And every time I see him, he's just barely getting by.

  I don't really have anything today, so we'll just fill up space while we listen to Charlie Daniels. Too bad it isn't yesterday. I had a flash of inspiration and worked out the background basics of what I think would be a neat science-fantasy tale. It's essentially a Quantum Leap or Voyagers that doesn't involve making sure history goes "like it should" because history - and existence - is fluid. The Many-Worlds Interpretation plays into it, of course.

 Is Voyagers remembered at all these days? I loved that show. Brief synopsis for you kids. Male-model-as-pirate and Punky Brewster's older brother travel through history to make sure it stays on the right path. They have a little pocket watch-looking deal that glows green when everything's okay. It ran for 20 episodes back in '82-'83 and all I remember was the Pirate character (Bogg) saying something would work with "Does Marie Antoinette have great legs," and when pressed by the Kid he said "No, Marie Antoinette had terrible legs," and I've thought about that ever since anytime she comes up.

 It was actually fairly popular, particularly since it was up against the juggernaut known as 60 Minutes. Apparently, it was canceled so NBC could launch a competing news magazine show. The idea was something shifty had gone down at 60 Minutes as happens from time to time, and NBC thought it could snag that market. That 60 Minutes still broadcasts every Sunday evening shows how that worked out.

 Like I said, this was in '82 or '83, so I was seven going on eight when this broadcast. It's also roughly about the same time I saw my first Doctor Who serial - Pyramids of Mars, yes I remember - and the first time I saw Time Bandits. I'm assuming that's where my fascination with time travel and time, in general, came from. I'm currently reading a non-fiction book on the nature of time by Alon Halperin called The Network of Time. So far it's nothing new - to me, anyway - but it's been an enjoyable read, and I have a book featuring H.G. Wells as the protagonist on deck plus a non-fiction book that's particularly about the science of time travel.

 I have no idea why time travel has such a hold on me. I have no desire to revisit my own past and living in any historical time holds no allure. Maybe Nashville during the '70s, but that's about it. Also, one of the ways my protagonist realizes that history has gone awry is him noting that Hank Williams died in the plane crash that killed Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins rather than due to alcoholism somewhere between Knoxville and Canton, Ohio.

 Anyhow. I've spent the last half-hour reading about the 1982-83 television year, so I guess I should wrap this up. I can't really think of anything too interesting to get into. I got my second Pfizer shot yesterday, and I think I'm feeling some effects from it. Nothing heavy, just a general achy/shitty overall feeling. I got in touch with the guy who sold me the Lucky 13 that apparently got lost in the mail, so he's sending me a new one. Hopefully, it gets here Friday. The PowerDraw says it's still stuck in China, but it's got until May 10. I also broke down and bought a Special 20 in F because the music store in Tupelo didn't have one, dammit.

 I've gotten further into Dragon Age: Origins than I ever have. Those games require a lot of time and dedication, and really don't allow for much else. Regardless, it's an exceptional game. That's enough of that.

Sometimes there's a part of me that has to turn and go from here.

  Another week's come to an end. I'm not particularly interested in recapping the week's News, but I do think it was a pretty good week. I did good work on Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict Wednesday and the bill to make Washington, D.C., a state Friday. At least I think so, anyway, do check it out. Monday was basically more "cops shoot unarmed black people" and that shit's getting depressing.

 Another harmonica came today, a Fender Blues DeVille in G. Initial testing is positive. It's got a nice, warm tone and a good feel. Plus, the black matte looks cool. I'd recommend it, especially for a starter harp. It's pretty affordable, usually between thirty and forty dollars before shipping. The Fender Blues Deluxe is cheaper, between ten and twenty dollars, and it's a pretty good harp, as well, if your budget's tight. Honestly, I can't tell which is better. I still maintain the Marine Band or Blues Harp from Hohner is top of the line, but it's nice to have options.

 It should be noted these do have plastic combs, so if that's a no-go for you, something to consider. I'm coming around on quality plastic combs myself. I may break down and buy a Special 20 just to see how it matches up. That one the place in Tupelo has is an F, which is a key I don't have. I'm looking at about $300 in harmonicas on my desk and I'll probably never play the bulk of them outside my room.

