Earworms – the soundtrack of my life

Earworm - noun - a tune or part of a song that repeats in one’s mind.

I find I get more earworms when I’m by myself and I’m walking.  It’s not the whole song.  It’s maybe a 10 to 30 second loop that circles endlessly.  The melody keeps me company when I’m alone in crowds. The tunes can be anything I’ve heard in passing but often it’s music that is very familiar to me.

My mp3 player traveled with me to London and Shanghai and Hong Kong.  It was nice but I didn’t use it as much as I expected. I felt I was missing some part of the life of the city.  The buzz of streets has its own character.  The pace of the traffic and pedestrians has a rhythm that my internal metronome translates into songs.

Obviously, my trip to London was filled with Beatles and Peter Gabriel songs. The busy streets and crowded sidewalks coursed quick tempo-ed melodies into my subconscious.  Under my breath I was humming or whispering the lyrics to ‘Shock the Monkey’ or ‘I Have the Touch’ and “Paperback Writer’.

As I minded the gap and boarded the The Tube ,  Joe Walsh’s ‘In the City’ flowed through me.

The weather also affects the songs that speak to me.  ‘Rain’ by the Beatles and ’Cloudy’ by Simon and Garfunkel are on constant replay for obvious reasons.  When I get a chance to walk through the snow, ‘I am a Rock’ keeps me company as flakes cover my shoulders.

 Earworms match my mood. Seeger ’s ‘Turn the Page’ and Blue Oyster’s Cult’s ‘Veteran of a 1000 Psychic Wars’ journey with me into darker corridors.  Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Feelin’ Groovy’ and The Monkee’s ‘Sweet Young Thing’ speed my steps home as they beam light into those once dark passages.

Where these earworms are most helpful is at the various conventions and shows I attend. They keep my mind occupied as I do the ComicCon shuffle (a slow pace because of the crowds), or standing in line. Gabriel’s  ‘Solsbury Hill’, ‘In Your Eyes’,  and ‘Come Talk to Me’  keep me positive as time creeps by.

The Beatles also provide me with a plethora of earworms as I attend shows with:  ‘Blue Jay Way’, ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Let it Be’, and myriad of others classics that help entertain me as I wait for the celebs to show.

While some look to rid themselves of these tunes, I find they are a part of my inner workings.  I can understand how others feel infected. For me it’s a boon and a source of comfort.  Others become distracted by the internal dialog. I find them friendly companions. They are my personal soundtrack.

AH 

Finickiness – not autograph related

As the Thanksgiving holiday wanes and the Christmas holiday rises, like a lot of Americans, I have eaten.  As invariably happens when I eat around friends and family and associates, the word ‘finicky’ gets bandied about.  As the word is floated into conversations, the looks of pity are always aimed my way.  I have been unjustly slandered with this adjective for decades. It is now time to stop this assault and look at what is really happening. 

It is well chronicled that I will eat at any McDonald’s in the country. Hell, I’ve eaten at a Mickey D’s in Shanghai, Honk Kong, London, AND Hawaii. In fact, I’ll willingly eat a hamburger at any restaurant we visit and I’ll even drink their sorry watered down and over iced excuse for Coke or Pepsi they serve in their semi clean glasses. I am so undemanding; I can eat at McD’s twice a day or several days in a row.  Would a finicky man do that? 

The finicky eaters are the ones that snobbishly watch the Food Network ad nauseam. They call themselves ‘Foodies’ to deflect others from seeing their affliction.  They know that once something is labeled, people stop poking deeper and they can hide in plain sight. These are the people that are truly wanting. 

The finicky complain that they have already eaten Mexican or Indian or Thai for lunch; they couldn’t possibly have it again for dinner.  What kind of silliness is that? Was the food tasty?  Did you enjoy it?  Is it possible to enjoy the meal again?  Have you ever watched the same movie a second time?  Listened to the same song?  Read the same book?

These hard to please eaters state that garlic makes everything taste better.  This is a crime that ruins many meals. It must stop now.  Garlic is a season. To season something is to bring out a hidden taste or enhance a flavor. Garlic (and onions) is not intended to hide failed cooking experiments.  Garlic mashed potatoes should have a hint of garlic and not kill a vampire. It’s also abundantly clear they are afraid to taste the native flavor of the food without hiding behind garlic.

