Just Too Busy!

After a week or so of unseasonably cool and wet weather, we’ve now settled into good old Kansas heat and humidity. Just in time for Stephen and Kathie’s visit.

Haven’t had a chance to read a newspaper, so don’t know of any news to comment about. I guess Kerry got smart and skipped Gephart in favor of Edwards. I could maybe go along with that. Will have to think seriously about George and Dick. After all, it’s not so much the individuals as it is the system they bring to bear, and I have a hard time abandoning the Republican system. On the other hand, as I approach sunset years with no retirement funds, I begin to think that more government entitlements, especially for seniors, would be a good thing. What else in the news? Some 19 year old guy was killed when a train ran over him. He was naked and tied to the tracks with baling wire. The police were investigating it as a “suspicious” death. Yeah, I would think so.

Got the left side of the Miata re-painted, courtesy of Amica insurance and a parking lot vandal who doesn’t like when people have a nice looking car, I guess. The body shop, Auto Accents, here in Lawrence, seems to have done a good job. It’s owned by a relative of Jimmy Vantuyl whom I’ve known since 1970. Jimmy has a used car lot here in Lawrence — Vantuyl Motors. I’ve never actually bought a car from him, though.

Heck, I really wish I had something better to write about. Maybe tomorrow.

p>. :shrug:

Purely Random

Picking up stuff around the house, looking for places to put what’s not trashed. At Target and see a seven drawer thing that looks promising. Needs assembly. No problem. Electric screwdriver at home. Have a 10% off coupon for Target, but it’s also at home. Buy anyway. Home with the drawer thing and go to workbench. No electric screwdriver. Look everywhere, and then everywhere else, twice, at least. Gone. Who knows? Last night noticed first fireflies of season swimming in the air. Yes, Kansas summer (i.e. humidity) is finally here. Rented 50 First Dates. Better than expected. Barrymore/Sandler chasing Ryan/Hanks as cutest screen couple. Who’s gonna mow the yard this time? Maybe nobody. Like I said, Kansas summer… The new Iraqi Prime Minister comes across damn good. Saw him on Sunday morning talk show. Was thinking how much better he presents than Bush or Rumsfeld. How does Rumsfeld even still have his job? He’s one reason I thought I might have to abandon Bush and vote for the other guy. Then I heard Kerry was considering Gephart for Veep. Well, back to Bush. Or, hey, there’s Nader. Pretty sad when the criteria is to vote for the one I can feel the least dirty about giving a vote to. Roddick and Federer, on the other hand, put on a class act, both during the match and after. Best post-match interviews I’ve seen in ages. “I threw everything I had at him, including the kitchen sink, but he went in the bathroom and came out with the tub.” Come on, he had that prepared ahead of time, right? Either way, pretty good improv, under the circumstances. No smoking in Lawrence since July 1, except outside, your home, or your motel room. No fireworks, either, although there are die-hards. And, we’re having witnesses in drug cases getting shot at in the streets in broad daylight. No kidding. They rammed her car head on and jumped out blasting away. She escaped. As I have often said, you just can’t get quality work in Lawrence.

:gangster:

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Back during Napster’s golden age I got hooked on finding as many versions as possible of certain old songs. One was Ghost Riders. Another was The Lion Sleeps Tonight, which I discovered was actually an old South African song that became the pop hit I listened to on AM Radio when rock’n’roll (and I) was young. So it was interesting to run across an article in Bag and Baggage about Solomon Linda, the Zulu migrant worker who composed the song Mbube (lion) in Johannesburg in 1939 and recorded it with a group called the Evening Birds; and about how folk singer Pete Seeger came across the song in 1949 and performed it, calling it Wimoweh, from the Zulu “uyiMbube” meaning “he is a lion”; then done by the Tokens (the version I listened to as a youth) in 1961, who added the lyrics “in the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight”. After all these years, Linda’s heirs are suing Disney for royalties on account of using the song in Lion King.