tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post1291033560623063669..comments2022-03-25T11:34:51.232-07:00Comments on Bend Sux: "Indian Summer"? Fuhgeddaboudit.H. Bruce Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-39112373103413506052011-10-13T22:18:26.235-07:002011-10-13T22:18:26.235-07:00Bruce,
Bully! And a lot of "metal" may...Bruce,<br /><br />Bully! And a lot of "metal" may have only (2) chords. But for most, there's not a lot of money in it. Swing past any club that has a venue and notice all the "No Cover!" banners.<br /><br />Fumbling one's way thru a Nirvana tune is one thing, becoming a Journeyman rock guitarist quite another. I've been playing almost 40 years and only recently felt fully competent.<br /><br />And by the time you've attained that, you're pretty comfortable on just about anything w/ strings any way. Guitars are tuned in 5ths, violins in 4ths. <br /><br />I think it's great there's still chamber music and I'm looking for an upright bass and harp for our living room. Guests seem to love that.<br /><br />Sat/subscriber radio should keep Jazz etc. alive into the next millenium.Marshall_Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813579074330812057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-65718624972472414742011-10-13T14:19:17.152-07:002011-10-13T14:19:17.152-07:00"If Classical Music really is so 'moving&..."If Classical Music really is so 'moving' then why aren't people forming their own string quartets etc. like garage bands crop up?"<br /><br />I can think of at least three reasons off the top of my head.<br /><br />1. It takes many years of hard work to become a good classical musician. There's more to it than learning three chords on a guitar.<br /><br />2. Even modestly successful rock musicians make more money than all but the most successful classical musicians.<br /><br />3. Guys in rock bands get more pussy than guys in string quartets. (Considering their typical age, this may be the biggest motive for the garage band musicians.)<br /><br />Despite all that, string quartets are still being formed and are still performing and recording. Why? Because some people still love the music -- just as some people still love jazz.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-20423925076817464962011-10-13T13:09:18.068-07:002011-10-13T13:09:18.068-07:00There's always Pop Culture exceptions ( the Mo...There's always Pop Culture exceptions ( the Monster Mash is still w/ us ) and seems to surface every year about this time.<br /><br />We'll approach this from the contra for a change? Look at Opera. Look at the Oregon Symphony. Broke. In DEBT. Forev....er need ing donations and generally poorly attended.<br /><br />Sorry but these 'cultural' hangovers are vestiges leftover from our Euro-heritage. As in why did the Do-do still have wings? They've been dying a slow and agonizing death for years. But somebody on the city council or whatever INSISTS we siphon off public funds to "Keep The Arts ALIVE!" <br /><br />Well dude I'm sorry. This is the very -definition- of DOA. If not for political wrangling and generally speaking unknowing, unAUTHORIZED 'support' they'd be long gone.<br /><br />Loyalists will claim it's b/c we don't 'teach' Classical Music in school any more? And... why is that? You'll be given a whole litany of rationalizations but the bottom line is the kids can't STAND it. They'd rather get a swirly in the boy's room than submit themselves to that!<br /><br />Again, how is American Pop Culture ever wrong? Most people that learned Rock Guitar did so by teaching themselves. If Classical Music really is so 'moving' then why aren't people forming their own string quartets etc. like garage bands crop up?Marshall_Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813579074330812057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-91015050851168744592011-10-12T06:34:25.482-07:002011-10-12T06:34:25.482-07:00With absolutely no intention of causing a dispute ...With absolutely no intention of causing a dispute here, I just wanted to post a link to the 2009 Annual State of the Air report (newer ones may be available, didn't just out at me) for metropolitan areas at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30476335/ns/us_news-environment/t/report-lists-worst-best-cities-air-quality/#.TpWOvdFNozY<br /><br />Bend is not listed, of course, although Billings, Mont. and Coeur d’Alene, Id. are. <br /><br />Ozone levels and particulates are reported.