Everything Must Go

The N Word

2010-07-25T18:29:00.001-07:00

This has nothing to do with firefighting, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the “N word” lately.

Forced to, actually.

A twenty-something kid moved in with his aunt across the street recently, and he likes to park his BMW on the front driveway, car doors swung wide open with the stereo playing at deafening volume, the thrumming bass subwoofers neatly rearranging tchotchke on every living room end table. Gangsta rap, replete with violent imagery, obscene lyrics, and yes—the “N word.”

Have to admit—I don’t get it. I thought that word was offensive. Why is it off-limits to the main of our society but ok for a certain subculture? For the former, the word was once a tool of oppression and marginalization. But for the latter, it has been co-opted to become the language of defiance. It now carries with it the implied threat of violence. Through these lyrics, the kid is, in effect, issuing a challenge to the rest of the neighborhood: Whatdya gonna do about it? The entire street is cowed into tacit submission.

Some might argue that by adopting this once denigrating word, it is somehow empowering for this subculture. But that’s disingenuous. It has become the language of intimidation, of revenge.

When I hear the familiar rhythmic thump, I close the windows, close the blinds, and keep the kids inside. Rap music in the front yard may seem like a benign example. But when in public, if I hear a group of young men throwing around this word, I move off. It’s no mystery who is the ultimate focus of their simmering, self-righteous anger.

The great Dr. Martin Luther King (whose birthday is commemorated with a national holiday) envisioned a word of colorblindness and equality—equal access and equal opportunity—not generations of retribution. He did not advocate merely turning the tables.

I’m not naïve; I fully acknowledge that racism still exists in this country. But it exists virtually everywhere, among every culture. It is not particular to any one group. Racism is no more pronounced here than elsewhere, and it is certainly not this country’s most pressing problem.

And an offensive word is an offensive word.

Poker Face

2010-03-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

Genius!

Everybody Loves a Fireman, part 2

2010-01-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

Falling

2010-01-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

“…superbia, avaritia, luxuria, invidia, gula, ira, acedia.”

—from the Latin, 14^th century

Pride goeth before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

—Proverbs 16:189

* * *

What is pride, if not some sort of self-delusion? Convincing oneself that he possesses a certain trait when he, in fact, does not? And if and when that lie is ever unmasked, the truth is a very long fall indeed. On the way down, he has all of eternity to regret his error, replay his mistake over and over...

Hell is not an abyss; it is the fall itself.

I Feel Alright

2009-11-13T20:15:00.001-08:00

"Careful what you wish for, friend

'Cause I've been to hell and now I'm back again"

Bright Side

2009-09-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Learning to Fall...Eric Lowen

2009-08-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

I've had to run
I've had to crawl
Been rich as a king
Had nothin' at all
Still raising hell
And tearing down walls
I know where I stand
Learning to fall

Me I've tasted true glory
Had a long sweet time on the stage
I laughed til I cried
I lived what I played
Never had to act my age
And it’s beautiful how
New blessings unfold
In ways I could never have known
And I’ve still got some time on my hands

I've had to run
I've had to crawl
Been rich as a king
Had nothin' at all
Still raising hell
And tearing down walls
I know where I stand
Learning to fall

The Easybeats

2009-07-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

Since You Went Away (Smithereens)

2009-07-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Maybe God's In on It

2009-06-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

"God doesn't give you anything you can't handle...

Unless God is in on it and doesn't like you either."

--Ellen Degeneres

Fell in Love at the Car Show

2009-05-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

...With a 1955 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday...

...all original (including paint), all stock...

...owner purchased it when he was 17.

Beautiful...

Duck & Cover!

2009-05-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

Suddenly relevant again…

Enjoy!

Sleep Walk

2009-05-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Possibly the coolest song ever written...

Santo & Johnny, 1959.

Van Halen: My Future Brother-in-law?

2009-05-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yup...

That's my sister, Kim, hanging with Eddie.

She's the VP of marketing for Activision, which will be rolling out the new edition of Guitar Hero featuring Van Halen (Eddie, Alex, David, and Wolfgang).

And now that I take a second look at this photo, I think they'd make a good couple too...

Sorry Pete...

It Wasn't Me...

2009-05-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

Dang!

I got company comin' by the blog site today...I'd better clean this place up.

Hmmm....

I know: How about a little flower arrangement to spruce things up?

Then I'll show 'em my poetry...

Why Firefighting is Not a Fee-based Service...

2009-05-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Puppy Haiku

2009-04-18T07:06:00.001-07:00

My new puppy experience as rendered in the ancient Japanese art form:

Puppy, oh puppy
My toe is not a chew toy
Sharp teeth in soft feet

Puppy, my puppy
Whines endlessly when crated
Romps forever, freed

Puppy, oh, puppy
Wants to play when I’m sleeping
And sleep when I’m up

Puppy, my puppy
Why do you make me wait so?
It’s three a.m.—Pee!

