Just when you think all hope is lost, some kid steps forward and makes the right choices in the midst of chaos.
A lot of kids love waffles, but one 3-year-old Georgia boy’s passion for the breakfast food is so great, his mom held his birthday party at Waffle House.
Lawson Cooper’s love of the 24-hour breakfast chain began at a young age. “Lawson has loved Waffle House since he began eating solid food,” his mom, Natalie Cooper, told ABC News.
Lawson’s mom said her young son always orders the same thing whenever they visit his favorite spot: “The kids’ waffle with sausage and a boiled egg on the side.” The only stipulation? “Just not at breakfast time.”
It’s a rough world out there kid, but I see great things in your future. We can rest easy that there will be defenders of this great nation for many years to come.
Several months ago, I wrote a short article about a rather, er, “unique” place I passed while traveling: the Uranus Fudge Factory in Uranus, MO. My schedule didn’t permit me to stop then; but on a subsequent trip, I had a schedule that allowed a stop.
Yeah, it was worth stopping. The place was a hoot – a bit juvenile, but a hoot nonetheless.
The title of this article is what you hear from the sales staff on entering the place – spoken loudly and proudly. (smile) You’re also greeted by this . . . guy(?) holding a sign to the same effect:
But if you’re observant, besides the place’s name you get another clue about the place before you even enter. There’s a sign that tips you off posted outside the building. You can see it from the parking lot as you approach the building to enter (be sure to read the fine print):
Here’s a close-up of the sign:
The place was a bit crowded inside. But it seems they have plans for expansion:
If you have to make a latrine call (I’d been on the road for a few hours by then, so yeah – I did), depending on your gender you might see this sign:
One disappointment: I got there in time for lunch, and was planning on trying the wings at the saloon and party bar next door. Unfortunately, that business doesn’t open until 4PM. Should you decide to go and also plan to eat, you might want to take that into account. You won’t be able get anything to eat there except snack-type stuff before 4PM, and there’s not much else in the immediate vicinity.
No, I didn’t get anyone We KnOw AnD “lOvE” a union T-shirt during the stop. Their T-shirts were kinda pricey; ol’ purple-tiger-striped Blunder Chicken simply isn’t worth what I’d have had to spend.
Longtime readers know I don’t think that much of Bruce Springsteen. Politically, I regard him as an idiot; and he’s also IMO a hypocrite as well (take a look at his “agriculural exemption” for his multimillion dollar mansion in NJ).
Still, when youre on the road for a loooong time, a change of pace musically is sometimes needed. So I recently popped Brucie’s “Greatest Hits” CD into the player.
I generally find Springsteen’s music shallow and at best listenable; but it’s also generally nothing I’d go out of my way to hear. But I’d forgotten about this tune – which is IMO certainly worth listening to.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally. Ya done good there, Brucie.
Well, I’m back home and off the road again. And as usual, while traveling I took the opportunity to listen to some music.
Hey, I was behind the wheel for a bunch of hours. What the hell else was I supposed to do while driving to help pass the time?
And yeah, that means you’re about to get another musical walkabout. Consider yourself forewarned. (smile)
. . .
It’s no secret that our tastes change over the years. I think that’s largely due to the fact that we ourselves change over time.
As we change, so do our druthers. Our experiences in life give us new perspectives, and that modifies what we like.
Why? Well, for starters we change physically. But that’s only part of the reason – the smaller part, IMO.
My theory is that the main reason is that when we’re young, we haven’t yet had the experiences necessary to understand certain things fully. We haven’t yet been hurt – physically or emotionally – to the degree, or in the particular way, necessary to always “get it”. Or we haven’t had some other experience that’s a prerequisite to understanding a particular idea, or concept.
When we’re older, we’ve generally had those necessary experiences. So it seems to me that as we age, we develop the framework to interpret and appreciate things we couldn’t before. I can’t speak for others, but I’ve seen that in myself. I’ve become far more introspective and reflective over the years.
Hell, I could well be wrong about all of that; I’m no shrink. But it makes sense to me. So: “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” (smile)
“So . . . what’s yer point?” you ask? Well, sometimes that means revisiting old favorites yields a completely different experience. In fact, it can mean you discover treasures you’d formerly overlooked for whatever reason.
And since Jonn lets me “play in his sandbox” here, well, here ya go.
