Yeah you should listen to the song while reading. It will make more sense.
Jason Boland - The Bourbon Legend

I you think about it you know what sort of mark you will leave. And that is even if you won’t leave any mark at all. I got thinkin’ about this because of a song. Yeah I know it’s hard to imagine but bear with me. I was digging on The Bouron Legend today and started thinkin’ about how we each have our own legends. Mine is kind of fun to be honest. I know how my friends see me by what they call me to do with them and for what they think they can count on me for.

I get called to go drinkin’ or go to shows. I get relied on to have people’s back in a fight. I get called for parties and to go to karaoke. I get called very rarely for relationship problems.

I guess I can relate to the bourbon legend idea a whole lot. I have friends that tell stories about me that never went down, stories that went down a whole lot different, and stories that are true. The thing that seems odd to me about this is that people tell stories about me. It’s not just one or two people it’s a bunch of my friends. I tell stories about myself but that is because I like to tell stories. I tell stories about other people as well. My friends all tell stories about me and frequently to people I have never met. These people meet me and relate the stories back to me. I am not a legend of any great proportion but there is an aspect of legend to my life through these stories. I don’t correct the wrong ones and I guess I maybe should but to be frank I enjoy seeing where they go with this me that is not me.

According to my friends, and most of this may or may not be true, and I ain’t bragging just relatin’, I am someone you want on your side in a fight, someone you don’t want to be in hand of poker with, someone who can drink superhuman amounts of beer, jaeger, and or whiskey, someone who knows everyone, someone who is there when you need them, someone who puts his family first and still makes time to party, someone who is crazy, someone who is able to fix your computer over the phone. I don’t mind this reputation. I also have a bad reputation amongst some crowds and that’s fine as well. Our reputations are usually self made and the good Lord knows I am no saint.

I guess I am amused by the dichotomy. The more I think about it the more I realize I am really a love him or hate him kind of guy. I don’t know a single person who is ambiguous about me. It’s kind of fun. It’s also kind of hard to live up to the reputation that proceeds me at times. I almost cringe when I hear “Oh you’re the Rodeo Clown! I have heard so much about, let me buy you a drink”. And that’s no hyperbole. The nickname changes depending on the crowd but someone is always buying me a drink and wanting to hear a story. I guess I am happy to be entertaining for the most part.

The only regret I have about the Jaeger Legend thing that seems to be going on is the sad fact I haven’t been able to put my stories to music. I can tell them like they are campfire stories and do so with a bard’s tongue at times but I can’t seem to make lyrics out of them. So I have to use other people’s music as my soundtrack. Such is the life of a Jaeger Legend.

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Ray Wylie Hubbard is one of the elder statesmen of the Texas Music Revolution. From his success with Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother to his general failure from the mod 70’s to the 90’s he has remained true to his music. In the 90’s when the TMR was coming up his albums Lost Train Of Thought and Loco Gringo’s Lament have been on the shelves of every true fan of Texas Country. Cited as an influence by the likes of Pat Green and Robert Earl Keen he plays a slow driving groove with all the Texas flavor you can imagine. With a groove like SRV and lyrics like no-one else he has released 9 albums since ‘92 and 13 in all. With a Greatest Hits nowhere in site he continues to have tracks on every Texas Music complilation that comes out.

The gritty images painted in Choctaw Bingo and Dallas After Midnight will stay with you for days after a few times on the old turntable. And if you can manage to not sing along with Screw You, We’re From Texas then, well, you must not be from Texas. There is not a bad song in the discography although some stand out more than others. Missippi Flush, Bones, and Dust Of The Chase belong on any poker player’s collection. Without mainstream recognition, likely due to the full on Texas attitude in his music, Wylie continues to play to full houses all of the state of Texas and has a large following in Europe as well.

Snake farm has been out less than a full year. It his, of course, his latest offering. Snake Farm, the opening track, has a dirty groove and lyrics that will leave you with ears open and wanting more. Heartaches and Grease should be the theme song for just about every scumbag I know.