Puppy, this puppy
If you weren’t so very cute
Loaded gun, I’d shoot

Puppy, my puppy
My first born was easier
What was I thinking?

Mystery Train

2009-04-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

Always wanted one of these: An Epiphone ES-295...

Modeled after Scotty Moore's Gibson rig...

I know what you're saying.."It's an Epiphone!" But dig this: Upgrade it with some Kluson tuners, Lollar P-90s, and roller bridge...

"Train I ride...is 16 coaches long..."

Smart Cars, Smart Cops

2009-04-04T02:50:00.000-07:00

Spotted an off-duty Sheriff’s deputy cruising around town the other day…

Spotted him again later that day, on the job...

Man, things sure have changed since the 1970s...

Fret Time: Grove Church and Quick Before Sinking

2009-03-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

A lot of fret time this past weekend. It started Saturday afternoon with a sound check and rehearsal for the Grove Community Church. We practiced until about 4:30 then rocked the 5:00 p.m. service.

I played my Les Paul Classic Gold Top through a ’65 reissue Fender Deluxe. The LP sounded good; easy to play, tons of sustain. I miss not having a trem bar, though.

Later that night I sat in with Quick Before Sinking in downtown Riverside.

I brought along the Fender Stratocaster, and played it through Adam's Mesa Boogie. QBS is an amazingly talented group of guys, so I have no idea why they asked me to sit in.

Quick Before Sinking is: Adam (The Epic Beat) on guitar and vocals...

Dr. Mark on bass and vocals...

Scott on drums and percussion...

Ian--who is also a great drummer--dialed in the sound for the band, and snapped a few photos...

And I did something I rarely do in public: I sang.

My brother D-Rave says I'm not a vocalist, and I have to admit he's right on this one. But no one ran screaming from the venue, so it's all good. There's a video of it floating around on the web, but I'm pretty embarrased and can't post it here...

Most of these photos I stole off of Jon Risinger's web site. Sorry, Jon. But when you look at the picture below that my daughter snapped during the show, I think you'll understand why...

Then early Sunday morning I was back at the Grove to play two more services.

But my brother Gary is always on my mind, still. That's an Infant of Prague mass card from his funeral, there on the left side of my pedal board...

U2: A Known Line on the Horizon

2009-03-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

My last posting and recent Tweets about U2 might have led you to believe that I’m down on these guys. Nothing of the sort.

Although “No Line on the Horizon” may not be their best work, it’s still a very good CD.

As they did back in 2004 with “Vertigo,” the band released as its first single a rather unrepresentative track (in this case, “Get on Your Boots”) which, I suppose, is part of a concerted effort by U2 to continually redefine itself and not be limited by those chime-y, majestic anthems that first made them famous. But I can’t imagine such a choice helped album sales out of the gate; I read somewhere that opening week sales were off compared to “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.”

No matter—fans seem to have sidestepped “Boots” and instead quickly focused on “Magnificent” (a chime-y, majestic anthem), which probably would have made for a stronger lead-off single. Other standout tracks include “Breathe,” with its more familiar U2 chorus; “Moment of Surrender,” an R&B-tinged bass hook that would have sounded at home on “HTDAB”; and the haunting “Cedars of Lebanon.”

Even the few tracks that do not quite rise up to U2’s best work still feature passages—a pre-chorus here, a line or two of lyrics there—that are simply brilliant. I suspect that “No Line” will continue to reward with repeated listenings.

Some reviews have taken the band to task for repeating itself—as if they, or any other great band for that matter, could ultimately slip its own skin and be something other than the sum total of its very heart and soul.

What’s more, would fans even want that? If they regard songs like “Boots” or “Vertigo” as novel digressions and continue instead to revel in Bono’s earnest lyrical proclamations set to Edge’s echo-laden guitar hooks, why not ride that well-known line into the horizon?

U2 Wants My Money...

2009-03-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

…and they’ll get it too. It’s just a question of how much.

I mean, it’s one thing to lay out $9.99 for a new CD—in this case U2’s “No Line in the Horizon." But for only $22.99 (an extra $13.00) I could get the CD, plus a limited edition 36-page color booklet, fold-out poster, and a download of new film by Anton Corbijn featuring the music of U2.

Hmm…

But wait—don’t answer yet!

For $36.99, you get the CD in a special 60-page soft cover magazine-style book, plus the film download.

Or for a mere $64.99, folks, you get a deluxe limited-edition-collectors box set, with the CD in a cardboard folded sleeve, 36-page color booklet, fold out poster, plus a 60-page hard cover book, AND an additional fold-out poster, AND DVD of the new film from Anton Corbijn…

Or, for you audiophiles and vinyl fetishists, $19.99 buys you two LP discs in a folding sleeve with 16-page oversized booklet!

Umm….

The $9.99 CD it is!

