BigStewMan

stevie ray vaughn is on my very short list of the all-time greatest guitarists. fun to watch and easy to listen to. i have a live version of Pride & Joy--a great performance.

Sent you a PM. I'm about 1 hour 45 minute drive from Lancaster.

Oldbuckster--i think you need to make a road trip to The City of Angels and deliver these to me. Get out of Upstate NY for a while and see God's country out west.

i hope all of you in the danger zones will come through the season unscathed. technically, i've been in one hurricane--hurricane gloria back in 1985. i was at a coast guard school in yorktown, va--i slept through the hurricane. i recently went through a force 11 cyclone in the pacific while on my way to hawaii. the wind can be a very powerful force. take precautions! now i live in the land of shake & bake--earthquakes & fires.

jerky is worthy of being in contention for the title of "ultimate food." may not beat out a burrito; but, it's worth considering. probably what the cowboys ate back in the day.

apparently, dog fighting was just the tip of the iceberg. rumor has it that he also punched out the kool-aid man. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293268,00.html

i think you're right. i'll admit, i'm a giants fan living in the land of the dodgers. the bay area is my original home though--although my family hails from america's most beautiful and safest city...oakland. i'm a raider fan also; but one of the few memories i have of my dad was him sitting on the patio drinking a coke and listening to the giants on the radio. when the a's and the giants met in the world series, i found myself rooting for the giants. Raider nation will rise again! Maybe twenty years from now. Not anytime soon, however. Carl. carl--i know it's preseason; but august 24th raiders-v-rams. my wife told me last year, "you're the one that chose to be a raider fan." i told her that i didn't chose it--i was born there, a part of raider nation by birth. ah, to drive up to that big, gray cement structure makes my heart stop beating, oh wait, maybe it was the gunfire that did that?

Bruce--thanks for posting that picture. do you still keep in touch with him? were you in the band also?

i think you're right. i'll admit, i'm a giants fan living in the land of the dodgers. the bay area is my original home though--although my family hails from america's most beautiful and safest city...oakland. i'm a raider fan also; but one of the few memories i have of my dad was him sitting on the patio drinking a coke and listening to the giants on the radio. when the a's and the giants met in the world series, i found myself rooting for the giants.

No; but i feel a year wiser! Thank you for pointing that out. Thank you all for the birthday wishes. i just had my third "free" lunch from co-workers. unfortunately, one co-worker told the server that it was my birthday and they did that embarrassing bringing a cake to the table and singing happy birthday. good intent; but why do they always bring chocolate cake? I've been chocolate-free since '83 . Sure it wasn't the peanut butter? Nah, i still like peanut butter. it probably wasn't the chocolate either, i just formed one of those mental associations and chocolate took the rap. my wife is that way with sun-dried tomatoes--she got real sick after eating at this place and said that while puking she couldn't get the taste of sun-dried tomatoes out of her mouth. to this day, she won't eat them.

To me the only question I have is why they choose to use the stuff... They don't need steroids. They're already playing at a level 99 percent of all human beings want to be at. They've made the cut. They are still paid millions of dollars. Why do they want to push the limit and damage their bodies? good question. a few years ago, i heard of a study that was done which olympic athletes were asked if they would be assured of winning a gold medal, but they would die 10 years sooner would they do it. something like 85% of the athletes said they'd take 10 years off their lifespan to get the gold medal. if that is the mindset of an elite athlete, then i don't want to be at that level.

i agree with mark1101--he's being singled out and it's a witchhunt. now they are saying that the device that he wears on his elbow has been outlawed by baseball; but everyone that was already using it was "grandfathered" and can continue using it. they say the device is weighted and increases bat speed and provides a consistent, level swing. anyone find it strange that the experts come up with this "fact" after he broke the record? draw your own conclusions.

No; but i feel a year wiser! Thank you for pointing that out. Thank you all for the birthday wishes. i just had my third "free" lunch from co-workers. unfortunately, one co-worker told the server that it was my birthday and they did that embarrassing bringing a cake to the table and singing happy birthday. good intent; but why do they always bring chocolate cake? I've been chocolate-free since '83 .

this sports announcer the other night said that some of the greats of yesteryear like willie mays, mike schmidt, (i can't recall the others he mentioned) have all said that they would have taken whatever was available to them like the players today do. maybe we just don't understand the mindset of the professional athlete enough. a friend of mine knows some pro football players and they told him that walking onto the field with tens of thousands people cheering for them gives them a high like a drug--and they get addicted to that attention. maybe that is why these people take stuff to get better or play longer?

Gary was in a group that used to practice at my house... sometime around 1970. Maybe just after. The Vietnam War was still going on. He was a very nice guy, and an incredible guitarist, even then. Bruce Bruce--that's cool. people laugh at me; but i think gary is the most underrated guitar player. what kind of guitar was he playing back in those days? i've seen them several times in concert, and i think he was always playing a les paul.

