Guitar Progression

I took about 4 months of guitar lessons when I was 9 or 10 years old.  It wasn't for me.  I don't know if that was because it was too difficult to press the strings with my baby fingers or the fact that learning an instrument is akin to learning a new language...a complex language where the words are felt and heard rather than seen.  It was too much.  For the balance of my musical education as a child, I took piano lessons, and then, in the late 80s, took keyboard lessons because the thing made cool sounds (read: obnoxious).

It wasn't until I was at my grandmother's house in Elmsford, NY when I regained an interest in guitar. I was out of college, living with a good friend in Kingston, NJ, and trying to balance my free time with my job and new car payments.  As I walked into Grandma's house, her friend was over and had brought a shabby looking electric guitar over so that Grandma's kids could "knock it around."  I saw that it was a real instrument and bargained with Gram so that I could keep it.  You know, I changed light bulbs and brought things up from the basement that were heavy...good grandma bartering.  I've described this instrument in detail here, but I brought this thing, after having it freshly restrung at Sam Ash, home with me, and figured out a way to plug it into my boombox/stereo where I mastered the E minor chord arpeggio opening to Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine."  That was it.  I was hooked.  I started using NetScape (right, it was a long effing time ago) to look up tabs and chords, and soon I was able to teach myself some basic songs.

A co-worker and friend who rocked a bass convinced me to purchase a legitimate amplifier.  Back to Sam Ash, and I was able to score an $80 Vox 10-watt practice amp with built in overdrive and, something I'm still not entirely comfortable using today, a Morley wah-wah pedal.  And, I begged him (bassist) to jam which he obliged me a couple of times.  He'd also throw me some other dude's used equipment, like a beat-up case for the guitar, and a patch cable.  A good friend.

I was set, but, it wasn't exactly the sound for me.  I leaned (and continue to lean) towards folk-rock, and longed for an acoustic sound.  So, in 2001, I bought an Ovation Balladeer acoustic/electric guitar with an on-board preamplifier, and a hard case.  At $450, this, by far, was my most expensive musical purchase to date. The sound was perfect, AND I could plug it into the Vox amp and wah and try to get my money's worth out of those investments.  I taught myself more songs, figured out barre chords, and, all the way in 2009, decided to take more lessons, this time with the creative and talented Carla Ulbrich, satirist and comedienne, and a helluva good guitar teacher.  With her, I performed at my first recital in forever...me and the rest of her students...mostly kids.  Still, I rocked with acoustic versions of the Allman Brother's "Melissa" and Kermit's "Rainbow Connection."

My first show.

Since then, I've been on again/off-again with music.  I bought a used bass guitar for $100...complete with bass amp.  And, when my son started playing Grandma's electric guitar, I started playing more...mostly bass, but still music.  I was playing music again.  In fact, at his recitals, he invited me to play with him as part of his back-up band.  So, I was able to get back on the stage again, and I decided I loved it.  I wrote my friend Mark and asked if he wanted to get together and jam a bit.  Mark is masterful at electric guitar, loves the Grateful Dead, and said "yeah, man, let's have some fun."  So, after a number of rehearsals, jams, get-togethers, I'll be sitting in on Mark's set at Pino's in Highland Park, NJ for a couple of hours, hopefully adding some depth to his set, and maybe a backup vocal or two.  It'll be my debut, so to speak...and, I'll have my newest acquisition with me, complete and set up, and loud as hell.  I don't have a name for it yet, but I think that calling it the LP Feather wouldn't be far off.  So, if you have a free Saturday night, either on the 6th or on the 27th of April, make your way over to Pino's around 8pm and listen to the music play.

Cheers.

Les Solo

Sometime last year, I started watching countless Instagram videos of a British Colombia craftsman

This is my spalted maple top. 

There are many like it, but this one is mine.

who makes guitar bodies (and tables and cutting boards, and necklaces, knife handles, etc.) from driftwood collected in the Kootenays of southeastern BC.  Logic told me that I could do something like that, and, on my Holiday wishlist of 2018, I firmly placed my wish for an unworked guitar kit where I could live out my luthier fantasies and design my own electric guitar for a fraction of what it would cost for a similar instrument.

I picked out a Les Paul style guitar.  For those who don't know, Les Paul's are manufactured by Gibson, and a standard guitar in this style starts at $1,000.  Way out of my price range.  Even Gibson's lower end Epiphone Les Paul guitars start around $500.  Formerly competitors, Gibson bought Epiphone in 1957 and today many of the solid body models with high end components can be found cheaper as Epiphone models with extremely capable parts.  Think of it as NEEDING a Land Rover, or being happy and satisfied with a really nice Subaru.  Anyway, at $500, still a bit much to ask someone to get one for me.  I guess I could save up, but where's the fun in that.  I wanted a challenge.

After discussing this with a high school friend who had better pick-ups (read: guitar mics) than what typically comes with a kit such as this, I committed to build one of my own, and, last December, was blessed with a kit from my family, purchased from Solo Guitars: a Les Paul style guitar with two humbucker pick-ups, mahogany body and spalted maple veneer, and a bolt-on neck.

Nicked to imperfection. 

Raw wood is already gorgeous, but I had in mind a color scheme for it.  I was think about a blue burst top with a red-brown body and neck.  While the kit comes with all the hardware you would need (i.e. tuning pegs, bridge, electronics which would need soldering (more on that later) and strings), naturally, you'd have to own or buy the wood-working tools necessary to really put your stamp on this, now, one of a kind instrument.  I flooded my Amazon wishlist with an orbital sander, buffing pads, wood stain, wood glue, wood sealer, lacquer, clamps, and all kinds of wires and soldering equipment.  Come January, with all of that collected, it was time to start.

Except, that, upon further review, there was a chip in the veneer on the headstock.  I called the company, who indicated that they'd look for a scrap to send me so that I could repair it.  No luck.  Instead they gave me a 10% discount on an additional purchase at their store.  Um...hm...ok.  Thanks for nothing.  I went back to Amazon and bought a veneer sampler to see if I could custom cut a piece just to fill that spot.  Problem solved.

With that completed, I stained it...and stained it...and sanded it down, and stained it some more.  I wanted to have the pattern created by the spalted maple featured, but have the look of a "burst" where the color gets less intense in the middle, but more concentrated around the edges.  This was a slow process.  However, by the end, things were looking good.  I accented with (Amazon purchased and gifted) feather decals designed to echo the mother-of-pearly inlay present in the provided guitar neck.

I used a TruOil gunstock finish to seal the guitar and make it a bit more shiny while protecting the color.  I also wanted to keep that spalted maple top obvious and preserve those lines, otherwise, what's the point of having such a fancy veneer.  The TruOil was, again, easily found on Amazon.  However, it needed some serious time to dry, and this process took the longest.  Also, I couldn't do it in the house.  TruOil produced enough vapors that using it in a highly ventilated space was recommended.  For me, that meant the garage with the door open.  I needed to wait for the weather to give me several days over-45 degrees (F) so that it would properly dry between applications.  I know Trump doesn't believe it, but the last month gave me several of these late-February Global Warming days where I could apply the oil, buff out any bumps, and let it set.  The last day was this past Friday when I was able to put on the last two coats in 65 degree weather and begin on installing the hardware.

