RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
Following Our Songlines.
One of my favorite books I've ever read is "The Songlines." In it, author Bruce Chatwin chronicles his visit to the interior of Australia, tagging along with some blokes who were planning to build a transcontinental railroad. Since the tracks would cross through Aboriginal territory, they had to make sure that none of the proposed routes interfered with the songlines of the natives. And that's the cool part of the book - the songlines. Also known as dreaming tracks, they are seemingly...
A Dickens Of A Christmas
With Christmas fast approaching and CommuniCreations turning 18 years old this year, I couldn’t help but think about my fairly brief career in Corporate. I worked just eight years in Corporate, five at Associated Grocers, two at Pacific First Bank and one at Egghead Software. Looking back, I can’t help but laugh at the thought of me working for a bank. But, during my stint there I managed to have a lot of fun. I turned the bank into an airline at the annual meeting at the Museum of Flight –...
The State of Inebriation?
Before I ever flew on an airplane, I naively thought that there were actually lines marking the borders of the states. Imagine my surprise on my first flight when I couldn't tell by looking down at the ground that I had left Washington and entered Idaho. I guess that's what happens when you're isolated up in the corner of the continental U.S. You get a skewed version of the way the world is. That's not to say that it's a bad version. In some respects, I wished I had never left the relative...
A Homecoming Of Sorts.
Ah, fall is in the air. The leaves are turning, rustling in the winds of autumn. The cold has returned once again, nippy nights that tell you that it's time to pull the sweaters out and find your mittens. Well, not here in Florida. But still for a Northwest guy, it's my favorite time of the year. With Halloween in my rear view mirror, my mind can't help but drift back to those carefree days of fall when I was a kid. Of course, Halloween back then was a very special time. It was back in the...
The Great Truck Heist.
Like most kids growing up in the 60s, I had some really cool toys. This included more than a number of Nylint and Tonka toys for outdoor play. Some were handed down from my brothers, others were exclusively mine. It was a distinct advantage being the youngest of four boys. I didn't have to share these with anyone, except friends I would occasionally invite over. Day after day I would play with them on my vast interstate that was under the tree in the front yard. No dirt roads for me - all...
The Spread of Peer-Chair Pressure.
Many, many years ago at Green River Community College, I first wrote about Peer-Chair Pressure (PCP). If you think PCP is only in my imagination, Google it once. You'll find articles about it on the Internet and the groundbreaking research of Dr. Hiram S. Burnshocker of Peoria University, who's been studying it for the last 30 years. I myself studied under him when he was a visiting professor at GRCC. It was then that he stumbled onto the condition while attending a faculty function. It is a...
The Drunk Monks Of Jamaica.
My friend Bobby called the other day with a very pleasant surprise. It seems that while cleaning out his old house in La Pine, Oregon, he had happened upon a very rare treasure. To the uninitiated, it might sound commonplace: Coconut rum. Today, everyone and his mother seems to offer the stuff, from Margaritaville to Malibu. I have tried them all over the years, trust me. I have searched the world over and there isn't a coconut rum on this earth that even comes close to the rum we happened...
Don’t Ever Start A Band.
I have a confession to make. I have been a polygamist. Well, not in the true sense of the word for I've always found that having one wife was plenty of challenge. I can't imagine wanting more than one. But, for the last 30 years I have been in a polygamistic arrangement, one that is fulfilling, nerve racking, emotional, combative, humorous, sad, thrilling and caustic, all at once. Yes, I have a band. For three decades, we have been performing, and while the significant others have come and...
Courting Favor.
I have been a registered voter since 1976. It was exciting to become a voter at 18, so I don't even think I waited a day after my birthday to register. I did not, however, register for Selective Service, which continued to haunt me for a decade or so until I found out that I didn't have to register for the military anyway. This is a good thing, since I would have been court-martialed almost immediately. I cannot see myself being broken to the point that I would willing to crawl through any mud...
It’s Halloween and I’ll Have The Ghoulash.
Halloween has rolled around once again. Every year I am reminded of my own youth and the excitement of fall coming around, when once again my brothers and I could head off down the street to get candy from the neighbors, all because we put on a crummy costume. I remember the costumes well. I had the Ben Cooper variety. You know the kind - the "don't get anywhere near a candle polyester because you'll burst into flames" variety that came from Wigwam or Newberrys. Yes, that's me as Fred...
I Love The French.
When I was in 4th grade at Kennydale Elementary, I had the chance to sign up for band. Now, I don't really remember if I was given the chance. I think it was just expected, as my other brothers, well two of the three, played in band. There were limited choices of what you could play in Mr. Nelson's band. It's not like you could choose a sax or a tuba. It was pretty much a band made up of four instruments - trumpet, flute, clarinet and drums. Not much choice there. As my current bandmates will...
As You Wish.
Pirates in Paradise is just a couple weeks away now. If you aren't a pirate or wench kind of person, you may have never heard of it. Suffice it to say that PiP (as it is known), is the Mardi Gras/Christmas of the pirate world. Hundreds of pirates attend. For 10 days we hole up in Key West, far away from the cold of the north and play pirate. There's music and cultural events, historical performances, artists and writers, events such as the National Walk the Plank Championships and...