Author: robertjames1971

I'm wicked tall.

What Would Be Better?

Tonight the fascist orange shit clown putin-puppet of a us presidential felon in chief will be addressing a joint session of congress. It’s not the state of the union address, but… you know… it’s the state of the union address.

I am trying to decide what I want to see from the democrats in the legislature. I have a couple of thoughts, none of which we will actually see because said democrats will firmly lodge their heads up their collective asses and continue to do nothing while the federal government is overthrown by a fascist dictator who has sold our country out to its enemies and turned us into a russian vassal state. You know how it is.

Part of me wants to see the entire democratic party flat out boycott the speech. Just collectively say fuck that orange shit clown and his lies and gaslighting and all of it and just say no and not show up. Yeah, like that would ever happen.

Another part of me wants them to just heckle the shit out of the fascist felon in chief. Every time he lies start screaming… which means they will all scream throughout the entire speech because literally every word will be a lie. They would have to take it in shifts because all of that screaming would result in the entire democratic contingent losing their voices before the end of the farce. Yeah, like that would ever happen.

Another part of me wants to see some sort of theatrical protest. Something that will look epic on television (which is the only thing the shit clown really cares about) whose meaning would be completely unmistakable. Something like having the entire democratic population of the house and senate stand up and turn their backs on the first felon throughout the entire duration of the speech. Maybe they could all flip the bird over their shoulders. Yeah, like that would ever happen.

I’m guessing the only response will be polite and ineffectual. They will take the high road as the country descends into a cesspool of authoritarianism and fascism and dies whimpering like the sad pathetic puppet state we’ve become. Huzzah and shit.

The Cold War is Over and We Lost

So what fresh hell am I waking up to today?

We’re ending all attempts to stop Russian online attacks? Did I read that right? I could not possibly have read that right. You think data breaches are bad now? Oh just wait.

We’re eliminating all economic sanctions against Russia? Did I read that right too? Sure, that sounds like a good idea.

We’re ceasing (I believe the word was “pausing”) economic and military aid to Ukraine? Even though there is an actual, literal LAW in place to send them the aid?

And you still think the orange shit clown is not a Russian agent? Really? 50% of the voting population of the united (fascist) states of america is still with him? Un-fucking-believable.

The president is a Russian agent. The cold war is over and Russia clearly won. It just took a little longer than we expected. Maybe this will unite Europe somehow. I don’t know. I can’t seem to find another potential bright side to all of this rampant fascism.

But hey, at least we don’t have a president with a vagina. That would be completely unacceptable.

Do I Want to See Clapton?

Eric Clapton announced US tour dates. There are two New England shows, TD Garden in Boston and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Tickets go on sale on Friday.

Do I want to go? I don’t know.

It wasn’t that long ago (just before the pandemic, I think) that I told my wife I wanted to see him one more time before he’s gone. I know he has some sort of neurological issue that is reducing his ability to play the guitar so the days are definitely numbered. Jeff Beck is gone… how long before Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are gone too? I really should go see them before it’s too late. Those three guys are, more than anyone else, the reason I started playing guitar. Clapton more than the other two. I should want to go see him one more time, right? That makes sense.

But…

During the pandemic he demonstrated clearly what an absolute piece of shit he is as a human being. Do I really want to reward him for that by shelling out what is likely to be an absurd amount of money?

I honestly don’t know what to do.

Keith Relf and Jeff Beck are dead. John Mayall is dead. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker are dead. Rick Gretch is dead. Delaney Bramlett and George Harrison are dead. Duane Allman, Jim Gordon, and Carl Radle are dead. Clapton is going to turn 80 at the end of this month. Based on that very long list of band mates (no, Jeff Beck was not a band mate, though they did play together a few times over the years) who have died, I think he might actually be immortal, but that’s just speculation. It could be true.

I really don’t know what I want to do.

PS: I am just thinking out loud. I have zero interest in anyone’s comments on this. None at all. This one is just for me, dig it?

AI Generated Music Videos

Spoiler alert, this post is a tease. It does not pay off.

My wife and I just watched a youtube video about the nightmare that is AI generated youtube videos. The examples it showed were awful and creepy and painful and will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

So naturally I decided to see if I could find a site that would AI generate a music video for one of my RPM Challenge songs.