Young pups ask me what makes my kind
Shameless women and pork rinds
Desirable lips keep telling me lies
Biscuits and bacon and fried pies

And it’s heartaches and grease
That’s what it takes
Heartaches and grease
That’s my mistakes
Heartaches and grease
Whoa a little disgrace
It’s heartaches and grease boys
That’s what it takes

The whole album is journey through the winding backroads of Texas with the windows down at dusk. As far as guilty pleasures go this album musically takes the cake for me right now. It’s been in heavy rotation on the MP3 player and won’t be leaving the playlist anytime soon. I have to reccomend this with the highest of honors. Ray Wylie Hubbard has once again, and not suprisingly, done Texas Music Proud.

Here’s an old one and a new one for ya, just a taste, go out and pay for this album. Support Texas Music.

Ray Wylie Hubbard - Screw You We’re From Texas
Ray Wylie Hubbard - Heartaches and Grease

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Not me of course, I don’t get carried out but read on it’s a good story.

Friday night and I’m nearly broke. I manage to scrape up enough dosh to go and see Jason Boland play the firehouse. I called just about everybody but even the people that had promised to go backed out due to various reasons. So I ended up at the show by myself. Rockstar called and so during the opening act I bailed to grab him and Cornflake. When I got there some #’s crowd kid was sitting in my chair at their place. Of course this is a new development as it’s been Cornflake’s friends who do not grasp the concept of that being my chair. I decided to be nice since he was going with us and I just stole Rockstar’s chair and grabbed a Lone Star. I had a bucket on ice back at the show but one more surely wasn’t going to hurt the cause. I tried to tell #’s boy that leaving his purse in the car once we got to the show would be a good idea but apparently he didn’t take me too seriously.

Without incident we got the show long before the opening act was over. That Ryan Turner has some damn good stamina. I retrieved my bucket of Lone Star from the bar and headed back out into the crowd. It wasn’t long before the opening act was done and Jason Boland was ready to take the stage. We secured a good spot near the middle of the stage where we could see and from the first song it was, as it always is, a sing-a-long.

The group of guys by which we were standing were attempting to dance with a group of girls near them and failing. They weren’t failing at getting the girls to agree to dance with them but rather at the actual dacing part. I watched with detached amusement for a while and the cut in and showed those youngsters exactly how it’s done. They showed me their appreciation by giving me beer. It was diet beer but when it’s free that really doesn’t matter. Rockstar and Cornflake were edging towards the stage all the while so I hung back with my new found bucket of beer friends and enjoyed the show.

The show went on and it went well. The band got the crowd going and then all hell broke loose.

I am going to tell this part from the pieces of the story I got later since I didn’t actually see any of this go down.

Rockstar and Cornflake had edged their way up the stage and parked themselves next to a biker and his old lady. I know the biker from a couple of shows at the firehouse and he’s a pretty cool dude on top of that his old lady is as sweet as they come. For some backstory let me just state clearly that chicks can’t hold their smoke Cornflake can’t handle her booze. On the way back to the can the biker bumped into Conrflake and apparently either didn’t say sorry or didn’t say it loud enough for her to hear. So she exploded. I don’t mean like yelled at the guy but rather came at him like she wanted to fight. Now as I said he is a nice guy so he just backed up and tried to talk her down. He even told his old lady that there was no reason to fight. Rockstar grabbed Cornflake but since he’s skinny and was good and drunk he couldn’t hold her. This was about the time I became aware of the situation. I looked up and Rockstar asked for a little help. So like any good friend would do I slid through the crowd, locked up Cornflake, and dragged her off to the side. She’s a fiesty little thing and so I had to stop to get a better grip beside the stage.

