Tag: Santana

Twozdaz Theme Music

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray outside my window, today, Twozda, November 18, 2025. It’s a bleak and dark look which does little to inspire the mind, body, or spirit to move. Our present temperature is 42 degrees F but it’s gonna surge to 45. Rain? Maybe, in the realm of a quarter inch or less.

Papi the orange floof dislikes this change of meteorological circumstance. He went out several times. Dissatisfied with his experiences, he’s sulking in the living room on his favorite chair, thinking of sleeping.

I ran two miles yesterday afternoon. Felt quite good after that, all lubed up and flexible, if you will. Supremely satisfying to having pieces working in rhythm with a thumping heart, heaving chest, and dribbles of sweat finding their chaotic paths down my skin. The warm shower afterward felt oh so good. With time’s passage, I’m now permitted to wash my incision sites, and gave them the first light cleaning they’ve had since the operation on Nov. 5.

The Neurons have provided me with “Stormy” by the Classics IV from 1968 as my morning mental music stream entertainment. I felt they offered this on Papi’s behalf, as The Neurons kept repeating, “Bring back that sunny days!” I’ve gone with the 1979 Santana cover.

Trump continues pursuing an altered reality which is only accessible by putting his head up his ass. He’s joined there by people who eagerly endorses his warped ideas on humanity, civilization, and society, such as the Heritage Foundation, purveyors of Project 2025. As Heather Cox Richardson explained, it’s all about having a world for the wealthy supported by the poor. Different rules apply for the wealthy. White men have major roles in keeping it organized and civilized. Ms Richardson tells us that we’ve gone through these before, with southern ‘gentlemen’ in the mid 1800s, and such business ‘leaders’ as Carnegie and Mellon, who seemed to have very low opinions of anyone who wasn’t wealthy and didn’t think those people worked hard enough. Sound familiar? You should read the whole thing.

Letters From An American

I don’t know if peace and grace are going to show when it’s so gloomy looking outside. I don’t really blame them, as today’s weather is not an inviting presence. I’ll make do with coffee again. Here we go, once more into the breach. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

Mood: Coffee’dup.

It’s Monday morning on Ma 27, 2024.

Like many on the east coast of the U.S., it’s a wet one here in the Churchill Valley. Blue sky has retreated as gray clouds carpet out most of the sun. 66 degrees F at this point, 79 F might be the temperatures’ upside.

I’m staying in one of the suburban areas east of Pittsburgh. Many parts of the city lost power due to storms this past weekend. We’ve been fortunate, knock wood.

Awoke today feeling little rested after a night of scarcely remembered fractious dreams. One dream piece recalled featured police officers. One turned into a human sized cat. The other cop became a frog and hopped away. I awoke wondering what their names were. I usually remember dreams pretty vividly so not remembering them causes me to ask, “Damn, what’s wrong with me that I’m not remembering my dreams?”

Had a satisfying and comfortable Memorial Day visit with my sister’s family. This is again one of the young sisters. I have three of them, all smart, who always throw open their doors and welcome me to their home and their table. None of them will let me pay for anything, which, while I appreciate, also vexes me. I love them and their families.

Satisfying and delicious food was on the table yesterday, of course. Pasta salad. Calico beans without the bacon. Corn souffle. Rice and cheese with broccoli, meatballs, and hamburgers with or without cheese. Hard to resist my stomach’s urgers to “Eat more, eat more,” even though I was quite full. Desserts included cakes, fruit with angel food cat, and key lime and apple pies. Yeah, we’re a fortunate family in regards of having food and shelter security, and a family that gets along reasonably well.

Mom is doing okay. She was down a bit yesterday, with a cranky overlay. I suspect this came around from getting up early to dress and leave for the cookout. It was starting at 1, so the timing forced her out of her returns and comfort zones.

When I wrote a previous phrase, ‘It’s a wet one,’ Der Neurons pushed “Smooth” into the morning mental music stream (Trademark flooded). “Smooth” is a ’99 collaboration between Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas, and was written by Itaal Shur and Thomas. It’s a smooth rock offering, with strong lyrics, wonderful percussion, and some soaring Santana licks.

Stay positive, be strong, and Vote Blue in 2024. Coffee is already fueling me and sunshine has overcome some of the clouds. Hey, ho, here we go, slinking toward the May’s finish. Here’s the music.

Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Mood: Cheervernal

Salutations to all the other people traveling this space rock. Welcome to Thursday, March 7 2024.

Kicky weather today in Ashlandia, where the springs are above average. Sprinter is back as spring and winter mixes it up. We begin with cold temperatures and clear skies. Was 30 F when I pried myself out of bed and shuffled toward the coffee-making process. Flooftours took me to the petting, greeting, and feeding areas for our housecats. While the furnace rumbled up in the attic, sunshine refreshed us as a blue sky rose from the darkness.

