christmas past and future(?)
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rainy day, dream away
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it’s been raining steadily here since last night. very nice. the most rain we’ve had at one time in well over a year. also very nice. that perfect kind of weather where the dreams come easy and if you aren’t out working or driving in the stuff, life is very peaceful. the concert poster below is from may 1st, 1969. i was there. so was my friend, john harrelson, and his band, ‘hard luck boy’. he and his band mates didn’t get any billing. myself and my mates didn’t either. we were the light show providers for that particular concert. the rain is still falling and the dreams of yesteryear seem as fresh as the new winter grass that is beginning to sprout on the hillsides here in the valley of smoke. just east of, the city of lost angels, where dreams seem to be the vehicle of choice.
music provided by, jimi hendrix, ‘rainy day, dream away’. jmh |
some more of the wii in mii
santa has told me a number of you folks out there are going to be getting the tiger woods ea sports pga tour 2008 game for christmas. good for you. that must mean you’ve been very good this past year. good for you. hopefully, you have a wii game already as i guess they are still in short supply. santa might even have a problem or two scoring one from what i’m hearing. but that’s not why i’m here.
i’m back to yammer some more about tiger’s pga tour 2008 golf wii game. i’ve been playing the game for months now and i love it. it’s a great game and like i said last time i yammered about it, the game is way better than the 2007 version. hands down.
however, there are a few glitches. one that is sorta weird and i’m wondering if it’s in all of the games. occurs on the second hole, a par 3, at eastlake, in atlanta. a very nice course and one i like to play but if you are short on that particular hole either in the trap or in the grass in front of the green, the game freezes. i’ve found no way out of it other than starting all over again. that’s kind of frustrating and takes the wind out of your sails, especially if you are short of the green again. if you hit the green the game kind of hiccups but you keep going. i’ve never been long on that hole so i don’t know if that’s a problem or not in that regard.
another problem is hitting a draw or a fade. during the game set up you will have to hit both in order for you to go on and set other stuff up. no way around it. however, since that point many months ago, i can’t hit either of them again. no matter how hard i try. totally strange. i do everything the game says to do when hitting either shot but the ball goes perfectly straight. every time. amazing. i’ve gone back into that original area and i still can’t do it. no idea what’s going on with that weirdness. so when i come across a nasty dog leg i just lay up and blast away with the second shot. maybe you’ll have better luck.
the other glitch and i’m still not sure if it’s a glitch or just me, are short chip shots. after playing the game for months chipping is still a major crap shoot. i either do a double chili dip or i ram the ball over the flag and off the green and get to do the whole sordid deal all over again. sure, you can practice swing but that really doesn’t work for me either. despite that flaw in my game, or the game itself, i’m still shooting under par 98% of the time from the blue tees and the medium pin placements.
as for the ‘tiger challenge’ i’m a little over half way through it. by doing so i’ve unlocked courses and other golfers. it’s also helped my game with being allowed to crack a nice 300 yard plus drive now and again. very sweet indeed. plus generally being able to hit at least 260 yards with the driver off the tee. the problem with the challenge is it’s time consuming and it either let’s you win a challenge rather easily or beats your sorry butt every time you try that particular challenge. there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. so i’ve shined it on. screw it, at least for now. all that being said, if you get the game for christmas spend some time on the challenges and get some history there for your game or you won’t be hitting balls very far when you play the courses during regular play.
that’s what you want to do. play the courses in the play it now mode. you can play any of the courses in that mode and they don’t need to be unlocked. plus you make money by doing it that way. you need to make money to buy stuff. like clubs. find a set you like and can hit. they aren’t all the same. it took me awhile but i finally settled on a set made up entirely of macgregor clubs. i couldn’t hit any of the other clubs available. interesting. so i’m sticking with what works. you should too. you also make money playing the tiger challenges.
one of these days, when i tire of just smacking the ball around the courses on my own i’ll try the pga tour stuff and the fedex stuff as well. though i’m still very content doing what i’m doing. playing golf in my living room and getting a bit of exercise along the way.
