Friday Night @ La Casa de Os

First things first:
Tuesday, Sept. 4th - Dorky Tuesday!
Thursday, Sept. 13th - Sports HNT!
Go here for details...

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It's hot and smoky around here again. And will be all weekend. No new fires that I'm aware of...just the old ones still smoldering and burning. Weather conditions just make it favorable for the smoke to make its way back. It was relatively nice for about 10 days, but the past two have been as bad as any we've had.

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We have a gig out at the lake Saturday night. Then another on the 12th. And then we're done. We're taking an indefinite break. I really hope this isn't the end of things for us. But a break is appropriate right now. What I'd personally like to see is a renewed drive and focus after Christmas, and return in the late spring. That would mean bringing some new additional members to the band, and the writing of some new charts. Or we might find that we want to get back sooner, which wouldn't bother me in the least. Unfortunately, I can also see the possibility of not getting back together at all. I think that's extreme, but it's certainly possible. I hope it doesn't play out that way...

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I took a look to see how people searched for my site. I think we're all baffled at times by what brings people to our sites. I usually get the standard "hnt" or "nekkid" or the like, but one search string I found tonight was "emily egan nude pics". I have no idea how that string connected to me, but I thought I'd check out where "emily egan" would take me. Didn't expect this! Such a sad story that I never would have heard about, had some pervert not wanted to find nude pics. Unless, of course, Nancy Grace got her hands on the story...

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I just bought the DVD of "1941". What? Never heard of it? You wouldn't be alone. It's an early-Spielberg comedy that was highly underrated. I'm not sure why. Stars Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Robert Stack, Ned Beatty, Tim Matheson, Nancy Allen, and a zillion others. And yes, even for a comedy, the music was written by John Williams. The premise of the movie is the paranoia of Los Angeles, bracing for a Japanese attack in the days following Pearl Harbor. Critics panned it, but personally, I find it to be one of the best comedies filmed, with lavish sequences, inside jokes, and a huge all-star cast.

I settle back in my easy chair, pop in the DVD, and look forward to reliving the hilarity. As soon as the opening title appears, things go haywire. Without going into the details--I got a fucking home-burned pirated copy of this thing!!! That doesn't work! None of the buttons on the player worked, other than the eject button. Couldn't get to a menu, features, fast-forward, stop....NOTHING! FUCK!

Now I needed to find something in my collection with great music, and preferably something I haven't seen in awhile. I found it. "All That Jazz". A semi-autobiographical movie of director Bob Fosse's life. Starring Roy Scheider (who knew he could sing and dance?), a very attractive Jessica Lange (in her first role after "King Kong"), Ben Vereen (in his prime), and a cast of very talented dancers. The story itself is a little disjointed, bouncing back and forth between the pressures of his life, and his mental discussions with his angel of death (Lange). And lots of booze, pills, cigarettes and women. But you don't really need the story. The dancing is superb, and the music is exciting. By the end of the movie, he suffers a heart attack, and his final curtain call, as it were, is a spectacular dance sequence with Vereen, and a kick-ass rock version of "Bye, Bye Love" (and a most wonderful brass arrangement...).

The film was nominated for 9 Oscars, and won 4, all in lesser categories. Competition was pretty stiff that year (but really, did "Kramer vs. Kramer" deserve all the glory??). For whatever reason, I don't believe I've ever seen it on network or cable TV. Such a shame. But it took care of me tonight. I highly recommend both of them. Just don't get a fucking home-burned pirated copy!

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As I've mentioned the past two years at this time...for anyone keeping track, today (Saturday) is Volcano Girl's birthday.

Less-than-motivated HNT

TO THOSE WHO ONLY COME BY ONCE A WEEK
(and the rest of you too!),
CHECK THIS POST TO LEARN ABOUT
THE TWO THEMES WE'VE GOT GOING FOR THE NEXT WEEKS!

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Sometimes it gets difficult, even for me, to come up with a meaningful decent picture for HNT. Last minute desperation is often my motivation. But I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here. That's why I like having an occasional theme. The main part of the work is done for you.

Last night I remembered a discussion with a newer HNTer who asked how far she had to go back in my archives to find a "good" (*wink, wink*) shot. So I directed her to some old pictures. As mentioned on a number of occasions, no one's going to be seeing my hoohaw on here anytime soon. But my ass has made an appearance, maybe two. Since inspiration passed me by this week, I leave you with my best plumbers impression (without the tool belt). Enjoy...