It worked… sort of… but it was so beyond awful that I can’t share it. I uploaded a photo to go with the song. It was a selfie I took in Disney World while I was on an elevator and it took some of my fave and glued it onto some douche bag’s head and I will never recover from the emotional trauma. I then generated another clip using a face that the website provided. I’m trying to decide if I want to share it or not because… damn is it awful.

Nope. I can’t share it. It’s too awful. Sorry for the tease but damn it was just creepy as all hell. I actually closed my eyes for part of it. Nope. Not going there again. Sorry, AI Charlie.

Spring Training

I enjoy Major League Baseball’s Spring Training. Why? Because most of the games are afternoon starts, usually 1:00pm. They coincide with me going on my lunch break and I like to listen to the radio broadcasts while sitting at my desk.

Granted it is Spring Training so after a couple of innings the actual Major Leaguers all leave the game and it turns into the minor league prospects show and I literally know maybe 3% of the players. That’s okay. The best of the bunch will eventually break into the Majors… though many will do it for other teams. Whatever, it’s pro baseball and it’s always a fun listen.

Today’s work day has been weird at best. Having a Red Sox vs Orioles game playing in the background is a good thing. Even if my Red Sox are trailing 5-0. That’s another plus for Spring Training. If the Red Sox get trounced it’s okay because the game doesn’t count.

Happy Spring Training, everyone.

Photo a Day

Yeah, my last post said it feels like a normal Monday. That feeling went right down the crapper about 20 minutes after I published the post. Fun.

I did get a nice cat pic for today’s photo a day thing. Number 184/365. We’re over half way through the project… again. I mean, this is the sixth year in a row I’ve done this thing. I shouldn’t call it a photo a day for a year thing anymore, I should call it a photo a day for a decade thing. Anyway, here’s Robin Sparkles the photogenic feline.

184/365

Back to Normal?

The last two weekends have been super crazy busy with home improvement stuff. Work is going to go through something new and it starts today and the potential for insanity is very high.

Still… for some reason today (Monday) feels sort of like a back to normal moment. It’s not, not even close… but it sort of feels like it.

I mean, the crazy is definitely coming for me. I am centered squarely in its crosshairs. Yet… normality feels sort of restored. For now. Weird, right?

Crazy Busy Weekend

We did so much this weekend I can’t keep it all straight.

I hung a mirror, two paintings, and two coat racks in the bedroom, put together a big cabinet for the office and a storage rack for the bedroom. Rearranged most of the furniture in the bedroom and added a new cabinet. I took all of the stuff we bought from IKEA for the office that isn’t going to be used and loaded them into the car, though we aren’t sure when we’re going back to IKEA to return them.

What else, what else… I hung some pictures in the living room, replaced some old table lamps with new table lamps in the living room, pulled up two rugs and put down a new one down in the office. Rearranged some of the electronic devices in the office, or at least rearranged how it all plugs in.

I cooked lunch twice and dinner once, went to a whole bunch of stores for various reasons (not on Friday though), listened to the Bruins win one game and lose another, explained our issues to the HVAC guy who we called in tonight and after he started looking at things correctly guessed what the problem was (and the problem has since been corrected and all is well).

Oh yeah, and had the first band practice in forever where we all reiterated our desire to keep things going and hopefully start playing out again before the year ends. I also, for the first time, decided that the signal chain of Les Paul into Klon Klone into Rat clone into Vox AC15 wasn’t doing it for me, though the Les Paul into the Big Muff clone into the Klon Klone into the AC15 was absolutely doing it for me in the most ferociously fuzzed out blissful way possible. Next time I’ll have to bring a different overdrive pedal with me and replace the Rat clone.

Now the weekend is coming to an end. I still need to have my afternoon vitamins because I fell behind in all of my dietary goals today. The vitamins is the only thing still outstanding though. I will be cleared to have a drink in about half an hour. I’ll have them then and be all set with all of my goals for today. After that I’ll try to sleep for a while and then go back to work tomorrow.

That was a busy weekend. A crazy, busy weekend if you will.