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-12652332094284121002011-10-11T13:07:59.974-07:002011-10-11T13:07:59.974-07:00Well, there is a distinction to be made between so...Well, there is a distinction to be made between some currently happening that is popular right now and "...the good stuff [that] rises to the top and is remembered."<br /><br />Yes, time is the essential ingredient for the sorting process. So I should refine my postulate to read something like, "Popularity does not correlate well with quality unless at least a decade has gone by."<br /><br />Cumbersome, but you see where I'm going.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-24944128312188730162011-10-10T18:30:09.309-07:002011-10-10T18:30:09.309-07:00I think Marshall's saying that in the long run...I think Marshall's saying that in the long run the crap in the popular culture sinks to the bottom and is forgotten, while the good stuff rises to the top and is remembered. I think there's some validity to that.<br /><br />Of course there's always new crap appearing to take the place of the old stuff that sunk.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-78722098959968442312011-10-10T16:44:47.647-07:002011-10-10T16:44:47.647-07:00"I for one think typically American Pop Cultu..."I for one think typically American Pop Culture DOES get it right!"<br /><br />Well sure -- bit of a tautology, that: Popular culture does get what's popular right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-31562047406244602732011-10-10T16:43:48.290-07:002011-10-10T16:43:48.290-07:00Jack,
I can be having one whiz-bang of a day! Ma...Jack,<br /><br />I can be having one whiz-bang of a day! Maybe a Friday where you're just on fire. Every stock trade a winner, every call flattering hero worship.<br /><br />Your kids didn't hit you up for money and even the wife seems especially cheery. THEN... you step outside.<br /><br />Your neighbor has you blocked in, knock-knock. You haven't gone a block and you've been cut off in traffic and some a-hole left their shopping cart [where] you can no longer park [ ] WTF?<br /><br />It used to frustrate me. Now I've learned the secret. Low expectations. Works like a charm. By expecting -zilch- from society, you don't get your hopes unnecessarily elevated and when they DO get things right, it's a pleasant surprise?Marshall_Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813579074330812057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-12776687561525254182011-10-10T15:21:16.420-07:002011-10-10T15:21:16.420-07:00Marshall. "People pollution." Of course!...Marshall. "People pollution." Of course! Simple and self-explanatory. Too damn many people. Crowded. Noisy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-10790819419851765582011-10-10T15:08:36.321-07:002011-10-10T15:08:36.321-07:00"Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel any..."Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel any need to place myself 'above the masses'. Most of us are avg."<br /><br />Oh no. Not me. I'm <i>very</i> special! Unique and discerning. Highly refined. Come to think if it, I don't know why I lower myself to even post on this blog and do discourse with Philistines. Or read blogs. Other than my own, of course. Brilliant! <br /><br />:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-73554253605023268692011-10-10T14:29:13.935-07:002011-10-10T14:29:13.935-07:00I for one think typically American Pop Culture DOE...I for one think typically American Pop Culture DOES get it right! The media co's can pre-package the latest sweet young thang/boy band and promote the HELL out of 'em.<br /><br />But in the end, if they have no talent, we'll tire of their face ( ala Jessica Simpson and her LESS talented lil' sis ) and they wind up on the scrapheap of has beens soon enough.<br /><br />Pet rocks? Whatever. The 70's were an economic malaise much as today. People felt they needed just about anything to cheer themselves up. Enter Mr. Smiley Face that wound up on everything! <br /><br />The Bay City Rollers SUCKED major azz. No one remembers them. James Taylor and Jackson Brown we remember! Now movie co's fear feedback from teens most. If a movie SUCKS they're texting their buddies not to waste their allowance before the show is even over.