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I was in a bit of a panic this morning, as I didn't have anyone left to be the Mystery Guest. Then, like a message from the heavens, I received an email with this week's MG pics! There's a couple of clues available to you in this picture if you've ever visited her site. She's been around since the early days, and we've seen all degrees of her nekkidness, including a couple of great ones in her pool (would LOVE to see some of those again!). I'll reveal her Thursday afternoon, but you can always stop by her place and ask if it's her!
If you didn't figure it out from the tattoo on her left breast, then the chihuahua in her lap should have pegged it for you. Of course, this is Chickie, of "Skittering Thoughts". Even though she didn't grace us with her own picture for HNT, you can at least go say hi!

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"...the Other HNT" has a slant towards the boobies. Both male and female! Still NSFW though. Please stop by and leave some comments for your fellow HNTers!

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Apparently, Elton John will be making some sort of a Rocky Mountain tour. He's not only expected to play in Missoula, but has been confirmed for a concert on the next night in Bozeman. Who'da thunk it? Now if I can just find a date... I'll buy the tickets--any takers?

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By now, I'm sure that most of you have seen the YouTube video of Miss South Carolina Teen USA attempting to answer a geography question. Painful to even watch. Well, now she's hosting a geography quiz on People Magazine's website. Yes, I pretty much flunked it. But I'm impressed with the grace that she's showing in light of it all. You can take the quiz here.

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Finally--HAPPY LABOR/LABOUR DAY TO ALL MY NORTH AMERICAN FRIENDS! To the rest of the world at large--have a great weekend!

It's Time For A Theme (or two)!

Newer posts found below...

It's time for a theme or two around here. So....

THEME 1 - Tuesday, Sept. 4, will be Dorky Tuesday! Yes, I'm resurrecting that from two years ago! Lord knows that there's pretty much a different crew around here that wasn't around then! From my late Aug. 2005 posts on the subject:

I ran across some old pictures the other day. It just reinforced my previous opinion of my own youth. I was a geek. A dork. A nerd. But then again, weren't we ALL during those awkward junior high days?? It got me to thinking. We need to see more examples of this phenomenon!

Yes, it could be slightly damaging to some of your self-images. But I'm not asking you to post anything that I'm not willing to post myself! It seems that there are some of you who feel more comfortable showing your half-nekkid self than your dorky side! For those of you who claim not to have a scanner--I can guarantee that you know someone who does! That's why you've been given a week's notice!

SO...let us have a Dorky Tuesday (for lack of a better term). We will celebrate this dorkiness by posting the most hideously embarrassingly geeky photo you've got to expose to the world. A little story to go along with it would also be appropriate. You can even post more than one, if you were an uber-dork! We've all got them, tucked away somewhere. We can run it like HNT--comment on my DT post so that others can find you!

Go find them, scan them, and post them. This gives you a week to do that.

(No, this does not replace HNT for the week, regardless of how geeky your HNT might be!)

The last time we did this, it was a HUGE hit! And if you doubt the dorkiness, you can check out my 2005 submission here.

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**ALERT!! I SPACED OUT LECRAM'S CALL FOR A THEME NEXT THURSDAY,
SO I'LL BUMP THIS TO SEPT. 13th!**

THEME #2 - By Sept. 13th, the NFL will have kicked off its regular season, college football season will have a week or two of games under its belt, MLB will be pushing hard towards the pennant races, and the NHL will be almost ready to start its preseason play. Truly, a great time to be a sports fanatic! As a nod to that, the THEME for HNT, Sept. 6th, will be SPORTS! Be half-nekkid wearing your favorite team's cap, or pose with your Stars' season tix covering up the necessary parts (this one isn't necessarily directed towards you, Shumpy...). Or show your half-nekkid self enjoying your favorite sport, either as participant or spectator! The concept is pretty wide open! Even if you're not a big sports fan, or your sport is something other than these, please join in! Break out your shuttlecocks or your putter. Let us see your breaststroke. Show us your equipment!

So next week will be a two-fer theme week--Dorky Tuesday on the 4th, and your Sports HNT on the 13th! Spread the word! There will be plenty of reminders!

Tagged!

Tagged by Stealth:

Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday (month and day).

Write down three events, 2 births, 1 holiday and tag 5 friends.

There are five slots in the Birthday Meme. As you are tagged, you have to remove the name in the first slot and bump everyone up so that your name can be added to the bottom.