Rockstar and I both tried to talk her down but she wasn’t having any of it. With a look and a nod I grabbed her legs and Rockstar grabbed her top and away we went. The crowd parted like the Red Sea and we got out the door without further incident. The Rockstar hadto go back in to get her pruse so I ended up with the job of babysitting her out front. I didn’t want the job but it’s what friends do. When she wouldn’t shut the hell up I decided I ought to let her know the score. I explained in no uncertain terms that she was to shut the hell and sit the hell down or I was going to the car and the gentlemen in the blue suits with shiney badges would be happy to explain to her the nuances of the term “public intoxication”. This finally got through to her and she shut up. Of course she was damn near vibrating from anger but I personally didn’t give a damn.

I had to go back in myself so when Rockstar came out I gave him the car keys and went back in. I stayed fro two more song because I damn well wanted to and then headed back to the car. I got in and turned the key and about the time the engine started so did Cornflake. Without stopping I gave her everything I had. I lit into her from ruining my show, for stopping me from delivering the message I had been asked to deliver (that part is personal and you guys don’t get to know), and for being a bitch in general. She finally shut up when she realized I wasn’t kidding about pulling over on the freeway and kicking her out of my car.

When we got back to their house the Rcokstar just kept apologizing over and over. This was not necessary as I have been the one that caused people to leave early myself and besides I had taken care of her whinging on anyway. I stayed just long enough to explain to Cornflake that if she kept up with the drinking she would end up in a bad place and the next time I wasn’t going to help bail her out then I took my leave and headed home.

All in all I missed a total of two songs and had a great time in spite of her antics. I won’t be taking her to anymore shows. She has burned that bridge. Me, well, I will be back to see Max Stalling on the 10th and in March I plan to make at least two of the three shows I rally want to see. I can’t invite the Rockstar because of his psycho wife but you know there are always people to meet at the shows and always other friends to drag along. Yeah Killcrazy that means you need to be ready next Friday night and not be whining about being tired and having a headache. You sounded like we were married and I wanted sex or something the last time we talked. “I am so tired, I have a headache”. Get over it! You are going out next weekend.

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Not today. I had to skip the Austin trip for various and numerous reasons.

1. Michelle has been showing more and more signs of being ready to pop. I would never forgive myself if I left town and the baby came. I have been there for every birth and this one ain’t gonna be any different.
2. The weather is pretty much teh suck and as much as I want to see the boys I would be miserable for most of the day.
3. I feel like utter and complete hammered crap today.
4. Even with the wonderful gift the possibility of the baby coming early is a budget concern since I will miss about a week of work.
5. Transportation wasn’t going to be an easy issue to tackle.

So for all those reasons and more I didn’t get to go to the music festival, have lunch with UberLutheran, crash on Jake’s couch and pretend I am eighteen for two days, or drive to Austin with Freddy. I am not depressed about this at all to be honest. I made a responsible decision and I am proud of myself for that.

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Dallas working on toy-gun ordinance

After directing City Attorney Tom Perkins in August to craft one of the nation’s strictest ordinances regulating the sale and possession of toy guns, the Dallas City Council’s public safety committee asked him Tuesday to keep working on the matter.

I honestly thought this piece was satire. Sadly it is nothing of the sort. Dallas is actually trying to strongly regulate or ban TOY guns. We are not talking about [[wikipedia:airsoft|airsoft guns]], [[wikipedia:Bb_gun|BB guns]], or [[wikipedia:Paintball|paintball guns]]. We are talking about [[wikipedia:Cap_gun|cap guns]], [[wikipedia:Water_gun|water guns]], and the like. Not guns that could hurt someone. Not guns that would normally even put an eye out. These are toy guys. The kind that you and I used to play cops and robers or cowboys and Indians. This is the absolute pinnacle of actual nanny state legislation. It is utterly and completely ridiculous to think that banning toy guns will make anyone any safer than they already happen to be. I am wondering if these politicians are connected in any shape form or fashion with the really real world.

The council never discussed the issue publicly Tuesday, instead spending nearly an hour in a closed-door meeting reviewing legal issues concerning toy-gun regulations.

In interviews after the closed session, council members expressed concerns over moving forward with the kinds of regulations they had previously sought.

Among the concerns:

• Should the city limit the ordinance to people 18 and younger?

• Could the city successfully defend itself against legal challenges to such an ordinance?