 As a side note, my income tax refund and my stimulus check came in all at once. It's a decent bit of change I wasn't expecting. I hadn't received one and I figured since my work was all freelance, it just wasn't enough to make the nut. I figure when my buddy I'm writing for did his taxes and reported money paid to me, it tripped a something or other with the Treasury. So, yeah, a nice surprise and I don't feel as bad about buying harmonicas I don't need.

 Okay. I'm going to leave Biden's recognition of the Armenian Genocide for tomorrow. It is a very big deal, though, as it's been something that's been denied by the entire world's governments for over 100 years. Hitler used that as a reason to justify the Holocaust and it's been a sore tooth for the West's relationship with Turkey. That has always been a bone of contention, particularly since Erdogan took power back in 2003. Almost 20 years in the highest office in the country is never a good sign, I don't care who says otherwise.

 Finally, unless something comes up, I got around to playing Hand Of Fate 2 and it's a good time. I like that whole block-counter fight style like in the Batman games and it makes me want to give Shadow of Mordor another shot. I'm still working on Outward and the first two Witcher games, and I've dived back into Dragon Age: Origins to see if I can get more of it down. I have the first Mass Effect downloaded for the same reason, but these goddamn games are so huge. It's amazing how the technology has advanced, and not just from the Pac-Man or Frogger days. Crazy, man.

Mama, Mama, talk to you daughter for me.

 The House passed a bill to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state. The Republicans are losing their shit over this because they see it as just an attempt by the Democrats to put two more solidly blue seats in the Senate. For their part, the Democrats aren't really disputing it but counter that not only do the citizens of D.C. want representation in their government, there are enough folks there to make it worthwhile.

 First off, if it's just a power grab... so what? That's politics, isn't it? Are we supposed to believe that if D.C. didn't vote reliable GOP the Republicans wouldn't have a hard-on to make it a state? Because I don't believe that all and anyone who does only has themselves to blame.

 The arguments they give are fairly specious, too, whether it's the dubious claim that it'd require an amendment to the Constitution to the borderline racist jibber-jabber from clowns like Jody Hice and Tom Cotton. The actual government part of D.C. would fit into a ten-square-mile slice of land and they've got that all laid out. Conservatives are also suggesting giving the city to either Maryland or Virginia or splitting between both, despite none of the parties being down with that.

 Maybe the most specious argument is the whole "what the Founders intended" shtick. I want to go on record here: who gives a shit what the Founders intended. That was over 230 years ago and I don't think it's too much of a stretch of the imagination to say whatever the Founders intended would be unable to deal with today's reality.

 I will say this, though. The Founders knew change would come and wrote the Constitution to reflect that. We have 27 amendments that are basically saying, "Well, what we actually meant" after all. That may be the true genius of the document: it allows for something to happen the people who wrote it never considered as long as - and this is important - it falls within the rules of what the government can't do.

 And that's the thing. For the most part, the entire Constitution is full of things that limit the power and scope of the U.S. government. Twitter banning you isn't a First Amendment issue because they're not the government. That sort of thing. In fact, the one time the government tried to use the Constitution to ban something, they had to go back and reverse it because it was such a clusterfuck.

 That's what it boils do to for me: does the Constitution specifically forbid it. If not, I say go nuts if that's what the people of D.C. want. Same thing with Puerto Rico or Guam, and if Republicans are boo-hooing because they won't get the votes from these new states, perhaps they should step back and ask themselves why.

 So much for all that. Until I hear otherwise, it goes into my "haven't heard a good argument why not" pile with expanding the Supreme Court, national legalization of marijuana, and getting rid of the Electoral College. Whatever the "Founding Fathers" meant is an appeal to tradition fallacy in my book and just will not swing.

 Anyhow. Epic dropped its weekly freebies today and one was Hand Of Fate 2. I've been intrigued by it since seeing a Zero Punctuation episode about it, but since I have no background (or interest) in card games, I never pulled the trigger. A Lucky 13 harmonica I order on eBay from a place in California will be a solid week late tomorrow, and I'm starting to get irritated. It's been well over a couple years since I ordered stuff like this and it's striking just how bad Louis DeJoy has fouled up the Postal Service.

 I reckon that's good enough for now. I've spent more time reading some truly dumbass arguments against the whole statehood thing. I'm going to go play some video games and leave you with what Momma said after I told her about the bill passing:

 "Oh. The Mets are giving this game away again. I wonder why the announcers are in different booths?"