<br /><br />Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel any need to place myself "above the masses". Most of us are avg.Marshall_Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813579074330812057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-90954587232062604272011-10-10T14:22:04.702-07:002011-10-10T14:22:04.702-07:00If it was me, I'd Google Image Cheryl Burke+Le...If it was me, I'd Google Image Cheryl Burke+Legs. Or @$$. It's your computer. All the dancer gals are lovely it's just that our daughters are Fil-Am as is CB. Great success story and role model for younger gals. That's all.<br /><br />I have -nothing- against hunting and I'd like to take it up, if this economy ever gets turned around. Most of my friends/fellow Guardsmen hunt.<br /><br />Thanks for the admition Jack. And you can say it in front of us, People Pollution. Never have I seen more people that seem to have Nowhere To Go And All Day To Get There than I have in SoCal.<br /><br />Like my old shop sup's sign used to say; "If you have nothing to do, don't do it HERE!"<br /><br />I think you'd be surprised by what's really going ON in Snowbird Land. It's not shuffleboard AFAICT? They're reverting back to their childhood and getting BIKES. Taking road trips. Hell, at 52 I'm in a rock band and wished we had a gig EVERY weekend. <br /><br />Seems to me the opposite takes place in Oregon? Maybe the trick is to not stay here too long? Bail while you're at the end of the honeymoon phase. And to be fair, I was Navy for 10 years. I'm used to bugging out after a couple of years. Stay in one place too long and all you SEE is the warts. Corruption, etc.Marshall_Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813579074330812057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-34845277128834005812011-10-10T14:07:48.876-07:002011-10-10T14:07:48.876-07:00"Bottom line, I'm not real big on watchin..."Bottom line, I'm not real big on watching other people do stuff."<br /><br />Well-put. <br /><br />"I'll have to google up Cheryl Burke as I have no idea who she is."<br /><br />Me, neither. Just Googled her. Not an unattractive woman at all. But having to sit through nitwit celebrities and commercials to watch her isn't worth it to me. <br /><br />I like my pr0n straight up, and that's why the Internet was invented.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-29753971569624467642011-10-10T14:01:24.081-07:002011-10-10T14:01:24.081-07:00"But people love 'em, Jack, so they MUST ..."But people love 'em, Jack, so they MUST be terrific!"<br /><br />Ha ha. <br /><br />"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." <br /> -- H. L. Mencken.<br /><br />"People can easily be persuaded to accept the most inferior ideas or useless products."<br /><br /> -- Attributed to H. L. Mencken. <br /><br />Sturgeon's Law: "Ninety percent of everything is crap."<br /><br />Jack's Law: Sturgeon was an optimist.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-65162303718421336602011-10-10T13:39:33.591-07:002011-10-10T13:39:33.591-07:00"I'm usually asleep by 9 pm at the latest..."I'm usually asleep by 9 pm at the latest"<br /><br />And in that respect also you are a typical Bendian. Any time a Bendian stays up past 10 he thinks he's living la vida loca. (Note: This excludes Bendians under 30.)H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-6750571344266749752011-10-10T13:33:04.378-07:002011-10-10T13:33:04.378-07:00"he's looking to move to some nice, quiet..."he's looking to move to some nice, quiet, sunbird state where everyone sedately drives to the Olive Garden in their Buicks and Oldsmobiles to gum some Early Bird specials before retiring in the evening in their mobile homes to watch some Golden Girls and Matlock on the color TV."<br /><br />Ah, now that's PARADISE!!!H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-27437153195839599442011-10-10T13:26:52.668-07:002011-10-10T13:26:52.668-07:00"Talent shows, popularity contests, don't..."Talent shows, popularity contests, don't interest me."<br /><br />But people love 'em, Jack, so they MUST be terrific!H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-11782746573065916912011-10-10T13:06:24.916-07:002011-10-10T13:06:24.916-07:00Lurking about in camo's w/ a bunch of dudes sp...Lurking about in camo's w/ a bunch of dudes spreading mammal fecal matter on each other was just never my bag.<br /><br />LOL...I hear ya, it's not for everyone but I do enjoy it. It's a solitary thing for me as I try to stay away from other dudes...especially the beer swilling bumkins, as that can be dangerous for your health.<br /><br />Done the ballroom dancing lessons myself, didn't want to look completely foolish at the wedding.