Is it any wonder that Larry Mullen always looks vaguely disgusted with Bono?

Weeds

2009-02-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

Spent a few minutes weeding the flower bed out front yesterday and it got my mind to thinking. A blog is like your yard; don’t pay attention to it, and after a while it dies.

Lately this site has been looking like a lawn with a bank foreclosure sign sprouting from it. All brown and weeds…

The other day, a fellow blogger knocked on my door. “Hey Cieslak, could you post something new here for chrissake! You’re driving down the values of other websites around the cyber-hood.”

That, or squatters could break in and start posting on their own…

Fine.

I’ll open up the garage, roll out my rickety old gas-powered word processor, spark up the thesaurus, and drag out the rusty editing tools. Cut back some of this undergrowth. Water the imagination. See if I can get a few metaphors to take root and bloom.

Problem is, the next day, my back will be killing me.

Face Palm

2009-02-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

"Face Palm: Because expressing how dumb that was in words just doesn't work..."

Sort of Says it All

2009-02-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

Dismantle the Sun

2009-02-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

(“Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”—by W. H. Auden)

Angels of St. Mary's

2009-02-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

Watching over the funeral mass...

Appears to be a Stratocaster...

Not Even the Angels in Heaven...

2009-01-30T08:41:00.000-08:00

It is Friday morning...

Gary continues to defy all prognoses.

Although his various vital signs have become increasingly dire, he has amazed all nurse and doctors, both present and passing through this home.

Above all, however, he has been resting comfortably this entire week.

As we continue to sit vigil by his side, I have been mindful of the words of Jesus:

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven...Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:36/42)

From Boise,

brian

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-22T19:25:00.001-08:00

LACo FD, Fire Station 19

2009-01-18T17:13:00.001-08:00

You ever notice some people leave their Christmas decorations up way too long?

The Next Tattoo

2009-01-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

I'm planning at least one more tattoo...maybe more.

Above is a picture of my favorite cross that I wear. I got it the day of VHL-stock. I was thinking it might make a great tat for the other arm.

I’m also considering something like this:

The serpent entwined around a staff is known as “the rod of Asclepius,” an ancient Greek symbol associated with the healing arts, or medicine. You may have seen it at a hospital or your doctor’s office, depicted as something like this:

There are several theories as to how the symbol came to be.

In Greek mythology, Asclepius was the son of Apollo and practitioner of medicine. The image combines a staff—a symbol of his authority—with a snake which, in shedding its skin, symbolizes rebirth.

But there’s also a biblical connection here, and I’m more interested in that.

When the Israelites were making their exodus, wandering across the vast barren desert, they complained to Mose and to God about their desperate situation: "Why have you brought us...to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water..." (Numbers 21:5).

In anger, God sent fiery serpents to attack the Israelites, and many died. (God’s a pretty irritable dude in the Old Testament, isn’t he?) The Israelites came back to Moses with an appeal to God, repenting for their sin and asking forgiveness. God then told Moses to make a bronze serpent set on a pole, and commanded that anyone bitten by the fiery snakes should look upon the bronze serpent so he or she would be immediately healed.

Any ways, I was thinking about this image for a tattoo as a tribute to my brother Gary.

Para Flotar

2009-01-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

Just got back in from Boise...feel like I'm drowning, barely keeping my head above water...

Body Art Expo, Pomona 2009

2009-01-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

I went to the 2009 Body Art Expo in Pomona on Saturday night...

I met a lot of interesting people...

I mean really interesting...

The sign sort of says it all...

I couldn't agree more...

Then finally, it was my turn...

Robbie Rittenhouse of Cherry Blossom Tattoo created the artwork...

As a firefighter, Isaiah 43: 2-3 is one of my favorite Bible verses (look it up!)

Needle Time!

Thanks Robbie!

New Years Day 2009

2009-01-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

…And so ends the season of excess.

Now that all expectations have been smartly dashed

It’s a strange culture that begins each New Year with a hangover—a profound physical, emotional, spiritual malaise:

The throbbing head of too much drink,
the dry-mouthed realization of looming financial straits,
the sour stomach of stale relationships,
and the empty resolutions of the coming year.

Remedies are rumors,
as elusive and dissatisfying
as last December’s overwrought desires.
No tonic will ease the soul’s disquiet.

Father Time a fitting symbol:
Hunched and weary,
leaving the wreck of winter
to a new generation of naiveté
(an infant,
and a rising cycle of dreams).

Yet…

On the brown hillsides of cold scrub…

green hope

in hard soil grows

once more.

Favorite Albums of 2008

2008-12-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

“Cardinology,” Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
Adams hands over the reins to his great backing band, who help the ADD-prone songwriter to focus and produce his most consistent and satisfying album yet.

“Tell Tale Signs,” Bob Dylan
Bobby Z’s left-overs (this CD of outtakes and live versions) are better than your “A” material…but then again, you didn’t have Daniel Lanois producing your stuff.