it’s a great game and i think you will have a great time playing it. nothing like playing st andrews under par or the same for pebble beach or any of the other courses. the pure joy of the sport of golf is right there for you in the comfort of your living room. no nasty 14 hour flights to scotland with all the money and other crapola involved. you just dial it in and play away. what could be better? i don’t know, maybe that 14 hour flight to scotland in order to actually tee one up on the first tee. but in the mean time you have tiger’s 2008 pga tour wii game without all the traveling hassles.
if any of you are having any other problems maybe i can help out. maybe not. but i’ll try. or if you can help out with any of my playing problems, please, let me know what i can do to solve them. i love this game. you will too.
jmh
the beat goes on and on or the song remains the same
i was up early this morning so i could hit the road in order to beat the traffic. the deal is i was reading a new home magazine while in the reading stall downstairs. i’m sorta bummed out about what i read. however, i’m old enough that stuff like that shouldn’t bother me anymore but it does. seems like, well not seems, they are building million dollar homes right next to the bolsa chica wetlands down in huntington beach, ca. that staggers the imagination and senses.
i don’t understand the mentality of the coastal commission here in california. they are supposed to be looking out for every ones best interests. the california coast in particular. apparently they aren’t. just the developers, when the price is right and the hands get properly greased. the pristine wetlands will now have homes and trash and everything else associated with humanity right next door to it.
yes, of course, huntington beach is a far cry from what it was when i was a kid. yes, there was the sewer pipe that drained right into the water at bolsa chica beach. it stuck out from the cliff. thankfully, it disappeared long ago. drifting. the last bit of open space should have been left that way for our feathered friends and the other friends that live under the water. is there nothing left that’s sacred? what gets me is the coastal commission gets their panties all tied up in knots over stuff that’s really odd and or stupid. then they let something like this go down. greed wins out. i guess that’s why i gave up on voting and politics as well. it’s all a crock.
added 12-13-07: i used to vote. i don’t anymore. i’m not even registered. it’s a total waste of time. if you think anyone is actually going to change anything you are delusional and probably insane. lady machill? mayor rudy? or any of the rest of the lot. no, sadly, it’s over, johnny.
jmh
john zen, pi part 10
picking up the phone john heard his friend chief of detectives, don ray, ask if it was zen on the line.
‘what?…yes…don?…how did?…’
‘i’ve been calling the office and your home with no luck. i called the phone company to get velda’s home number. she gave me this one. what gives?’
’sheila may. she called the office and i convinced her to come and stay with velda where she would be safer. i came over here to pick her up. when i got here the place was empty and all i found was her half packed suitcase. she’s gone.’
‘well, that fits. one of my detectives just spotted someone who looked like sheila going through ontario in a car with two men. one of them looked like the the jewish mobster rumored to to be working on the racing wire out here.’
‘bugsy seigel’, muttered zen.
‘who? what? anyway, my man tailed them for a bit but lost the car up by chaffey high school. the kids were let out early today and he got stuck at fourth st with all of them crossing euclid.’
‘ok. ok. sounds like i had better get back out to ontario. what was the make of the car? did the detective get a plate number?’
‘no plate number just the new car paper stuff. the car is a dark blue ford sedan with wide whitewalls. that’s all we have right now. i’ll put the force out looking for them.’
‘good. i’ll see you or call you as soon as i get back to ontario.’
zen called velda and gave her the news. he told her he was heading back out to ontario. he told her to stay by the phone in case sheila may called. zen also said he had a funny feeling about this development. as he hung up the phone his heart skipped another beat.
life and the dark dismal way things are dealt to you is just like a game, he thought. when you least expect something that’s when it happens. john zen knew his heart was telling him what he already knew. he was falling in love with sheila may. he just hoped she would be around to hear him tell her that one day.
as zen drove back out to ontario the skies darkened with the onset of a december evening and an approaching winter storm. dark black clouds blown in from the pacific, by a strong west wind, slammed up against the san gabriel mountains. the dark moisture rich clouds were being pushed down into the low foothills. john knew by looking at the san gabriels and the low clouds this was going to be a cold winter storm with lots of snow, even at the lower elevations. with the advent of the coming rain he pushed the accelerator of the coupe closer to floor as he drove into and then out of the clouds that lingered at the top of kellogg hill. as he dropped into the pomona valley a light rain began to fall.