Three Events:

• 1912 - The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic, causing the deaths of about 1,503 people.
  
• 1955 - Ray Kroc opens his first franchise of McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
  
• 1957 - White Rock, British Columbia officially separates from Surrey, British Columbia and is incorporated as a new city.

Two Birthdays:

• 1452 - Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance Roman Catholic polymath (d. 1519)
• 1841 - Joseph E. Seagram, Canadian distillery founder (d. 1919)

One Holiday/Observance:

• United States - April 15 is the official deadline for filing tax return in most areas of the country.

You know I never tag anyone else, and I'm not changing now! I'm a bad person... If you want to do it, go for it!

A Death

I just found out today about a death of an important man in my life a few days ago.


- My mom's obstetrician from 50+ years ago.
- The first human touch to my body.
- The man who pulled me out from the safe womb of my mother.
- The man who dropped me on my head, then handed me to Mom.

Am I supposed to send a card?

Busy weekend, sort of...

Weekend started with a gig on Friday night. A local hotel had finished renovations, and invited the town to come celebrate. I should have known that it was going to be a long evening when I first showed up. Instinct told me that I needed to be there early, and when I got there, the "stage" that they put up would have barely accommodated a 4-piece country band, let alone us. The banquet staff seemed miffed (they actually had our space requirements, too!), but brought out extra pieces of staging for us. Then we fired up our lights, and immediately blew out 2 of them. Not their fault, but still...

We were hired to play from 9-1. During that entire time, there might have been 50 different people that wandered through. And that was mostly for the free food that was being provided. So did we get to leave early? Oh, no. We played right up to 1AM for maybe 8 people that were still around. The bar had already closed up shop, and the buffet had been taken out an hour earlier. Of course, my leg gave me fits all night, and I aggravated it even more as we loaded out (do I feel any sympathy here yet?). I've said it before--there is nothing worse than playing for a small, unappreciative crowd. I hate gigs like that...

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Hauled my cookies down to the college to watch my niece play soccer. The team is ranked #6 in the nation (NAIA), and are undefeated early in this season. They took on the team from the University of Alberta, whose student enrollment is about 20 times bigger than Carroll's (and bigger than the two state universities combined!). Spent the entire game in the boxes that belongs to a friend of my sister's. Who happens to be a local beer distributor. Do you see where this is headed? We relatively behaved ourselves, and didn't embarrass any of the kids. Too much. Oh, yeah. Carroll won, 3-1. I'm sure I'll continue with soccer updates throughout the season.

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Spent Sunday working on music for the symphony. Specifically, transposing some clarinet parts. Very specifically, transposing the 4th and 5th movements of Berlioz' "Symphony Fantastique" from C clarinet to B-flat clarinet. It's been awhile since I've done it, so it was good to get my hands dirty again, as it were. It's all done on the computer, and time totally escapes me when I get on a roll. Not what I had intended for the day, but it felt gratifying. And I get paid by the clarinetists with cases of beer. Kokanee. Makes Os a happy camper!

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Ooh! I just got my first big spam in comments! Not one of those short ones, but one that would take 5 pages of paper to print out! It's over at "...the Other HNT" under the picture titled "From another position...". Take the time to glance through it--it won't stay up long. It's really amazing!
Ooh! Another one showed up on my Chicago HNT post below! Not as long, but still full of all sortsa crap!

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THIS JUST IN! The contract isn't signed yet, but it appears that Elton John will be playing in Missoula at the end of September! This will be the second huge concert in as many years (Rolling Stones played last year). This will be harder to get tickets to, because it will be indoors in a very small venue. He hasn't done anything decent since he started writing music soundtracks, but hey, this is Elton John we're talking about! Sir Elton John! I'll keep you updated on this development too!

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Wow. I didn't think I had anything to write about today!

Happy Birthday, Mac!

No, not that one. THIS ONE!!

Does yours ever look this good??

The recipe for the iconic McDonald's sandwich ("Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun") is as familiar as the Pledge of Allegiance to Americans of a certain age. Today marks the 40th birthday of the Big Mac, first marketed by franchise owner Jim Delligatti in 1967.