These particular eaters convince themselves that different is better. To build a better mouse trap…you only catch a better mouse. This is a delusion of the Foodies everywhere.  They unknowingly admit that didn’t like the ‘original’ version and seek a tricked-up version to make amends. Their hunt for perfection is eternal. They will never reach the end of this journey as they really don’t understand what they seek.

These vapid eaters convince themselves that presentation matters. Why do I care how the plate looks? Describe the ‘taste’ of the presentation.  The new paint job on the 20 year old car should be a valuable clue that something is amiss.

And the ugliness sin of all, if it’s expensive, it must be good. The unsophisticated noshers thinking themselves more cultured have ignored the issues of over garliced, pretty looking, and tricked up food and willingly over pay for a burger and fries.  A Foodie and his money…

I have found that the ‘educated palate’ belongs to the finicky. My naïve palate has no issues with simple fare; I know a good thing when I taste it. I don’t need to re-invent the wheel.  

J’accuse you Foodie!  You truly are the finicky one with your endless searches of the best tacos in town and restaurant du jour. I hope you realize the errors of your ways. Or at the least, stop thinking me the finicky one.

AH

 

Vignette – the alarm clock

This isn’t autograph oriented but it is autobiographic oriented.

Tuesday night I got a sore throat. It came on quickly and was intense. It hurt a lot.  Swallowing was miserable. Obviously the lymph nodes were swollen as the pain was sharp.  Pitifully, I asked my dear sweet caring wife to get me some ice cream.  Request denied.

After dragging myself to Wendy’s for a Frosty, the best sore throat medicine you can buy without a prescription, I sat in front of the TV and quickly ate the numbing ice cream.  It didn’t work. I took some aspirin and got ready for bed.

I never really slept. I dozed lightly. The discomfort from swallowing brought me back to the surface of reality; a reality where I recalled vague dream remnants of tonsillectomies and tracheotomies and gargling with acid.

At 2:17 AM (I know because I looked), I gave up on dozing. With the lights still off, I got up. I bit the bullet and went to the hard stuff. I took a big swig of Nyquil. From the bottle. Without wiping the lip.

I hate taking the hard stuff when I need to work in the morning. I always wake up slow and foggy. I don’t like that feeling. It’s why I don’t drink. I like to remain in control. If you know me, it’s such an oxymoron-ism as I’m rarely in control.

Flickr and albums and photos

Trying to do something where I can share the hundreds of photos I have. Since it's not easy to share on the blogger I'm trying Flickr.

I’m not 100% happy  with the results and will to take some suggestions.

My Flickr account is click here.

You'll also find it from the 'follow me' flickr link.

Currently I have 4 albums, SDCC 2014, SDCC 2013, SDCC 2012, and Hawaii 2014.  I hope to get the previous 8 years of SDCC in ‘soon’. I should add my London and China photos down the road.

If I’m good about taking my camera to the various shows I attend, I’ll try to create albums for those events too.

AH

I’m back – sorta

No promises as we still a lot of life going on.

We have a roommate.

We found a house and are building. So we are making gains on that front. Considering we weren’t even thinking about a new house 5 weeks before we signed some papers, that’s incredible.

BUT we went and survived Hawaii. We even had a good time, although we both caught colds. And that is one ‘front’ that is completed.

We are getting into some kind of routine…for good or ill.

I think I can write some posts on a semi-regular basis. I’m turning on the lights and spending some time on the blog.

I was told that my ‘follow me’ link didn’t work for Facebook. Ugh. So I tried and they were right, it didn’t work. I tried to find another application/widget to replace the one I had. No luck. Then I tried looking for code I could use and manually create a widget. No luck. Then I just removed the offending ‘follow me’ section.

Since life works this way sometimes, once I removed the section; I got an email from the company that created the widget that wasn’t working. I tried again and still had some issues. It’s ‘better’ but not perfect.  You can open my Facebook page IF you are already signed into Facebook. Baby steps…

My twit link opens 2 twitter sessions. Have no idea way. But two is better than none, although it does NOT look professional. Sorry.

Usually I post chronologically.  I only got through half of SDCC but I had some fun stuff happen since July and I want to share those first.

 AH

Whole lotta life going on 2014

All, The Autograph Hound’s Blah Blah Blog will be going dark for a month or maybe two.

It’s not because I don’t love you.

It’s not because I don’t have any new autographs to share.