“Mudcrutch,” Mudcrutch
Tom Petty gets his old band back together for an album and tour. The result? Top-notch psychedelic country-rock, ala Gram Parsons and vintage Neil Young.

“Gift of Screws,” Lindsay Buckingham
Hook-y tunes and Pro Tools twiddling from pop’s genius guitarist. Great.

“Viva La Vida,” Coldplay
Get the repackaged set that includes Prospekt’s March, a disk of remixes, etc.

“Live in Gdansk,” David Gilmour.
Gilmour’s endless repackaging of Pink Floyd highlights—great as they are—is thankfully augmented here with the entire “On an Island” song list. Still the best Strat player out there.

“Where the Light Is,” John Mayer
Would have preferred an another studio album like the briliant 2006 “Continum,” if only to prove to us that he’s finally forsaken the sensitive acoustic guitarist/pretty-faced pop singer shtick in favor of wicked good blues hooks. Time will tell.

“Seeing Things,” Jakob Dylan
While we wait for a new Wallflowers CD, we’ll settle for Jake’s acoustic set here, covering some of Dylan Sr.’s ground with protest songs.

“Snakes & Arrows Live,” Rush
Cool-hunters' "best-of" lists found in all the newsstand rags would never dare include a 30 year-old prog rock band, but the jaw-dropping musicianship here is matched by a fan-challenging set list of new material coupled with more obscure catalogue cuts. Check out the stage props in the DVD version.

Happy Day-After-Christmas

2008-12-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

Got a medical call at 4 a.m. this morning.

The patient's chief complaint?

She couldn't sleep.

Now my crew has it...

Waiting for Rain

2008-12-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

Outside my window, it’s overcast and cool.

Not yet Christmas, but I’m already looking back on 2008—I was going to write one last snarky post for Switch 2 Plan B in the form of a year-end review. We’ll see.

It’s been a difficult year…

But it’s quiet this morning.

I’m taking most of the week off, but have to work on Christmas day. Until then, I’ll be doing a little more of this: sitting by the fire with my laptop.

I wrote about 146 blog postings this past year. Not bad. This past month, I got over 500 hits in a single week, but for a blog, that’s not really saying much at all. Every week I ask myself the same question: Should I keep blogging, or just shut it down? Is there are point to all this?

I’m waiting for the rain. It never rains here on Christmas…

But sooner or later, everything must go...

Last Strike Team of 2008

2008-12-15T07:31:00.000-08:00

There are two seasons here in So Cal: fire season and mud slide season. I finished up the former on our department’s new OES rigs.

For a couple of days, we drove up and down Topanga Canyon and Mulholland highway to recon the area in case the red flag winds stoked one last major fire for the year.

The engine is a brand new International model 34, four-wheel-drive. It’s designed for off-road driving—and let me tell you, it’s a blast.

I put a lot of miles on the rig during those two days: Fernwood, Malibou Lake, and even a quick stop on PCH to snap a picture of the crew, using the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop.

Do I look fat in these pictures?

I think I know what my New Years resolution is going to be this year...

New OES Rigs

2008-12-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

They give us introductory training (mandatory) on these new OES (California Office of Emergency Services) rigs on Monday. On Monday night they tell me I'll be assigned to it the next day--and with the unpredictability of staffing policy, that means I'm either in the middle of a 36-hour shift, or starting a 21-day stint out-of-county...

Classic...

Wish I'd paid attention in class...

Take Back the Season

2008-12-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

No, wait…this isn’t one of those blog postings about the over-commercialization of Christmas, and that whole “reason for the season” rant. I mean, let’s get real: Retailers do most of their business during these next few weeks. Sometimes it seems like the Lord created Christmas just to keep our economy afloat. So Happy Holidays, Best Buy!

No, this post is about something far more important…

The weather.

Every year here in Cali, we’re subjected to miles and miles of front yard tableaux, replete with cheap plastic statues of carrot-nosed snowmen and prancing reindeer. In the malls, an unending soundtrack of cheery winter songs like “Let it Snow!”

Here, sing it with me: “Oh, the weather outside is frightful…”

You want frightful weather? How about a snappy melody extolling temperatures in the 80s and 90s? Relative humidity dropping into single digits? Santa Ana winds out of the northeast at 60 miles an hour? Now that’s frightening Christmas weather! It’s called “Red Flag,” jolly St. Nick!

When will the rest of this country stop those on the East Coast from dictating the mood for the holidays, with their depressing motifs of snow and cold?

It was probably 72 and sunny in Bethlehem that day, for cryin’ out loud! If the baby Jesus wanted to become God incarnate in snow pack, he would’ve picked Oslo, Norway.

Jesus wants you to celebrate his birthday as it really happened: Hot and cloudless. He doesn’t even like the East Coast. Ever read a Bible story that depicts the Son of Man ice-skating? “Blessed are the snowboarders?”

