violent, bloody way?    It seems to me that for the most part we don’t really like seeing violence; have you seen the video of Joe Namath getting his leg broken in an NFL game?  It hurts to watch.  Notice that there is a different response to the America’s Funniest Videos when someone gets hurt, it’s much more of a sympathetic groan than laughter.  I noticed the other day that when I had to have blood drawn, I don’t mind the needle so much as long as I don’t have to watch it go in. 

So why is there so much money to be made from these violent movies?  That the movies are made doesn’t bug me so much, as I don’t have to go to them (“I don’t like what goes on at Bed, Bath and Beyond, so I don’t go there…”), but why are people paying to go see them?  I’m baffled.

I don’t recall what the movie was that I saw an ad for on TV, but one of the promotional lines hung in my living room like a bad odor.  It was about some killing spree and the line was “inspired by a true story.”

Ok, so there was someone that went nuts and killed people.  That’s bad, that’s evil.  Ok, so someone decided that this evil story had to be told, they had to make a movie about it.  Ok, someone elected to go the horror/slasher route.  Ok, they made the movie, and the movie is being promoted.  But who in this much maligned social sphere we live in could conceivable be “inspired” by such an event?  And if they are inspired, I just have to ask, inspired to WHAT?

Such a poor choice of words in such a public forum…

Lately while listening to my satellite radio on the drive between Seattle and the Tri-Cities, I’ve been going to the comedy stations. A couple of times now, I’ve heard a piece by Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy is one of those Saturday Night Live alumni that I always thought was a little better than some of the others on SNL. His talent was certainly evident, but even more telling: he always seemed to be having so much fun!! I believe he’s continued to have fun doing stand up type things and I was excited to find this piece on youtube.

WARNING: You’ll have Troll Doll jingles in your head for the rest of the day! Beware the Alanis Morrisette one!

Rush in concert in SLC, the seventh concert on my Rush tour.

Rush in concert in Sacramento, the sixth concert in my Rush tour.

Rush in concert in Concord, California; the fifth concert in my Rush tour.

Rush in concert at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View (San Francisco) California; the fourth concert in my Rush tour.