You know it ain't right to do me like you do.

  I'll go into this in more detail in tomorrow's News, but this is a big deal. Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all three counts against him today. It shocked the shit out of not only him but I think most of us. The jury went into deliberations yesterday and by 2 p.m. it was announced they'd come to a verdict.

 I'm no expert, of course, but I really don't think there's a hard and fast rule about how fast a jury comes back from deliberation and how the verdict will play out. Personally, I wasn't sanguine about things. I watched most of the trial and really couldn't see a way anyone could've come to any verdict besides guilty. 

 This is America, however, and we are as a culture still somewhat in love with authoritarian rule. Racism plays into it, no doubt, but I really think it's all connected. You rarely see a stone racist who isn't down with society being set up in such a way that Certain People are kept in their proper place, even if violently so. This is why Donald Trump won and why there was such outrage on the right for Major League Baseball's decision to pull out of Atlanta for the All-Star Game due to the new and unnecessary voting restrictions.

 There is a serious meltdown going on in the Wingnut World and while it may sound petty, I'm here for it. A more miserable bunch of jackanapes and poltroons I've never seen, and anything that causes them misery is worthy of at least a chuckle. Again, they're horny for authoritarianism and it's good they're disappointed. Hopefully, the stress will give them constipation and days of discomfort.

 I've been thinking about the prosecution presenting its initial case, particularly the first few witnesses. They were at the scene and actively involved in the whole thing. Particularly the first young man, who was the one who thought the twenty George Floyd gave him might be counterfeit. He was made to chase Floyd down, and he broke down on the stand out of guilt for kicking the whole thing in gear. It wasn't his fault but he felt guilty, and I hope out of everyone involved he's got some peace.

 Sentencing will happen come June barring any appeals, I don't know how that works, but that's for another time. Moving on, the weather continues to be great but it's supposed to get cold and rainy before the Sun comes back around. I bought another damn harmonica today, a Fender Blues DeVille in G. It's a sickness. I've been pretty pleased with the Fender Blues harp so far and the DeVille has gotten good marks. Plus, it looks cool, plastic comb notwithstanding. I'm losing that prejudice anyway, as plastic comb technology has come a long way since I last worried about it.

 I do wish I could remember which harmonica I had that came in a red case. Special 20 maybe? I don't remember owning a Special 20, but I can't for the life of me think what else I had back then beyond the Marine Band and the Blues Harp. I'm starting to catch up to my old chops and, in some places, surpassing them. I never really "got" tongue-blocking techniques, but I think I'm getting it. I'm not sure if I'm bending properly, though. I keep reading it's tough to do, but it's one of the techniques I haven't lost. Sounds good enough, anyway.

 While I don't regret it too much, I am sort of bummed at myself for staying away so long. Athens wasn't a blues town and I'm no band leader. Frankly, apart from Neal Pattman, I don't think I ever saw anyone play a harmonica except maybe on a rack, Dylan-style. I didn't hear much harp in New Orleans, either, apart from Grandpa Elliot, but by the time I moved out of the Quarter, I had no interest in live music anyway.

 Still, I probably could've put more effort into any of it and zigged instead of zagged, but if that ain't the story of my life, I don't know what is. My whole travel has been choosing one path or another, and I don't think I ever really chose poorly, but I can't help but wonder. Back in 1998, I was offered a job with a company that built stages and sound systems for outdoor concerts. It'd mean I could've traveled around the country but also require moving to Minnesota. I could've got a free ride to Southern Miss but chose to go to the University of Florida. I could've moved to New Orleans rather than Athens in 1999.

 I don't regret anything but I would sometimes be interested in seeing how things would've turned out otherwise. But there you go.

Who's been talking?

  Well, it's Saturday night, the first one of my 46th year. Twenty years ago, I'd be getting ready to go see some band play if I wasn't in some kitchen getting my daily salt. Either way, I'd probably be stoned and that's about the only thing I miss from those days.

 Anyway. This was a depressing week. Too many shootings, either by the police or just some asshole who's decided he's got the right to decide who lives and who dies. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were all about some shooting, be it the cops in Minneapolis or the guy in Indianapolis. It's depressing as shit, even more so knowing that probably nothing significant will change.