No!

Take back the season…

Instead of heading up to the local mountain resorts, drive out to the desert and come back with your pick-up truck bed full of sand and creosote bushes. Decorate your front yard with plastic camels and sweaty Bedouins. For that big holiday meal, serve up roasted roadrunner and cactus. “Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow!”

That’s what Jesus would do for the holidays.

Ryan Adam's "Fix It" (my new favorite song)

2008-11-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

When It Absolutely, Positively Must Get There Overnight

2008-11-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

So get this:

Some lady apparently has been boxing up toddlers and shipping 'em out to random, unsuspecting recipients.

The tots seem to enjoy it, but I hear it's freaking out folks when they open up the box.

Strange...

Sylmar Fire Oakridge Mobile Home Park

2008-11-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, our engine toured the burned-out Oakridge Mobile Home Park, which lost about 477 homes on the night of the Sylmar fire last weekend. These were not small single-wides, but rather, large modular homes complete with brick foundations and manicured front lawns.

With us was Captain David Yonan, who has been credited with helping save the remaining 131 homes there. LA County units returned to make an incredible stand that morning. You can read his story here.

I know that after firestorms, phrases like "war zone" get thrown around a lot, but I really can't think of any other force on earth that could cause such vast destruction. Acres and acres of rubble and burned out cars sitting in driveways of now-nonexistent homes. I could only shake my head.

As we walked around, I tried to draw our boot fireman into an existential discussion of theodicy, God, and the notions of fate and luck.

But as I've said before, in the end, everything must go...

Structure Protection Sylmar Fire 2008

2008-11-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

Guy on the left? Three months on the department...

Guy on the right? A year or two left until retirement...

What do they have in common?

Sharing a few minutes of sleep on a citizen's backyard swing before the fire front reaches our position...

Lessons learned? Sleep with one eye open, so the snarky engineer doesn't pull out his camera and blackmail you...

The Next 48

2008-11-13T21:26:00.001-08:00

Oh man, I am so not looking forward to this weekend. High winds, high temps, and low humidity all predicted...

And after my usual 24 hour engine shift, they're making me drive this piece of junk on Saturday:

Great...

Hope & Change 2008

2008-11-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

The End of Happiness

2008-10-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

So…what ever happened to “Get Happy” month over at Switch 2 Plan B?

Fair enough question.

I mean, let’s face it—after promising 30 days of giddy postings, did I follow up with even a single “happy” essay?

I started the month out by explaining why I didn’t walk around with a smile on my face all day long (like some creepy people I know!). Then I publicly sorted through my various anxiety disorders for your personal entertainment...

Then I left town...

Sorry. Lost interest. Come on! Who are we kidding? That proposition was a loser from the start, and you knew it!

The truth is I write whatever the hell I want.

I’m a rebel, baby! No good!

And that’s why you keep coming back!

Everything must go…

Weird Tales

2008-10-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

This ever happen to you?

You're driving down the street and suddenly you get this creepy feeling that Mr. Death is following you?

Literally...

Weird.

Songs About Fire

2008-10-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

When the wind picked up

And the fire spread

And the grapevines scene left for dead.

And the northern sky, like the end of day,

The end of days.

A wake up call to a rancid room

Sounded like an alarm of impending doom.

To warn us it's only a matter of time.

Before we all burn

I brought some wine and some papercups

Near your daughter's school when we picked her up

And drove to the cemetary on a hill

On a hill.

And we watched the plumes paint the sky gray

And she laughed and dance through the field of graves

There i knew it would be alright

That everything would be alright,

And the news reports on the radio

Said it was getting worse

Cause the ocean air fanned the flame.

But i couldn't think there was anywhere i would have rather been

To watch it all burn away.

To burn away.

("Grapevine Fire" by Death Cab for Cutie)

Indecision 2008

2008-10-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

The polls have closed, and America YOU have decided:

Winning 44% of the vote, the Rickenbacker 360 12-string beat out both the Gretsch G6128 and Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster in the “Which Guitar Should Brian Buy” race over at Switch 2 Plan B.

I strongly suspect that the Epic Beat stuffed the ballot box so that he’d get to hear that classic Rickenbacker chime next time I played the Grove.

And I’m guessing that Stew—a strong Fender partisan—may be crestfallen over the results.

But I’d love to know who voted for what, and why.

(And of course, if you guys think I’m going to let an informal survey like this sway my decision, you’re all nuts. I’m still undecided…)

Backstage, Madame Wongs, 1984

2008-10-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

One more True Confessions picture: Bassist John Warner with vocalist, um...wait a minute...it will come to me...Erin! Yeah, that's it!

Just kidding Erin...

D-Rave says his kid looks like me; you be the judge:

Me, 1984

Calvin, 2008...