• What’s the purpose of the ordinance? To make a moral statement? To keep children safe from police officers who may shoot at a child brandishing a toy gun?

I can answer all three of those questions:

• Should the city limit the ordinance to people 18 and younger? There shouldn’t be any damn ordinance to deal with at all so the question is moot
• Could the city successfully defend itself against legal challenges to such an ordinance? Hopefully not in the great Lone Star State!
• What’s the purpose of the ordinance? To make a moral statement? To keep children safe from police officers who may shoot at a child brandishing a toy gun? The purpose is very simply to say that people cannot take of themselves and need the government to take away harmless toys because parents are too stupid to raise their own children. It is not founded in reality at all.

I doubt the Dallas City council will listen to me though since I am a mere Houstonian. I think it is time to dredge up my old essay on why we need to reverse annex Dallas and let Oklahoma have it and Fort Worth as well. That place doesn’t deserve to be part of my state. Furthermore the citizens that voted these apparent drug addicts, if they aren’t then tell my why they are so disconnected from reality, into office deserve in no way, shape, form or fashion to be called Texans.

In August, the council voted 7-1 to pursue banning all toy guns except those painted a bright color, such as neon green or fluorescent yellow, or made of transparent or translucent material.

The toys must also reflect light, and any toy that didn’t fit the city’s paint/reflection criteria would be illegal even if kept inside a private home or vehicle, according to directions given to Mr. Perkins in August.

You mean that an adult cannot own a replica firearm? All Collector’s Armoury pieces fit the description of what is to become illegal in Dallas should these moonbats succeed in their pursuit. There is no way this should be able to stand up under any legal scrutiny at all. I wonder how they think they can defend this once it is challenged and I can promise you it will be challenged. Can you imagine what their next steps will be? Banning rubber knives? Are slingshots too dangerous?

Some Dallas residents, especially in the city’s southern sector, have expressed concern over what they say is children’s easy access to inexpensive replica firearms. Numerous ice cream vendors and retailers at bazaars and flea markets sell the toys.

Please note that they refrain to mention how many residents but also shy away from even the term “many residents”. I am willing to bet the question was also phrased in a leading manner. (I wanted to make up a funny phrasing but humor escapes me in the face of this utter and complete stupidity.)

Council member Angela Hunt said Tuesday that she’s particularly concerned about the city’s basic reasoning for creating an anti-toy gun ordinance.

“I’m not convinced this is a public-safety issue,” she said, noting that there are few cases nationwide in recent years where a police officer mistakenly injured or killed a child with a toy gun.

You mean someone on the Dallas City Council has at least two brain cells close enough togeher to create a synapse? Don’t you moonbats worry your pretty little heads there aren’t enough people from this reality to hurt your TOY gun ban.

Council member Mitchell Rasansky, however, wants all toy guns – no matter their shape, size, color or reflective property – banned outright. He says the ordinance is worth the trouble to pass if it saves one child’s life.

“And I want an ordinance with teeth in it. We should absolutely fine the people who are selling these things to our children,” he said.

You won’t ever be able to prove it saves a life. And aside from that you are presenting a logical fallacy. Lets play it out. We can ban cars completely and save thousands of lives each year. We can ban stairs and save even more lives. Lets also ban elevators, swimming pools, trains, planes, and anything else that has ever killed a child. Cheerios are gone for sure. Super balls? Right out! You moron. Listen here Rasansky you haven’t a clue about reality. The reality is that there are many things more likely to kill a child than a toy gun. In fact over a ten year period I am willing to wager that more children have fallen down stairs and died than have been killed by toy guns. Making it about the kids doesn’t prove your point. It only proves you are a barking moonbat.

Despite his colleagues’ differing views, council member, Leo Chaney says he’s “optimistic we can reach a consensus on how to go forward.”

Mr. Perkins never presented his draft ordinance to council members Tuesday, he said. Recognizing council members’ disparate views on the issue, Mr. Perkins says he’ll present the committee with “a range of options” at a future committee meeting.