Nothing is wrong – everyone is healthy.

While the blog is a chore, I do enjoy it and especially enjoy the ‘likes’ I get on Facebook or the comments I see on the blog.  Like a field mouse with a crumb I greedily read each one; pausing briefly to ensure no one is watching me smile like an idiot.

My favorite quote from John Lennon: Life is what happens when you are busy making plans.

Like is rather full right now.

You may have noticed I haven’t gotten into a good rhythm for posting. 

Work is eating into my down time.  That is not a complaint. I started this blog when I was unemployed. It was a way to be creative and keep myself preoccupied.

I have been playing a lot of poker lately. While there is no doubt poker is a rollercoaster, I have been making some progress in my play.  Not ready to quit my job but I’m no longer that ‘lucky’ fish that the sharks love seeing sit down.

Mrs Hound and I will be having a house guest. Not sure how long that will last. He needs a change of scenery and will be relocating to the Dallas area.  We are his safety zone for a while.

Mrs Hound and I are celebrating our 10 wedding anniversary by taking a long trip to Hawaii. Unfortunately, this trip is 16 years overdue.  Maybe I should say we are making the trip for our 25^th wedding anniversary and only a year late.

And lastly, Mrs Hound and I are working through buying a new house.

As you can see, a lot of plans; which means a lot of opportunities for ‘life’ to occur when the plans get derailed.

AH

New printer

Tech support (the wife) could not fix the printer.

I scoured the internet for the error code that blithely flashed on the printer’s LCD screen. I even watched some YouTube videos on the ‘fix’.  The printer could not be saved.  It was flat lined. It was no more. It was an 'ex' printer.

I must say, I wasn’t thrilled with the dead printer sitting by my desk.  Besides the obvious disappointment that it died on us; it was only a 'good' printer.  Not a 'great' printer.  It seemed every Windows update gave it heartburn and we needed to do assuage it’s ego to make it realize it still had a purpose in life.  Its heartburn consequently caused me heartburn as I rushed to scan a photo at the last minute.  

The eulogy was brief:  Well, I guess we need a new printer.

The printer is now gone and it will be forgotten.

Those words about a new printer raised some hackles.  This recently deceased printer replaced a far better printer.   A printer whose shadow was long and never properly filled.  A printer made from a company whose name I loathe to utter as they laid me off 4 years ago and ruined my life.  Well, that might be hyperbole. But I do loathe uttering their name. 

I went printer shopping last night. I had plenty of options.  Lots of price points and lots of features.  It didn’t take long for me to pick a printer. Yes, it was from the company who must not be named.

The setup was quick, mostly due to the beautiful tech support staff that lives in house.  She was able to load the software and get it printing and scanning by the time I finished making diner. And when I say making dinner, I mean making a dinner run to Taco Bell.  Taco Bell is a name I do not loathe to speak.

Blogs and scans will be forth coming.

AH

Technical difficulties

Ok, I have printer issues.

With printer issues come scanner issues

With scanner issues comes lack of a scanner.

Lack of a scanner means no images for the posts.

No images means no posts…

I need a week or so for tech support (the wife) to fix this mess.

AH

It's been a while

Hello.

I was asked if something was wrong since I hadn’t posted anything since Christmas day.

Nope, nothing wrong. 

I’m doing well and both the wife and I are healthy.

Since I’m usually working long hours during the week, I avoid the PC when I get home.

I usually write my posts for the whole week on the weekends. 

Lately I’ve selfishly been playing poker at the local casino and NOT writing.  And no, not really wining money, although not losing a ton either.

A few weeks back I did attend Space City Con and had a great time.  I have some posts I need to write about that. hopefully I’ll get to that this weekend.

Shortly I’ll be attending the Sci Fi Expo in Irving.  I know I’ll have a great time there as Karen Gillan will be in attendance (Amy Pond from Dr Who). I’m really looking forward to that.

Talk to you soon,

AH

Cleaning up the Twit account

I was slow to get into Twitter.  I didn’t and still don’t understand the need to inform the world of your bowel movements or what you’re eating for dinner.

I joined the Twitter-verse to get my blog out into the ether called the Internet and reach more readers.  It was not my intention to let you know what my meal looked like before and after digestion.

I also used Twitter to follow celebs and authors that sometimes popped up in the DFW area without fanfare.  Sometimes you got a heads up a day or two in advance.  Some I followed just for SDCC info.  At times I found twitter useful.