. . .
During a recent move, a number of CDs “went into hiding”. One of those AWOL CDs was my copy of The Who’s Who’s Next.
I recently acquired a replacement copy which was a later version (the first copy was the original version). And the new version contained a number of tracks absent from the original.
The Who are known as a rock band; they’re best known for their uptempo numbers. However, they’re English – and England has a long tradition of ballads. Pete Townsend on occasion would write slower tempo ballads; “Behind Blue Eyes” from Who’s Next is an example.
This tune is another example; it’s one you might not have previously heard. It’s titled “Too Much of Anything.”
Like Who’s Next, it was recorded in the early 1970s. But it wasn’t released until some years later, on the collection Odds and Sods. It was included on later releases of Who’s Next as well.
I think anyone past their 30s (or maybe their 40s) can probably relate to it. And I don’t really think further explanation is necessary.
. . .
Another CD that went “in hiding” during the move was U2’s The Joshua Tree. I also recently acquired a replacement copy of that one as well. And here, it’s strictly a case of changed perspective due to age. The two tunes I’m about to discuss were there all along; I just wasn’t ready to appreciate them properly when the original was released 30 years ago.
Like The Who, U2 is known as a rock band; they’re best known for their uptempo songs. But like England, Ireland also has long turned out ballads – and U2 has as well. These are two slower ballads from U2. They’re both IMO beautiful; and they both hit home.
The first of the two is titled “Running to Stand Still”. While the song’s subject matter is quite dark, the underlying metaphor (e.g., being caught in a bad situation requiring extreme acts that merely gain temporary respite while not knowing how to cope over the long term) is universal. I daresay that anyone who’s ever served in uniform has felt at times like they were indeed executing the song’s title – albeit not in the same manner as the song’s subject.
(For what it’s worth: if you are close to someone who’s engaged in self-destructive behavior (or have ever lost someone close to such behavior and haven’t fully come to grips with that loss), maybe you should pass on viewing the vid.)
The second tune is titled “Red Hill Mining Town”. The song was based on the closure of many British coal mines in the mid-1980s and the effect that closure had on the towns’ inhabitants.
This one especially hits home for me. As I’ve written previously, my father was a first-generation American; his parents were both immigrants.
After coming to America, my immigrant grandfather was a coal miner.
The mines and steel mills in and near his adopted hometown closed; as a result, the town damn near died. Today, it’s recovered somewhat – but you can tell it’s still just a shell of its former self.
Medical issues associated with coal mining shortened the man’s life substantially; because of that, I never met that grandfather. I don’t think he lived long enough to see his adopted hometown slowly fade and nearly dieas , the namesake town for this song did. But I think he lived long enough to see the decline begin, and to perceive what was coming.
I wasn’t as concerned 30 years ago about family history as I am today – so 30 years ago, the song didn’t really register. But today it connects.
Given all of that, let’s just say that listening to this tune while driving through an old, now partially (but not totally) defunct industrial area in different city was . . . a rather intense experience.
. . .
Well, anyway, that’s all for today. Walkabout’s over now; hopefully it wasn’t too boring.
. . .
Postscript: The two U2 tunes are intense and powerful live, too. The first can be viewed here (from Rattle and Hum) or here (Chicago, 2005, from the Vertigo tour). The latter can be viewed here. This was first public live performance by U2 of “Red Hill Mining Town”; it happened on the opening night of the Joshua Tree 30th Anniversary Tour in Vancouver, BC, on 12 May 2017. The audio was taken from the concert’s mixing board – complete with what appears to be some timing chatter for the accompanying brass band. (smile)
Recently, I’ve been on the road quite a bit. That has its disadvantages.
However, road travel also has its benefits. It allows you time to think – and to get reacquainted with music you love. And there’s simply something quite enjoyable about heading down the highway, dawn in the rear-view mirror, with music you love and haven’t heard in years playing in the background.
And yeah – that means you’re about to get another musical “walkabout” from me. You’ve been warned. (smile)
. . .
Before this trip, I took another look through the music library – after all, you can only listen to the same set of tunes so long before you begin to get tired of them. And I found something there that I’d put aside and forgotten over the years.
In previous articles here at TAH, I indicated there were two ladies I’d pay serious money to hear play in a small venue. I was wrong; add a third to that list. That third lady is Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter – AKA Ms. Roberta Joan “Joni” Mitchell.