 I've talked about gun violence all week and I don't want to talk about it anymore. I will reiterate that I really don't give a shit about your guns or, for that matter, what you think the Second Amendment actually means. Knock your damn fool self out, for all I care. Just know this: if you're not someone I know well enough to know that you know what you're doing with something that's good for nothing but killing, I feel it well within my right to treat you like the next mass shooter should you decide you simply cannot hit the local Wal-Mart without being loaded for bear. Deal.

 It's come and gone, but I really didn't touch on the whole "America First Caucus" Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar tried to pull off. I am surprised that it didn't last a week, for what that's worth, though I never did figure out what "Anglo-Saxon political traditions" meant, seeing as how the whole "Anglo-Saxon" thing was a non-starter after 1066. I know it was a badly disguised "white power" to-do, sure, and probably dumb as a bucket of shit considering the progenitors. 

 I think if nothing else, it might behoove Nancy Pelosi to give Greene something useful to do with her time. Put her on a low-grade committee that doesn't actually mean anything. She could be naming post officers or something like that.

 Moving on, I think I've bought all the harmonicas I'm going to need for a while. Key-wise, all I lack is a B and an F in major keys. I might, might, buy an F and a B-flat, but I wouldn't count on it. It's past time to actually try to get back to getting better-than-decent on them, I reckon. Plus, I have that chromatic to figure out. I got that Rocket Low C and thought I meant to get a Low G as Junior Wells suggested. Them things are expensive as hell, though. Lee Oskar doesn't make a Low G and Junior preferred Lee Oskars, so who knows. Harmonica talk, always a winner.

 Okay, I don't know what else. Something about this week, I don't know, but I've been kind of out of it. I can live with it, though. Last week, I got up every morning by 8 a.m. and hit the gym, while this week I laid around until noon or so. Why, I couldn't tell you, except I've been taking advantage of the new fiber optic and trying more of the games with huge downloads. The Witcher 2 is actually a pretty good game and not as dense as 3, though it takes a minute to get used to not being able to jump.

 And that's that, kids.

And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose.

  It's Thursday, for what that's worth. I really don't have much to roll with, so we'll just try to fill the space. As we do. Ever since I got the idea for this blog's purpose, nothing's been banging to be written about. Y'all help a poor boy out, huh? There's got to be a bit of esoteric knowledge someone would like more information on.

 Anyhow. A couple of things come to mind. One, there seems to be an issue restaurant owners and managers are having finding workers. They can't get people to work for them, either because they've found something else to do that pays better and/or is more fulfilling, or because they're living good enough on the stimulus check that's a couple of months old. They can't figure out why people don't want to come back to these jobs, be it working in a kitchen, waiting tables, or cleaning dishes.

 Well, for one, they're shit jobs. I've spent the bulk of my adult life working in kitchens and even at the best of times, for someone who actually enjoys cooking, it's a goddamn miserable job. The actual chefs I've known have told me some horror stories about putting in 80 hours a week, but even working a normal 40 is killer. You're on your feet for at least six hours with little or no break, it's hot and you burn yourself no matter how careful you are, and if you cut anything you will wind up slicing a finger open.

 Furthermore, health insurance is almost non-existent even with the ACA. If your boss doesn't shell out for it, it's still probably more than a worker sees each paycheck. And forget about taking days off if you get sick, most bosses aren't down with that at all. And that's in the best of times, not when we're trying to wrestle down a pandemic that could, if not kill you, could permanently scar you if you don't get quality health care. Don't bet on it.

 However, it seems to be beyond the pale to maybe look at raising wages and paying someone enough to live on. People say "these aren't meant to be careers," but I really don't think everyone is interested in a "career." Some people want to spend their free time hunting or playing ball or building guitars or knitting or running RPG's, and the job they hold down just keeps the power on and their bellies full. Hell, most of the time I was a cook it was because I was trying to break into writing somehow or another.

 Look, y'all, the paradigm has changed. Last year caused a lot of scales to fall from the collective eyes. "The way things work" just doesn't work. Capitalism or socialism, it really doesn't matter, things have to change and if employers want people to do the work that makes them money, they're going to have to give a little more than they used to.