by then time he reached ontario a steady cold rain was falling in the early darkness. he made his way south to the ontario police department for a talk with his friend don ray. the two men met in the chief’s office over hot coffee and sandwiches. don told zen that the car with sheila may had disappeared. it hadn’t been spotted in ontario since early that afternoon. the chief also said that he had asked the upland police to be on the look out for the sedan as well and the san bernardino county sheriff, who handled the cucamonga area. as yet, no one had reported seeing the car.
after the simple meal and chat zen decided to venture out in the rain on his own to search for sheila may. he made a bee line for the old stone, padre winery, where sheila may had first met amos fly. he knew it was a long shot but it was all he had and he couldn’t just sit there and wait for things to happen.
the rain made for an interesting drive out to the vineyards of cucamonga. as most of the north and south streets in the area became the flood control system during rain storms. pushing his way across those flooded north/south streets he finally made his way to archibald ave where he turned north. driving a bit too fast for the weather he had a rooster tail trailing his coupe. the wiper blades were having a hard time keeping up with the rain as he turned right on 8th st and drove slowly out to the old padre winery. he knew in his heart that the whole trip was futile and it proved to be correct. zen slowly drove past the closed and locked front gate. he noticed no light coming from inside the stone buildings. sighing, he lit a smoke, turned around, and stopped a bit further down the road. he sat there smoking and waiting for something or anything to happen inside the dark winery.
after an hour or so of chain smoking he realized his wait was fruitless and he made the sodden drive back to his temporary home in south ontario. as he pulled into the old hobb’s place he noticed sam wasn’t at home. a busy night for the restaurant, zen thought. while he unwound himself from the front seat of his coupe a flash of lightning lit the dark evening sky revealing the the stark dormant fig tree at the center of the courtyard. zen quickly made it to the guest house and unlocked the door. after calling velda he took a hot shower and fell into bed. the lightning was still flashing as zen finally drifted off to a restless dreamless sleep.
the rain was stopping as the phone next to zen’s bed started ringing. he rolled over and glanced at the clock. it was another early wake up call, 5:30am. on the fourth ring, he answered. ‘ok. yeah. zen, here.’ ‘john, it’s don. we have another body out at cement mountain. i’m sorry to be the one to tell you but it’s sheila may. you’d better make it out here pronto.’ ‘yes, of course. i’m on my way.’
at first john couldn’t believe what he had just heard. it couldn’t possibly be sheila may. but he knew his friend wouldn’t make such a mistake. zen’s heart sank to the floor then bounced back up into his throat and stayed there. he quickly dressed then sped off to the nightmare that waited for him. the the drive to cement mountain was deja vu, all over again. everything a blur up to the point of entering the cement pit. the coroner’s van was just moments ahead of him. his friend, don ray, was standing near a body under a blue plastic tarp.
zen stopped the car and just sat. finally he lit a smoke then walked over to what waited for him. ‘morning, john.’ ‘i guess. let me see her, don.’ ‘john, it’s like the other. maybe worse. it isn’t a pretty sight. not much blood because of the rain.’ ‘fine. let’s get it over with.’ his friend lifted the plastic tarp and the dissected body of sheila may was there on the ground before him. her face cut up and disfigured into a leering smiling cartoon face. john turned away and saw only red. a true living nightmare if there ever was one.
his friend don spoke, ‘ the nightwatchman was surprised by someone at around midnight. he got cold cocked pretty good. he finally came around at about 4am. he saw the body and called us. we don’t have anything other than what you just saw.’ while he was talking a uniformed cop walked up to them. ‘chief, the cucamonga sheriff is saying one of their patrol cars spotted the dark blue sedan sometime around 2am on route 66 heading west with one lone passenger, a white male. no stop was made because the patrol car received a radio call concerning a very nasty traffic accident at about the same time.’ ‘did they get a look at him?’ ‘yeah. a good looking guy, maybe in his late 40’s. well dressed.’
upon hearing that john zen turned and ran through the sloppy ground back to his coupe. don ray caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder. ‘hold on john. where are you going?’ john shook off his friend’s hand and said, ‘i’m going to get that fucker.’ ‘john, wait a minute. what are you talking about? you just can’t go off half cocked like this.’ zen already had the car in gear and moving while don ray was still talking.