<br /><br />I think it's my odd personality that doesn't understand what people see with this new style of TV programming. I know I'm not the typical person you meet on the street but to me it's all a big distraction and/or a marketing tactic. I just don't have the time or energy for that sort of stuff. Bottom line, I'm not real big on watching other people do stuff. I've got just enough time in my day for work, family, and a little bit of me time at some point during the week. I'm usually asleep by 9pm at the latest because I've got nothing left at the end of the day.<br /><br />I do think you're statement about being DOA if you're not into window shopping random females on TV is pretty lame...I'll have to google up Cheryl Burke as I have no idea who she is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-42852069020035211752011-10-10T13:01:03.295-07:002011-10-10T13:01:03.295-07:00Marshall -- sorry, when you're right, you'...Marshall -- sorry, when you're right, you're right. <br /><br />I was just being lazy when I wrote "pollution," since most people think I'm talking about air pollution as defined by the AQMD. Ignoring the many areas in SoCal so close to freeways that epidemiological studies show huge spikes in asthma among children, and the many days a year when the ozone is so high that people with breathing or other health problems are urged to stay indoors, there are other forms of pollution. <br /><br />In terms of air pollution, there is no way I can be convinced that breathing the farts and exhalations and aerosol byproducts and brake pad dust and other crap in the air when surrounded by a sea of 6 million people (San Diego) or 20 million people (Los Angeles) can be as healthful as what I'm breathing now in Bend. You may feel otherwise. <br /><br />My shorthand for "pollution" was also meant to cover all the other side effects of living cheek-by-jowl with some many others. Visual pollution, noise pollution, to name two. <br /><br />And don't even get me started on the tap water. it might be safe per municipal water standards, but it tastes like old, watery soup made from community swimming pool water.<br /><br />You listed other reasons why someone might not like to live in Cali, and those are good ones, too. I just don't have so much time on my hands today to try to write a thesis. As I said, I was being lazy.<br /><br />But honestly, and really truly, I didn't add my lightweight little "I have hopes for a few more nice days for camping" comment to be a gauntlet thrown down as a challenge to those with gloomy and hopeless outlooks. <br /><br />Saying "to each his own" is not an inappropriate response in my book. <br /><br />I mean, if you really really loved vanilla ice cream and I came along and said that I ate vanilla for 58 years because that's all there was and grew really weary of it, and perhaps listed what I felt were its deficiencies - exaggerating a bit, but no more than Bruce does when complaining about Bend - then said that I now prefer chocolate ... isn't that good enough justification?<br /><br />I realize that this blog is called "Bend Sux," and Bruce has his reasons for feeling the way he does. He's been here for a long time, is getting more decrepit by the day; the cold nights are making his hand cold on his walker when he fetches the mail, and he's looking to move to some nice, quiet, sunbird state where everyone sedately drives to the Olive Garden in their Buicks and Oldsmobiles to gum some Early Bird specials before retiring in the evening in their mobile homes to watch some Golden Girls and Matlock on the color TV. <br /><br />And that's fine. He has valid reasons to dislike Bend and gets a lot of pleasure griping about it.<br /><br />Well, by the same token, I have my reasons for disliking SoCal. That my tastes are in the minority here should not be a reason to try to pick a fight/debate with me since no one is going to convince me that I am mistaken and really like SoCal. Nor am I interested in trying to convince PNW haters that they really like it here.<br /><br />Am I in denial? Maybe. There are fewer sunny days here than advertised when we bought the house. And that's the only -- only -- downside I've found here. Everything else that is important to me is as good if not much better here than there. <br /><br />I don't suffer from SAD, I find cool, dark days to be calming and refreshing. I don't mind putting on a coat and a hat to go outdoors and about my day.<br /><br />I've lived in SoCal so I am fairly confident that when I say I don't care for the place, I am saying so with considerable authority.