 When FDR brought forth the New Deal and when LBJ created the Great Society, they were reacting to circumstances wherein had they left stuff alone, the lower classes would have started slitting throats. People want to claim either were socialist heroes/villains, but that's what it boiled down to. I really believe we at that point now. Billionaires made out like bandits during the pandemic while most of us were wondering if we'd get through the month. Shit's going to have to change.

 Speaking of shit that must change, a kid named Adam Toledo was shot by Chicago police last month. He was 13. At the time, the cops claimed he had a gun and they had no choice. Turns out, the released bodycam showed that not only did he not have a gun but that he had his hands up when he was shot. A cop tries to do something to save the kid's life and he's shown crying at his failure as his bodycam was shut off.

 So there's that there then. In the wake of George Floyd and Daunte Wright, we're still having the discussion over whether or not something needs to be done about police shooting people. One thing that continues to amaze me is how many people are, not to put too fine a point on things, are completely fine with police having the carte blanche to shoot and kill whoever they want whenever they feel like it while rarely suffering any consequences if said shooting victim wasn't actually doing anything that a reasonable person would agree that was worth shooting.

 A lot of it is racism. This is a racist country and we really hate Black people as a country. We're not disputing that nor do we wish to downplay it. However, what's notable to me is how many people would be fine with such behavior being done to them or their loved ones. Think about that, they would be fine with being shot and killed - or their loved one - by police, even if it was a mistake. 

 Whether they really mean it or not, that's what they live by. They think that's how society should be and how authority should treat the rest of us. I don't know what to think about all that nor what to do about it. The same people who howl about the First Amendment are fine with Their President/Congress shutting down speech or limiting the ability to protest.

 That's built into the American character, as part of our natural psyche as thinking we're right about everything or that the story's all about us. I really don't know what we can do about that.

Yeah, I can't think of a song lyric to put here. Go listen to Paul Butterfield.

 I've been dicking around playing The Witcher 2 all evening and let time slip up on me. It's twenty till midnight and my head's still empty. I doubt I'll knock out the word count before I run out of time, but what the hell.

 Though I've owned all three Witcher games for a couple years I've never put much time into them. I got the first two for less than ten bucks on a GOG sale and snagged the third one for about twenty bucks. They're pretty decent games but they're so damn deep, so much to get into. They're sort of like the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games in that way. Fun but I feel like I have to block out a couple of days just to get started on them.

 For whatever reason, I've had a helluva time of getting on Steam. It keeps saying there have been too many failed attempts to log in, but there shouldn't be anyone but me. After it not working all evening, it's working now. Go figure. I can only guess it has something with us getting the fiber optic.

 Also, we got fiber optic. I don't know if I've gone into this, but they finally got it all hooked up the week before last. We were supposed to get it before the end of last year but that was before COVID sat on everyone's faces and farted. Anyhow, we have it now and we're up to the same speed I had in New Orleans. So nice to rejoin the 21st century at least in one way.

 Speaking of which, I saw the Therapist today. It's been a fairly chill couple of months since the last time I saw her and, frankly, nothing's been weighing too heavy on my mind. So that means it was a "let Matt rant about politics" type of session. Specifically, raging about the shit Jackson has been dealing with since the Big Freeze. Her son lives there and for four weeks he'd have to go somewhere every morning to take a shower. And it's still not really fixed.

 Of course, the state government would rather spend its time banning trans kids from high school, though that's not a problem anywhere, or try to keep people from voting. As it is, state law has it if someone catches a charge on a number of minor felonies like bad checks or shoplifting, they lose the right to vote. Ten percent of the population can't vote because of that and, of course, most of them are Black.

 I really don't understand why Roger Whitaker's taken a hard Trump turn as of late. He's always been solidly right-wing, but he's gone wacky lately. He backed Trump's claim of a stolen election and now he's on the anti-voting team. His numbers must look like hell. Tate Reeves makes more sense. I really think he's gearing up for a presidential run in 2024 or 2028 and he's obviously decided being an obnoxious dick is the way to go. I don't know why, it's done Ted Cruz no good.

 I've topped five hundred words and it's five past midnight. I reckon that's close enough for jazz. I do want to mention my harmonicas. My harmonica collection is growing, I have two more coming Thursday, and at least two more down the line. All are different keys or different tunings, mostly in G or C. It's getting a little silly, honestly. I'm trying different brands beyond the Hohner Marine Bands or Blues Harps, like Easttop or Fender Blues.

