tonto

Well shoot, I hadn't seen that one before. I was trying for the one where he's standing in the studio of a radio station, singing. Oh well, just one of the reasons I don't post much.

One of my favorite singer/songwriters has penned an anthem...here's the lyrics and hopefully the link to an acoustic version: "We Can't Make it Here" Lyrics Vietnam Vet with a cardboard sign Sitting there by the left turn line Flag on the wheelchair flapping in the breeze One leg missing, both hands free No one's paying much mind to him The V.A. budget's stretched so thin And there's more comin' home from the Mideast war We can't make it here anymore That big ol' building was the textile mill It fed our kids and it paid our bills But they turned us out and they closed the doors We can't make it here anymore See all those pallets piled up on the loading dock They're just gonna set there till they rot 'Cause there's nothing to ship, nothing to pack Just busted concrete and rusted tracks Empty storefronts around the square There's a needle in the gutter and glass everywhere You don't come down here 'less you're looking to score We can't make it here anymore The bar's still open but man it's slow The tip jar's light and the register's low The bartender don't have much to say The regular crowd gets thinner each day Some have maxed out all their credit cards Some are working two jobs and living in cars Minimum wage won't pay for a roof, won't pay for a drink If you gotta have proof just try it yourself Mr. CEO See how far 5.15 an hour will go Take a part time job at one of your stores Bet you can't make it here anymore High school girl with a bourgeois dream Just like the pictures in the magazine She found on the floor of the laundromat A woman with kids can forget all that If she comes up pregnant what'll she do Forget the career, forget about school Can she live on faith? live on hope? High on Jesus or hooked on dope When it's way too late to just say no You can't make it here anymore Now I'm stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store Just like the ones we made before 'Cept this one came from Singapore I guess we can't make it here anymore Should I hate a people for the shade of their skin Or the shape of their eyes or the shape I'm in Should I hate 'em for having our jobs today No I hate the men sent the jobs away I can see them all now, they haunt my dreams All lily white and squeaky clean They've never known want, they'll never know need Their sh@# don't stink and their kids won't bleed Their kids won't bleed in the da$% little war And we can't make it here anymore Will work for food Will die for oil Will kill for power and to us the spoils The billionaires get to pay less tax The working poor get to fall through the cracks Let 'em eat jellybeans let 'em eat cake Let 'em eat sh$%, whatever it takes They can join the Air Force, or join the Corps If they can't make it here anymore And that's how it is That's what we got If the president wants to admit it or not You can read it in the paper Read it on the wall Hear it on the wind If you're listening at all Get out of that limo Look us in the eye Call us on the cell phone Tell us all why In Dayton, Ohio Or Portland, Maine Or a cotton gin out on the great high plains That's done closed down along with the school And the hospital and the swimming pool Dust devils dance in the noonday heat There's rats in the alley And trash in the street Gang graffiti on a boxcar door We can't make it here anymore Music and lyrics © 2004 by James McMurtry =Actually, I guess there's a couple of versions on YouTube. Feel free to move this to the Politics section if you must.

Yep, I really did believe. Stuff like needs and wants parallel never made sense to me. Rather than listen to my own mind and heart, I attributed my lack of understanding to my lack of spiritual heaviness.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha aaaaahhhh...this is so funny! But I'm not laughing at you Linda, I'm laughing with you because I can imagine myself saying the same thing!

Flies and humidity and power-hungry a-holes.

Getting to reunite with people I hadn't seen all year was such a thrill. Thinking I was in the most spiritually important place on earth was an even bigger thrill. I've since learned that the people were the real deal, but the hype about us wayfers being more special and beloved-of-God than other believers was a lie. Hey, better late than never.

Wow J, it sounds like you had a warm and cozy Valentine's evening. I'd love to hear more about your company.

Hi Abi, I agree that a visit to the vet is in order to rule out kidney/bladder problems. This struck a chord with me because when we babysit our "grand-dog" ( our adult son's half great dane/half dalmation dog) we can't count on her to bark to signal us because she rarely barks. Instead, she communicates her needs by following me from room to room and staring at me. When she does this it's always because she's trying to tell me she needs to potty. As far as getting her to potty outside, one of my dog-fanatic friends says to follow the dog outside and when she pees outside, reward her with praise and giving her a dog treat. She uses one of those tiny little doggie "cookies" so the dog won't develop a weight problem.

I was browsing "The Onion" and saw this piece on spiders. Check it out: giant spiders

Kev, U so funny!