Soldering wasn't an issue with me.  I had some really thin lead-free flux-core solder (from Amazon) and plenty of colored wiring (also Amazon).  However, installing the pick-ups proved difficult as the mounts weren't the right ones (they weren't curved to the body, again, Solo, thanks for lack of attention to detail).  Also, the pots were pre-soldered, and confusing.  All wiring diagrams used uniform wire colors, and between the new pick-ups and the pre-connected potentiometers (pots, a.k.a. guitar dials)  things got confusing quickly.  The pick-ups given to me by a friend were infinitely more complicated than the cheap-os that came with the guitar.  Finding a proper wiring diagram and color code for the wires proved impossible, even with the power of the internet.  All in all, I was able to get the basics put together, but the wiring had me beat.  It was time to call in the professional.

It sounds like I was throwing in the towel, but really, everything else was done.  Think about it as if  you try to do some plumbing or electrician work at home, you mess things up so that you're forced to call the repair guy.  If that's not you, it's definitely me.  Yes, it'll cost me a little extra, but at the end of the day, it's going to an expert who will make this thing sing.

I brought it to HelpMyGuitar in Scotch Plains.  It's a small shop, but I've used their services before.  The gentleman behind the counter was responsive to my interest and flattered my by answering so many questions I had about this kind of work.  He's an expert and a perfectionist and, in addition to figuring out my wiring problem, he's going to replace the pots with ones that will be more reliable and "set-up" the guitar which involves manipulating the neck, pick-ups, bridge and so-on to ensure that it's absolutely playable when he's done.

So, that's where I am now.  I should get it back at the end of the work-week and will let you know how it turns out.  Until then, I guess I'll play my acousic electric, or my bass, or my acoustic, or my son's Fender Fat Strat knock-off.  In other words, I've got plenty to practice on to ensure that this new guitar was well earned!

Cultural Issues

Where's the blogs?  It's been weeks and you haven't written anything!!

The problem is, I've run out of interesting things to say about current events.  It's hard to be a blogger who strives to educate on environmental inefficiencies or political whimsy when the news media has done it already ad nauseam. 

Should I write about Brother Michael Cohen's testimony?  Trump's failed summit with a known track record of human rights abuses? More Grateful Dead?  Beyond their song "loser" it's hard to associate any Dead song with this President.  I'm not sure he likes music anyway.

And, maybe that's it.  Maybe what's bothering us most about Trump is his seeming lack of humanity because he had no depth.  He has no cultural stake in this world.  He's here to make money and push an extreme vision of the Republican agenda, with or without the party's help.  His one known cultural luxury has been golf, which, I believe, is seen as a rich man's game.  Hell, you get your own slave to carry your clubs!  How great is that?  What a throwback!  It's winter, and so, his affinity for the sport has taken a back seat to, well, the rest of his job (unless you count this story in the WashPo), but, I expect to hear the jets scramble once the weather improves and his majesty takes the chopper over to Bedminster, NJ for a quick 9. 

But, it seems that this disconnect with culture is unique with our Commander in Cheeto.  Every other President in modern history has been able to relate to the people through culture, both winning and losing the respect of the populace.  Just looking back at Ronald Reagan, the Hollywood superstar (just ask his co-star, Bonzo) rose to fame in and around WWII.  Yes, he served in the War, but the short film he narrated for the military won an Oscar! While he was never nominated himself, his volume of works earned him a star on the walk of fame in 1960.

George Herbert Walker Bush loved baseball.  He played at Yale, got to meet Babe Ruth, and, as VP in 1984, got to play in an old-timer game with former MLB players.  But, he was an avid fan of all sports from Tennis to when he performed the coin toss in Superbowl 51.  He and his son shared their love for the Astros and Texas Rangers, a team that the younger Mr. Bush was able to purchase in 1989 (with other investors).  Speaking of "W," avid painter?  Look, it was 9/11, it was Chaney, it was many things, but afterwards, the man settled down and has been a prolific painter and fisherman since. 

It's easy to gloss over Clinton's sax performance on Arsenio, or Obama's brackets during March Madness, yet, it wasn't like that was Bill's first time with the instrument, and Obama was known to love to play and watch all manner of sports and the arts.  These looks into their lives allow us as the public to get to know our politicians better and it makes them more human.  Among other things, that does separate them from our current president.  He's disinvited more champion teams and players than those that chose to meet him...and then cancelled.  He's skipped both of his opportunities to congratulate honorees at the Kennedy Center.  And, when he does pay attention to culture, he's frequently whining about how unfair it is to him.

This is a problem.  I realize that I'm cherry-picking here but revenues from sports and movies/TV greatly exceed US energy revenues in the US (2017).  The doesn't even include concerts and live theater, or other things we do for entertainment: vacations, eating out, travel, etc.  Culture is what brings us together as a society.  This president has no culture.  And, even when he makes the attempt to connect, he gets it wrong...like when he served college athletes, potentially the most physically fit demographic in the States, some of the worst food the America has to offer, and then brags about paying for it himself.  That's very big of you accepting responsibility for poisoning the youth of tomorrow with toxic amounts of sugar and saturated fats.  "They sure don't make them like this back home...oh, wait, yes they do."

Look, we've had Presidents with unpopular policy decisions in the past, but even they had redeeming qualities of character.  This President has none of that and I think he knows it, which is why he doesn't connect or resonate with but a small part of the American populace.  While he makes the occasional attempt at a cultural connection, when he fails (and he's failed miserably) he becomes spiteful and belligerent, berating whomever refused to avail themselves to the King, to take the knee and kiss the ring, as long as it doesn't happen during an NFL broadcast.  You may not think it matters, but if you really want to reunite the Country, culture, not politics, may be the healthiest way to do that.

Some PNW Successes

When we left our intrepid hero, he was on his way to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.  His concerns (well documented here) were justified to a degree, yet, success was had.

This isn't to say that the Federal Shutdown (if you listen to NPR, they would preface this with "the longest in US history;" enough already) didn't impact every facet of my trip.  Lines were outrageously long at both Newark and SeaTac didn't have long TSA lines due to staffing shortages.  Nor is it inaccurate that, due to the shutdown, I was unable to access much of the park.  However, some of that was self-imposed.

The original plan was to use the service road/Olympic National Park road up to Hurricane Ridge so that we (my cousin and I) could see the sights and get some snow-shoeing in.  However, no park services means no plowing, and at the very top of the mountain, during our trip, they received over 10 feet of snow.  Right. 

The other component that was thwarted was the Hoh Rainforest trail.  No, there wasn't any snow in that part of the park, however, a wind storm knocked trees across the single access road 3 miles from the trailhead, and, no park services means no downed-tree removal.  As it was/is the rainy season, the main road can also wash out during severe events, not to mention the possibility of more down trees.  In an area with extremely spotty cell phone reception, we opted against trying.

Still, what we did have access to, we accessed the hell out of it.  Folks, I've said this before, and I'll say it again: go see our national treasures before they're gone due to environmental changes, natural disasters, and global warming.  The species I saw this trip may drastically change with fluctuations in precipitation, ocean temperatures, and climate events.

In order (and in brief) we took a ferry from Edmunds to Kingston, stayed in Port Townsend, visited Dungeness Spit NWR, Lake Crescent in Olympic NP, the beaches at La Push and Ruby Beach (also Olympic NP), Kalaloch Lodge, Lake Quinault and the Quinault Rainforest, and Merriman Falls in Olympic NP, and then back to Seattle. 

And here are the results:

Edmunds, WA Surf Scoters

View from Dungeness Spit NWR

Around Lake Crescent

From La Push

Ruby Beach

Quinault Rainforest

Merriman Falls

Nature watching us watching them

Be like me: go see this stuff while we still have it.