HNT With Chicago

As you probably saw below (you did see all the pics below...?), there were plenty of chances to take pictures. In fact, after about two songs, Robert Lamm (the original keyboardist/lead vocalist) mentioned that they knew that we all had cell phones, digital cameras, etc., and told us to all whip them out. He encouraged their use. "Put us up on Youtube!" "Take a picture of yourself with us in the background!" Which is exactly what I did. Not as good as I had hoped, but by golly, it's me and the boys!

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For those who don't know, I'm generally the one who writes these blurbs for the Mystery Guest. Which requires extensive research and digging through the blogs of each MG. Some of them I already know, others give me a chance to find out new things. But the secret is to get enough text down so that it looks good against their picture. At other times, the picture is good enough that whatever drivel I write doesn't matter! Sort of like now. This lovely set of breasts belong to a sex writer, a submissive, and one who loves to stay cool in the summer. Any way she can! She'll be revealed Thursday afternoon, but will gladly admit to being the MG if you ask her!
This week's Mystery Guest is naughty but mysterious Bad Bad Girl! Stop by and say hi!

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"...the Other HNT" this week is, as usual, NSFW. But there's a couple of continuing series! Be sure to stop by and comment!

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Is it time for a theme??

Chicago!

OK--I'll get two disappointments out of the way first. Due to the bizarre numbering of their seats, I was not on the center aisle, as anticipated. And probably the ONLY trombonist that could possibly be named when asking, "who's the best rock trombonist?" isn't on this tour! James Pankow is the answer, by the way. These two disappointments quickly disappeared. Second row is second row, and alot of the good stuff happened in front of us anyway. And the replacement guy on bone certainly knew his stuff! (I wonder why I didn't get the call....?)

I won't go into a review of what they did/didn't play, but they played it all like they've been doing this for 40 years. Which they have. Except the bass and guitar players. I don't think they're that old... There was only one song that I didn't know very well was one off of their latest album. They played alot of the big hits from the 70s. And a few from the 80s (their most successful decade, financially, but musically lacking...). Nothing from the 90s. And they played alot of stuff that I don't think I've ever heard them play in concert (this was concert #6 for me). Below are views from the second row (new blog title?). Be sure to click 'em to big 'em!







Other than the bone player, this current incarnation of the band has been together for at least 15 years, and actually hasn't changed much since the replacement of Peter Cetera. No choreography, no pyrotechnics, not so much as one "dirty" word. Just good old-fashioned horn rock. Nobody does it better!

Busy & Stuff

Laundry Friday night.

Party @ friend's house Saturday.

Rain Sunday morning/LOTS of smoke Sunday afternoon.

Symphony rehearsal set-up (@ scene of accident) Monday.

Return equipment Tuesday morning.

Drive to Bozeman Tuesday afternoon to see these guys:

(Row 2, center aisle)

Hopefully I can get some pictures from the concert. Won't be on a great deal for the next day or two...

Things That Might Have Been Heard at the Doctor's...

Remember back in mid-July when I fell between the loading dock and the equipment truck? In the midst of preparing for the symphony's summer concert? Many of you hinted I should go see a doctor. I don't go to the doctor's office much. Mostly because I know what's going to be said, but they'll charge me alot, and make me buy all sorts of meds. I finally went to the Urgent Care on Wednesday.

• "Fifty." (I believe that's the first time I've had to answer that. I choked on it a little.)
  
• "Is your blood pressure usually high?" (Is xxx/xxx considered high?)
  
• "Does this hurt?" (Wouldn't the fact that my ass is a full foot off the chair indicate a big 10-4 to that?)
  
• "Hmmm...We're going to take another couple of x-rays..." (No, they wouldn't let me have them)
  
• "It doesn't appear that there's anything wrong with your knee, other than a little arthritis..." (*blink, blink*)
  
• "It looks like you had a large hematoma..." (Hence the swelling up like a ripe watermelon)

Monday night, while asleep, I rolled over and felt a pain in my leg I've never experienced before. The only way to describe it is that it felt like I was tearing my inner leg parts apart. Or like stretching and reopening a leg wound. And this was simply from wiggling my toes a little. So yes, the fear of God sent me to the internet to download some Workers' Comp forms (thanking Him profusely for the fact that I was, in fact, covered!). I turned them in to the Symphony office, but still didn't know if I was going in or not. I didn't seem to have problems, other than when pointing my toes up ("so don't point your toes up..."). Like any doctor-fearing patient, I figured it would go away.

