Radio Musings... my daily music

Most morning I get up early, and turn on the radio, KFOG, 104.5

This am, early, the daughter (Steph) and I went to the Epic Roast House for the KFOG birthday party… We got up early, and were rewarded with the front table…  It is KFOG's 30th... accidentally I was listening when they changed formats... I was at the mother-in-laws who likes "Easy listening" which was their previous format... Her (the mother in law) has her easy listening station on when... Rock this town was played, changing the face of SF radio, and upsetting the mother-in-law... All was good...

Back to the Epic Roast House... There was good food, good drinks, and like minded folks nearby….

Rosalie was doing “Acoustic Sunrise”… Her husband was there… (we, Steph and I) met him (her husband, not Shawn) at a concert in the play space many years ago… Shawn Mullins… Latter I win tickets to his (Shawn, not the husband) GAMH show…  Tina and I go, and are now regulars at the ”Music Hall”

This morning, Annalisa was there, later in the morning… we got hugs… Steph made a connection at a Live from the Archives roll out some years ago… she was buying CDs for the two of us, as I and the lovely Tina were on vacation… I received a phone call while boarding a cruise ship in Tampa… from Annalisa…  I bet your favorite DJ doesn’t call you while you are on vacation… mine does…  I am spoiled.  Steph and Annalisa talked about Steph’s love, infatuation with singer Matt Nathinson…

Since we (Annalisa, Steph and I) have met at a “Concert for Kids”… the Pretenders and Amos Lee….  I won tickets on KFOG, in the last 2^nd to the last row… then once seated, early, was upgraded by Amos Lee’s manager to a much better seat… At intermission Annalisa saw, recognized Steph… Dad (aka me) was introduced…  It is kind of good when your radio heroes know who you are… it is unexpected… it is good…

I have seen her at since Live from the Archives roll outs… once without Steph (who was in Maryland…) since with Steph…  a couple of times… she remembers us… this is not expected… One CD was signed in a  faux Matt signature…   Steph is the girl who likes Matt… 

Today, we have a front row table… We drink Mimosas… corn chowder, apples empanadas, French toast, lots of food… all good… No, great… we need to go here for lunch… we are impressed….

Today, Annalisa arrives, sees us, gives us hugs…  Our radio station or at least the mid day DJ, loves us… 

Then, late in the broadcast, a surprise… Annalisa is leaving the station, the mid day role… there is a ceremony… Rosalie, Annalisa, Rene… handing off the role… the mid day, including 10 at 10…. From Rosalie, to Annalisa, to Rene… the spirit of Dave Morey is there, in the room… There are tears…  Dennis, the program manager is there… this is not a firing… it is a transition… Dennis will be blamed…  He always will be, deserved or not… this time not… Rene talks to us… 

It is weird and unexpected when the staff at “your” radio station are friends, or at least folks you know…

After the broadcast, Steph and I go up to say goodbye… To Annalisa…  Annalisa comes around the table for hugs…   It is unexpected…  We walk away… Annalisa calls to Steph… You will get your Matt some day (Matt Nathinson) Steph calls  back… There is the wife issue (sadly Matt is married…) …   All laugh… 

Annalisa’s sign off…  On Friday…

Last song: What a wonderful world by Johnnie Ramon.  Annalisa then said "I love you" and left….She  realized “just like many of my past boyfriends did to me.”

Through the day we listen… to friends… to music…  And hope Annalisa has  better boyfriends…

Happy Birthday KFOG, good luck Annalisa… 

PS… new information… Annalisa will start as the morning DJ on KFOX…  as someone on her Facebook page said, X is the new G…  Steph programmed one of Klinger the Jeep’s radio buttons… for KFOX…  KFOG still has button No. 6, but KFOX now own’s No. 5…

The Alamo, Revisited…

The visit to the Alamo has sparked a research project… looking for information, facts and fables about the battle…

It has not been particularly successful…

The story of what happened during the event, the battle, which took place in February and March of 1836 has long been lost in the noise and the legend of sacrifice, which has become the origin story of the onetime Republic, now state of Texas.