great blasts of red clouded his vision. inside his chest his heart was beating like a sledge hammer. it was hard for him to see the road, let alone drive. as he was passing a gas station, he some how noticed a phone booth. he quickly turned in and made a call to ben morris. john told ben what was happening and what he needed from him. the only thing ben said was, ok, and that he would meet john at the bar in an hour. after his conversation with ben, john was much calmer. resolve had set in. cold clear resolve along with a big dose of revenge simmered in his heart.
an hour later he was parked in front of hannigan’s. the lights were on so he knew ben was waiting. lighting a smoke he walked to the door and knocked. ben opened the door and pulled john inside. then he spoke in a rush. ‘yeah, zen. it was bugsy, again. he’s gone off the deep end with all his vegas troubles and italian mob problems. so as a result he’s gone even more crazy than his nickname. he’s out of control. dragna wants him dead. so does chicago. some of dragna’s boys will be here soon looking for the same thing you are. i can’t say no. if you are going to do this, do it now.’
with that he reached behind the bar and pulled out an m-1 rifle with an 8 round magazine plus one more .30 caliber round. ben handed the rifle to john and said, ’dragna’s guys know where to go. you have to hurry.’ as he spoke he handed zen a folded piece of paper. 810 LINDEN WY, BEVERLY HILLS, was printed on it. zen read the note and smiled. then he shook ben’s hand. putting the rifle under his coat he left the bar and made the drive into beverly hills.
linden was a residential neighborhood in the low hills above sunset blvd. 810 was fairly easy to find. he parked a few houses away and loaded the rifle. the 8 round mag with the one extra round in the pipe. 9 shots in all. more than enough to do what needed to be done. zen knew the mob was right behind him but he didn’t know how far back they were. he had to hurry but not rush things or things would turn to shit in a big way.
he walked quickly down the deserted sidewalk and slipped between two houses, 810 and 814. he found a spot in the bushes there where he could see the living room of 810. time was short. he needed a break. as if answering his silent plea, bugsy seigel, walked into the room with a newspaper and sat on the couch. he was wearing a smoking jacket over his clothes. as he raised the paper to read it 9 quick shots rang out. one round found his left eye and removed a portion of his skull. 5 other rounds found their mark as well. bugsy seigel was dead.
moving more quickly and furtively than before john made his way back to the coupe unseen by any of the residents of linden wy. he stashed the rifle under the front seat and started the car. he was halfway down the block when he passed a sedan coming slowly the other way. there were 3 men inside, obviously italian, and obviously looking at the addresses on the houses. dragna’s men. just a few minutes too late, smiled john. as he turned onto the street of dreams, sunset blvd, police sirens from several directions cut through the cool clean december morning air.
the end
jmh
i know i’ve played fast and loose with some historical aspects of this story. also some of the geographical stuff as well. i guess that’s why they call it fiction. i hope you enjoyed the story anyway.
stop the bowl madness
the time has come for all good men to come to the aid of their favorite sport. college football. the madness of the bowl season and the insipd utter disregard for what is right must end. we hold what is righteous, the clicker, in our collective hands. use this powerful tool to send a message to those that think they are the most high of the sport. they may run things but we are what make them so. if we stop watching the bowl games then they become meaningless adventures into how much money can we gleen from the unwashed. they think we are stupid. show them we are smarter than they are. let’s take the game back from the corporate geeks and collegiate whores. let’s bring it home and back to where it belongs, the people and the players with the simple principle of the best team winnning the prize. not some money driven madness or misplaced gobblygook of computer nerdness but the reality of hard nosed football played out on the field. nothing more nothing less. we can do this. the time has come. take college football back to where it came from, the playing field. not the board rooms of tv land or college deans and their ilk who want nothing more than to suck whatever money they can from the best sport on the planet. stop watching the bowl games. NOW. NO MAS. this is it. tell them with your silent tv this bowl season that we have had enough of their lies and horse crap. we are over and done with them. now is the time. let your silence scream into the madness of their greed. stop watching their crapola bowls. take our sport back. take back the best game on the planet. college football. we can do this. stand up for what is right.
jmh
john zen, pi part 9
after his meeting with ben, john, drove back to his office for a talk with, velda. his was mind a sea of thoughts that kept tossing him one way and then another. the air was clean and clear in the cool of a windless december morning. maybe some rain was coming today or tomorrow to wash away the grit left by the winds. zen, was lucky enough to find a parking spot in front of his building. the second floor office window was open. velda was at work. the open window to allow the cool clean air inside. as he climbed the stairs he wished he’d had a nickel for each time he had walked to the second floor. by now, he would at least have enough money for a new car or a race horse at santa anita. he smiled at the thought. reaching the second floor landing he saw that the door was open. all was well, or at least, in this little part of the world.
