Saying goodbye to a legend - Prince

As everyone has heard, Prince Rogers Nelson (known as Prince and simply The Artist) passed away last week at his home in Minnesota.

I realize that Prince was not for everyone but his talent and his success is well known to pretty much everyone.  Even if he wasn't your thing or your genre, please look at the videos below which display his talent they are certainly worth the watch.

Much to my parents' dismay, I was a huge fan of his from my early teen years up to present day and age.  I drove my parents crazy cranking up his music in my bedroom.  Through the walls they could hear the backbeat of songs like Little Red Corvette, 1999, DMSR and of course his Purple Rain album, I wore out.

On vinyl, I sill have 1999, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign of the Times and Lovesexy (where he appears nude on the cover, was certainly worth the purchase price for that album).

Prince led a very quiet life and typically stayed out of the media.  He loved music and played 27 instruments proficiently.   Also, I've heard it told that he didn't really read music that well, his talent was just a gift...  a very special gift.

He loved his fans and the first video below not only displays his talent on the guitar, but also shows his playful nature when it comes to his fans.  It's an acoustic set of his and he's relaxed and really enjoying himself.

Only 5'2" tall, he was certainly bigger than life when it came to the stage and his ability to recognize true talent and nurture it was remarkable.

The second video I am posting up is a collaboration with Tom Petty and Steve Winwood as they all perform "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".  Prince is on lead guitar in this video and has an amazing solo.

The Third.. well there is a story behind that one...   in 1985 Prince performed at the American Music Awards his Grammy winning hit, Purple Rain.  I taped it on the VCR but wanted to watch it on the big TV live (I was 16 at the time) and my brother (8 years old then) was playing Nintendo on that TV and wouldn't give it up for 5 minutes...

Back then, Nintendo did not have memory cards so my brother left his game running all night so he could pick up where he left off...  well the next day, I got home from school and saw his game running and turned it off....     he came home from school and all hell broke loose....    oh he was angry.

Now I have the video on You Tube and so I get a laugh when I watch it....

To Prince's friends and family my heart goes out to them.  I loved him from afar and I can only imagine how deep his loss effects them.  I know that my heart is broken and the world has lost a fantastic artist and by all reports and all around good person.

Rest in Peace Prince Rogers Nelson, you were loved and you will be missed.

Until next time....

Belle

Rain AAR

So, I left a half hour before O'dark thirty for work this morning and ended up taking a very short tour in the local area, U turning three times and driving back home.
On the "bright side" a temporary shotcrete retaining wall on the side of an overpass under construction blew out in the storm yesterday. Two of three lanes inbound on 290 are closed until further notice.
This fail is between me, and 20,000 other people and my work, and the other 20,000 people's work.

Belle and I took a little reconnaissance drive a short while ago looking for a way to what's left of the freeway.*

Nope, not getting out that way

Nor that way

The third option I couldn't get a picture of water. I'm certain it was downstream of us somewhere, but someone had placed orange construction barrels closing the road.  The upside is my VPN connection is solid and I've been working from home.  I could get used to this, ya know?

Two bonus pics

Right around the corner from the BAR Corp HQ

The houses here are high and dry, in the back of this neighborhood,

not so much.

Neither "Infinity" nor "G7" mean waterproof in Japanese

Click to embiggen and you can see the waterline on the door.

All snark aside, this time, this is an inconvenience for me.  Many, many homes were flooded. A number of people lost their lives. Two people got trapped in two different deep underpasses, both of which I travel through frequently, and drowned. While there was less total rainfall than Tropical Storm Allison, there was more rain in a 24 hour period.  South of us there was 15 to 16 inches. A nearby blogger, Teke, is down there somewhere. I hope he and his are ok.
Close by, there was 11 to 14 inches.
Sobering.
I suspect I will have an unusual calm and patience on my circuitous commute in the morning. This is not a problem, this is an inconvenience.







*Freeway, there's a misnomer. How many hours of my life have I paid on that God forsaken treadmill?  

Done rained again

Forecast was for rain, but I don't think anyone expected this.
It rained less than tropical storm Allison*, but more in a 24 hour period.

Nearby to the BAR Corp HQ received about a foot of rain, per the nooz, over night as of about 8am this morning.  The official tally from the nonexistent BAR rain gauge is just a hair over a butt load.
The three nearest official rain gauges to us are showing 11.16", 12.76" and 14.04" for the last 24 hours.

Large areas of Houston are flooded once again.  The Corp HQ is dry...ish.  No water in the house but the ground is mush.
Forecast is for more rain tomorrow. I hope the weather man is wrong.

A neighbor reported that the neighborhood directly to our east has pretty much all the streets under water.  Little Cypress Creek is out of its banks. The west end of our street has drained off. The east end I'm keeping an eye on. The water level seems to be rising.*

This morning we watched Mr. Ididn't Think Itwasthatdeep, drive his minivan into an underpass on a live TV shot and swim out of his vehicle as it sank...as in disappeared.
Belle commented that, "I bet that dumbass has driven that route every day on his way to work. How could he not know it wasn't "that deep"?"

So far, the extended BAR clan is good. Ya'll do an anti-rain dance for us.
pics later maybe, If I can brave the floating rafts of fire ants and displaced snakes.


* google that one.  This is actually being reported as a worse rain / flood event. Allison rained for three days, 36" total.

Lordy it's Dogfish time.

IPA that is.

Missed "Stair Day"

Belle and I drove out to the oldest daughter's place for the oldest granddaughter's birthday party.
She and her man rent this place.

I've no idea who built this house but they were apparently sick on the day " Introduction to stair building" was taught.
Now in their defense, math is hard, especially when all you have is a tape measure in feet and inches.

I am operating on the assumption that a tape measure was actually available.

Aside from the issues with that bottom riser not quite working out quite right,

 twice,  the 12" high steps are a bonus for a daily leg workout.

Missed the top riser on the porch stairs by just a smidgen there too.   Watch your step there, that will peel the sole right off your penny loafer if you catch it just right...