Here are eight tunes by the lady, along with some brief comments. They showcase a truly wonderful voice and songwriting talent. All are her compositions; the first three were made famous by other performers.
The last tune is a particular favorite of mine. FWIW: I think that anyone who’s ever taken on significant responsibilities – be they of national import, at work, for one’s family, or of any other type – can identify with the tune’s sentiment.
Big Yellow Taxi (Mitchell recorded and released it in 1970, but it didn’t do as well as the version recorded and released that same year by “The Neighborhood”. Mitchell later had a bigger hit with a live version of the song released in 1974.)
Woodstock (Crosby Stills Nash and Young recorded the definitive version of this tune, but Mitchell wrote it.)
Help Me (Mitchell’s biggest and only top 10 hit. Nice tune.)
Court and Spark (Gorgeous title tune from the album marking her commercial high-water mark.)
Twisted (This tune is simply hilarious – and yes, that IS Cheech and Chong you hear doing spoken background vocals somewhat over midway through the tune. [smile])
Free Man in Paris (Written by Mitchell about her observations of music industry figure David Geffin during a trip they took to Paris with Robbie Robertson and his wife, Dominique. As noted above, anyone who’s ever taken on significant responsibilities IMO can identify with this one.)
. . .
Joni Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm in March 2015. She survived and has made a reasonable recovery, but apparently has significant residual health issues. Sadly, I’d guess her career as a performer has ended.
But her existing recorded work still showcases her immense skill as a composer and singer. And the above only covers a smallish part of her career.
It’s already available in the UK. Supposedly it will be available in the US in March.
I’d guess it will be quite popular with college students and recent grads – at least, until reality smacks them “upside the head” – as well as among LeftistsSocialists Progressives in general. I’d also guess it will be especially popular in Greenwich Village and the Castro District.
No word on whether it comes with “mini-Skittles” mixed in the cereal, though. (smile)
Nothing again from DPAA again this week – I guess the “holiday break” affected their workflow substantially. So once again, some Sunday morning music instead.
. . .
A few days ago, I wrote that there were two ladies I’d pay serious money to see perform in a small venue.
That previous article identified the first: the exquisite Annie Lennox. Here are seven from the second – the exceptional Tina Turner.
And, my personal two favorites. (Note: if you’ve recently lost someone close or are having serious relationship issues with someone you care about, you might want to give the first of these a pass.)
Damn, that woman can sing.
. . .
FWIW: the “backstory” of the last tune – Private Dancer – is quite an interesting one. If it sounds quite different from most of the lady’s other tunes . . . well, it should. It was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, and was originally recorded by Dire Straits during the sessions for their 1982 album “Love Over Gold”.
After recording the instrumentals for the song (some accounts say Knopfler recorded the vocals as well), Knopfler thought the song was really one a woman should sing. So the tune was dropped from “Love Over Gold”; Knopfler later offered the tune to Tina Turner.
When I say “offered the tune”, I mean exactly that. Knopfler originally wanted to give Turner the complete recorded instrumental tracks from the Dire Straits recording sessions and let her provide a vocal track to complete the song. Unfortunately, his record company apparently balked at that. So members of the band (less Knopfler, presumably for the same reason) performed as Turner’s session musicians when she recorded it in 1984. Jeff Beck sat in for Knopfler on lead guitar, and IMO did a fine job.
To my knowledge, the original Dire Straits version was never released (as noted above, accounts vary regarding whether Knopfler ever recorded a vocal track for the song). That’s a pity – I’d love to hear Knopfler’s guitar work and his take on the vocals for the tune.
Still “having fun with Holiday travel”, and again nothing this week from DPAA – so instead, here are a few tunes. You’ve been warned. (smile)
. . .
There is a short list of singers I’d pay serious money to see in a small venue. There are two women on that list.
This lady is one of the two. Here’s six tunes from Ms. Lennox (five from her time with the Eurythmics) that are IMO worth a listen.
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And, especially for our female readers here at TAH
The late David Bowie very publicly referred to Ms. Lennox as “the exquisite Annie Lennox” on at least one occasion. David Bowie was indeed an intelligent and perceptive man.
That’s all for now. Have a great New Year’s Eve, everyone. And remember: “Be careful out there.”
