"Drawing Stick Figures"

Councilman Eddie Crowder knocked on the door about 9:30 on Saturday the 4th and asked if he could put a sign in my yard for the upcoming election and I said "sure". I appreciated the fact that he had to go door-to-door invading people's privacy and Saturday quiet time to do this...I mean, I wouldn't want to do it m'self so the least I could do was let him put a sign in my yard.

He was emceeing the Forest Hills 4th Of July Celebration which I attended later that morning.

I love the 4th of July, our nations independence day...man did we celebrate that holiday when I was growing up, my pops being an Air Force guy. I rarely smile when I think of past 4th of July's...I usually just kind of well up...thoughts of my father are usually very sad thoughts. He had a totally f***ed up death.

Most of the family met up in Kernersville and it was a beautiful day of 86 degrees with no humidity-the nicest 4th of July I can remember...we ate Bojangles chicken, which sister Holly bought for us, and then went over to Mom's pool for about an hour...Brandy is always so happy when the whole family is near.

"I'm thinking about learning how to draw stick figures Bob The Blade".

We met at Mom's house, not Sister Liza's because there is a neighborhood bully who picks on her daughter Mary...Liza brought over her friend Randi who obviously is from New York...with that accent and all. Liza loves that New York accent...me, I'm indifferent.

Frankly, I love no accent. Mom always says I just love people with no accent because they sound like me.

~~~~

I found some 70's radio channel on the way home and I heard this song from Al Stewart, "Time Passages" which came out in 1978...I listened and it took me back to my high school days in Fayetteville...and for the first time ever, I listened to the words.

"Well it's just now and then my line gets cast into these
Time passages
There's something back here that you left behind
Oh time passages
Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight"

Now...what the f*** does THAT mean??

I love all the 70's corny songs because I was in high school then. No matter what came out in high school...you love it. No matter how gay.

Downtown Live Fenderbender

I was trying to nab the last available parking space at Downtown Live on Saturday afternoon and as I was turning my jeep into the left lane, the bumper locked with the bumper of a Ford Exploder, and off came my bumper in the middle of the road.

Embarrassing.

There were two policemen there and I overheard one of them whispering to the policeman making the report...

"Check and see if he's drunk."

So he asked me...

"How much have you had to drink today, sir?"

"Not a drop."

"Ok. Here's your accident report, shouldn't be any big deal."

That question always puts you on the spot even if you haven't had a drop. I hate that question hehe.

Anyway, during the Cracker part of Downtown Live, I was having a conversation with one of the 96rock girls (if you can call it that) and they did a version of "Sweet Thistle Pie" that caught my ear and just knocked me out. I had no idea how good these guys are, this was my first Cracker show, they had their sh** together.

Didn't stick around for The Tubes...they were cool and all, but it was getting to be 9:30 and I had 7:30 tee time the next morning. Old men go to bed early they say and I can only say one thing in reply to that.

"You got THAT right."

Foster-The Tubes bass player Rick Anderson-96rockgirl Elena-M'Self-96rock girl Dana

Your Father's Age

We did our show live at Walnut Creek before The Doobie Brothers & Bad Company last night...I cannot believe I haven't seen the Doobs before...Bad Company I have seen before, but not with Paul Rodgers and I say it still that Paul Rodgers has the greatest rock voice...I have always said that. You should have heard him singing those Bad Company songs...you just sit there and you smile because...well I can't describe why you smile, you just do.

Blade's List: The Greatest Rock Voices

5. Phil Collins (Genesis days)

4. Greg Lake (ELP)

3. Steve Winwood (Traffic)

2. David Lee Roth (in the day)

1. Paul Rodgers

Paul Rodgers during our interview at The Grammys in 2008

During the broadcast we're sitting around bulsh***ing with the 96rock girls which is fun...but let me tell you, it's an art if you can do it because the girls are 21 or 22 and there's not much they can talk about. If you can engage a couple of 21 and 22 years old girls in conversation for more than an hour, WITHOUT talking about sex, you have got a gift pal, and I can do it. We all have our gifts, whatever.

One of our girls is Amanda (on the far right) and she went to UNC-W as I did, and she asked me if I knew Wally Hinkamp, which freaked me out because he was my college roommate.

"Yes I know Wally Hinkamp. He and I lived together in college at The Creek apartments...he's from Fayetteville like me."

"Wow! I'm his god daughter."

"That's nice. Hey, do you like older men?"

(extended silence-awkward-hilarious)

She tells me about her father that was at UNC-W and in the same class as m'self...and in the same Chi Phi fraternity, but we didn't know each other. So...there's a terrific generation gap with a guy like me and the hottie station girls...I am now old enough to be their father.

And in some cases I am old enough to be OLDER than their father.

I think I like that, but I'm not sure, really. Maybe I don't like it.

Hell, I don't know. I don't really know anything.