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-87757945566028369662011-10-10T12:55:12.720-07:002011-10-10T12:55:12.720-07:00"You have to remember not to look at their fa..."You have to remember not to look at their faces, though."<br /><br />Fair enough. All the more for me! ( Oh wait, I can't believe I'm saying that now too? )<br /><br />Yeah we're in Season Eleventeen and it's turned into something of a sideshow I'm afraid. The Nationals gals are skin-tight and toned. Exciting I mean. <br /><br />The point is you really have to get creative to kill these Eternal Winters. And I don't even CARE if you're an outdoor sports nut! When I was 12 ( and girls were still icky ) we played ice hockey 8 days a week.<br /><br />Obesity is a 'national' problem ( weather-related depression is a uniquely PNW affliction ) Well here and Reykjavik. All I'm saying is, if you let girls talk you into dancing ( Lord only knows what else it could lead to! ) Next thing you know you're in the backseat of a car testing the suspension?Marshall_Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813579074330812057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-43263152049141668092011-10-10T12:27:22.496-07:002011-10-10T12:27:22.496-07:00Mrs. Blackdog likes to watch ballroom dance compet...Mrs. Blackdog likes to watch ballroom dance competitions sometimes (though not DWTS). It's not too bad; the female dancers have great bodies. You have to remember not to look at their faces, though.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-71002629489535659492011-10-10T12:19:05.392-07:002011-10-10T12:19:05.392-07:00Well, if you're a dancer then liking DWTS is j...Well, if you're a dancer then liking DWTS is justifiable, with ogling some female flesh as an attractive side benefit. Though I have zero interest in dancing, I have been known to watch ballroom dancing competitions just for the pulchritudinostiy. But if those shows were to add the DWTS "celebrity" BS I'd lose interest immediately. Talent shows, popularity contests, don't interest me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-30904565452984273682011-10-10T11:37:52.212-07:002011-10-10T11:37:52.212-07:00Blackdog,
Thanks for taking a stand w/ heterosexu...Blackdog,<br /><br />Thanks for taking a stand w/ heterosexuality! Lurking about in camo's w/ a bunch of dudes spreading mammal fecal matter on each other was just never my bag. NOT... that there's anything 'wrong' with that!<br /><br />What's really SAD is the wife and I taking ballroom dance classes together during the Ten Months Of Winter Yea! (TM) so we don't come out on the other scale bustin' end sporting a deuce and quarter.<br /><br />At first I thought it was pretty icky too. It's mostly ewwwwey girls fawning over any male that can get from one end of the floor to the other without putting them in traction.<br /><br />Their dresses do that swishy sway thing and they wear lipstick and high heels just like my older sister did when she started acting weird. <br /><br />Oh and that holding hands and placing your arm around her waist! I got all blushy and had to think of baseball so my pee-pee vein would stop tingling? Which it never used to. Mommy!Marshall_Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813579074330812057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-58897029258767453752011-10-10T11:33:53.592-07:002011-10-10T11:33:53.592-07:00Window shopping is find and dandy but DWTS?...ooof...Window shopping is find and dandy but DWTS?...ooofAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-474160715782044453.post-41787227234283164102011-10-10T10:56:13.441-07:002011-10-10T10:56:13.441-07:00"Gray and drizzly?...we have those days but s..."Gray and drizzly?...we have those days but spend a winter in the valley or Seattle and you'll be "clutching your bottle of antidepressants"<br /><br />Yes, you can find other places that are worse. That doesn't make the Bend climate good.<br /><br />This is Bend thinking at its purest. Say Bend is gray and drizzly and your diehard Bendite will say, "Seattle is grayer and drizzlier." Say Bend is cold and the diehard Bendite will say, "Fargo, ND is colder." Say Bend winters are long and the days are short and he's say, "The winters are longer and the days are shorter in Fairbanks."<br /><br />"That has to be the saddest shit you've ever written."<br /><br />Why is it sad? He likes to look at good-looking women in revealing costumes. Sounds pretty normal to me.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.com