As I slowly learn to swim around in Twitter, I got followers.  I followed the example I learned from Action Flick Chick. Excitedly, I followed them all back. There were a few exceptions  - people that were clearing selling something.

As my followers increased, I found Twitter less and less useful. The erosion was gradual and I hardly noticed.  Many of MY followers were self-promoting.  I don’t mind that.  Really. It’s the same thing I was doing.

For some, the self-promotion was 10 Twits an hour. Maybe 10 hours each day.  I had several people Twitting like that. Basically I was being spammed.  I check Twitter once or twice a day. I would spend 20 minutes passing through the spam. I would miss things I were interested because of all of the noise.

I made a decision. I would ’unfollow’ some of the offenders.

Wow, what a difference.  I started seeing Twits from people I forgot I was following.  I started enjoying Twitter again. It was becoming useful again.

These offenders ‘unfollowed’ me within minutes of my action.  Obviously I was not important to them.  I was just a number on their profile.  Yes, I could create filters and lists and avoid them.  But that was just a way to circumvent the reality of inviting spammers into my life.

While my number of followers shrank, my enjoyment increased. An interesting lesson there. One I often have to learn again and again.

That's my present to you - clean up your Twitter.

Merry Christmas

AH

Then there were 3

This has nothing to do with autographs.

Today is the day we put our cat Ringo to sleep. 

He was my PITA (Pain In The Ass). He sprayed. He peed on the carpet (or anything we thought valuable and forgot to put our of urine’s way.).  He chewed on his fellow cat Georgie.  Despite that, he was also my favorite.   He was pretty and friendly.  He didn’t demand a lot of attention.  He had a cute meow that reminded us of an Alien when he wanted some petting.  He never minded when another cat came home smelling of vet.  He groomed anyone that wanted some attention.

My favorite thing about Ringo; he was always there for John.  John is our ‘sick’ cat.  Ringo and John would spend hours sleeping together.  Ringo never minded when John butted his head into Ringo’s side and then settled into a cat nap.  If Ringo spoke, John came running.  They were pair bonded. It was the norm to see the two of them next to each other watching the world outside the window. He was a good big brother to John through all of the ills.

Ringo got sick just a few weeks ago.  We knew at once there wasn’t much hope.  It was quick.  He never seemed in pain. He lost his appetite and didn’t drink. He slowed down and just stayed in one spot all day.  Yesterday he spent the day staring out the window in the computer room.  It’s his favorite spot.  He got lots of love.  John even spent some time sitting with him.  

Thankfully, the Vet made a house call.  His last day was peaceful.  We cried a little; even the Vet.

AH

 

Dad – sometimes he’s too subtle.

Okay – this is one of those things that when it happens you don’t think anything about it.  You don’t realize what is happening or why.  You don’t realize how your reactions are less than expected even though you are acting politely and correctly in the reality that you are moving through.

My dad goes to the Indy 500. Sounds hoity-toity, huh? I guess it kind of is but it’s not like he has an inside suite or he has seats on a turn. He’s been going for a long time. It’s something he did as a kid with his father too. I don’t know when that stopped but about 10 years ago he started going again.

A few years back he invited to come along.  I went.  I enjoyed it; not nearly as much as he does but it was fun watching him.  His Indy 500 is like my ComicCon.  He preps and makes lists and checks them twice. He orders the tickets long in advance and even books the hotel room for the next race before he has checked out of the room for the current race.

Elizabeth Dahl – Blithe Spirit

My wife, Kae, and I went to El Paso to visit some friends from college.  It was a short trip but it was good to see them since we hadn’t seen Jaem and Elde since ComicCon 2009.

The city of El Paso is not like Dallas. It’s smaller and there is less to do there. So our friends recommend we see the play, Blithe Spirit, at the El Paso Playhouse. It’s a small theater and draws a small crowd.  After the show, the cast gathers near the front doors and chats with the crowd as they leave; very personable and hospitable. 

This is where I bumped into Elizabeth Dahl.  As I talked to her and a few other people I didn’t think anything of it.  To be truthful, it was a way to pass the time and I was getting tired.

The next morning we headed to Las Cruces, New Mexico to check out a small Mexican restaurant we heard good things about. La Posta is in Old Mesilla (as opposed to New Messila?) not very far from Las Cruces.  We were about to sit down when I recognized Elizabeth. 