Pleasant Valley Sunday (part 2)

2008-10-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

The local rock group down the street
Is trying hard to learn their song
Serenade the weekend squire,
who just came out to mow his lawn

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Charcoal burning everywhere
Rows of houses that are all the same
And no one seems to care

See Mrs. Gray she's proud today
because her roses are in bloom
Mr. Green he's so serene,
He's got a t.v. in every room

Creature comfort goals
They only numb my soul

and make it hard for me to see
My thoughts all seem to stray

to places far away
I need a change of scenery

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Here in status symbol land
Mothers complain about how hard life is
And the kids just don't understand

Played

2008-09-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Skulls
Tats
Skull tats
Full sleeve
Harleys
Baggy pants past your ass, boxers showin’
Nose piercing
Eyebrow piercing
Gangsta rap with angry lyrics about shit you never had to endure
Black clothes
Mohawks
Goatees
Shaved heads
Doc Martins
Hi tops
Hard core metal with angry lyrics about shit you never had to endure
Age-ism
The N word
Arguing about who can and cannot say the N word
Clintons
Bushes
Red v. Blue
Cynicism
Christian-bashing
Fox News
The Daily Show
Smugness
Hypocrisy
Accusing others of hypocrisy
14 miles to the gallon
Bumper stickers about your faith/lack of faith
Illiteracy
Short attention spans
Texting
Self-aggrandizement
YourBook
MyFace
Hookin’ up
Kids having kids
Leaving your wife & kids
Binge
Ingratitude
Bling
Virtual
Viral
Reality shows
American Idol
Dawg
Ho
Ennui
Disaffection
Affecting disaffection
Taking offense
Aggression
Your bad-ass stance…

All of this junk is PLAYED!

It’s all, what?—ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty years old now? It’s over…

Do you really need a 40-something to point this out to you?

Everything must go…

Timber!

2008-09-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

This call came in on the morning of Labor Day: An old and very tall pine tree toppled onto this single story home, crashing right through the master bedroom, where the sole occupant was sleeping.

See if you can find the bed in this picture...Hint: It's right there under the ceiling fan!

Miraculously, she self-extricated, with only a few minor lacerations and abrasions.

An hour later, when I made a quick search of her room to recover her laptop and cell phone, the huge tree was still creaking and groaning.

But I noticed that her house now had a wonderful pine-fresh scent to it.

Get Serious!

2008-09-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

That idiot over at Switch 2 Plan B has pledged to post nothing but "happy thoughts" for the next 30 days! Can you believe that?

He'll never make it...

Until he comes back down to reality, his readers are going to need some comic relief, so we here at EMG (Everything Must Go) are going to serve it up!

Enjoy!

Benefit Concert for VHL Family Alliance Cancer Research Fund a Success!

2008-08-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

On the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, my 17 year-old nephew Calvin plugged in his guitar and took the stage at VHL-stock, an event he helped arranged to raise awareness of Von Hippel-Lindau disease, and garner donations for the VHL Family Alliance Cancer Research Fund.

Calvin has the rare genetic disease that leaves him vulnerable to tumors on his eyes, spinal cord, and adrenal glands, and has already had three surgeries to remove such growths.

The event raised over $11,300 for the cancer fund.

I think the ghost of Hendrix would have approved of our appropriating the Woodstock moniker, as the Fender Stratocaster-wielding Calvin opened the night’s set of music with cover tunes by Ryan Adam, Elvis Costello and Tom Petty.

Calvin was backed by his dad, D-Rave on drums, his uncle Brian (Switch2PlanB) on guitar, and his cousin Joe on keyboards, with a band that also featured Nick of the Pink Floyd tribute band, “Which One’s Pink?” on keyboards and guitar:

The show turned into a reunion of sorts, as D-Rave and Brian (below) played together again for the first time since they shared the stage in L.A. rock bands True Confessions and Painted Horses.

The VHL-stock band rocked the house with some original tunes by Calvin…

And Joe sat in, playing a song written in tribute to his dad—our brother Gary…

(sorry for the blurry photo, Joe!)

Rocky Peak's Wes, was awesome on bass...

And Lauren sang lead and backing vocals...

Thanks to Joel Lifter for all the photos--and awesome brownies!

After the show, rumors of a VHL-stock II were already in the air...

Thanks to everyone who attended, and all who donated so generously!

(For more pix, go here...)

Stalling for Time

2008-08-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

Since Switch is in the middle of another one of his stupid “3-part series,” I’ll post a few bullet points here for those three people who actually read “Everything Must Go.” Notes from my mundane, meaningless existence:

* I’m back in a fire station, driving a rig. It’s like staring all over again, and I hate it. The T-Rex is a bitch...

* “VHL-stock” was a blast, and I’ll post pictures next week...

* I spent the weekend avoiding writing anything new, and instead screwing around with my Facebook and flickr pages...

