Month: March 2010

Categories
History Home Life Music Radio

Saturday Night Retro

This week on the ‘Retro’ it’s a TOP 10 pop smash that I consider to be one of the greatest written songs of the rock and roll era. It’s a song by Andrew Gold who worked behind the scenes with Linda Ronstadt at the time. In fact she returned the favour in this song by providing backing vocals.

As the story goes this kid who was born ‘on a summer day – 1951’ (such as Andrew himself) was thrown to the side and neglected and abandoned by his parents when his sibling was born ‘in the summer of ’53’ (such as Andrew’s sister). He was once an only son who was the only one. He was a lovely boy that then became a lonely boy. At the age of 18 ‘on a winter day – 1969’ that lonely boy left home to find the love that he had lost. We’re not sure if he ever found it, but his sister went on to live happily ever after.

By substituting the years 1951, 1953, and 1969 with 1967, 1975, and 1985 this song can be the lyrics of my childhood. I take this song very personal because unfortunately I can totally relate to it. If I elabourate any further on this I will get way too emotional, so I’ll just leave it at that.

All is well in 2010, but it’s been a slow and struggling recovery for me over the past 35 years. I AM living happily ever after.

Parents – love your children forever, and never neglect or abandon them.

Categories
History Life Music News Radio

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

FLASHBACK with me to the Summer of 1978. It’s when Garfield made his debut in the comics section of daily newspapers everywhere. It’s when the world’s first test tube baby was born in England. It’s when Pope Paul VI died at the age of 80, and was succeeded by Pope John Paul I who died just a month later.

I turned 11-years-old on June 05TH 1978, and I successfully completed the 5TH grade at Magnolia Elementary School in Lanham Maryland. After all of these years it’s the 5TH grade that stands out above all of the rest as the most memorable of them all. It was memorable in a positive way – great teachers – great classes – great classmates. I really believe that the latter half of my grade school years (4TH, 5TH, and 6TH grades) were more influential and more valuable in molding my later adult life than the subsequent Junior High and Senior High school years. My writing skills today were conceived and developed during those latter grade school years.

On the radio during the Summer of 1978 Disco ruled, as it crossed-over in a big way from the big city nightclubs to mainstream pop, rock, and soul radio nationwide. The Bee Gees‘ younger brother Andy Gibb was only 20-years-old at the time, but he was one of the hottest solo acts in the world. Here’s his memorable Disco smash that spent most of June and all of July of 1978 at the very top of the national pop chart. It went on to become the # 1 song of the entire year here in the U.S. – as well as one of the biggest songs in American chart music history. Here’s “Shadow Dancing” on the ‘Disco Party’:

Categories
Animals Blogging God Weather

Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– Let’s get spontaneous.
– Let’s not hold nothin’ back.
– Can we talk here ?
– I love typing in these ‘Mini Thoughts’.
– That’s because there’s absolutely no planning for this beforehand.
– The ‘Disco Party’ and the ‘Retro’ are both planned weeks / months in advance.
– Even the ‘Grab Bag’ on Tuesday nights takes much of the week to plan.
– But these ‘Mini Thoughts’ are happenin’ right here and right now.
– If you look sad and miserable on the outside then you are that way all around.
– Even if you look happy on the outside you may still be sad and miserable.
– You can hide sad and miserable with a smile on your face.
– Some people are good at it.
– I’m thinking that if you’re sad and miserable then you don’t know God.
– There’s a MASSIVE difference between believing in God and knowing Him.
– I’ve believed in His existence for nearly my entire lifetime.
– But I’ve only really known Him for the past 42 months.
– As the journey continues I’m knowing Him more and more.
– Adults who hate raise children who hate.
– That vicious cycle is endless unless One steps in to break it.
– That One is God and no other.
– Imagine how this world would be if we all loved rather than hated.
– Tonight I’ve got my Life Group where we will learn more about God.
– Tomorrow is a normal Friday work day for me, and then the weekend begins.
– I’ve cleared my Saturday morning schedule to do two main things.
– I’m getting a professional car wash and detail done first thing in the morning.
– After that I’m heading to Monkey Jungle to hang out with my primate buds.
– I’m even thinking of getting an annual pass to the joint.
– I think an annual pass costs just $10 more than a one-day pass.
– Are you getting tired of this outrageous cold winter season ?
– Don’t worry we’ll get back to more normal weather as soon as next week.
– I forgot what 80°F+ feels like.
– Unofficially so far in 2010 we’ve only had 8 days (out of 63) in the 80s.
– 7 out of those 8 days were just barely into the 80s (80° or 81°).
– But back to reality – how does FROST on your car sound for tomorrow ?
– It could very well happen for those of us well inland (such as Homestead).
– Stay warm, and may you have a cozy Thursday night at home.

Categories
Blogging God Life Music People

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

Despite the fact that this weekly blog series may offend some of you of this world that may stumble across it on the vast Internet landscape – as well as a few of you who actually follow this blog on a regular basis – I vow to continue this series each and every Wednesday night. If you don’t believe in God or follow Him intently then that’s certainly your business. Feel free to share that aspect of your life with the world as you wish. Talk about it. Write about it. Blog about it. Just like I do about my belief – an intense belief, trust, adoration, and love for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – the Christ that gave me a second chance at Life some 42 months ago when I least expected it. Some of you reading this may wish for me to keep my ‘religious beliefs’ to myself so that I don’t offend anyone reading it. To that I say that I live in a free nation where I am free to speak my mind – particularly right here on my own blog. Not a day goes by where I am not deeply offended by the actions of the world today, but I am also respectful and loving of all of God’s Creations – including those who mock and those who hate. I will be loud, proud, bold, and intentional about my beliefs. If you care to hear me then I am here to share my Life with you. As far as I’m concerned there is only “One Way” – Jesus.