J. Geils Band, Kevin Smith & other stuff !!

Greetings World's !!

I really hope your part of the Universe is treating you well !! It's a very bright & Sunny Friday, here in England.... B is sat a little to my left, drinking a cup of Red Bush tea. I can't stand tea in any form - this stuff looks pretty vile..... oh well..... each to their own I guess.

As mentioned - it's another Friday. I still think of it, as the end of the week. Even tho' I have not worked, in far too many years.... Friday still feels like the end of the "working week" !! Mind you - working as I did - weekends were never really a time for much else, than work...... Nevermind - life has moved on, a very long ways since then !!

Right - having said that B was here - she has gone down to the Dr's surgery, to pick up some of my meds. I will have to put the music up to "11" to make up for being on my own !!

At the moment, I'm listening to the - so called - new version of 'Led Zeppelin 3'. I guess it's alright... tho' I still feel it's a real rip off, especially if you pay top price for it.... in HMV, or someplace like it !! It's only music..... but !!

I should mention the rest of the family.....

I've heard nothing from our Son J....... not that I was expecting to really !! After all, it was only my birthday & stuff !! It's Ok... it really is. I know the reasons, so..... my life will go on, no matter what !!

As for our Daughter & her partner - the M & M's have had a special week !! They now have a new member of their family.... a little black & white kitten, called Bruce !! I've not had the chance, to meet the "little one"....... but, from the pictures, he looks full of fun. I hope he live a ripe old life & ME will have the cat she has always wanted !! Good luck guys.......

Long time readers ("Hi guys") will know, that I've not written anything, since Monday. I'm sorry about that - but, once again - things have got on top of me & I've just not been able to sit & type anything !! Sorry !!

To be fair - I did start a post, on Wednesday (I think) - but, just as I started, the Missionaries arrived & I had to be the polite host, sort of, and give up on the whole typing thing !! I don't mind the guys coming around - but sometimes, I just wish, they would let us know that they are coming by !!

It's Ok - I don't really mind.

I must admit tho'.... I have felt pretty much like crap, for the biggest part of the week & having visitors was not high on my list of things to do !! Sometimes, they - the Missionary guys - don't seem to realise how poorly I feel.... so, the last thing I want, is visitors !! Oh well.... as I wrote above... my life will go on !!

The main reason, for feeling like crap, again... well, that has to be my back wound. It just hasn't been a very good couple of weeks for the thing !!

On Monday, the dressings were changed and, again, on Wednesday. I don't know what the nurse did, on the second day - but, by the evening..... well, I really was hurting !!

As it was, the nurses 'phoned up, to check on me... as they knew I hadn't been too good. B explained I was in a lot of pain & another nurse came out & took the dressing off, to give me some bit of relief, from the Vac pump !!

It really helped & I think, I probably had my first good nights sleep, in over a week !! It was that good.......

Anyhoo - on Thursday, I got in to see my local Dr. - really to get some advice, on what to do. I'm supposed to have this Vac pump dressing on... but, if I can't put up with the pain - what is the point ?!

As it was - we agreed, between us, that I would try to continue with it... and later on, a nurse came out & put the Vac pump dressing back on. That was about 24 hours ago - it feels really good !! I don't know what went wrong, on Wednesday, but heck.... it's been sorted now, thankfully !!

B & I, kind of, think the nurse, on Wednesday, was in too much of a rush... and, because of it, the dressing wasn't put on properly..... hence it hurt sooooo much. It's Ok tho' - if all goes well, I will not need another dressings change, until Monday - time will tell, I guess !!

Going back to music.... I was thinking about how I used to play Zeppelin's albums, thru' a stack of speakers, topped off with a 100 watt amp !! If you put all of that together, with a small - or even a big -room.... well, it really was the way to hurt your ears !!

I used to have a really good pair of Sony headphones..... putting a 100 watt amp, thru' those & it was even better !! I now have a pair of Sennheiser 'phones & they really are the best set I've ever had !! Just right for blasting the dust out the old eardrums !!

B has just come back - complete with 2 bottles of my old pain killing specials.... morphine. Don't mess with medications guys, but... this morphine really does help !! I will, hopefully, come off it, at some point. I no longer take the morphine pills, as well as the liquid..... so, that's pretty good !!

Going back to music - I have had a fantastic week, for new albums..... for pressy's - as it was my birthday & stuff.....

I can't remember all of them, but one of the best has to be another live Grateful Dead album !! This time, it's 'Europe '72 Vol. 2'. As the name would suggest - it's a follow up to their first live album, of (almost) the same name. The tracks are:

CD 1

  1) Bertha
  2) Me & My Uncle
  3) Chinatown Shuffle
  4) Sugaree
  5) Beat It On Down The Line
  6) Loser
  7) Next Time You See Me
  8) Black-Throated Wind
  9) Dire Wolf
10) Greatest Story Ever Told
11) Deal
12) Good Lovin'
13) Playing In The Band

CD 2

1) Dark Star
2) Drums
3) The Other One
4) Sing Me Back Home
5) Not Fade Away
6) Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad
7) Not Fade Away

To be very honest - I've only played the 2nd disc.... it has a 19+ minute 'Dark Star'.... then, the 'The Other One' is 30+ minutes...... so, given that I love playing long, live tracks - those 2 tracks tick all the boxes !!

Add to the above... I had 'The Best Of Jefferson Airplane' - 'The Very Best...' by The Grateful Dead - 'The Best Of...' by Ten Years After - 'Live Chicago 1978' by Talking Heads and - one I've been waiting for.... 'Rock & Roll Telephone' by the fantastic Nazareth !! The latter is a great follow up, to their 'Big Dogz' album, that came out a while back. The version I've got here, has a 7 track bonus Cd... something a bit special !!

I probably had some other stuff, as well.... Oh - I forgot, I also had a Lp. It's simply called 'The J. Geils Band'... and it came out  in 1971. I found it in the 2nd hand store, in  town - so, that was a bonus, as I had never heard it before. The tracks are:

Side A

1) Wait
2) Ice Breaker (For The Big "M")
3) Cruisin' For A Love
4) Hard Drivin' Man
5) Serves You Right To Suffer

Side B

1) Homework
2) First I Look At The Purse
3) What's Your Hurry
4) On Borrowed Time
5) Pack fair & Square
6) Sno-cone

Altho' I've never heard the studio tracks before - I know most of them from the 3 live albums, that I have been collecting for years !! So - to get this studio album, well - that was great !!

I am very tempted, to get a live package, by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It's a 3 Cd live set + DVD & a book... but, it's about £60 !! It looks good tho' - so, I might treat myself to it - the next time we find it. I know it's available, on Amazon & probably Play.com.... but, apart from that, I've seen it in HMV. It looks good & has a great selection of tracks... so, I might get a copy..... I'll see how things go !!

Tonight - I'm going to start reading a book, that the M & M's gave me. 'Tough Sh*t - Life & Advice From A Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good' by Kevin Smith. If you have no clue who Kevin Smith is - check him out, he has done some of the best films of the last 20 years, I guess - well, I think so !!

Right - I better be on my ways.... I think I've written enough for today, my fingers are starting to ache, no - not really !! But - I am coming to the end of the current Cd - which has been Led Zeppelin's first album. At the moment, their version of 'Black Mountain Side' is playing. I think the original is slightly better - but, what do I know ?!

I must go.... nothing to do & all night not to do it in !! Such is life - my thank's to Mr Kelly.... I thank you all, for taking the time, to log in & read my words..... until next time...

Bye Bye