But then…dun dun dun. Patchy fog began biting into the blue sky, casting dark shadows on the sunny green mountains in the south and the wintry snow-kissed realms to the north and east. Sluggish as a coffee-deprived human, the temperature is squeaking through the thirties toward the forties. The high, they say, will be around 48 F in these environs before night sweeps in, dragging winter back in with it.

I played “Fresh Air” by Quicksilver Messenger Service yesterday. I always thought it had a lot of Santana shadings. Those thoughts lowered The Neurons into my memory mines, where they went through Santana’s offerings and returned with several favorites. One ended up dominating the morning mental music stream, a 1971 song called “Everybody’s Everything”. Where a young Neal Schon, Journey’s eventual guitarist, shared guitar duties on the original song, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Vaughn, and Los Lobos joined Santana on this video. Not the greatest video but still mesmerizing to see and hear the late SRV. Stay around for the lively percussions.

Be strong, lean forward, stay strong, and vote Blue. Coffee is already percolating around my system. Have a fab one. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Sunday slipped into space with the weariness of an old ship being brought into port the final time. Rain and cold air heralded his arrival. Lackluster sunrise contributed its presence at 7:29 AM, or as the house floofs term it, midday. They’ve been up a few hours, pranking one another, running around, and asking me to play with them. “In a little while,” I slur with sleep-induced laziness.

Welcome to December 11, 2022.

The floofs have eaten and are now asleep. It’s 2 degrees C out but don’t worry, it’ll spunk up to 44 F before the sun slinks away at 4:39 PM. It’ll get down to 34 F tonight and up to 46 tomorrow before dropping to 25 tomorrow night. We’re expecting snow showers sometime during this up and down cycle.

I have “She’s Not There” in my morning mental music stream. It’s the Santana version. Yeah, a repeat, delivered by Les Neurons after I answered a survey about my recent replacement part shopping experience. I detailed it more in the post, “Replacement Part”. Anyway, I commented to the company that they’re not there on the weekends. Les Neurons shuffled from ‘you’ to ‘she’ faster than a floof can eat a treat. The Zombies did a great job with the Argent written song in 1964. I know it well and admired it. But Les Neurons keep playing Carlos Santana’s guitar from his group’s cover of it in 1977. Who am I to argue with my neurons? Might as well argue with the floofs or muses. Those are all arguments I will lose, along with any engaged with my spouse.

Stay positive, test negative, and if you fail, try again, right? I need some coffee. Here’s Santana and the song. Have a better one. Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Do your Saturday dance if you got one. Because, yes, it is Saturday.

It’s also December 10, 2022. If it’s your birthday or anniversary, happiest of them to you. Do your celebration dance. And if you’re having donuts or a special breakfast, do your celebration dance for that. I’m doing my celebration dance in honor of coffee. I got it, I’m drinking it, I’m dancing.

The windstorm ended shortly after dawn at 7:28 this morning. Rain stopped a little before, leaving large puddles across the back patio which greatly displeased Papi, the ginger floof prince. Clouds broke their clinch. Sunshine and blue sky are squinting out, asking, “Is it over?” Snow still dusts and crusts many ridges, tree lines, and peaks above our elevation. No snow down here toward the valley floor, though. We’re happy for the snow where it added to the pack or entertains others. Looking out, the windstorm didn’t take over any trees, fences, houses, roofs, etc. It was a lot of noise and a jolt of tension but it’s done. 37 F outside right now. 48 F is the anticipated high temperature. Sunset comes at 4:39 PM.

Without irony nor surprise, I can tell you that The Neurons picked up on the wind theme for the morning music. I heard them talking in my head, remembering wind songs. There is a chunk of them from the rock era. Some surprise was found when they pulled up Santana and “Song of the Wind”. Released on an album in 1972, I listened to the album pretty extensively. It has more of a jazz infusion that the harder rock or progressive rock that The Neurons usually cheer on, but back when I was sixteen and drawing and painting, I found this comfortable music as accompaniment. Later on, when I was living in the Philippines, I would listen to it and sip wine while I drew or read. So good memories come with this album. There is beautiful guitar work on it, of course, cuz it’s Carlos, but there are also impressive musicans who gravitated to him, and the interesting percussion work often featured in his songs.

Stay positive, test negative, and celebrate what you can. I’m celebrating more coffee. Here’s the song. Hope it helps move your day in the right ways. Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

Give me an F! Give me a U! Give me a —

Oh, wait. I started to spell Friday but diverted onto a Country Joe and the Fish route. Some of you may not understand.

