Music, Government, and Everything in Between.

It is approaching 90 degrees today. It may have reached 90, who knows. When it gets that hot does a few degrees really matter. Not much, probably. When it gets this warm I have to listen to "Bullroarer" by Midnight Oil, just for the opening;

"In the desert in the dry,
Before the breaking of the rain,
The temperature in the shade
Had reached a 110 again."

Then I listen to the whole thing because it is a rocking number, and a little angry. Musicians who are angry seem to make better music.  And Peter Garrett was pretty mad about a lot of things, mostly things that were uniquely Australian, the treatment of indigenous people, and the stewardship of the land. I guess those problems are not so unique to Australia, after all.

In fact he was so mad he ran for office, and people were so incensed they elected him. And now we don't have a tall, angry man singing songs about injustice, no more Midnight Oil, but we do have another Member of Parliament. Mores the pity. I have several Midnight Oil albums, and enjoy them enthusiastically.

Recently, Mr. Garrett resigned his post, and announced he would not seek reelection. There has been some strife in the Australian government, and it has not set well. So he will have some free time, soon.

Speaking of Midnight Oil, they started as a band in 1973. Wow, that was a long time ago. About the same time a Canadian band named the Guess Who broke up, according to a fan page it was actually 1975.

On my Phone is a copy of "The Best Of The Guess Who." It was on sale, and they were pretty cool, so I snagged it. They had quite a few hits, and I am nothing if not nostalgic about the music of that era.

Recently a coworker told me he was going to visit his Mother, and take in the county fair. He said it was a small fair, in a sparsely populated county. But, they "get some big name acts, this year it is the Guess Who." Who knows, maybe next year they will get Midnight Oil.

Corn Dogs, Controlled Violence and Entertainment.

Yesterday was an exercise in masculinity, a macho parade of manly activities, a mixture of jet fuel and fireworks and bourbon. All combined and stirred and sauteed in a pan with a touch of extra virgin olive oil until tender, at this point add a sprinkle of salt and a pinch of oregano. Now fold in the diced onion, gently stirring and carefully pouring into a 9 by 13...  Wait, it was a lot more macho than that.

We went fishing, and it was hot, and there had been a lot of rain so the water was thick with branches, twigs, and leafs. It was humid, and pretty miserable, and it takes a real man to suffer through that sort of misery.  But, we were not bothered by any fish. Lucky bastards, anyway.

This evening we tried something completely new, and different.  We went to an MMA match. Actually, it was series of matches, six in total. And, they were outside, and they were at the county fair. 

There is something magical about a county fair, something historical, barns filled with chickens, cows, and sheep, and dreams. Each one the product of hours of work, and care. Sleepless nights, sweat, tears, and the endless hope of success.

Which is probably very similar to the Mixed Martial Arts at this level. These are combatants with few fights, entry level bouts. But, everybody had to start somewhere, right?

After the heat and humidity of the day the evening cooled down beautifully. There were dark clouds, some rumbles of thunder, and a few flashes of lightning, but they stayed on the periphery. It was a great night for sitting outside watching two young men try to beat the living snot out of each other.

Mixed martial arts is kind of new to me, but my son likes it and I love to check out new things. Plus, it was at the county fair. We have watched it a few times, so I am not a complete novice.

It always seems to start with two guys kick boxing and then one grabs the other, throws him down, and tries to kneel over him and pound him into submission. It seems savage, and the formula doesn't change much, but it is interesting, once you get past the brutality. And it is obvious these young men train vigorously, and work very hard to earn a chance to climb into the six sided ring.  I am not sure why it has six sides.

But, it was quite an experience and trying new things is always a good idea.  Next week it is boxing and the demolition derby.  More mayhem and elephant ears. Don't pass the chance to take in something local, you will never regret it.