Northern Concerns

It's been a while since I've posted (something other than Ducks) so I thought I'd share my thoughts about my forthcoming trip.

I'm headed north for a photography adventure.  This time I'm on my way back to Seattle to see if I can tackle some of Olympic National Park's more popular features during the off months; Hurricane Ridge, Hoh Rainforest, Crescent Lake, etc.  It's the off season for many of the Country's northernly located National Parks.  The temperatures tend to keep visitors at bay, and only the real psychos visit places like the Grand Canyon in potentially blizzard conditions (been there, done that).  Also, this time of year, the weather contributes the "Rain" to the Hoh and Quinault Rain Forests and people are adverse to getting wet.  I'm all set to go: I've got good rain gear, good footwear.  I'll be bringing things like Yaktrax and my Gortex gaiters to keep me dry and upright on icy trails.  Also, the plan right now is to snowshoe if there's an opportunity.  I'm ready. 

There's just one little problem, and it's located at the opposite end of the country, firmly seated in Washington D.C. (at the time of writing, also in Texas).  This Federal shutdown, with 800,000 impacted employees, may wreak havoc with my plans.

First, it's fairly obvious that the National Parks are having a really hard time right now.  Some are flat-out closing due to the damage already caused by uncaring visitors, bringing in garbage and overtaxing the un-serviced facilities. (#thisiswhywecanthavenicethings).  Most recently, Joshua Tree National Park closed and blocked it's roads from vehicular access.  Why?  The desert ecosystem is extremely sensitive.  The soils that are there haven't been trod on for centuries or longer.  Idiots decided that they would off-road there destroying critical habitat and maybe permanently damaging the ecosystem, and whoops, they also accidentally obliterated some of the 200+ year old Joshua Trees for shits and giggles.  Ugh.

To be safe, I decided to call the Kalaloch Lodge where I have a reservation and is affiliated with Olympic to see what conditions on the ground are currently.  I called their 800 number.  The pre-recorded message, before I was transferred to the operator, was that the lodge is open for business as usual...and that the National Park was open for business as usual.  This is counter to everything I read.  When I finally hit the right combination of numbers, the live operator at the lodge got on the phone and I asked to confirm that access was possible. 

"Nope, it's closed," he said, "there's a concern that some of the access roads get temporarily washed out.  As there are no services in the park right now, and cell service is spotty at best, it was safer for the park to close.  There's no vehicular access to the Hoh trail-head at this time."  OK, so, how close can you get?  "Well, I've been told it's about a 3 mile hike from where you can park, up the road to the start of the rain forest.  It's do-able, but not optimal."  He indicated that he hoped that the shut-down was lifted soon.  "Yeah, it's hurting business.  We've had a number of cancellations in the last week.  Still, there's lots to see near here and our restaurant and shop is open.  We're open as usual.  Glad you're coming and see you soon."

Yeah, I'm still going.  I've got a place to stay, and while a 3-mile hike to a hike isn't what I wanted, it's possible, even for this 43 year old, and I think it'll be worth it.  Fingers crossed.  Many other factors will guide me like the weather and the slim possibility that this political nightmare will be over by then.  That said, getting into the park is actually not as daunting as the other Federal issue I have; namely, the flight to get there.

I'm sure you've heard about the rolling sick-out as TSA employees call out sick so that they can work second jobs so as to pay their rent or for food and such.  Well, did you also know that, included with those TSA employees, that every air traffic controller is on the Federal dole...and have been similarly furloughed but required to work?  That doesn't give me warm fuzzies at all.  While the news frequently reports where things are worst, it is eye opening to see how long the lines are getting at the x-ray machines.  I haven't yet heard reports of dramatically delayed flights, but I do hear recommendations of needing to arrive at airports for domestic flights up to 3 hours before scheduled departure.  I guess I'm glad I bought a new book?

All in all, in addition to holding our Federal employees hostage, it's clear that there are peripheral economic impacts from lost wages, a decrease in spending in some areas like Maryland and northern Virginia, and lost revenues for all of those small businesses that live off of National Park tourism dollars.  Now in it's 19th day,  I think it's time to end this ridiculousness.  $5 billion can't possibly pay for a 1,000 mile wall.  Give it to him.  Let him use the funds to implement a virtual wall, with border agent hires and technology upgrades, like cameras and drones, and let's get this country back to work protecting both our natural and economic assets.  And, if my trip consists of photographs of Olympic National Park abuses, you better be sure that I'll share them liberally to show what this shut-down really looks like.  Until then, I'm gearing up to go as if none of this ever happened, and I'm guaranteed to see and photograph something that I've never seen before, for good or for ill.

Again with the duck?

So, last weekend, as I'm oft to do, I spent Sunday in the parking lot at Met Life stadium where both the Giants and the Jets pretend to play American Football.  As the Giants lose in spectacular fashion, even the cry of "but I've lived through 4 Superbowl wins" gets stale and boring.  Instead, I'll focus on the fantasy play-offs where I'll be praying for a different outcome.

But, back to the lot.  This weekend I decided that I was going to (again) make duck-breast on the grill.  This is no easy feat.  Due to the skin and layer of fat (read: extra flavor), and the inability to regulate a charcoal grill's constant temperature, I had to plan things out so that a) I don't overcook the duck but get a nice sear, and b) I don't dry it out because of the amount of time needed to cook the bird.

Duck isn't like other foul though, and in the U.S., while it's uncharacteristic to eat undercooked chicken and turkey, the prevailing theory on duck is that you cook it like you would a fine steak, with varying levels of "done."  I prefer mine from medium to medium rare.  And, any and all instructions for cooking an expensive piece of meat typically call for an internal temperature reading.  Bah.  I don't need that.  I'm a man with meat.  Roar. 

Truth be told, cooking the duck on a grill or a flat top is actually fairly easy.  Follow the instructions below and you too can enjoy delicious marinated duck breast at home. 

Ingredients:

1 thawed Duck Breast (I like D'Artagnan ducks, which in the NY area are fairly readily available at both butchers and supermarkets)
1/4 cup of hoisin sauce
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 heaping tbsp of ground ginger
3 tbsp of sesame oil
Trader Joe's Everything Seasonings (all the stuff you would find on an everything bagel, in a jar)
fresh ground pepper to taste

First order of business is to marinate that duck.  Take all of the ingredients, except for the Everything seasonings, and mix them together and then pour over the duck in a bowl.  Place in the fridge over night.  Place the uncooked duck, skin side down into a "cold" cast iron skillet, saving the residual sauce for use later.  Place the skillet on the stove or grill at a medium to medium high heat.  This is important, because that layer of fat is difficult to chew if it's undercooked and unrendered.  One must render the fat of a duck.  You'll let that come up to temperature and get a good sizzle going.  Also, you'll notice a little smoke when your sauce starts burning a bit around the duck.  I let that thing get good and cooked, about 10 minutes without moving it.  Really let it sizzle.  Once the skin has browned nicely, turn it over and give it about 5 minutes on the other side.  At this point, pour the rest of the sauce over the top.  I also like to cook it on its ends to brown those up as well, about 3-5 minutes on each.  This gets you to medium rare.  Let the duck rest for about 5 minutes, and then slice.  If it's still a bit rare, you can throw those pieces back onto the skillet for seconds, just to toast them up on each side.  And you're done.

Now, serving it in the parking lot is as simple as cutting it up.  But, if you're trying this at home, I like to place the whole breast on slightly wilted mustard greens (lightly wilt first either on the grill or skillet, but cook really fast; you don't want to "cook" it past crisp), and then slice and serve.  As the flavors are more Asian in nature, serve with bok choy and some sticky rice to complete the meal.