‘hey, sweetie’, he said, as he came through the door. velda, jumped to her feet, came around the desk, and almost knocked him over as she hugged him. ‘oh, my god, zen, it’s so good to see you’, velda cried. they stood in the center of office hugging for a moment or two. zen, made the first move to unwind. ‘you look good, sis. how’s business?’ ’ha. we have no business, john. just this mess with sheila may that i’ve gotten you into and it doesn’t even pay.’ ‘yes, well, then things are pretty much normal around here.’ john, smiled as he spoke the words.
they sat at zen’s desk and he brought velda up to speed on all of the developments. including ben’s chat, as she was completely trust worthy. ‘velda, i think i need to find sheila may. do you have any idea at all who she may have been calling when i left her at the station?’ ‘not really, john, but you should never have left her alone.’ ‘yes, i know that now but she’s an adult and it seemed like she would be ok at the time. hell, she might even be ok right now for all we know.’ as they sat there mired in their own thoughts the phone rang.
‘john zen, pi’, answered velda. ’sheila, we were just talking about you. are you safe? where are you?’ john took the phone from velda’s hand. ’sheila, this is john. i think you’re in danger of becoming a head line in the morning papers. where are you? who are you with?’ ’oh, john, thanks for your concern and your help yesterday too. i’m safe and well. i’m staying at a doctor’s place over in the eastern part of the city. i’m fine. the doctor has helped me out before. we go way back. it’s ok.’ replied sheila.
john, sighed, then spoke again. ’sheila, i’d feel a whole lot better about this if you were staying with velda. i’ve learned some things and unless i’m mistaken someone is or will be looking for you very soon. you are in more danger than you know. it’s all because of amos fly. you knew him and got to close to him.’ ‘but, john, i told you i don’t know anything.’ ‘maybe that’s true and maybe it isn’t. the fact is, just by having been around that fly character puts you in danger. serious mob danger.’ ‘i..i..don’t.. i..’ stammered sheila. very calmly, john, said, ‘where are you sheila. tell me. i’ll come right over and get you. you’ll be safer with us. trust me.’ ‘i’m staying with, dr. leslie cee, his home is on norton ave. 124 is the address.’ ’ok. fine. i know the area. i’m coming right over. get your things together.’
zen, hung up the phone and turned to velda. ‘velda, lock up and go home. i’m picking sheila up and i’ll bring her to your place as soon as i can.’ ’sure. john, i understand.’ with that, zen, ran from the office, down the stairs and out to his coupe.
barely observing traffic laws, zen, made fairly good time driving to the norton ave address. the norton ave area was in transition and still reeling from the effects of the second world war and the korean war. parts of the residential area were just streets, curbs, and gutters with a large number of weeds where the houses should have been. for some reason the area had not caught up with the rest of the southern california post war boom times. it was a desolate place in the blooming city of lost angels.
zen, found the address of, dr. leslie cee, and slammed the car into the curb in what almost passed for a parking maneuver. he rushed to the front door and rapped his knuckles on on it. there was no answer. he slammed the palms of both hands on the door. still no response. he tried the door knob. the door was locked. looking at the door jam he decided to break in. rushing back to the coupe he pulled a large screwdriver from the trunk. using the screwdriver he was able to pop the front door open. gun out he moved slowly into the house. obviously the home was empty. the sound of the pounding and door being jimmied should have roused anyone inside. unless they were hiding. zen, carefully checked out the house. he didn’t find anyone but he had one more room to check.