 For what it's worth, I highly recommend the Easttop. It's cheaper than Hohners or Lee Oskars yet still a well-made harmonica. The Fender Blues is pretty solid, as well, though the Easttop gets the nod. I've got a pretty good set if I wanted to play out, so, something to consider there.

 But harmonicas are cool, so it's okay.

Got me on milk and alcohol.

  I really don't have much to go with today, so let's get the News hammered out and go from there. While there was nothing particularly earth-shattering or too deep, it was a good, solid week of old-school blogger journalism. We looked at the environmental problems in Florida, the new infrastructure bill the GOP will try to scuttle even though almost a third of their constituency is for it, the ongoing success of the COVID vaccination roll-out, Matt Gaetz being Matt Gaetz, the defense for the Derek Chauvin getting bodied all week, and this unceasing weekly frog-drowner storms that are the new normal. Sometimes it's a stone groove to just be useful.

 Beyond that, I don't what else to tell you. I've been listening to a lot of harmonica music lately, as in more than usual. It's weird. I got pretty rusty from the last time I blew on a regular basis, but the more I re-learn here lately, it seems the less I can do. But that's how it goes with me. I'm not sure if it how it works for everyone else, but the more I learn about something, the dumber I feel. There's something Socratic about that, but don't ask me to explain it.

 I got my first shot this week, speaking of the vaccination rollout. I'm getting the Pfizer tracking chip so that means I'll have to go back towards the end of the month to finish up. Once I get clean, I'm going to plan on hitting the road again. Maybe go to AthFest if they have one this year. I still want to make a trip that hits Biloxi and Mobile before heading down to Gainesville, if for no other reason than I haven't been there in over 20 years and I'm interested in seeing what it's like these days.

 There is just nothing coming, man. I've been doing pretty good all week keeping a "normal" sleeping schedule. However, I stayed up late last night on purpose to play video games, mostly Champions Online, and slept in some today. So I've been sluggish all day. Really not reading anything, either, not even a deep Wiki-dive.

 I did get around to watching Phantasm II, for what that's worth. It's a pretty decent sequel to a fun, weird horror movie. The rest of the sequels are here and there on various streaming services, so I'll probably knock all of them out. Or at least the third one, the last two look a little iffy.

 Monday's my 46th birthday. Getting older is a drag, man, and middle age sucks. I don't recommend it, for what it's worth, but I'm not sure what other options are.

 Hell, I don't know. This has been sitting here for twenty minutes while I've been watching the last Red Letter Media's Best Of The Worst. I don't know what I'm going to do tonight. Maybe play some more games or watch a movie or maybe going to sleep and deal with it all tomorrow.

 And you know what? That right there was 500 words. Good enough for jazz, as the man said.

Don't you know I done all that I can do to try to get along with you. You're too much, everythin' you touch turns to something else.

  Well, I guess I need to put something down. I really don't have anything collected, but that's never stopped me before. So what the hell, eh?

 Sort of running off Tuesday's essay about the Free State Of Jones, I've decided on a focus for this blog. See, I did that because my buddy wanted background for an RPG character he was playing. My friend - who's known me for 20 years and knows what I'm like - knows I like to look up off-the-wall facts of the universe only slightly less than I like telling someone else that esoteric knowledge before they run me off.

 I had so much fun I told my buddy anytime his RPG buddies needed similar background material especially for something like that, give me a holler. It goes double for something connected to history or with mythology/folklore because that is so my jam.

 He said I ought to do a podcast, which just won't fly. Not only do I have a fairly thick Southern accent, but I also have the tendency to mumble, mutter, and occasionally stutter. As I said, I have a face for radio and a voice for newspapers. And then it hit me: this damn blog. I still have that other Blogger blog but I don't remember where it is. Typical.

 Anyhow, when the mood strikes me, I'll write about Cú Chulainn or the Scolormance or my very strong feelings about Dracula and how every other piece of media gets it and vampires wrong. And, of course, harmonicas. I've done this before, writing about bands I like or musicians I felt were worth knowing about for whatever reason. The worst problem I have with writing without access to herbal inspiration.is coming up with topics. That's been a problem for years, so if you - and I know someone's reading this - have something like that you want to read about, drop me an email at matt7542@gmail.com.