My experience with veg's has been mostly friends of my son, and they've all been lovely. The only bad experience I can remember is on the way to my first ROA in 1974. This girl was some believer's sister and one of the six passengers in a five passenger car. She was going to the rock primarily to sell handmade shirts or some gauzey-hippie-type craft. Anyway, on the way there she made an spectacle of herself at a restaurant by being rude to the waitress and ranting about all of us "eating our brothers and sisters" (breakfast meat...insert your own joke here). I was so embarrassed I wanted to crawl under the table.

You can make her SIT. In a British accent. "Lo shanta..."

I know Christian Family & Sex was bizzare but at least it wasn't boring. I mean, where else can you hear the man of god of the world list in rapid-fire delivery what had to be at least twenty slang names for the anus? Oh, and when I took it in the mid-seventies they showed what looked like cartoon drawings of hymens. Someone near me shouted out that one of them looked like "goofy grape". That's one of those stupid things that stuck in my brain and it'll probably be there until I die.

I keep a glass of water on my nightstand and the last thing I do before I fall asleep, I have to have a drink. If I have to talk or cough or clear my throat...I have to take another sip. Too many noises and I'll have had so much that I have to get up, go to the bathroom, and start all over again. Can you say "OCD tendencies"?

Bumpy, I left twi 20 years ago and didn't get involved in any offshoots and I believe there are plenty more around here with similar circumstances. After leaving I got busy rebuilding my life and until Greasespot only heard bits and pieces of what had happened to twi. This place has provided some of the puzzle pieces for me which has in turn helped me understand my life and choices a bit more. As far as time spent here...well, I'm sure we all have different circumstances, but I know some of us read and post during slow times at work.

Happy Birthday Mo!!!! Hope it's been a good one! (I always enjoy reading your thoughtful posts).

Newcomer, I have to agree with you that many churches and probably all denominations are guilty of using guilt to keep people involved. I remember as a kid the preacher laying guilt on the congregation for staying home and watching Bonanza on Sunday nights instead of returning to church for the second sermon of the day (baptist).

I woulnd't have killed but I remember thinking that I would have died for "the ministry". Leave my husband or son? No. Steal or cheat? No. I left twi twenty years ago and my take on it is that the "killin" mentality would be more common in more recent years. People who stayed kept giving up more and more control of their lives. I'm actually surprised that they never resorted to hit squads. I mean, Craig was obviously off his rocker, and now the place is run by people who will do anything to hold onto the power positions. During the post POP corps week, we and some others nervously joked that if they brought out the kool-aid, we were making a bee-line for highway 29.

F1, we hardly knew ye...

Yep Linda, the craving eventually does go away. As to how long it will take...eveyone will respond differently. I don't remember exactly, but I think it was about a year for me. Drink a lot of water and when you get a craving, try to realize that it will pass if you just get busy and do something else for a minute or two.

Ex, five years ago our cockatiel Molotov flew away as well. Everyone here has great suggestions. We did all of those plus we put an ad in the paper. We did get some calls but they turned out to be other birds. Two weeks after she escaped a neighbor several blocks away called and said they saw her drinking from a puddle in their driveway. We hurried over but she had gone before we got there. She never did return to us but I was encouraged by the fact that she had survived just fine for at least a couple of weeks, and that other birds had found their way to people who were keeping them until owners could be located. I've always hoped and prayed that if we couldn't find her that she found a new home, maybe even nearby. Sorry for the long post, but you and yours are in our prayers.

Thank you socks for writing what I was thinking (except my thoughts wouldn't have translated to the keyboard so beautifully...mine would have come out something like "me did good...uptown wrong").

That's it uptown...breeze in here and tell us what you've think you've seen and when we don't agree with you, declare us unbelievers. Yep, you must be a prophet.

1broken1, I quoted you but got you mixed up with uptown1...maybe it's the "1" thing. I'm sorry that you've seen your family hurt and wrecked. I'm just saying that I believe a person's calling is between him and the Lord.

Belle, come sit here by me and have a glass of wine and let's think this thing over... Shall we spend our time trying to defend our lives and the choices we've made to Mr. Go-Getter-By-Golly-I'm-a-Bringin'-Souls-To-The-Lord-Why-God-Sure-Is-Proud-Of-Me? Naah, pass us those little spinach do-dads, will you Freeatlast and Full Circle? Can I pour you two a glass?