Starting over. Welcome to Friday, end of the work week for many, beginning of the weekend for multitudes. Today is October 22, 2021. Storms roared around us all night, giving drum solos worthy of a Rush concert. Sunrise stole in, infusing light and color into the gray day at 7:32 AM. Sunset comes around at 6:18 PM. A blustery wind has brought us balmy temps. We’re hovering around fifty right now and expect to reach the low sixties. Not as fine as yesterday, when the thermometer kissed the low seventies, but we’ll take it so long as it comes with rain.

Songs about rain and storms are naturally mingling in the morning’s mental music stream. I featured “Stormy” by the Classics IV a few years back. I thought I’d present the Santana cover, done in 1978, for today. Carlos stayed with the original song’s mellow feel. Of course, for me, the line so well known at the end of the chorus, “Bring back that sunny day”, isn’t about a woman, but just better times. Deliver us to some better days — some sunny days — around the world, s’il vous plait.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and vax up and booster up when you can. I’m behind on my coffee rations this morning. Need to go fetch that first cup. Here’s the music. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Hard to believe, but another Thursday is upon us. We’ll name this one Thurston. Thurston Thursday, May 6, 2021. The sun came upon us in Ashland at 6 AM exactly (give or take some seconds) and will do its vanishing act at 8:15 PM. Between those hours, we expect a few clouds (don’t see any right now, but that can change), sunshine, and highs in the seventies, a comedown from yesterday, when we struck 86.

I was checking sunrise and set in Kennebunk, Maine, where it’s 5:38 AM and 7:50 PM, respectively. I prefer our hours, where we experience more evening light. Which would you prefer?

Today’s music is brought to you by Carlos Santana and his musical group. He released “Winning” back in 1981. I thought of the song after thinking about a portion of last night’s dreams.

I had a dream
But it turned to dust
What I thought was love
That must have been lust
I was living in style
When the walls fell in
When I played my hand
I looked like a joker
Turn around
Fate must have woke her
‘Cause lady luck
She was waiting outside the door

h/t to Metrolyrics.com

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask, and get the vax. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

Guess I’m in a nostalgic mood. Perhaps it’s the day. With gusty winds, leaves turning yellow and gold and dancing as they leap from trees, a blue sky so clear you can see tomorrow, and a bit of balmy warmth creeping in, it feels like a perfect autumn day. At least, this is how I remember perfect autumn days. They make me want to go somewhere, do things, visit with friends, and chat with nature.

Totally lifts my spirit even while I hunger to beg off the usual routines, jump in the car, and be off. With some amusement, as I did the dress-feed the cats–make breakfast and coffee routine, I was humming sotto voce. Catching the tune, I put words to it with surprise.

The song was from 1981. I was twenty-five then, feeling good about life and prospects. The year’s beginning had us living in base housing at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, driving a new metallic copper Pontiac Firebird we’d bought the year before. Aunts, uncles, and cousins had moved here from Pittsburgh, PA, and lived nearby, giving us family to visit. Life had an easy rhythm.

By May, we’d sold the car and taken up a new assignment at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, a three year tour which began with us living for a few weeks in the base hotel while we bought a used car and found a place to live off base. It was a great adventure.

Here is Santana’s 1981 cover of “Winning”, a song from that time.

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Seems like everybody’s waiting
For a new change to come around.

[Background:]
Come around, come around, come around.

[Lead Vocal:]
Waiting for the day when the
King, Queen of soul sing around

[Background:]
Sing around, sing around, sing around, sing around.

[Lead Vocal:]
You can understand everything’s to share.
Let your spirit dance brothers everywhere.
Let your head be free, turn the wisdom key
Find it naturally – see you’re lucky to be.
Dig this sound it’s been round and round and round.

You get out your cold feet ba-by
Something on your back lay it down.

[Background:]
Lay it down, lay it down, lay it down.

[Lead Vocal:]
Don’t you know honey maybe your light might shine this whole town

[Background:]
This whole town, this whole town, this whole town, sing around.

[Lead Vocal:]
Time for you to all get down
Yeah do it

h/t to AZLyrics.com

The song is Santana with “Everybody’s Everything” (1971). Thought it fit well for these times. BTW, that’s a Neal Schon guitar solo, not Carlos.

Get ready.

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Thinking about having a beer with friends at our annual Haroldfest tonight when this energetic old rock song streamed in. Even though it’s by this group led by this guy named Santana, I don’t I’ve heard it on the radio in about four decades.

The lines that brought it into mind:

You can understand everything’s to share.
Let your spirit dance brothers everywhere.
Let your head be free. Turn the wisdom key
Find it naturally, see you’re lucky to be
Sing it loud
It’s time for you to all get down
Yeah do it.

h/t to AZLyrics.com

‘Get down’ is a slang expression for partying and relaxin’, you know.

Time to get down.

 

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