That's it.  I don't know why our society has gotten away from duck where it's a bit more extravagant, however, it's really not that hard to cook.  Roasting a whole turkey is definitely more complicated.  And, it's frigging delicious.  This wraps up 3 consecutive posts about Asian ducks.  I promise to write about something else in the next post.  Until then, I hope you're having a great holiday season.  Me, I'm off to Wegman's to get another duck breast for New Year's!  So good!

The Duck, part deux...

The natural companion for my previous post would be pictures of the ducks I did wind up seeing.  So, if a picture is worth 1,000 words, here's a quick 4,000 words or so on both that day, and the day when my son and I returned to NYC and found the Central Park mandarin, now nicknamed the Mandarin Patinkin (hello, my name is Indigo Montoya...).  All photos are by me.  If you're interested in purchasing one, let me know.

Hooded Merganser at the Reservoir

Bufflehead at the Reservoir

Wood Duck at The Pond of Central Park

The Mandarin, also at The Pond

It's incredible what you can see if you just look.

Cheers.

The Duck

It's been a long time since I've last blogged, but I thought, with the approaching holiday season, some informal well-wishing on my part might be welcomed.  And, an anecdote, always an anecdote.

Firstly, whether you celebrate American Thanksgiving (yes there are other Thanksgivings; thanks Canada), or not, whether you eat turkey or something else, before I get too too busy with the Holiday season, let me first wish you a Happy Holidays.  This isn't a war on Christmas, in fact, if Christmas is your holiday of choice, then I wish you a happy one.  And, if not, then you get to pick what holiday I'm pleased as punch that you celebrate, whether that's Hanukkah or Saturnalia, the recently passed Diwali or Kwanzaa, I wish you a happy and a healthy end of the calendar year, and to borrow and paraphrase from an Irish blessing, may the best day of this year be your worst day of next year.

Especially in this political climate.  

So, there's this duck (I told you there would be an anecdote) in Central Park right now.  I'm sure you've heard of it: the Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) that lives in the heart of New York City.  How'd it get there?  No one knows, but it's banded, and if ever caught, that might shed some light on its origins.  We know a couple of things for certain, one: it's originally from eastern China or Japan (or maybe the UK where it was introduced in the 18th century, but escaped captivity and started breeding in the wild in the 1930's); two: that it's been a Manhattan resident for nearly a month now, with periodic sightings; and three: it would certainly be the arch nemesis of Iron Duck (thanks Stan Lee, we'll miss you).  One thing is for sure, due to its bright coloration, it's gorgeous and quite unusual, which is why, after thanking my Veterans, I went to Central Park to find this duck.

There's a number of different ways to find this proverbial Asian needle in the haystack.  The first is to canvass the entire park (pun: evoking images of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, but I digress).  Not likely possible in my one day in the city.  Enter Twitter, knower of all things.  Mr. David Barrett maintains the @birdcentralpark Twitter feed where he announces the locations of birds of interest in Central Park, based, likely, on the hive mind of New York City's birders.  The day I went was the second or third day that a Barred Owl decided to rest in the Ramble section of the park (north of the Lake, but South of Turtle Pond and Belvedere Castle).  Off I went.  Sure enough, perched high above the paths, was the Barred Owl, in a tree on the south west corner of Azalia Pond, and not caring that 5 or 6 of us at 12:30p were staring up at it.  

It was there I met Ben and several other birders including D. Bruce Yolton who runs the Urban Hawks blog.  A few of us tried to see if we could get a better viewing angle as it was facing away from us.  No dice.  There's only so many pictures of an owl's butt you can take before it gets tiresome.  Ben was headed up to the reservoir, would I like to go?  He had never seen a hooded merganser and there was rumor some were along the edges near the paths.  Of course I said yes and we went.

Along the way we stopped at Turtle Pond, one of the sites where the Mandarin had been spotted days before.  No luck on the mandarin, but there were northern shovelers, males and a female, heads down in the water, swimming in a circle and (likely) digging up invertebrates to eat from the bottom of the pond.  There were more birders there, each with binoculars dangling from their necks, each asking the others "Did you see him?" and the response "he's been missing since last Friday." [he's since resurfaced].

From there as we walked, we saw brown creepers, wrens, red-bellied woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice, all manner of sparrows, loads of blue-jays, ruby-crowned kinglets and a pair of red-tailed hawks, circling above the north meadow (I suspect).  When we got to the reservoir, there were several other enthusiasts with their gear, taking shots of the couple hundred ducks swimming right next to the path.  No mandarin, but there were loads of ruddy ducks, more shovelers, buffleheads (a personal favorite) and, yes, Ben got to see his hooded mergansers, male and female, about a dozen all in a group.  Finding these birds was the perfect meld of technology and nature.  Twitter had us at absolutely the right spot at the right time.  

After a while, Ben had his fill of the mergs (the female is the Tina Turner of ducks) and we bid each other goodbye as he was headed north, and I wanted another look at the barred owl  I retraced my steps the way I came to see if the Mandarin surfaced at any of the places I had already looked.  No luck on that, but I did notice something else: this community I stumbled into, it was like a secret society of birders, and we were all in on the hunt.  From the rollerblading dude at the Turtle Pond to the old lady with the brand new Nikon spy-glasses he was talking to, we were all speaking the same language, discussing what we had seen recently that was cool and what we'd like to have seen (in addition to the mandarin).  There was no discussion of race or economic class.  There was no argument about liberal and conservative values (though I'm sure everyone had an opinion about global warming, it's a thing, look it up), there was just the birds.  While I had just arrived to see what I could see on my own personal mission, I was immediately accepted and looked upon as an equal, and spoken to with respect and dignity without prejudice.  It got to the point where, as I crossed from one area to another within the park, the other birders, recognizing that I was packing some serious birding gear, waved to me as if to say "I know why you're here, you're part of my tribe and I hope you find what you're looking for. Best wishes!"

And that's what I wish all of you this holiday season.  Friends and families can be stressful, but we're all part of the same club.  I wish that you all can find the same acceptance that I was able to find, regardless of politics and preconceived notions.  At the end of this fairly stressful part of the year, I hope you can appreciate someone who you know is going through the same event, with similar intentions, and that you can wave at that person with the attitude that we're all in this together.  In this culture of divisive arguments, I hope you have a calm and understanding approach to the holidays where most people's intent is good.  


So, Happy Holidays, and I know why you're here, you're part of my tribe, and I hope you find what you're looking for this Thanksgiving. Best wishes!

It's Time to Support Facts

After the terrorist shooting in Pittsburgh where only religious minorities were killed, the far right, and our President gave the event a shoulder shrug and then twisted the knife in his relentless attack on the media.  Yeah, killing sucks, but the media, am I right people?

However, how off is he? 

First, let's get out of the way that this President has called for violence against his political opponents.  He refused and continue to refuse to condemn hate groups, mostly because then it would be against a large swath of people who voted for him and actively campaign for him (and because he kinda agrees with them).  He's demonstrated that in addition to religion (anti-Islam/Judaism) he's also anti-environment, anti-women, anti-Native American, and anti-poor.  WORDS HAVE MEANING AND CONSEQUENCES!

But, he's right about a slanted media.  "Headlines," and I use the term loosely, have been sensational and alarmist and accusatory against this administration, or at least, presenting facts and drawing conclusions that the administration doesn't either want to admit or believes to be false, hence, fake news.  So, why submit misleading headlines?  Blame FaceBook.

