Roudhaus Muzak

I’m looking for some new music. So, if you would, please picture this…

It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon in late Fall and you’re taking a drive through the hilly outskirts of town. It’s a two-lane road that winds and bends through canyons and over amber-colored hills.

You’ve got the top down in your ’67 Cadillac. Your best girl is seated next to you. Her hair is flopping about in the breeze.

As you round another corner you see in the distance a run-down beer shack with a Coors neon sign in the window. An couple of old Ford pickups are parked in the dusty parking lot, next to a half-dozen Harley Davidsons and some hot-rods.

You slow down, pull into the nearest spot, and turn off the engine.

What kind of music do you hear wafting through the air? This is what I’m looking for.

Suggestions, please.

Touch Of Grey

I found my first grey hair yesterday.

I was looking at how bushy and out of control my sideburns were when I noticed a hair that looked out of place. It was way too lightly-colored to be one of my dark-beardy hairs. Upon closer examination it looked to be grey.

My heart began to thump in my chest.

“What the FUCK!” I said aloud, startling the other men in the Comcast restroom.

I got a little closer to the mirror and began to run the hair between my thumb and forefinger, thinking there may be something on it… yeah, it’s dirty, that’s it.

A sincere sense of dread came over me as I pondered this milestone in my life. Does this mean that I’m officially old? I mean, I’m going to be 36 later this month, and I knew I was getting up there. But with the appearance of this fucking grey hair I’m afraid that I might be over the hill.

I panicked.

So I plucked the fucking thing out. I held it closer to my eye to make sure that it was, indeed, a motherfucking cocksucking grey hair.

I spent the next hour examining the hair in different shades of light. I took it outside to look at it in the sun. I held it close to my computer monitor. Next to my cell phone’s LCD light. Next the window on the other side of the building. Under the light on my desk. In the break room.

I showed it to my co-workers, who promptly laughed at me. I showed it to Miriam, who also laughed at me.

Sigh.

This thing has really affected me. I’ve been fighting some irrational thoughts since yesterday. For example, I want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane now. I want to parachute. I also want to buy a motorcycle and ride it way too fast for my own good. And I’ve considered buying various dyes for my hair and beard.

Bah, what’s the matter with me?

Grey is supposed to be distinguished, or something, right? Right? RIGHT?

“I will get by, I will survive”

Truckee, or bust v2.0

Have you ever had one of those weekends where, after you come home, you keep playing the events back in your mind over and over? And it’s hard to believe the things that happened actually did and you can’t stop thinking about them?

That was the kind of weekend I just had.

Me 'n' Yum again

On Saturday night when Yum got home from work the two of us drove up to the cabin in Truckee. We left at midnight on the dot and arrived at the cabin at 3am. Three hours door to door? Just under 200 miles? That’s making good time, kids.

We took highway 4 across the levees and out to Stockton, where we merged on to Interstate 5 north. Yum was already fast asleep. I set the cruise control on the Jeep to 73 MPH. Through Sacramento and on to Interstate 80 east all the way to Truckee I never once had to speed up, slow down, stop, or use the brakes. 73 MPH the entire way. No traffic. It was awesome.

So Sunday morning we woke up and I made breakfast. The smell of cooking bacon wafted out the kitchen window and soon we’ve got all the dogs in the neighborhood on the front deck looking for a handout. Miriam promptly gave away all of our food for the trip. Not really, but anyway…

We went for a little drive up some dirt roads and past some reservoirs just past Truckee along highway 80. We stopped for a little hike along the Truckee river. We stopped and looked at available real estate and dreamt of owning some land up here. We stopped to throw rocks at frozen water on the side of the road. And then it was back to Truckee.

Back at the cabin we had a quick bite to eat and were asleep by 5pm. Yes, 5pm. Five hours later we were awake from the best nap I’ve had in I don’t remember how long. We spent a few hours by the fire talking, and went back to bed around 2am.

Monday morning we had breakfast and fed the neighborhood dogs again. We then went for a nice, long drive.

Over highway 267 to North Shore for a little gambling, then down highway 28 along the northeastern shore of Lake Tahoe.

We stopped at a couple places to explore the shoreline and take pictures, then followed highway 28 south to the highway 50 junction.

Lone Tree on Lake Tahoe shore

We then took highway 50 east to highway 395 north. We stopped for lunch in Anderson, Nevada at Johnny Carino’s, the worst Italian food I’ve ever had. Never go there, it’s awful.

Outside Cabela's

And then the highlight of the day: the pilgrimmage to the new Cabela’s outfitter’s store in Reno! I’ve been a long-time patron of Cabela’s, but only ever bought their gear online. It was a real treat for a sportsman like me to finally get to go to a retail store. I was like a kid in a candy shop.

There was a supercoolawesomehuge aquarium full of rather large rainbow trout and bass and other freshwater gamefish.

The wild animal displays throughout the store were neatokeencoolbeans.

Their gun collection was outstanding. PLENTY of evil black rifles. I held a real .50 Desert Eagle. I stared down the barrel of a real Colt M4 carbine rifle. I asked to check out a real HK MP5, and was allowed to do the “HK slap”. I got to handle a real M1 Garand, right out of World War II. I was allowed to dry-fire a real AK-47.

Did you know that there are no waiting periods for guns in Nevada? In California you have to wait 10 days to pick up your new firearm. In Nevada they walk you and your new gun out of the front door and hand it to you in the parking lot.

I need to more to Nevada. Seriously.

Back at the cabin it was well after dark. We spent the rest of the evening on the couch next to a blazing fire, watching Heroes and old Johnny Carson reruns.

And then Tuesday morning we woke up from our dream and drove home =(

You know what to do.