notapoet's notebook

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Saturday, June 14, 2008

If it wasn't for bad luck...

is an expression that has become commonplace again in these times of economic uncertainty. It's also the title of a 1969 minor hit by Ray Charles & Jimmy Lewis, as well as a lead I've used more than once over the years. Well, when the shoe fits... I'd planned on doing something more than the... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Heat Wave,

two words, as in the 1963 hit by Martha & the Vandellas, or a single word, as in the name of the late seventies crossover soul and pop (read "disco") group Heatwave -- take your choice. Either describes the late spring weather along the East Coast, and central North Carolina in particular. I liked... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

...was a 1975 hit by Baldermar Huerta that pretty much describes how I feel about the recent course of my life. I've been able to get damned little accomplished in recent weeks. Between the double whammy of a bad spring cold and my normal allergies I've probably been teetering on the edge of... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, May 4, 2008

(Just Like) Starting Over...

was a late 1980, early 1981 hit by John Lennon. Tragically, Lennon was murdered 37 days after it first hit the charts. But this is not a post designed to be about John Lennon. I often title posts to this blog with old hit song titles that seem to fit. I know it's an affection, and I may quit doing... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, April 18, 2008

"Sunny Afternoon"

...was a medium hit by the Kinks in 1966, and Thursday's sunny afternoon was a big hit with me. It wasn't because we haven't had any sun in North Carolina for a while. It hasn't rained since Monday and it began clearing up pretty well on Tuesday. But it was also bitterly and unseasonably cold... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Long and Winding Road...

was the last #1 single by the Beatles as a group. It was released in mid-1970, a little over a year after I was released from active duty in the army after 1079 glorious days. Yeah, it's been that long on both counts. It's also been quite a while since I've been free of computer problems. For less... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, April 7, 2008

Somethin’ Stupid…

is what I felt like doing today. I started off down in the dumps because my alma mater, the University of North Carolina, lost in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament and will not be in tonight’s championship game. To make matters worse my other favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, extended their... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, April 5, 2008

Rhythm of the Rain…

was a smash hit for the Cascades early in 1963. I’ve always liked the song, and always enjoyed the rhythm of the rain during sleepy spring days. The rain washes away the pollen that always gives my sinuses fits this time of year, making everything feel fresh and clean again. And I’ve always loved... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

April Fools…

was a Top 40 hit for Dionne Warwick back in 1969. I don’t remember the song all that well, other than the title. But I do remember a lot of really good April Fools jokes over the years. Now that the day is safely past I thought I’d share a few with you. Other than the bit about me being a... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, March 31, 2008

A “Change is Gonna Come”

Sam Cooke sang it in ‘65. The 5th Dimension redid it in ‘70. It’s a fine song and one of my favorite oldies. It’s title also reflects my recent life and the fact that, like it or not, some things are going to change again in the very near future. Of most concern to me are personal economic changes.... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Doing the right thing.

One of the sayings I grew up with goes something like “The Good Book says the Good Lord helps them that help themselves.” I can’t recall an exact passage in the Bible to that effect, but I’ve always thought it sounded like a pretty good way to do things. I’ve had several bouts of unemployment over... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, March 28, 2008

Untimely interruptions are the bane of a writer’s life.

Some, however, are more endurable than others. Yesterday it seemed I just wasn’t fated to post anything to Blogit at all after. Between plans gone wrong and interruptions I never got back to the neighborhood until this morning. And what a productive morning it has been so far! Alas, it has to come... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

The adventure continues…

adjusting to a housemate after several years of living alone has not been as bad as I feared. Dan, my new housemate, and I have been friends for thirty-some-odd years, and have shared a house before. Other than clearing out a space for him to hang his hat, it’s been far less traumatic than adjusting... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

I hate *&$#@* spring cleaning...

So I usually don’t do much of it. It’s too much like work when attacked as a job that needs to be done right now. I usually start with enthusiasm for a few hours, realize it’s going to take a lot longer than anticipated, and abandon intentions of getting all the spring cleaning done at once. To keep... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Twas a beautiful sunny day, in North Carolina.

The temperature rose into the seventies and I took time out to enjoy it and play with the grandkids for awhile. Other than that, just about everything that could go wrong did, but I refused to let it bring me down. Grandchildren and warm, sunny days are great for the spirit. The forecast for today... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, February 23, 2008

If it sounds too good to be true…

Those words kept flooding through my head while I struggled to stay warm enough to get any work done from Monday night through Friday afternoon. Damn my gullibility and optimism in putting any reliance in a 15-day forecast from AccuWeather. It was blown all to hell by the night of the second day.... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, February 18, 2008

“Rainy Days and Mondays”

…was a hit song for the Carpenters back in 1971. It popped into my head when I heard a brief forecast for a warm, but rainy Monday today. I usually don’t trust weather forecasts that much, but I figured I’d dig a little to see what the prognosticators think is in store for a few days. I hope the... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Time-tripping courtesy of Pat_B

Pat_B’s comment to my last post dredged up some old memories. For one thing, she referred to me as an audiophile. I had not been called such in a great many years, but once I was one of the most dedicated pursuers of the best possible sound quality I could afford in a home music system. It was a... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, February 2, 2008

I miss my surround sound system.

I’m not completely without sound. The old 19” TV set has a built in speaker and I’ve dusted off an old combo AM-FM/CD/Tape portable so I can listen to oldies and catch the Tarheel ballgames that are not broadcast on free TV. But it’s just not the same as the 27” set with built-in stereo speakers and... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, January 31, 2008

Three days late, and counting. But worth it.

Blogging plans for Sunday and Monday didn’t quite work out as was planned. I was going to spend a good part of both days not only posting, but also catching up with reading my favorite blogs and a representative sample from new bloggers I’ve become aware of. The first hitch, a minor one, occurred on... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by notapoet at 1:29 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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About this Blog

Notapoet's repository for all of his miscellaneous junk that he hope's to turn into the Great American Novel someday (whaddaya mean Samuel Clemens already wrote it?). It's also where he makes comments on some of his other blogs which are extentions of his notebook.

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