TND West

It’s hard to be a cowboy in New York City.  The problem as I see, in a singularly important way, is that you got to be careful not to get the heel of your boot stuck somewhere but I mean good, when there’s a train or what have you coming along.  It’s a dangerous thing, but it’s a dangerous city, and lots of people wear shoes with heels here.  But I don’t necessarily want to imply that we’re all in this mess together, because I for one am not in this together with anyone.  Not in this city.  I come here to make a go at putting a new product out on the market, and once it’s out, I’m done, and going back home.

I did get to book one of those boutique hotels, and New York has a good sense of class, and if you want to talk about hospitality, I never seen the likes of it ever before.  I wake up feeling like a million bucks, and usually I wake up feeling like I’ve been stomped on all night by a fat bull on trucker speed.  This is an irregular experience for sure, and one I would likely repeat, if this was all I had to do while I was here.  But there’s more work to be done.  I love Patsy Cline, see, and she had perfect pitch.

Now my partner and I have some ideas on what people want in the world, and for kids, a good ear is essential in developing a musical sense.  We have to instate these things when they’re young and impressionable, so they can thrive in the world as they grow.  Patsy Cline had a secret, of course.  Her perfect pitch came about from eating beef, and her support of the cattle industry caused a wave of what can only be called grace, on the part of the cows who wanted to be eaten, to send her the gift of song.  And as long as I’m here, I’m convincing people left and right that the cattle industry is not just a good idea, it’s come from divine providence.

Do you enjoy singing with your family by a nice cozy Napoleon Stove? It is a perfect way to enjoy time with your loved ones. Maybe you have a list of songs or a song book that you already like to play together. Well now that you can already play the guitar or piano and sing together, how about creating your own songs to sing together. It would add even more pride to your family time. So what does it take to make your own song? Well, there are a few key things that would help.

If you can already play an instrument then you have already learned a few musical chords. It also helps if you can read a bit of music and know some of the theory of music. But let’s just say you want to make a song with the knowledge of the few chords you do know from learning other songs. That is doable. So take three or four chords and start some sort of progression with them. Which means put them in and order. Then add a rhythm to it. This would come with how you strum your guitar or play on the piano in a certain time. Then listen to the combination of rhythm and chord progression on its own for a few rounds. Do you hear any melodies in your head? Just listen and let any melodies come to your mind. Then start to sing. Even if it is just La la la la. Just get an idea of where you melody wants to go.

Now it is time to pick a topic. To get an idea of what to write about just soak up your moment. Who you are with, what you are talking about, where you are, maybe the fire itself can all become apart of your special song. You can rhyme your words if you want to but it is not necessary. Let everyone add a line or two so that everyone feels included. Top it off with some fun harmonies and Wa La you have created a song together as a family.

When Guns N Roses new album Chinese Democracy came out on November 23, 2009 everyone thought it was a sure thing for the number 1 position in the pop charts.  However Kanye West and Taylor Swift put paid to that!

Kanye’s album shifted 450,100 units while Guns N Roses sold 261, 200 in its first week after release.  Fans had been waiting 17 years for the record…but it seems like many fans have lost interest.

Country singer Taylor Swift ranked at number two with  sales of 267,400 of Fearless her latest album.

Deciding to create a backyard kitchen will not only open up your life to new opportunities for entertaining, but this decision may end up taking you places.  At home, out door grilling and food preparation may seem a bit of a hassle, but with the outdoor kitchen this will not be an issue.  An outdoor sink, refrigerator and grill will cut down the time you spend going back and forth, from indoor kitchen to outdoor grill.  Your time will be spent perfecting your own recipes, in a convenient setting and in a beautiful setting.

Depending on the design, guests may be able to sit at the bar, and talk with you while you are preparing the night’s dishes.  Once you have done this enough times, you may be tempted to take your recipes to strangers, to festivals and competitions across the country.  Barbecue and Blues.  These are two things I personally remember about my years living in Chicago, Illinois.  I did not gain these memories through the myriad of BBQ and Blues joints in Chicago, but from my next door neighbor Catherine.  Each weekend I would awake to the music of the legendary musicians and to the scents that Catherine filled the neighborhood with, on her tiny backyard grill.

Now I look to recreate that experience in the festivals that happen around the country.  One such festival happens in Arkansas.  The “Bikes, Blues & BBQ Rally” has been going on for the past ten years.  The rally is a moving one, through the cities of Northwestern Arkansas, all the proceeds are donated to local charities, and the motorcycles, the music and the BBQ draws crowds.  Many teams of chefs travel each year to compete with their own recipes, with accompaniment provided by such Blues legends as Big Bad Bubba, Steve Pryor, and Oreo Blue.  The best of sauces and spices are to be found during the taste sampling hours, and the best of the Blues is found throughout the day.  What a better way to take your recipes on the road?

I remember I would spend my time in lines for Concert Tickets back in the day, the early 80’s. I would choose a Ticket location which I thought would be the least busiest. Now, when the concert was for a rock show, I would have to drive into the inner city, the more scarier part of town, because it was mostly deserted in the early morning hours. It beats camping out the night before.

Tickets for a Rap concert, I would head to the suburbs, the malls and find a Ticket place there. Of course this strategy won’t work today, but back in the 80’s Rap was almost only listened to by black people. Whites generally stayed away from Rap music, so the suburbs was perfect for getting concert tickets. I also remember many of times police had to be stationed at many Ticket place locations and make sure that the wristbands which were distributed a half-an-hour before the box-office opened, to prevent anyone trying to cut in line, or push and shove their way to the front of the line. The wrist band was our insurance that we had a legitimate place in line. That was good strategy too, because I didn’t have to camp out when I knew wristbands would be passed out in a lottery kind of method.

But, what I found the most frustrating was almost being the first in line, but the person in front of me took a long time in purchasing their tickets, they were buying up as many tickets as possible, so by the time I got to the window, seating choices were limited and the concert was almost sold out! I was third in line one time and when I got to the ticket window, the concert was already sold out! That’s when I had to find scalpers to get my tickets. Now a days, the Internet as virtually removed any necessity to stand in line, but hasn’t stopped the tickets from being sold out as soon as they go on sale.