The Pew Research Center has been gathering information on newspaper and periodical distribution since the 1940s, and, according to this report the news industry is in a death spiral: "A Pew Research Center analysis of data from AAM shows that total weekday circulation for U.S. daily newspapers – both print and digital – fell 8% in 2016, marking the 28th consecutive year of declines."  Not only that, but the L.A. Times reported on September 25 that TV network news ratings are also slipping. "Broadcast network news continued to fight a rear guard attack as audience levels slipped again in the 2017-18 television season, which ended last week.  Only one daily program, 'ABC World News Tonight With David Muir,' showed year-to-year growth, according to data released Tuesday by Nielsen."  Fewer people paying attention equals a drop in advertising revenue and makes it harder for these organizations to staff experienced journalists and editors to get the real news out there.

So, if the populace isn't getting their news from papers or TV networks, where are they getting their news from?  Well, that's the FaceBook link.  In a report that the Pew Research Center released back in 2014, it was estimated that roughly 2/3rds of Americans used FaceBook, and 30% of those got their news from headlines posted on the site.  That's tremendously ominous as we know that much of what is posted or shared on FB are opinions, not researched news.  We also know that in the last 4 years, FaceBook and Twitter influence has grown substantially globally, i.e. the numbers aren't likely to be less if that same study was updated today.  And, finally, the most troubling fact is what the Washington Post reported on in 2016 is that "According to a new study by computer scientists at Columbia University and the French National Institute, 59 percent of links shared on social media have never actually been clicked: In other words, most people appear to retweet news without ever reading it."
That's right, no one actually reads an article which makes our collective information problem less click-bait and more share-bait, which is healthy and strong, regardless if it's from a trusted news source or not.  Many of us are guilty of doing it, including and especially the President who has the intellect of a white-tailed deer: "ooooh, look at all of those lights getting brighter, I'll just stand here and watch the show!"

So, what can we do about it?  First, we must all resist that dreaded "share" button for opinion pieces that aren't vetted.  Second, we need to focus on actual news sources that aren't just writing headlines for us to push around.  Forbes, which I believe is a bit right-of-center when it comes to political leanings, has a list of news institutions where the journalists are held to a higher standard.  The full list of their 2017 recommended sites is here, but you already know that the Huffington Post is not, nor should it be, on this list.  Next, pay for your news.  I'm not saying that you need to have a paper delivered every morning, but absolutely subscribe to a real news agency and help support the distribution of verifiable content.  And, finally, vote.  We're in the final week before mid-term elections, and there are so many politicians who are the ones circulating poor data and bad science.  We need people making policy who believe in both social science and environmental science, or at least have staffers who are digesting that information for the candidates allowing them to make informed decisions based on undisputed scientific fact! 

What happened in Pittsburgh is atrocious.  None of us wants to be a target of extreme hate and violence.  However, if we aren't able to enact common-sense legislation based on facts because our representatives are kowtowing to a neanderthal minority with deep pockets, then we need to vote them out.  

Adventures in Asbury Park, NJ

The New York Times (that liberal rag, go figure) ran an article about the life of the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ.  If you're from NJ, you're familiar with the Pony: home to Bruce Springsteen...which, if you read this article, you'll realize that he was a johnny-come-lately, just looking to catch a local act, play some music and drink a beer.  Regardless, the resilience of Pony after riots in the 70's and depravity in the 80's is definitely due to something magical, something inexplicable, which reminded me of a story...(cue flashback waves a la Wayne's World).

About 8 years ago, in 2010, I had a day off in June (read: forced State furloughs), and my brother-in-law, Jesse was in from Los Angeles, visiting family.  He had grown up in and around Freehold, NJ, and like many in that neck of the woods, idolized Bruce Springsteen.  Bruce, after all, was the home town hero.  Bruce stopped into local businesses like Jersey Freeze right off Route 9.  And, Bruce lived nearby too.  Jesse had one movie out already (see it on NetFlix), which made him a professional screen writer (and actor), and he had thoughts about writing something about Bruce and Freehold, however, he'd never spent any appreciable time in Asbury Park.  Road-trip.

When we got to Asbury, a lot had changed from what it had been in the 80's and 90's.  Asbury was a hole.  It was seedy and drug-filled, and poor...desperately poor.  The late Anthony Bourdain visited with his show in 2005, where the only place Tony was willing to grab a bite was the Howard Johnson's, and he ordered something he thought wouldn't kill him, something safe: a Heineken and a grilled cheese sandwich.  "The beauty of the grilled cheese sandwich in its classic form is that neither the shaped carbohydrate slabs nor the processed orange food product have any relationship with a living, organic nutrient system.  Being therefore incapable of sustaining life in any form they, presumably, can't make you sick."  By 2010 things had gotten way better.  My wife and I had been there and visited the Langosta Lounge and loved it.  In that, the Lounge's original configuration and eclectic upscale menu, there was plenty to eat that Bourdain would have loved, including sushi, and succulent pieces of beef, and plenty to drink.  There was music in the corner, and a bar with many TVs.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Jesse and I got there mid afternoon, and the place was open, but not close to being "lively."  We visited the old casino building.  We walked up and down the newly renovated boardwalk.  And we pointed out the Paramount and walked past the pinball museum.  It was fairly uneventful.  At about 6pm, we decided it was time to bail and do something else.  On the way back to the car, there was a woman playing guitar on the boardwalk and crooning (whining?) a Natalie Merchant tune.  This was a long way off from the city's storied history of music.  About to cross the street, we see another girl with a guitar slung on her back, and joked, loudly, that we hope that she plays better music than the one we just left.  And, with a very thick European accent, she said "You know Bruce?"  She took off her gig bag, unpacked the acoustic she was traveling with, and started into "No Surrender."  Jesse, someone not unfamiliar with Bruce's entire catalog, immediately joined in singing, and she then lent him her axe to continue/finish the song.  It was great!  Here we were, with a complete stranger, sharing something bigger than the three of us, on the streets of the city he made famous. 

She explained that her name was Calien, she was from Amsterdam, she was 17.  She was so obsessed with Bruce Springsteen that she came to New York, and specifically to Asbury Park to see the Stone Pony with her own eyes.  She had already gotten kicked off his property in Rumson by the police.  She just wanted to be part of the scene.  She had taken a hotel right there near the boardwalk, and as the sun went down, it was getting a little cooler.  Would we want to go back to her hotel room so she could get a jacket?  It would just take a minute. 

Get your minds out of the gutter. 

That said, Jesse and I looked at each other and, we had no place to go, so, yes, we'll come along for the ride.  When in her room, she not only took out her jacket, but also an orange crown, with the Netherlands coat of arms on it, and a soccer ball.  She made us each pose wearing the crown as, the world was in the middle of the 2010 World Cup.  National pride and all that.  Then, she pulled out a XX Large Stone Pony bouncer's jacket, handed it to me, and asked if I wanted it.  It was the same make and material of the light jackets students wear in High Schools when they're part of the tennis team or band.  What?  How'd she get it?  Well, her obsession with Bruce brought her to the Paramount Theater in AP at 2am after a day of being in New York.  She snuck into an open door at the back of the theater and immediately got wrangled by the guard there.  She explained she just wanted to see the stage where Bruce performed.  The guard took pity, let her walk on the stage, and then, handed her his jacket he wore as a bouncer at the Pony as a souvenir, one that was at least 5 sizes too big. Would I want it?  Sure!  I put it on.