* My poor wife seems to finally be on the mend. Local ER staffs all know her by name now…

* I’ve been reading “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon.” Along with Bukowski and the recent Rolling Stone piece on Robert Downey Jr., I’ve been studying the lives of famous drunken a**holes. Contemplating posting about it…

* I apologize for posting all the crappy song lyrics on both blog sites. Seemed like a good idea at the time…

* It’s been 1 month and a week, for those keeping track. But I can't recommend it...

Sorry

2008-08-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Another paean to mediocrity. Again, any resemblance to persons living or nearly dead is coincidental…

* * *

In a pair of silk pajamas
Clutching a Monte Blanc pen
I leave my last will and testament
Dictated from my dying bed

It’s time for me to come clean
It’s time to make amends
Even though you hardly noticed
I was falling off the end

But I’m sorry I let you down
Sorry I let you down
And even though
I never sank so low
For word to get around
I’m sorry
Sorry I let you down

I showed up at the Château Marmount
But they stopped me at the door
I showed them my press clippings
But they seemed to need a little more

I showed up Sunday drunk
But the pastor never had a clue
Still, I begged for his forgiveness
He said “Son, what ‘d you ever do?”

I’m sorry I let you down
Sorry I let you down
And even though
I never sank so low
For word to get around
I’m sorry
Sorry I let you down

I think I may have a story here to tell
But I’m just not sure if it would sell

I failed to bust into this world
Then I failed to get tossed back out
So lukewarm that Christ himself
Would spit me out his mouth

So I’m sorry I let you down
Sorry I let you down
And even though
I never sank so low
For word to get around
I’m sorry
Sorry I let you down

copyright
b. cieslak
8/21/08

VHL-stock wrap up

2008-08-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

For you Switch-heads out there asking how the VHL-Stock concert went, I'll post a complete report as soon as I get some pictures...

For now, I'll just tell you that we had a great turn out, the band had a blast, and we helped raise a tidy amount of money for a great cause...

Some of my relatives hit the wine bar a little too hard, but that's another story.

Anyway, there's talk of maybe even doing it again next year!

Until then...

VHL Family Alliance Cancer Research Fund

http://www.vhl.org/

14 Days

2008-08-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

More lyrics, this set from Warren Zevon's warped mind:

Well, I went to the doctor, I said,
"I'm feeling kind of rough"
He said, "I'll break it to you, son
Your sh*t's f**ked up."

I said, "My sh**t 's f**ked up?"
Well, I don't see how—"
He said, "The sh**t that used to work—
It won't work now."

That amazing grace
Sort of passed you by
You wake up every day
And you start to cry

Yeah, you want to die
But you just can't quit
Let me break it on down:
It's the f**ked up sh*t

Thirty Days in the Hole

2008-07-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

This—my pirate web site, my edgy blog site for my alternate universe—has sort of devolved into some anemic bulletin board about all the crap going on at work.

Didn’t really intend.

That said, here’s the latest: The chief was supposed to let me go back to a station spot on August 1st.

Ain’t gonna happen.

They’re keeping me in “The Bureau” for 30 more days, after which time, the department—by policy—MUST let me go.

I Didn't Do This!

2008-07-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

....I just happened to drive up right after another County employee operating a backhoe snapped off the hydrant. Hey, stuff happens...

Note the large crowd of County workers beginning to gather. Note the presence of cell phone cameras. Note the two hapless firemen (second and third from right) from 114's ("Serving with Pride in a Single Wide!") searching fruitlessly for the underground valve which would shut off the geyser.

Not shown: Public Works supervisor searching for blueprints indicating exact location of paved-over valve.

T-Rex

2008-07-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Want to know the source of my anxiety these days?

It’s a dinosaur.

A T-rex to be exact.

“T-rex” is the nickname County engineers have bestowed upon the beast pictured here: It is a 1995 KME fire engine with non-synchronous manual transmission controlled by an inconveniently located and smallish shift arm said to resemble the tiny forepaw of the legendary behemoth.

It’s tight, unforgiving shift pattern has been the downfall of many an engineer, some of whom—completely whipped and chagrinned—have surrendered the driver’s seat to a junior fireman or an annoyed captain.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks driving this thing aimlessly around downtown Lancaster, struggling to make the machine “my bitch.”

So far, it’s a draw.

And the real test—not on these flat desert stretches, but the rolling mountainsides of the Verdugo foothills—is yet to come…

Dang! Missed my downshift!

Hey...It's Not Tomorrow Yet!

2008-07-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.switch2planb.com/

Still Trying...

2008-07-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Still trying to get the hang of this "hands free" thing...

Friendliest Fire Department?

2008-06-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Dozer team at the ready in Lancaster. Is ours the "friendliest" fire department?

Take a closer look...

Palmdale Fire

2008-06-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

We drove up to the fire in our Bureau-issued white Ford Taurus with the County "double nickles" fire insignia on the doors. Me and Jason, who'll replace me when I go back to the station in August.

