Better late than never....

It has been months since I posted here. It isn't that I ran out of steam because of the election. My previous posts were pretty fixated on the recession and the election. However, in November I started a project for a new client that took way more of my time and I simply never found a moment of my own that I didn't just want to collapse into a chair and chill. That is still pretty much the case today except a lower back problem has me on a mandatory chill. With the new found time on my hands I thought I would break the silence (partially in hopes that you will follow in kind).

Following are just some random items. These are posted with the thought in mind that this is what I intended when I started the blog. That it evolved into a running rant about politics and the economy wasn't so much a betrayal of my intentions as much as letting my mind do the walking (and talking). That too is what a blog should be I suppose.

I continue to be mesmerized by great rock guitar and have been downloading music from iTunes and Amazon at a rapid rate. One of my guitar heroes is Jeff Beck who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame for the second time last week. At the bottom of this page you can find his performance (as found on you tube) accompanied by former Yardbird mate Jimmy Page at the induction performance. His musicianship never fails to thrill me.

A week ago I came to Thailand for business and ended up going to a doctor. I knew when I left home that I had an irritating case of sciatica but by the time I reached here and after having made my way through two airports, I finally had to throw in the towel. As a result I have been back to the clinic every day for physical therapy in treatment of a slipped disk that is pressing against the sciatic nerve causing shooting pains from my lower back down the right leg. My lower back has always been a weak link for me but until recently it didn't occur to me that there was actual stuff happening in there. That sounds silly but there are aches and pains you just come to accept as you get older. I guess I will be more alert to this in the future.

This month Nicholas will reprise his role in a locally grounbreaking play called "Aircon". The first run of the play, a year ago, created quite a stir in Malaysia for it's honest and open treatment of homosexuality (a rare thing in this conservative Muslim country). To read about the play and the interview in the local paper of Nick and hiss fellow thespians you can visit this link. I posted the ppicture that Veronica scanned from the newspaper on my Facebook gallery here.

I haven't heard from Kathleen or Jim since before Christmas or from Don for quite a while so I am making a point of poking at them here in hopes of getting a rise. I send the "poke" along with "I love you and miss you!".

In keeping with my temporary sedentary lifestyle I have been watching a lot of television and ploughing my way through movies I have recorded on my disk drive. Last night I watched (for the second time)the most recent Woody Allen feature "Matchpoint". I confess that I have never seen a Woody Allen movie that I did not like and Matchpoint is one of his best. If you haven't seen it I would urge you to do so.

Before I came to Thailand I made a credible jambolaya at home. I think it is the first time I have made it since marrying Veronica and moving here. That was an oversight because it was a huge hit with everyone. Do any of you cook jambolaya at home. I can remember Mom making it frequently in our house.

One of the more interesting news stories of the day involve the taking of an American ship by Somali pirates and the resulting stand-off. I find it appalling that Somali pirates have terrorized a major shipping lane with impunity. I think it is time for that to end and hope there is some punishment meted out to them as a part of the resolution to the current stand off. The latest headline has the pirates issuing a warning to the Americans against any rescue attempts. Utterly infuriating.

Well, I am off to my lazyboy, (the perfect vessel for a body with a bad back).