 So that's going to be the new thing I do. Just not tonight, because nothing's kicking and I haven't had my nap today. Otherwise, we've had two mass shootings in the past 24 hours, one in South Carolina and one in Texas. The South Carolina shooting wound up being done by a former NFL player who killed a local doctor and his family before shooting himself dead. The Texas one was done at a cabinet company, injuring five and killing one. The suspect is in custody. No one knows why either went down.

 So that's, what. four mass shootings in the past three weeks? Joe Biden announced today his administration would do something about guns, but how that will go is anyone's guess. One thing I find interesting was how many conservatives were throwing fits that the media wasn't covering the South Carolina shooting even though every single one of them included links to the Associated Press' story on it.

 These people are, of course, disingenuous and from the get-go. If you're taking conservatives at their word, you have no one to blame but yourself. In any event, every one of them said the media was "suppressing" the story because it didn't fit their "narrative."

 I never understand this. What's the "narrative" supposed to be and why is the corporate-owned media pushing it? I know conservatives think the media is trying to make everyone cool with LGBT+ and not racist, but that's because they're too dumb to realize these big-time corporate entities ran the numbers and figured out losing bigotted assholes wouldn't cut into the bottom line enough to worry over.

 And if they'd just take it down a notch, they'd had nothing to worry about. The South Carolina shooting was all over the news until the Texas shooting knocked it out. Honestly, I don't think people who complain about the media really have much idea how the media works nor do they want to learn so long as they can complain about something.

 Okay, then. I believe that's all I have this evening. Any of y'all got something you want to see me go off on, let me know. Weird history, mythology, folklore, Fortean phenomenon, serial killers, cowboys, pirates, possible faster-than-light travel drives, and, of course, harmonicas and country music. Especially country music, to be quite honest.

You can't raise a cane back up when it's in defeat.

  I just got through writing almost 2,000 words on the Free State of Jones County for a friend. He wanted background for a character in an RPG he plays, so I gave him that with food on top. The FSJ is one of my favorite topics in history. I haven't seen the movie but here is an excellent book on the topic by Victoria Bynum.

 So I wrote a lot and did a lot of research and had me a real good time. So, of course, my hands hurt and I have a throbbing headache, and quite frankly, I think I've done my 500 words. Let this be known, if you want background on a character, I'm good at that. Drop me a line.

 In any event, I've put the results of my research - sans anything directly connected to my friend or his character - below the jump. This isn't an exhaustive dissertation, of course, more of an article-type deal. What all this means is I might come back to write later this evening but I really doubt it.

 So, there you go. More below the jump, as they say.

You know, I'm tired of being lonesome, on'ry, and mean.

 It's the first weekend in April, it was a beautiful day, I'm buying too many harmonicas, and I have a back tooth that's working its way loose. Periodontal disease is a drag, kids, don't skimp on those dental cleanings. But, hey, life goes on and I've got dental insurance.

 Anyhow, let's get down to business. I really don't have much to ramble about tonight so we'll try to run out the clock and see what pops out. First off, let's do the News. It was a lot of daily wraps up because it was that kind of week. We looked at our weird Spring weather Monday while touching on the beginning of the Derek Chauvin case and the union fight with Amazon in Alabama.

 Much as I hated to do it, I had to touch on the Matt Gaetz unpleasantness Wednesday and Friday. We also looked at some of the brilliance that comes from the Mississippi Legislature as well as Joe Biden's upcoming $2 trillion infrastructure plan. There was also some good news on the COVID-19 front and yet another mass shooting. And we touched on the MLB's decision to move the All-Star Game in response to Georgia's contentious voting bill.

 There's something to that. Conservatives are outraged that a corporate entity is doing something they don't like and reacting like they always do. That is, threats to never watch baseball again unless MLB does what the government wants. Yeah, that's never a surprise, nor is their glee at Georgia's smacking Delta's wrist for daring to question the state government's motives behind the radical and apparently unnecessary bill.