I looked at him and said, "Welcome to Prevention, kid. It ain't the fire service...but you can see it from here!"

Sand Storm

2008-06-04T20:34:00.001-07:00

A typical drive home from work, after a long day in the fire prevention bureau: A desert sand storm out on K street, past 70th East. Near-zero visibility.

Late Breaking News

2008-05-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

My bid to leave the fire prevention bureau in the desert and return to a fire station has been approved.

Some time in the next three and half months I'll be going to Fire Station 63 in La Crescenta. Ain't exactly the Taj Mahal, but it's my ticket out, baby!

Mudcrutch

2008-05-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hope y'all picked up the new Mudcrutch CD.

The world's last surviving rock star, Tom Petty, dusted off his pre-Heartbreakers band from his Gainesville FLA days.

It features Tom, the Heartbreakers' own Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh.

Mudcrutch was cut from the same cloth as Gram Parsons, the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Byrds, and Neil Young--that is, countrified rock, heavy on the heavy guitars.

Tracked live over 10 days, this outing is better than Petty's own last solo CD, "Highway Companions." Don't believe me? Just check out the nine and a half minute "Crystal River," or "Scare Easy."

Get out your lava lamp and hookah...

Can You Hear Me Now?

2008-04-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Jesus Over New Orleans 2007

2008-04-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Skywriting...

Smoking Kills

2008-04-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of taking up smoking as a way to calm my nerves and suppress hunger.

Of course, you can't just rush into a bad habit like that, so I was thinking of easing into it. I'll start by chewing nicotine gum first, and then switch to a patch, before I finally begin puffing away on Marlboro Lights.

Eventual goal: filterless Lucky Strikes, two packs a day...

Home Sweet Home

2008-04-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Last week's photo caption contest was such a huge success, I've decided to post another picture for your witty responses....

This was one of my recent inspections...

Flaming Sofa

2008-03-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I can't really think of anything to write about this picture. Maybe you all could suggest a caption--you know, sort of like a contest. I'll look around my garage or music room and find something cool to give away as a prize for the best caption.

I can tell you this: The young man seated on the far left is the son of a firefighter, and if you ask me, it looks like a cry for attention.

How about the casual, almost bored, look of the guys standing in the background, as if they did this every night at the beach. But even more priceless is the expression on the face of the kid giving us the "thumbs up"--the one who looks like Will Ferrell.

No college students were harmed in the taking of this photo...

I couldn't really think of anything to write about it, but as you know, this blog is all about the "cut back"--those odds and ends that don't get posted on my other site. So once again, "Everything Must Go."

Emergent Christians Co-pted

2008-03-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago, George Bush tapped into the then-growing conservative Christian movement to help sweep him into office. All of that is old news.

Now, Democrats are co-opting the emergent Christian movement to dethrone the Republicans.

Unlike their parents or older siblings, these emergents tend to be idealistic anti-war and anti-death penalty advocates, and bring a missional zeal to their outward-looking agenda of addressing world poverty and disease.

So the Dems’ campaign slogans about hope and change must really resonate.

Of course, the Democrats don’t give a damn about the emergents’ pro-life stance. The unapologetically pro-abortion rights candidates are perfectly happy to co-opt this well-intended group and take their money and support.

Emergent Christians are being used, and if they were honest with themselves, they’d have to admit that the Democratic candidates are just as incompatible with their ideals as the Republicans.

Perhaps some of us older Christians will pull out our musty “Who’s Next” LP and blast Townsend’s anthem, “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

Jesus Rocks the Vote

2008-03-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

If I read one more line about who Jesus would vote for, I’m gonna snap.

The truth is, he wouldn’t vote for your candidate. I don’t care how much the guy on your bumper sticker reminds you of Bobby Kennedy circa 1967, Jesus still wouldn’t endorse him. Or her. Or whoever.

That goes for both liberals and conservatives. One side thinks abortion is keen; the other solves problems by sending in troops. You really think he’d sign up for either of these? He’d want to redeem the candidates, not stand beside them on a podium.

Jesus rocks the vote.

He calls into question all of our loyalties, our prejudices, our biases and beliefs. All of those dirty little rationalizations we tell ourselves while we’re standing behind the curtain, punching out chads.

Politicians compromise; Jesus does not. They dissemble; Jesus does not. They act in self-interest, they take revenge, they bargain, they backstab, and offer up that which is not theirs to give. Then they get caught in a hotel room with a high-priced hooker.

So go ahead and vote. But don’t slap your campaign sticker on Christ.

Everything Must Go

2008-03-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

In college, my thesis advisor once told me, “Write long, and cut back.”

So this is the cut back, the stuff that didn’t make it on to my other blog, and would otherwise never see the light of day. The remainder bin. The cut outs.

Everything must go.