One can only hope that between now and then some of these idiots cease to need oxygen. If you are in Dallas you need to speak out for sure. You need to call your councilman and tell them to sod right off if they are even thinking about passing anything that comes out of this committee. I cannot believe there is no public outcry on this. I may be in Houston but I am buying my boys toy guns on the way home from work and you better believe they won’t be yellow or green. Boys shouldn’t have play with guns made for homosexuals so they can match their boots with their cap guns on western night at the bondage bar.

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So I went last night. It was going to be the last night out for a long time. You see since I screwed up with the bank I have had to realize that I just suck with money. I had the wife do a budget and it wasn’t pretty. We could go out this week but then it would be three weeks before we could even afford to eat out again much less go to karaoke or anything like that. If I had done this, turning the budget over to the wife, we wouldn’t be where we are but I am proud fool. So we will be debt free inside of three years. I know that doesn’t sound good but it’s better than most people. I don’t me caught up. I mean debt free so I guess it’s not all bad.

So we are at the karaoke show. And I am having a good time belting out Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakum, The Violent Femmes, and so on. I call up my old boss and find out he needs someone to run a show tonight and in July to take over a show 3 miles from my house as well as someone to run the route. If I can get 5 shows a week and do the route then I will make more money than I am working for the company I work for right now. Of course if I just do two shows a week I add a ton of money to the budget. So going out paid off. I have a gig tonight! I gotta make some phone calls and get some people to come out. My first show back in Houston! I am pretty stoked.

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Moving is teh sux0r. Ok that’s about as 1337 as I am gonna get. I just wanted a smile on your face when I tell you how much it sucks to move with no help. The truck arrived today. I asked around work to find some help, been asking all week, but it’s to no avail. If we don”t get some help we may end up leaving major appliances behind because I will not be deterred from the path of return to the Lone Star State. I am way to ready to go.

I moved up my last today to be tomorrow. I will work as short a day as possible so that I can cram the trailer full of stuff and leave Friday. I will be back in Tejas before nightfall if the truck is loaded by around 1000 MST. Well maybe not nightfall but damn close. Right now I am taking a break. Michelle and I just loaded the washing machine. Yes me and my wife loaded a washing machine. It wasn’t easy. We have to get the dryer next. I do not know if I want to attempt the fridge but I may have to try that alone as well. The table is the other heavy thing. We can handle the bookcases easily. Hell I can handle those by myself. The boxes of books are gonna suck but are doable.

Anyway that’s all I got right now. I have all sorts of thoughts on the days news but it can wait. A pox on anyone who thinks their problems are worse than mine right now.

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I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

These are the words that doctors utter upon becoming doctors. These are the very words uttered by the doctors that sit on the board of St. Lukes Episcopal (Bible optional) Hospital. These are the words uttered by the men and women who have given Andrea Clarke a death sentence. This is not another Terri Schiavo. This case does not even resemble that one. Andrea Clark was awake and able to make her own decisions prior to the hospital deciding to up her pain medication.

There is a woman who will be put to death at the hands of men and women who are sworn to do no harm. She will die on Sunday if nothing is done. The laws of the great state of Texas are against her (I am ashamed of my state for this) and the other hospitals in Houston are not willing to help (I am doubly ashamed of my hometown). I have no words to express the sheer dread brings unto me. The horror I feel for this woman and her family. Prayer is called for. I ask all of my readers, by they few, to hit their knees right now and lift up this situation, this family, and this woman to the Lord.