 This comes as no surprise to anyone. Indeed, it was predictable and will probably have as much an effect as the NFL boycott over the whole kneeling business. It wasn't a whole lot, actually, and last year's pandemic had more of an effect on the ratings than any boycott. I'm sure some folks will actually go through with it, but sports fans are more interested in their preferred sport than the political whatnot that goes on around it.

 It's all so tedious. Honestly, if it weren't for the News, I probably would drop completely out because it has become so boring and predictable. There's news that the Trump people really rooked the rubes that donated to them and the only thing less predictable than that is how little effect it's having on their support of the crooked fucker.

 What else? Well, as I said, I've been buying different brands of harmonicas all week. I've got a Marine Band today to join my Blues Harp, with a Fender Blues, a PowerDraw, and an Easttop on the way. Once my birthday comes - less than 10 days away from being closer to 50 than 40 - I'm going to get me a Lucky 13 Bass harp and perhaps a Lee Oskar of some sort. I figure I'll stick with G's, D's, and C's though the Blues Harp is already an A. I've also made a breakthrough on learning tabs, something I've always had trouble with, regardless of the instrument.

 That's the best thing about learning or relearning something. When you're able to break through some barrier or leap some hurdle that's been hanging you up, and you can do it like it comes naturally. It's like having a superpower. Anyhow, that's good enough for now. Maybe later I'll write some more after I eat something. I will say we finally got fiber optic here and it's nice to join the 21st century in one way, at least.

Take a little trip with me.

  It's the first of April. I never have cared for April Fool's Day mainly because most folks are neither all that funny nor all that clever. I've only seen a couple of April Fool's tweets today and they've been blatantly obvious. I guess living in the bizarre reality that has been the last four years has sapped most people's tolerance for bullshit.

 The Derek Chauvin case is going into its fourth day. Here's a pretty good Twitter feed called Unicorn Riot that's been following the trial. The defense's strategy seems to be not only painting George Floyd as a danger but also that the cops were being threatened by the cops. It's going to be interesting to see what the defense brings because the prosecution is eating them up. A former supervisor of Chauvin has said he went too far.

 Another... interesting take on it is how guilty the witnesses all seem to feel over it, as if they're blaming themselves for Floyd's death. Particularly the young man who originally thought he passed a fake twenty. He was hard to listen to, bless his heart, and it goes a long way in explaining why this sort of thing keeps happening, why police brutality is so commonplace.

 You'll see these arguments online where people who support police brutality and inevitably someone will ask them, "Well, what if it happens to you or someone you love?" Once they get over the claim they'd never do something like that, the pro folks always say something along the line of, "Well, I/they probably deserve it." Think about that. Our culture has this worship of authority so ingrained that we think we deserve to have punitive measures used against us whenever said authority deems it necessary. 

 That's something about our culture we maybe should think about. It doesn't remove or explain away the racial aspect of police brutality or the other aspects of White Supremecy that, but I definitely think it has a structural component to this all-American comment of daily life. Same thing with yet another mass shooting. We for some reason think we deserve like this or, at least, it's a reasonable sacrifice. It should also be noted that the same people who think the cops are justified with what they do are the same ones who lose their shit when they get a ticket for parking in a handicapped spot. Go figure.

 Moving on, we've all had to consider Matt Gaetz's "oh-face" way too much this week. It's come out that he's given to show nude pictures and videos of his sexual conquests to others, even fellow Congress critters while on the floor of the House of Representatives. That's just creepy and gross. I mean, that'd be creepy and gross if he was 21, but for a member of the U.S. legislative body, it's almost beyond the pale. Even if the sexual trafficking of minors charge is bogus, he ought to be bounced just for that. For cryin' out loud, man, try not to act so much like the privileged frat boy douchebag you so obviously are.

 And that's about that. It's been cold but an otherwise lovely day and we finally got high-speed fiber-optic internet. It is nice to rejoin the 21st century. I've been buying more harmonicas, including a PowerDraw harp that I'm extremely looking forward to messing with. Maybe after my birthday, I'll buy myself one of these Lucky 13 harps that are tuned for bass playing.

 I'm having a lot of fun relearning harmonica and guitar. Maybe the best thing about learning or relearning anything - from a musical instrument to a sport to something like painting - is when a hurdle or a block that's been hanging you up and frustrating your progress just melts away. You figure it out and it becomes second nature. It's like discovering you have a super power.