The next night, it happened again. I reached down to rub my leg, and I knew then that I was in trouble. Even the lightest touch would trigger this pain. Like when sheets slid across it. I knew that if I tried to squat down on the balls of my feet, my leg would open up and... well, have you ever ripped apart a chicken drumstick? Same thing. So I went to Urgent Care.

I never did see a doctor. The physician's assistant (just like Moose!) who spoke in a thick Russian accent (oh, my, I love that!) took care of me. She massaged my leg (not in a good way) and made it hurt like hell. I think she smiled. The x-rays didn't show anything, and basically she told me that I bled internally, along with other fluidy things, and it was just now getting reabsorbed. The pain is coming from my muscles, which have been stiff and crowded, and from my nerve endings, which were damaged and just coming back to life. Expect another 6-8 weeks of this pain. I think she smiled again. Moose told me the same thing last night, and I KNOW she was smiling.

So the final thoughts--they didn't really tell me anything I didn't know before. Other than my leg wasn't being torn to shreds. So that's good. Workers' Comp took care of the bill. So that's good, too. The arthritis comment took me by surprise, but doesn't surprise me a great deal. My blood pressure really is xxx/xxx, but it wasn't anywhere near that high when my tooth was extracted, so I blame the heat and smoke. I'll take care of it, but I'm not concerned about it.

And no, that's not my leg up above...

Oxygen, PLEASE! HNT

People are getting cranky around here. And lots of headaches. This smoke, besides choking the life out of you, also sucks what little humidity exists out of the air. There was an article in the paper about what exactly was IN the smoke and ash that we were breathing. They used alot of big words, but the gist of it was that it was toxic, and not very good for us. I prefer to think that the ashes I'm sucking in are the ashen remains of squirrel guts or something.

I went up to the top of the pass west of town. It's the Continental Divide. Someone said that it was actually clearer up there due to a temperature inversion down in our valley. Nope. Here's some shots from up there:




And yes, that's the sun directly behind me. Then I took a deep breath of air...

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It's been awhile, but today's Mystery Guest is a returning member to the MG ranks. A fun-loving world traveler, she's been nekkid in more than just one country!

She's never been one to shy away from revealing herself in any way, shape or form. But she hasn't always been that way. In fact, you can check out her archives, or read her entries from her secret diary to find out about the evolution of this wonderful writer, lover, model and friend of HNT! I'll be revealing her Thursday afternoon, but if you know who she is (and many of you should...) stop by and give her a kiss on the cheek!
Of course, this week's MG is Tara Tainton! She's looking a little funny these days, but I'm sure that'll pass!

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"...the Other HNT" is a little lighter in numbers than the past couple of weeks, but heck, it's summer, right? Still NSFW, still in need of your comments!

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If you haven't been by to see, the OsShirt site is closing down on the last few days of the original shirt's travels. Don't miss it!

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Lots to tell soon--I finally went to see the doctor about my leg (there's been a development). The only good news I'll tell you now is that I get to keep it!

Big Sky Country!

OK, I've been mentioning smoke and heat and ash for a couple of weeks. Currently, there's no fires within 100 miles of Helena, other than the one north of town. But its smoke is heading east. The smoke we're getting is from central Idaho and southwestern Montana.

Here's the pictures. (click 'em to big 'em!) The ones on the left are from the "Come To Work With Me" pictures from last Labor/Labour Day. The ones on the right are similar shots from Monday afternoon. The air quality was rated "Unhealthy" all day, visibility was less than 1 mile, and the ash that actually fell overnight looked like a mid-October frost on the car. Not like Mt. St. Helens volcanic ash. More of a campfire nearby ash.

The next two pictures are satellite photos of the state of Idaho, and the western third of Montana. Same picture, but different coloring. The one on the right fades out the smoke so you can see what's underneath. Where's Helena, you ask? Click on the right picture, go to full resolution. Close to the right edge, there's a black circle. That's Helena. Notice that you can't see where Helena might be due to all the real smoke in the left picture! The oval found almost due north encircles the big fire from two weeks ago. If you're interested in where Leesa lives, go towards the top of the picture, about a third of the way in from the left, and look for a small red circle. That's her. Note she doesn't really have any bad smoke...



If you want to get the hi-resolution pictures, click here and here. It's pretty cool.

A couple of more shots from a hill at the base of Mount Helena. Showing the valley (if you could see it), and St. Helena Cathedral.


More pictures tomorrow from the top of the pass west of town over the Continental Divide. Smoky up there, too!