Here is some of the story and links:

The hospital ethics committee met the day before yesterday and concluded that Andrea’s treatment (respirator and dialysis) should be discontinued. We have ten days to move her from that hospital or they will “pull the plug” and let Andrea die. Andrea, until a few days ago, when the physicians decided to increase her pain medication and anesthetize her into unconsciousness, was fully able to make her own medical decisions and had decided that she wanted life saving treatment until she dies naturally. We have learned that this is part of the process, when hospitals decided to declare the “medical futility” of continueing treatment for a patient. But, this is not a Terry Schiavo case; not anything like it. Andrea, when she is not medicated into unconsciousness (and even when she is, and the medication has worn off to some degree) is aware and cognizant. She has suffered no brain damage to the parts of her brain responsible for thought and reason, or speech. She has only suffered loss of some motor control. The reason that the physician gave to medicate her so much is that she is suffering from intractable pain in the sacral region (in other words, she has a bedsore that causes her pain). This is not reason enough, in our books, and we are trying, as we speak, to get Andrea’s medication lowered so that she can speak to us.

Go read the whole article.
Hat tip to the Rott for the link.
My wife has also commented.

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Today marks one week from us leaving the desert. This time next week we will be traveling through Benson, AZ if we are anywhere close to on schedule and that will mark being halfway to the Texas border. Of course El Paso will only be exciting because we will be back in Texas. I really don’t like the town all that much.

Today is not much of a day off. I have already worked two hours of this lovely Saturday. You see there is a ton of stuff to do before we get out of here. We are over halfway packed so packing is not the big thing. I have things to accomplish for work. They are keeping me on under a 1099 but there are just things that are easier to do when you can get face time with the people you need to have do those things.

Hopefully I am done with work for the day. I have purposefully stayed away from anything press related this morning because I don’t want to get my ire up until after 1200 at least. I have other things to do today. Promises to keep to the Potter Horde. I am getting ready to do a puzzle with my son and I am certain that will be more fun than commenting on the sad state of politics.

So tune back in monday for your regularly scheduled program. But for now enjoy some Trout Fishing In America: (The tall guy [Ezra] played this song at my grandmother’s funeral. It was beautiful)

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I have to give props for the reminder to Misha from the Rott

170 years ago today we showed the Mexicans what we can do when you piss off a bunch of Texans. I would strongly suggest that La Raza and any of the other moonbat Mexican groups that believe they will ever see Texas as part of Mexico take a close look at the Battle of San Jacinto Here’s a little taste…

Silently and tensely the Texas battle line swept across the prairie and swale that was No Man’s land, the men bending low. A soldier’s fife piped up with “Will You Come to the Bower,”‘ a popular tune of the day. That was the only music of the battle. [Several veterans of the battle said the tune played was “Yankee Doodle.”] As the, troops advanced, “Deaf” Smith galloped up and told Houston, “Vince’s bridge has been cut down.” The General announced it to the men. Now both armies were cut off from retreat in all directions but one, by a roughly circular moat formed by Vince’s and Buffalo Bayous to the west and north, San Jacinto River to the north and cast, and by the marshes and the bay to the east and southeast.

At close range, the two little cannon, drawn by rawhide thongs, were wheeled into position and belched their charges of iron slugs into the enemy barricade. Then the whole line, led by Sherman’s men, sprang forward on the run, yelling, “Remember the Alamo!” “Remember Goliad!” All together they opened fire, blazing away practically point-blank at the surprised and panic-stricken Mexicans. They stormed over the breastworks, seized the enemy’s artillery, and joined in hand-to-hand combat, emptying their pistols, swinging their guns as clubs, slashing right and left with their knives. Mexicans fell by the scores under the impact of the savage assault.

The Mexican army managed to kill or mortally wound 9 of the Texas freedom fighters. Our heroes slaughtered 630 of them making the death toll better than 63:1. Texans may have gotten a bit lazy these days but a good lot of us have he same hearts beating in our chests that these men had on that day. We lost at the Alamo and we lost at Goliad and we got fed up and killed every one of the bastards that we could. Take note Reconquistas and study history. Your cause is doomed from the start and if you push the rivers will once again run with the blood of Mexicans. All you have to is stay on your side and we’ll stay on ours. You lost. All you have to do be part of the prosperity that is the US is file the right papers. We currently don’t even require you to learn English. We certainly do not ask for too much. But if you keep coming in the dead of night. If you keep burning our flag. We will eventually get fed up. And I promise you on the grave of my grandmother that you do not want to see that.

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