That's a cold shot, baby. Yeah, that's a drag.

  We're back to Saturday and the last remnants of Winter Storm Uri have left nothing but the realization far too many cities' infrastructures aren't up to snuff. In Jackson, Mississippi, and all over Texas people are still without water, power, and sometimes both. Some people are going on two weeks without potable water. Imagine that. Can't drink anything or boil anything, but you also can't brush your teeth or flush the toilet. People are doing the Good Lord's work helping out but this should serve as a fierce wake-up call that the way things on the most basic level are simply not cutting the mustard.

 This isn't a question of politics, really, or how much government should or shouldn't be involved in daily life. When things like this storm - or Katrina or the tornadoes that tore up Nashville several years ago - happen, that's what state and local government are for, if nothing else. I don't want to dig too deep into the CPAC silliness going on or give my credence to shit Bill Maher thinks is worth talking about, but it's ridiculous that they still think "cancel culture" is the biggest worry facing the public. I'm pretty sure the folks in Clinton or Houston aren't at all concerned with whether or not people are nice to Bret Stephens.

 Anyhow. The News this week was fairly useful, I think, and I did what I like doing. Monday we looked at some of the ridiculous goddamn power bills hitting folks in Texas as well as Trump's taxes being fair game. Wednesday and Friday took on Biden's appointees, Mississippi's dumbass tax ideas, and more examples of how way too many of us have no idea how government works. I wish I could figure out a way to spread it around more that didn't cut a bad stroke with me. There's only so much linking-to-Twitter-or-Tumblr one can do.

 The tremolo harmonica I ordered late last week came today. I'm still waiting on the chromatic harp, and frankly, that's the one I'm looking forward to most. I just here recently figured out I didn't have to splurge for a $150 sho'nuff Hohner harp when I could spend twenty bucks on a cheap one to dick around with. That's a little irritating, but what can you do. I imagine it's being held up due to a combination of the Big Freeze, COVID, and the residual attempts by the Trump Administration to trash the postal service, but I ordered the tremolo harp five days after I ordered the chromatic harp.

 It's a whole new ballgame, and that's something neat. Basically, a tremolo has access to all the notes you can get on a regular old diatonic without having to bend notes. From what I can tell, it's rarely if ever used in blues. However, it's probably the most popular type of harmonica for the rest of the world when it comes to folk music. Apparently, they're really a big deal in South Asia. Different holes are drawn or blown for different notes, but only for that note. Like, you got one hole that will only draw a C while the one diagonal to it blows a G. That's probably not right, by the way.

 Notes can't be bent on tremolo harps and the breathing required is a different game. Anyway, it's nice to have something new to mess around with. I also dug out my cheap accordion from out of the basement. I'm not sure why I'm getting weird about the harp again, apart from it being something to do when I otherwise have very few hobbies. I have no illusions about playing out even if I wanted to.

 When I was in Gainesville, I fell in love with the harmonica and, specifically, Junior Wells and Rice Miller, aka Sonny Boy Williamson II. Florida's a big blues state, and I got to do a lot of playing with folks. I had a little tackle box full of harps of different keys and makes, mostly Hohners like a Marine Band or Special Twenty. I played with blues bands - white guy blues bands, of course - and classic rock bands, and even had a Shure Green Bullet microphone for a while.

 That all changed in Athens, though. I didn't have the mic anymore and most of my harps were blown out. In any event, Athens really isn't a blues town at all. Neal Pattman lived there before he died, but the closest that place got to anything blues-like was jam-band blues. No thanks, even if I could. So, I concentrated on guitar and bass, playing in a few country and cowpunk bands. When I moved to New Orleans, I did some fill-in gigs with R&B and Cajun bands, but before too long I was just sick and tired of bar life. I fiddled around with the accordion for a bit, but that is a hard nut to crack so I couldn't get into it. Maybe now that I've got the time.

Like I said, I have absolutely no desire to play music with other people. With the axes I'm using - harp, guitar, accordion - I don't have to. Bass playing - the kind I like anyway - sort of requires a band of some type. You can't play in the pocket if there's no pocket to play in, that's just common sense. Believe you me, playing music with people is a trip unlike any other and if you ever get the chance to do it, please do so. I highly recommend it. You don't even have to be good, long as you know two chords.

 But this is just something to do. A hobby that's something other than playing video games, writing stuff no one will read, and getting cross-eyed about politics and the media. Just something to have a little fun and fill the hours. I wouldn't even call it "making music." My brother still makes music, far as I know, and he hasn't had anything to do with a band for years. He composes and records stuff. How he does it, I don't know but I do know he does it and it fills his soul.

 It's just fun to figure out "Crazy Arms" on guitar or working my way around the ol' tin sandwich. That's what it's all about. Whenever my life went south it's because I was doing something other than trying to have fun. It doesn't take much, thankfully, and I'm a Lazy Guy.

 Anyhow, I think I've written about all I can on that topic. I'm already looking up Slobberbone songs on YouTube to post on Twitter. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.