We decided that, because we were all there due to Bruce, maybe we should check out the Pony for ourselves.  It was literally across the street.  Off we went, and, because I was wearing the right apparel, we walked right in, told the other bouncers that Jesse and Calien were with me, and marched into the club.  The band taking the stage wasn't our cup of tea, some metal band, but that's OK, we just wanted to see the inside for Jesse's research and Calien's holiday.  While I was standing there, I got a tap on my shoulder.  Worried that it was time to get thrown out, I turned around, and there's a dude, standing there, arms above his head, waiting for me to frisk him on his way into the venue.  I quickly pointed him to someone who actually worked there, found Jesse and Cal, and got out.
Lots of laughing happened later as we headed to the Langosta Lounge for a drink with a 17 year old from Amsterdam, and watch the Mets and the Yankees duke it out for supremacy in the Big Apple.
There's really nothing more.  I'm not sure where the movie is on Jesse's list, whether he's shelved it for other things.  I do know that Calien has made it BIG in Amsterdam.  We knew she was talented, and after she finished school, she formed her own band: Cal and the Leavin' Train, yes, a direct reference to a track officially released on Bruce's 1998 Box Set.  You can catch some of her stuff here on the band's FaceBook page.  There are a couple videos to check out.  

Also, Asbury Park has since exploded with restaurants and the artist community that was there is thriving.  The beaches are fun in the summer.  And the Mogo Taco, next to Langosta Lounge, is worth the trip alone.  Bourdain made a second trip (probably more) for his more recent show "Parts Unknown" that was on CNN in 2015.  "Asbury Park has taken the long, hard but smart road back,"It's very unusual to have a place with this kind of tradition of live music," Bourdain said in an interview with the Asbury Park Press. "It's such a powerful tradition and that it's managed to survive at all, that's very unusual." That's because the music of Asbury Park, and the epicenter, The Stone Pony, has the magic to bring people together.  Certainly, it worked for the city, Bruce, Cal, Jesse and me.

Wake Up

I had this whole rant thought out about how the religious right are using our sheep politicians to further their goals to subjugate women through restriction of medical treatments (i.e. birth control, abortion, etc.) and the flaunting of patriarchal misogynistic practices by denying women a voice in physical and sexual assault situations.

But, I am seriously burnt out on this whole Kavanaugh thing.  I so want the GOP to move on to a better candidate, but I'm terrified that this rich, Roe v. Wade-hating, beer-swilling entitled fraternity douche-bag is going to get his vote and be 100 times more politically charged than Gorsuch whilst attempting to legislate us back into the dark ages.

And while he believes himself to be a child of Jesus, and a righteous Catholic, I think, even the Pope would have issue on this man's past actions, legal decisions, core beliefs and severe lack of a dedication to his fellow man, except for Judge and Squee.  Frankly, the Pope would make a far better justice.

But that all being said, I have found myself turning to my music for both confirmation of my feelings and fears as well as a refuge so as to tune the world out.

For fears, I think it's easy.  I've recently re-found Rage Against the Machine (as I've mentioned before) and the lyrics to "Wake Up" are so adaptable to today.  Admittedly, I'm cherry picking them for my argument, but the song references:

Fist in the air in the land of hypocrisy;
Still knee deep in the system's shit;
Departments of police, (what!) the judges (what!), the feds;
Networks at work, keeping people calm

It speaks, literally to the assassination of Martin Luther King, a Federal cover-up because he returned the power to the people.  I think a lot of it resonates with me because the problem never went away...certainly it never left the black communities, and now there are echoes of similar themes with white nationalist politicians, namely Trump and the Republican right.  As an avid student of music from the 60s, these themes are hardly new, but due to the grandstanding and extreme political actions by those who would put business before the needs of the people, a new protest, using old themes, is in order.

What's more, it's so hard to believe that informed citizens voted "these people" in.  There are so many extremes I see on the right, from fraternizing with a new Nazi regime, to claims of being devout without following a word of the bible when it comes to treating others as you would treat yourself.  Granted, the Democrats are hardly innocent.  I believe Menendez dodged a political bullet based on procedure and lack of evidence.  I think he's guilty.  I think he's not the only one who swings his political might in this manner, and that both sides of the aisle are guilty, but he got caught.  I'm not happy that I have to vote for him, but the alternative is another right-wing religious zealot, with views similar to Trump's, that would be deciding Federal law in my name.  No way.

November is coming.  Historically, Americans are horrific at getting to the polls.  I hope you're not.  Something has to change.  And, I don't believe that a xenophobic, nation-first, blinders version of United States policy is good for our own citizenry or that of the world.  Which movie will you feel better coming out of: the one where the underdog, with nothing, is able to finally make his/her life better against all odds...or the one where the oppression of the people rewards only the task masters at the top pulling all the strings to keep them fat while the rest of the world burns around them?  We have one month to talk to people about our right to choose who leads this nation.  It's time to wake up.

Political Assault

As new accusers of nominated Supreme Court Judge, Brett Kavanaugh reveal themselves, I am blown away at the critics of their stories, primarily Republicans.  But, first, let me back up.

Assault is assault.  It's a criminal act of someone in power physically overpowering another individual as part of an act of malicious intent.  The degree to which one is injured is irrelevant.  The state of toxicity of the victim is irrelevant.  The fact that the accused assailant was once a victim themselves is irrelevant.  The fact is that someone is being wronged, and someone else is doing the deed.

With the first accuser of Kavanaugh, her credibility was immediately called into question.  How can someone remember the details of something that happened so long ago?  Why wasn't it pursued then?  In my experience, high school is easy to remember, especially the negative.  When I was a senior, I was working on an independent art study with two classmates, a black male classmate and a white female classmate.  We were outside using a spray adhesive on an art project we were working on together when underclassmen who were black decided to harass us, question us, and ultimately spit on our art project.  The fact that they were black is important, because my words to them after seeing them ruin our art were harsh: "instead of wasting my time in school walking the halls, I'm trying to get an education and have a future instead of deep frying chicken for a living."  It was then that one of the three boys punched me in the jaw, and another punched me in the back of my head, before running off.  Long story short, we got the teacher and I was able to identify one of my attackers for the vice principal who was overseeing the resolution to the altercation.  He then told my mom and dad that I provoked the boys, and was to blame.  The attackers weren't expelled and only one of the three received a suspension.  And that was that.  To the school, I was almost as guilty as the ones throwing the punches.  It's true that I chose my words poorly, as referencing fried chicken could be interpreted as a racist slur.  I admit that there were months when I questioned myself and the words I used.  Why didn't I say "flipping burgers?"  Regardless, I remember it all in vivid detail.  That was in 1993, 25 years ago.

I'm sure that the words I used are different than the exact quote I've identified above.  But, I remember the teacher and the fact that it was an independent study, the fact that one of the kids who hit me was an extremely light-skinned black boy, that the project was a play on the Beatles song "Blackbird" and that it was a book which incorporated pop-ups and spray painted feathers, and I can recall the doors we used to leave the High School to use the adhesive and the location of the art teacher's classroom...and its layout, and the fact that we had jazz playing in the background while we worked...

