Neanderpundit

I don’t listen to music radio much, and when I do hear something new it’s at the reccomendation of friends, with few exceptions. THis is one: Johnny Cash’s last album, finished a coupld years posthumously.

I listened to this driving from place to place saturday, and I kept going back to track 3, Johnny’s last song, “The 309”

It should be a while before I see doctor Death
So, it would sure would be nice if I could get my breath
Well, I’m not the cryin’, nor the whinin’ kind
’til I hear the whistle of the 309, of the 309, of the 309
Put me in my box on the 309

Take me to the depot, put me to bed
Blow an electric fan on my gnarly ol’ head
Everybody take a look, see, I’m doin’ fine
Then load my box on the 309
On the 309, on the 309
Put me in my box on the 309

Hey, sweet baby, kiss me hard
Draw my bath water, sweep my yard
Give a drink of my wine to my jersey cow
I wouldn’t give a hoot-and-nail for my journey now
On the 309, on the 309

I hear the sound of a railroad train
The whistle blows and I’m gone again
Hitman, take me higher than a Georgia pine
Stand back children, it’s the 309
It’s the 309, it’s the 309
Put me in my box on the 309

A chicken in the pot and turkey in the corn
Ain’t felt this good since Jubilee morn’
Talk about luck, well, I got mine
Asthma comin’ down like the 309
*haaaaaaaa…..*

Write me a letter, sing me a song
Tell me all about it, what I did wrong
Meanwhile, I will be doin’ fine
Then load my box on the 309
On the 309, on the 309
Gonna get outta here on the 309

My friend Jenny (great new material, she’s been out of commission for a while but promises to update more often now) tells me not to feel sorry for Johnny, he had a good life. Well, yeah, he did, but songs like this get to me. I think it’s because songs like this are like a lens that refocus our own sorrows, gone blurry in the rearview. Snap that last couple moments with Grampa into clear focus. Clarify the memory of your cousin’s burial in Bahn, seen via videotape some twenty years ago. If you liked Johnny, you should add this to your collection. It’s worth it, well worth it.

started for me, on saturday at six AM. I can happily report that Buffalo Range in Ottawa is a damned nice range where I will return. Pitiably, though the blogmeet was predominantly composed of men, the only ones to man up enough to get to the range were Jimmy of CUG and Nate, Son of Bruce, Cousin of Njorl, a new shooter; I’ll let Jimmy tell that story so he gets the Kim DuToit New Shooter Happy Dance of Joy. Nice to meet you, Jimmy, nate, and I look forward to blasting some clays with you soon. Nate, you want to shoot some more sometime, just gimme a ring.

On the other hand, dinner at Klas was better attended, and I must first thank Leslie, for not only doing the lions share of the work to orchestrate the project, but for doing so in a fit of bronchitis bad enough that she had to leave early, if you can imagine that!! Thanks., Leslie. We’re nothing without you. Incidentally, Leslie, singlehandedly, performed the sisyphan task of taking cash from everyone and paying the tab. I know at least one guy with a physics degree who can’t figure that out.

Next, apologies to Windypundit, whose blog is new to me, but I will be reading a lot, and soon, sorry, man, I don’t let anyone take my picture. No offense, and that really looked like a rocking cool camera. I have to apologize for Dude, but I ALWAYS have to apologize for dude.

Now, Zonker, who I’m just now meeting for the first time, really needs a damned haircut. And he really should try to lose some weight, I mean, its horrible to watch someone let themself go so badly. And he needs to stop moonighting as Bashar al-Assad

For Biloxi, a little song:

These are good balls,I had ’em all my lifetime, they swing low, and from side to side
These are good balls, crazy for dangling, and they’re normal, they’re perfectly fine
And it’s a long day, livin’ with two testes,
there’s a number I no longer like
I found a place to get me another
I found a place to make it three for a while
And i’m three, three balling.
Yeah i’m three, three balling.
Biloxi will understand

Dude was there too, and I thought it especially nice of him to share his dinner with the bar crowd later. He spent some time telling people about his friend ralph, and his trip to europe.

Tammi spent the night telling us about how she worked several trade shows, and then she lifted up her hair and showed me a neck so fine I suggested she wear her hair up more often. And then I felt funny in the pants for a while. Damn, what a dangerously good looking woman with a storied past. I like hearing those stories just fine, too.

That one guy… what can I say about Joe. Oh, yeah, he rocks! Maybe the funnest jarhead in the midwest, if not north America. And a man who knows enough not to pour a cheap rice beer down on top of a guinness.

There will, I’m sure, be plenty blogposts, and I’m sure Zonker will be posting some pictures as well- make sure you’ve not recently eaten before you look at Zonker’s posts. Well, that’s ALWAYS true. But thanks, one and all, for making it a great day and evening, sorry for the folks I missed friday night, and let’s do it again soon!!