Gary was in a group that used to practice at my house... sometime around 1970. Maybe just after. The Vietnam War was still going on. He was a very nice guy, and an incredible guitarist, even then. Bruce

i agree the playing field was equal. people generally think of only the hitters being juiced; but there are some future hall of fame pitchers that are suspect, guys that are suddenly throwing harder with age. i also don't blame him for being the way he is with the media (to a point). i don't think you ever should be rude to someone; however he grew up watching his dad give everything to baseball, attend every charity event where he was requested--and he did that at the expense of his family. then his dad gets a drinking problem and everyone turns their back on him and the media starts slamming him. james brown (espn) did an interview with bonds several years ago, barry said he watched them turn on his dad and vowed that he'd never let them get that close to him. they did the same thing to other players as well. in the 70s, steve carlton stopped talking to reporters because they started saying he had a drinking problem, willie stargell was booed on willie stargell day in pittsburgh. i can't blame any athlete that wants to limit their contact with the media--they're seem to only want "tabloid" stuff these days.

i'll be a guinea pig for those tests. i'm not overly worried; just the occasional "what if" thoughts. i know that i definately have hearing loss--it's the why that is causing the concern. in june, i saw roger waters at the hollywood bowl. i remember telling myself that i didn't think it was as loud as his concert the previous year. i asked one of the people that went with me and they looked at me funny as said that the concert was very loud.

i mentioned to my doctor that i was having to turn things up louder and having more difficulty hearing what people are saying. she does a hearing test and says "you didn't do very well at all." she sends me to an ENT and he does a couple more test--which i also fail. as he said, my hearing was not in the "serviceable range." ok, so i'm thinking a hearing aid--no big deal. the doctor says that i have to get a CAT scan of my head to "see if something is there." he didn't say tumor, but i know that is one of the things they'll look for. he did say that he wanted to see if there was any bone calcification. apparently, there is something interferring with the vibrations. i asked my wife if this is what she was praying for, so i wouldn't buy those la scalas that i've wanted so bad. klipsch speakers LOOK nice; but i don't think i'd get the same enjoyment if i could only look at them. still hoping this is just too loud of music for too long a time.

Me too...and I'd already outlived my mother...and my second father (i was adopted after my parents death). My dad died at 35 (cancer), my mom at 33 (killed by drunk driver on Thanksgiving Night 1968), and my adopted dad died at 45 (cancer). i don't feel old; but it is a real strange feeling knowing that by this age, my parents were long dead. To quote of the midwest bands (that were great in the 70s) REO Speedwagon, I just "Keep Pushin On" and "Roll With the Changes." Sidenote: REO is a real good example of a group taking the band away from the guitar player (Gary Richrath) and giving it to the singer (Kevin Cronin). When they did that they started their decline.

Yes, I'm posting from work. I meant to forward an email memo to a co-worker, making fun of the author's writing ability. My only comment was, "Oh my gosh! It's hard to believe that a grown person wrote this." Unfortunately, I had hit the "Reply" button and my email went right back to the author of the memo. OOPS! Can't think of a way to get out of this one, so as they said in the movie WarGames, "I guess we'll have to ride this one out afterall." Just in case, anyone hiring?

Chevy made a great car that year! For me (1960) was also a Chevy; but not as cool. i get the Corvair. Past Motor Trend "Car Of The Year" Winners 2007 Toyota Camry 2006 Honda Civic 2005 Chrysler 300 2004 Toyota Prius 2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe / Sedan 2002 Ford Thunderbird 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser 2000 Lincoln LS 1999 Chrysler 300M 1998 Chevrolet Corvette 1997 Chevrolet Malibu 1996 Dodge Caravan 1995 Chrysler Cirrus 1994 Ford Mustang 1993 Ford Probe GT 1992 Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan 1991 Chevrolet Caprice Classic LTZ 1990 Lincoln Town Car 1989 Ford Thunderbird SC 1988 Pontiac Grand Prix 1987 Ford Thunderbird 1986 Ford Taurus LX 1985 Volkswagen GTI 1984 Chevrolet Corvette 1983 American Motors Renault Alliance 1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 1981 Chrysler K-cars, Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant 1980 Chevrolet Citation 1979 Buick Riviera S 1978 Chrysler, Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon 1977 Chevrolet Caprice 1976 Chrysler, Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare 1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2 V-8 1974 Ford Mustang II 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 1972 Citroen SM 1971 Chevrolet Vega 1970 Ford Torino 1969 Plymouth Road Runner 1968 Pontiac GTO 1967 Mercury Cougar 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado 1965 Pontiac Motor Division 1964 Ford Motor Company 1963 American Motors Rambler 1962 Buick Special 1961 Pontiac Tempest 1960 Chevrolet Corvair 1959 Pontiac Motor Division 1958 Ford Thunderbird 1957 Chrysler Corporation 1956 Ford Motor Company 1955 No Award 1954 No Award 1953 No Award 1952 Cadillac Motor Car Division 1951 Chrysler Corporation 1950 No award 1949 Cadillac Motor Car Division

yeah, i thought i was already 47 so i did gain a year; but i sure don't want to repeat the past 12 months (except the cruise to hawaii part). i do know that when i count my blessings they outnumber the challenges--sometimes it is hard to remember that though. reading some of the replies made me wonder who is the oldest and who is the youngest forum member. anyone willing to fess up? thanks for the birthday wishes, i get to spend the day with my 1 1/2 year old granddaughter which is always enjoyable.

Colter--how long have you been collecting Klipsch speakers, and do you have a favorite? If you could only keep one pair, which would it be?

reminds me of an old james bond movie. he had a sticker on his car window that said that the car was theft-proof. some bad guy breaks the window and the car blows up.