And to that point, these women who are coming forward can also recall a similar level of detail.  It's possible.  What's more, it's likely.  And, they're not coming forward without risking anything.  Yes, ultimately, the Democratic party is using their stories as a blunt physical instrument for stopping the nomination of an extremely conservative judge who has views of women that are not modern or scientifically accurate.  You can argue with me on that point, however, the testimony of these women is inarguable.  It is their truths and accusations...ones that, at the very least, require far more consideration than politics is allowing.  I understand that once this nomination goes through, or doesn't, the casualties in this political fight will be these women.  They get nothing from this process.  They get to be used and bludgeoned by our bi-polar political system, and then left to fend for themselves amid accusations, death threats, and the potential for being sued themselves for libel. 

There is no winning for these women.  They will get nothing, and that has to make you think: why would they come forward with these allegations?  How can we trust their words?  It's simple, the events in the past that are now coming to light hold a special and very negative meaning for these women.  This has impacted their entire lives since either witnessing debauchery at the hand of Kavanaugh, or being a victim his advances.  It's not enough to point fingers at the Democrats accusing them of political motivations.  That's why they were elected, to be political, same as the Republicans who are trying to get this done before the midterms. 

It's true that there have been several nationally publicized sexual assault accusations that were proven to be fabricated.  However, the number of forcible rape cases is on the rise in the United States.  Since 2013 when it was 23.5 cases per 100,000, the number of cases has risen to 30.7 rapes per 100,000 people.  That translates to over 99,000 cases in 2017.  So, before you become political judge, jury and executioner yourself based on news headlines, take into account that not only are the accusations plausible, but they're likely. 

Check these statistics from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and let's give due deference to these women's accusations for a man who may be presiding over cases pertaining to sexual assault and women's rights over the course of a lifetime appointment. 

Forgive Me

I have mixed emotions about the "celebration" of the Jewish holidays/Holydays.  Mostly, this stems from my inability to rationalize organized religion.  At its most intense, our fates and actions are either being controlled or judged (or both) by an ever-present deity or deities.  In some religions, free will is wistful and wishful thinking.  Your actions are merely an extension of the divine.  What happens to you is predetermined.  You are but players on the stage of life, acting out perfectly scripted roles.    

In the most strict sense of Judaism, the Talmud (Jewish book of law) says that on Rosh Hashana, God inscribes everyone's name into one of three books. The righteous go into the Book of Life, the evil go into the Book of Death, and those in-between have judgment suspended until Yom Kippur.  You best attone for your sins that God then writes your fate into the correct book.  

Some liberal observations:

No one is 100% good or 100% evil; 
Plenty of good people die which flies in the face of a literal interpretation;
By the same virtue, plenty of bad people survive to do horrendous things;
From a scientific vantage point, natural systems are both orderly and, at times, chaotic.  Humans, being a part of nature, are no different, and our ability to correctly predict human actions, based on precedent, is immensely difficult if not impossible.  Sometimes, the signs are there, whether we see them or not (Stoneman Douglas), and other times, we are caught completely unaware (Las Vegas).

"Sometimes the lights are shining on me, other times I can barely see."

My values, shaped by a Jewish upbringing, but firmly grounded in science, makes me continuously question the self-righteous actions performed by humans in the name of religion.  I am no Zionist, and the recent nationalist actions of Israel make me sick, especially the bulldozing of settlements of HUMAN BEINGS in the West Bank.  Similarly, it should be obvious that I have no love for the white-supremacist-accepting millionaire, Donald Trump.  I don't believe the man is intentionally racist.  I do believe that the man doesn't understand anyone without his ethnic and cultural background, and has no interest in trying to.  Do I understand that Jewish people in the 1940s were targeted for eradication?  Yes.  Do I also understand that Israel was established to ensure that a permanent place was available for an outcast people?  Yes.  Do I also understand that Trump's enthusiasm for Israel may be based on his understanding that a monotheistic society/nation-state with a single dominant religion is possible and it fuels his desire to move the United States in that direction through walls and tariffs and travel bans, etc.?  Did you know that "In God We Trust" was added to paper currency in 1957 to perpetuate the lies of McCarthyism?  Did you also know that "under god" was added to the pledge at the same time for the same nationalistic reason? 


While Trump's intentions may be pure conjecture on my part, the uncertainty of human actions makes this a difficult time to live with pure convictions.  By that, I mean, we (everyone) need to relax our strict definitions of religious edict.  We need to be more understanding that there's more than one way to achieve a goal, and that even the smartest of us can't solve our collective problems.  Whether this is your holiday or not, take this week to look past the religious veneer of your neighbors.  Until we stop caring whether someone has humbled themselves before an invisible god, or attended religious services at Yom Kippur, Easter or Christmas, or fasted during Ramadan, we are doomed to continue the divisiveness born from our collective ignorance.  Because, ultimately, the message of all religions is the same: don't be a jerk, and if you were successful at not being a jerk today, then try again tomorrow, and make sure to thank the people who enrich your lives the most.  The actions of your goodness speak the loudest, regardless of your upbringing, or your cultural habits, but it takes courage.
"If we had any nerve at all, if we had any real balls as a society, or whatever you need, whatever quality you need, real character, we would make an effort to really address the wrongs in this society, righteously."  Jerry Garcia

While my "J" may be different than yours in "WWJD," their logic about humanity frequently overlapped.  Because, as Buddha says "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."

The Shakedown

This Labor Day weekend was extremely busy, but also satisfying in several ways: Labor Day tradition (grilling) and familiar outcomes (Phish, music, ramen) spoke the loudest.

As happens every school year, my wife was deep in preparing both our family and her classroom for the first week of school.  Quite typically this involves several days in the classroom at the end of the summer even before she officially reports for those no-children, in-service days her contract requires.  There's a lot that goes on in that classroom before she's been blessed with around 20 children she'll be required to raise until June of 2019. 

Before I get on with my own thoughts, my wife, and her colleagues across the United States will be your child's teacher, therapist, nutritionist, physical trainer, mentor, and, in worst-case scenarios, the first line of defense/first responder whenever something may go wrong for the next 9+ months.  And, while her benefits package rivals the more generous ones in corporate America, her salary for someone who has their masters degree, several certifications, and 30 additional credits, is less than half of the take-home of those private industry execs who also have 20 exemplary years at their profession, not to mention that she's working for the same employer.  So, add the characteristics of "undying dedication" and "loyalty" to her resume, traits that are deteriorating from work-forces around the country.  Hell, they pay the garbage men more than what they pay the person who has volunteered to become a metaphorical and literal human shield for your child.  On behalf of her and all of the teachers returning to work this week, you're welcome.

But I digress. 

This past Saturday I had arranged for one of my oldest friends, G, to stop by and catch some of the simulcast Phish concert.  He came bearing gifts.  Firstly, he had mentioned a while ago that he had the opportunity to pick up Dark Star by the David Murray Octet for me.  Would I be interested in a Dead-inspired jazz album?  Yes please.  Murray had played with the band in 1993 introducing a rabid fanbase to his jazz-inspired flourishes on Grateful Dead staples such as Bird Song and Dark Star playing his alto sax.  This sits firmly in my wheelhouse of pre-approved music genres: the aforementioned album (Dark Star) is a creative and sometimes cheeky take on your typical Dead set with the eponymous track being the longest, again, strongly emulating what the Dead themselves would do.  Speaking of which, the album opens with Shakedown Street, and then Bobby Weir, the rhythm freight train of the Grateful Dead plays on the last track of the album.  The circle is complete.