The remaining historic buildings are not a historic site, but a shrine…  I am ok with the shrine, but need the facts too, the history as well.

Of course, the facts are in dispute…  on one side we have The Daughters of the Republic of Texas and John Wayne…  Director of the 1960 movie, (John Wayne, not the Daughters) as well as playing the part of Davey Crocket… bravely dying while swinging his Kentucky rifle at the advancing Mexican army…

On the other extreme we have EXODUS FROM THE ALAMO: The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth by Phillip Thomas Tucker… a recent 2011 retelling claiming The Mexican army surprised the Texans (many not from Texas… Tennessee was particularly well represented) while sleeping, Travis committed suicide and Davy Crockett was likely cut down by Mexican cavalry as he tried to flee…  but other reports have him captured, and executed by the Mexicans, by some reports by being hacked to death by cutlass… (a good discussion of the Davy Crockett issue can be found here)

The truth is likely found between the two extremes… and the facts are few, and occasionally in dispute… and the whole Republic of Texas mythology makes it hard to find those facts that might be found…

The event took place a long time ago… there were no newspaper reports… few witnesses… One Mexican Army officer of English background seems to have said things… At least one Mexican soldier wrote an account.  Joe, Travis’ black slave survived the battle and was interviewed (but the stories presented are second hand and offer too many chances for misinterpretations,) as did Susanna Dickinson (and daughter) the wife of defender Almaron Dickinson, an artillery man… 

There were other women and children, all Hispanic, as well as other slaves.. a Mexican may have locked himself in a cell, and survived by claiming he was a prisoners…  A number of defenders left in the final days as couriers or in search of supplies, one may have left when Travis (may have) drawn a line in the sand…

Tucker’s version of the battle (an night time assault, with most of the Texans asleep) seems to be disproven by the reports of Mexican solders…  but those reports are in Spanish, and difficult to access…  The idea of Travis, committing suicide to avoid capture is well presented, and rational, but is contradicted by the statements of Joe…  The idea that the Kentucky men tried to flee makes sense, but the reports of the cavalry cutting them down could as easily have taken place in the large courtyard between the barracks…

The most even handed treatment I have found is from PBS… three accounts… well presented… (There may be rants about liberal media and lies to be found concerning PBS… I don’t believe them… you shouldn’t)

But… my favorite Alamo story involves Ozzie Osborn, one time lead man for Black Sabbath, who has been seen on stage biting the heads off animals, chickens or bats on occasion.

The story, which is at least as accurate any of the others associated with the site, is that he peed on the Alamo… and was banned from performing in San Antonio for the next 10 years until he paid off the Daughters…

The more likely truth is that Ozzie Osborn once peed nearby, likely on the plaza near the Cenotaph (A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere.  The bodies of the Alamo defenders were burned, and maybe now found in a mass grave in a local cemetery or maybe not… such are the varied stories of the Alamo) in an act more likely linked to biology and personal need based on the size of his bladder than a political statement… An act that now with its own retelling has become Ozzie peed on the Alamo…  (Apparently he was wearing his girl friend’s dress at the time…)  Sometimes the facts are just too good to ignore…

Based on this blog posting, I probably should refrain from visiting Texas for a while… (maybe Austin would be OK, but defiantly not San Antonio or Dallas…)  Might need to avoid Southwest Airlines… they are likely in on it too…

Klinger’s first road trip…

So, Klinger the Jeep is now the car of choice… The new car…

A new car equals a road trip… we have a road trip brewing…

I need to be in Ely for a symposium…  on Saturday September 22^nd… I am giving a paper on narrow gauge railroad cars, where they came from and their design…  I want to be there on Friday, the 21^st… Chris is demonstrating how to rivet… it should be good…  hot metal, big hammers… noise…  I have done some riveting, but not for many years…  a cold windy night in Rio Vista…  A street car was involved… there were about 5 of us… we took turns on the bucking bar, on the rivet hammer, and huddled around the forge drinking brandy when not trying to keep warm…  