the door was closed. he paused, then just kicked the flimsy door open. inside on the bed was a partially packed suitcase. it was the same suitcase, sheila may, had packed and taken with her on the trip from ontario zen, called out her name. he called again. realizing she was gone, as well as the doctor, he looked more closely at the house. there were a few pieces of a womens clothing on the bedroom floor. as for the rest of the home there was no sign of a struggle or violence. nothing. using his handkerchief he picked up the phone and called velda. she was already at her apartment and answered on the first ring. zen, told her where he was and that sheila may was gone, as well as her doctor friend. he told velda he would sit and wait to see if anyone showed up. he read the number on the phone to velda.
zen sat on the sofa and lit a smoke. he was confused. it was apparent that sheila may had started to pack. she had been stopped or been interrupted, then disappeared. was, dr leslie cee, involved somehow in the whole affair? did he have some mob connections? as john sat smoking he realized he hadn’t looked into the home’s detached garage. getting up he went through the kitchen and out into the backyard. the garage stood 20 feet from the house. the big car door was closed and there was a large padlock on the hinge. the locked side door was another matter. the large screwdriver made simple work of opening the door. the garage was empty but looked as if it was being used as a workshop or something. the daylight streaming through the open door was not enough light for zen to really see what was going on. he found the light switch by the door and flicked on the lights.
the garage was being used as some sort of operating theatre. numerous medical instruments lined the walls. there was a surgical light that hung from the ceiling with a medical exam table underneath it. stirrups hung from one end of the table. dr leslie cee, appeared to be a doctor who did abortions at home. it became clear why, sheila may, had said she and the doctor were friends and that he had helped her out before. sheila may, had on at least one occasion used the services of dr cee and his home office. carefully checking the office he found nothing of any use. no records of any sort or any other clue that might help him find, sheila may. standing outside the garage, smoking in the cool sunlight, zen, heard the telephone ringing inside the house.
jmh
college football week 14 wrap-up
well, it’s officially over for the year. no more of the greatest sport on earth till next september. sad but true. we just have the bowl games left to watch and maybe look forward to but more on them later. another 4 for 8 week, basically because of the point spreads. i hope you didn’t do anything dumb with my picks though some of them were right on. if you did take the picks to heart you more than likely lost your shirt. you got what you deserved.
ucla/usc. the men of troy didn’t cover but at least they are going to the rose bowl. going to the rose bowl to clobber whatever big 10 ends up getting sent there. ucla and coach karl, what can you say? if you watched the game and noticed he was just about out of time outs halfway thru the first quarter you understand why lots of folks don’t like him as a coach. i’m sure he’s a very decent guy and he did bring a halt to the trouble the bruins were having with their program and stupid players. i just don’t see any point in him hanging on any longer as head coach. but what do i know?
oregon st/oregon. got this one right. though the ducks gave them a run for their money. bellotti still has some ’splaing to do’. that is if you ask me. a few dumb moves that cost the ducks some points and in the long run the game. maybe. nice touch by espn having, dan fouts, do the game. it gave him some national exposure and showed the rest of the country why, in my opinion, he’s the best out there at the moment. this was also the best game of the day. thank you, beavers and ducks.
washington/hawaii. another one in the plus column. the huskies gave the warriors all they could handle and have nothing to be upset about. they did the pac 10 proud. with a bit more luck or something they could have pulled it out. nice job by the huskies, regardless.
virginia tech/boston college. sadly, the boston eagles, couldn’t pull off another win over virginia this season. this also probably put an end to any of ryan’s hopes for the heisman.
tennessee/lsu. another point spread win, barely. didn’t see much of the game as i was pac 10 watching. guess lsu will go to the big dance now. i’m still not impressed.
oklahoma/missouri. the sooners handed it to the missouri tigers, sadly. more heisman hopes down the drain here, as well.
arizona/arizona st. a nice point spread win and a good game. just another rivalry game that that had lots going for it. i love the pac 10.
pittsburg/w. virgina. what can you say when you were right about the bcs #2 curse? no one gave pitt much of a chance in this one. yes, well, of course. history, this year, has repeated itself, repeatedly.
that wraps up the regular season of college football. one of the oddest in a long time. i guess that’s one of the reasons i love the college game so much. anything can and usually does happen. this year more so than usual. i’ll be back in a few days with my bowl predictions. keep your money in your wallets and don’t be stupid.
jmh
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