Then, G says, "hey, whatchu know about String Cheese Incident."  Told him that, my impression was that it was a jam band, similar to Umphrey's McGee in scope, but with more strings as the name would suggest.  Maybe cheese? Told him I wasn't super aware of either.  We resorted to the YouTube where we found this gem of a jam from Umphrey's.  While it was playing in the background to our old-man-card-game, we continued our conversation, but every once in a while, this band got our attention, especially at 0:17:32 into the video.  Holy cow.  Unbridled rock.  I think I need to do more homework.

Finally, G asks about my experience with Joe Russo's Almost Dead (JRAD).  This is a band that's been on my radar for quite some time.  The make-up of the band starts with drummer Joe Russo, and includes Ween's bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger on guitar and vocals, and American Babies' Tom Hamilton on guitar and vocals.  The Wife and I had seen Benevento and Russo play together as a duo, with Mike Gordon as a trio, and then with Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio from Phish (G.R.A.B.?).  By themselves, the Benevento/Russo Duo talent pool was deep already.  Adding Hamilton, Metzger and Dreiwitz made for an almost certain slam dunk.  But, what, you ask, do they play?

The goddam Grateful Dead...primarily.  

Shortly after G's visit, he shot me a text with a link to Archive.Org, the end-all-be-all FREE music repository for legally recorded live music.  The JRAD show G shared was a recent one from their appearance at the Jam-infused Lockn' Festival and was recorded live on 8/24/2018.  Good god they're awesome.  Jams are more serious than the proto-typical noodling of Jerry and Co. from the days of old.  And, they don't just play the Dead, but, in this set they were able to mix in tracks from The Band and The Bard, and they infused the set with hints of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Earth Wind and Fire, and Radiohead.  There's some serious talent going on.  This iteration of this group has been playing since 2013 and are quickly becoming one of the shows I must see...especially if they cap their shows with Feel Like A Stranger into Shakedown Street and back into Feel Like A Stranger.  Full show here.

Certainly I can't blame you with thinking that this post may have had something to do with either the President's crony's legal troubles, or the pending release of Bob Woodward's latest book "Fear."  However, in times of insanity, of which there are many in this administration, I'm stealin' back to my same old used to be.  In times of great turmoil, find comfort in familiar tradition.  For me, that's getting my Shakedown on.  Proof that I'm doing it right: when the song comes on in any of its many forms (jazz, cover, live recording or studio), both of my kids sing from the back seat.  While teachers are the linchpin of our future, some lessons you gotta learn on your own...or from your dad.  Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart.

We've been warned

Another vacation. Another naturalist. Another warning about climate change, human causation, and political ineptitude from the front lines.

Last week I didn't write a blog post due to the fact that my family and I were on another vacation.  Sometimes summer works like that.  And, this time it worked heavily in my favor.  After beginning the summer in Alaska, we were able to revisit one of our most favorite places in the country: Mount Desert Island (MDI), Maine, home to Bar Harbor, and, more importantly, Acadia National Park.  

MDI has many unique characteristics.  At 108 square miles, it's the largest island off the coast of Maine, and second largest island on the eastern seaboard.  Only Long Island in New York is larger.  Wisconsin Glacial retreating, that occurred over 15 thousand years ago, caused the formation of approximately 26 peaks, the tallest of which stands at 1,529 feet...which doesn't sound like much, but mostly because the majority of hikes start at an elevation greater than sea level.  Not so with MDI.

Acadia preserves 47,000 acres of land, and in 2017, according to NPS, over 3.5 million visitors...well, visited.  Simple math tells us that's over 74 people per acre...if every inch of the park was visited equally, which it's not.  Enter Park Loop Road and Sand Beach traffic congestion.  Still, like us, the majority of these visitors came between the months of May and September.  Why?  We're trying to live like the Rockefellers in the early 1900's, and escape the heat and bustle of New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia, etc.  

MDI is also home to many migrating bird species.  It's smack dab in the middle of the northern part of the Atlantic Flyway, a name given to the geographic area where the majority of bird migration occurs, from Florida and further south (i.e. Cuba, Central and South America) to Maine, Canada and Greenland.  And, change is afoot.  During my time on MDI, I made it a point to visit with Michael Good.  Michael is a jack-of-all trades naturalist with expertise in anything MDI: geology, botany, biology, and ecology, though his passion is birds.  Michael has been giving island birding tours since 1993, collecting data and performing quantitative analysis on observed species and he knows nearly every nook and cranny on the island where they may be hiding.  During our outing, his warning about man-made environmental change was no different than my guide in Alaska.

"I see chaotic [ecological] fluctuations every year"
One of Michael's messages: everything is connected.  During our outing, he made sure to show us where fish ladders have been rebuilt.  A concerted effort was made in 2007 to rebuild fish ladders that, historically, allowed alewives access through the tidal streams into the freshwater lakes to spawn.  What are alewives?  According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources: "Alewives are important to the ecology of freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments. They provide an alternative prey item for osprey, eagles, great blue heron, loons and other fish eating birds at the same time juvenile Atlantic salmon are migrating downriver. Alewives provide cover for upstream migrating adult salmon that may be preyed on by eagles or osprey, and for young salmon in the estuaries and open ocean that might be captured by seals."  Alewives are another species that specifically impact both marine and freshwater ecosystems found on MDI.  They are essential components of the food chain both in life and death, providing direct nutrients to things that eat them, and indirect nutrients to the lands and water bodies where they decompose.    

Which brings me back to birds.  Things are changing almost too quickly to document.


"Twenty years ago we had many more Evening Grosbeak and hardly any Northern Cardinals or Canada Geese. Today, no Evening Grosbeak, Cardinals are everywhere and Canada Geese are starting to be seen in every watershed...so the dynamics are changing for sure."

I asked him what were the primary contributors, and he basically said that we have a tremendous job of undoing all of the stupid decisions we've made in the past. "The other aspect of this is how the 'ecologically-illiterate' people of the past and those science and ecology deniers of today, are essentially the product of the 'European Concept of Exploitation' and the absolute misunderstanding of Ecological Systems and how they are tied to our economy." He's speaking of the collective economy, but also of the coastal Maine economy. Unplanned, unsustainable, uninformed human practices, it turns out, is bad for business. Due to over-fishing, the only coastal fishery allowed to operate is lobster. No cod. No haddock. No flounder. No pollock. The Boston Globe reported earlier this year that these staples of traditional New England catches have moved to colder water. Also, the dip in alewives as bait-fish due to poor management practices in addition to years of mismanaging ocean stocks of fish have led to those fish being unsustainable. And they're not done making poor political mistakes with our environment.

Michael puts it this way: "Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife cannot design a free-flowing fish passage for the Union River because of the 70 foot tall Union River Dam. That dam is sucking the life out of Blue Hill bay and nobody... not a single politician is doing anything about it nor have they since 1908. So, we need some good old American Common Sense and some direction that increases our biodiversity."


And, we need it now. The ignorance shown by our politicians where natural systems are regarded is mind boggling. On a page that our Cheeto-In-Chief hasn't found yet, NASA.GOV, the statement is quite plain: "Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver."  This on a page named Scientific Consensus.  The 18 organizations listed on that page seem disconnected to you and me...which is why we need to heed the warnings from scientists like Michael Good, and the work that Down East Nature Tours is doing.  It's not too late to vote in environmentally responsible representation.  And, as I've mentioned before, it's not too late to change personal habits with regard to our choices of light bulbs and ensuring that we're not contributing to the waste problem that single-use plastic bags presents.  "Now that you mentioned Cuba [above, ed.] you better tie in the plastics issues because the beaches of Cuba are covered by plastic." Thanks Michael. I guess I now know where I need to visit next before we've permanently destroyed those too.