I also need to be in Carson, to do more paint work on the Stanford Car… aka V&T 17…  So… a plan

Wednesday, up early, drive to Carson over Highway 88… Spend most of the day with the railroad car doing paint matches… That evening, drive east and spend the night in Fallon…  They have a Best Western and I have a coupon for a free night… evidence of previous road trips…

Thursday, drive to Ely via Hwy 50, the official “Loneliest Road…” (Hwy 6 is less traveled, but less reported…  I will visit Hwy 6 later)  It’s a short drive, maybe 250 miles from Fallon to Ely… there are old stage coach stops, pony express stations, the nearly ghost towns of Austin and Eureka… wide open spaces… There will be dirt roads…  I may see cows…

Ely, my destination is a copper mining town, said to be the most remote place in the lower 48 states… to support the mining they had a railroad, the Nevada Northern, and a railroad shop… and that railroad and shop is now a museum…  and the museum is hosting a symposium on railroad history…

Friday & Saturday, at the symposium…  then, my talk done, on Saturday, head home… fast… hard drive… via the less traveled hwy 6…  the true “Loneliest  road”… via Tonopah…  over Boundary Pass and the site of the onetime town of Mt Montgomery… into the Owens Valley, then over Tioga Pass and through Yosemite…   I need to be home for an early Sunday flight north with the lovely Tina… 

Home will mark the second half of the vacation… without Klinger… a flight to Vancouver (Canada) and a cruise to San Diego… the seasons are changing and Alaska is not a cruise destination in winter and the ships need to head south… we will join a ship for its southern migration…

A New Beast…. And a Giants game

Thanks Abby, (aka, my Jeep sales person)… Sunday, T and I bought a new beast… a Jeep, Wrangler, Unlimited… (aka old school jeep, 4 door) hence the thanks…

Love the beast... I think it's name is Klinger... (from MASH, built in Toledo, Ohio...  Military background... not exactly a military vehicle...)  Maybe a war-time Jeep in a prom dress…

So far, did a too fast run on some dirt roads ) on the farm… a farm with dirt roads…  and 85 mph on the bridge…    I visited 4 Wheel Parts…. Bought a trailer hitch… (Receiver type….) looked at high lift jacks… I am hooked…  bad… our neighbor Carlos is the regional manager for 4 Wheel Parts… so I have a pusher in the neighborhood…  They have sent me an internet survey… I have a $10.00 off certificate… 

I like the beast, Klinger

The Giants are behind… 

She (Klinger) is good on the freeway…  great on dirt roads… (we have dirt roads at the farm…, my own personal test site) good on city streets…  Just good…  So far, I seem to be getting about 21 mpg… The Escape got 24 on the same mix… so not as good but not bad…

T and I took the top off Sunday before I drove over to the farm… I put it back on Monday morning…  She is windy on the freeway, but will be great away from the freeway…

Klinger is smaller than expected… much smaller than Dad’s truck…  much easier to park…

She has the electronic stuff which is fun… a decent CD player, with controls on the steering wheel…  

You can hose out the interior… 

The Giants are tied….

No, we are behind again in extra innings… 

We (Klinger and I) are planning the first road trip… San Mateo, Carson City, overnight in Fallon, (I have a certificate for a free night at a Best Western… (the Next Best Western of Lucy Wainwright Roach) out via Hwy 50, aka the Loneliest Road to  Ely for the Nevada Railroad Symposium, then home on Saturday via Higheway 6 (the real loneliest road…) and Yosemite… Over Tioga Pass, home Saturday night, in time for a cruise…   A cruse with the lovely Tina… A cruise the next day… Vancouver to San Diego… Klinger (aka the Jeep) is excited…. 

The Giant lost in the 11^th… 

I love my Jeep...

The Giants lost...