I made my way to the table and said hello and Elizabeth was kind enough to invite us to have lunch with her and her hubby.  We ended up talking for hours and afterward walked along the town square window shopping.

Before we broke from lunch I opened my backpack and pulled out my trusty Sharpie and the playbill from the night before.  She graciously signed it. You could tell she was slightly embarrassed but also very excited to have someone recognize her away from the theater.

The rest of the weekend was not nearly as eventful but we did have a great time with our friends.

AH

Just a funny

Something I found and wanted to share...

Enjoy,

AH

Dallas Stars Blood Drive

The Dallas Stars are doing a blood drive on Friday 1/7/11.

Sign up on line to reserve a spot.

As a reward for giving up a pint you could receive a signed hockey puck from a player.

The Stars have always been good about community events and always very willing to interact with the fans.

This is a very easy way to get an autograph and do some good.

AH

Thank you

Merry Christmas!

This is a shout out and a public thank you to my neighbor.

She is the one that created the first image in my title banner. Now she updated it for Christmas.

You should be seeing a cute little bulldog with a Santa’s cap and some snow.

If you’re not, then clear your cache.  That should get you the current banner.

My neighbor is amazing.

So Thank You kind Neighbor!  I hope Santa is nice to you this year.

AH

John Lennon – 30 years ago today

This is not autograph related. This is one of those – ‘where were you when’ stories. Feel free to comment on the blog – where were you when…

I know I’m a day late. But I didn’t find out about the assassination until the morning after. Thirty years ago I was 17 and in high school. It was a school night and I didn’t watch football. If I wasn’t already asleep, I was reading. So I found out the next morning.

I woke the morning after and turned on the radio. It was a cold dark winter morning and Give Peace a Chance was playing. Almost psychically I knew something was wrong. The radio usually had the DJ’s talking at that time.  At the end of the song the DJ gave a brief recap about Lennon’s death. Then they played Give Peace a Chance again.

I was stunned. Although I loved a lot of Lennon songs particularly, he wasn’t my favorite Beatle.  I was still in the blame game about John and Yoko splitting up the band.

When I was a kid, I went through a phase where music had no meaning to me. I never listened unless it was on someone else’s radio. I didn’t hum or sing along. I didn’t buy or swap records with friends.  I missed the rise of ELO, Kansas, Kiss, and Aerosmith. The middle years of The Who and The Rolling Stones occurred without me noticing.  It was just a hole in my life.

 About 6^th grade or so I came out of this music coma and discovered the Beatles.  I still remember how amazed I was that the music was so vibrant. It was 3 dimensional while other music was 2 dimensional.  I slowly accumulated the Beatles albums and with every album I found something so intriguing that I listened none stop.

If you know me from high school or college, you know I have a brass Beatles belt buckle. I wore it all the time for over 10 years.  My dad bought it at a car show and gave it to me. I’m sure it was a random purchase but I loved it. I had a lot of people comment on it over the years. It was a great ice breaker when people first met me. I must have had a dozen offers to buy that belt buckle and maybe another dozen to trade me for it. I still have it.

30 years ago today, I was saddened. The hopes of a Beatles’ reunion were dashed. The hopes of more music from John were destroyed.  It ended so simply because of a crazy man with a gun.

That day, I dressed and really didn’t know how I could tell the world I was sad.  I didn’t know how I could make a statement. I was a nerd and geek. Most people didn’t talk to me at school. I thought about wearing an arm band but then it suddenly occurred to me: my belt buckle. The buckle dad bought me and I never sold. The brass buckle with simply the word ‘Beatles’ engraved on it; the letters were painted black in the simple Beatles font they used on their album covers.  The belt buckled I had already worn for years and everyone knew me by it.

I pulled my belt from the loops and re-threaded it backwards. Instead of left to right, I threaded my belt from right to left so the buckle was upside down. That was my silent nod to the death of Lennon and my cue to the world I was mourning.

My best friend understood right away. My English teach got it right away. But a surprisingly large amount of people told me that I put my belt on the wrong way that day. Typical clueless teenagers. I guess I should have been glad they even noticed me.

It was a silly gesture. Most gestures are silly in the long run. Lennon was just a musician. He knew that better than most. He knew that better than the fans that still idolize him. But it was still a very sad day.

AH