The Daily {W}rite December 2o16 wk o3, o4

Thursday,

Well the last nine days of the year 2o16. I plan to get as much writing accomplished as I can before I'm into a new year. This life is worth taking the time to write about it. Actually, all lives, every single life on this ball of dirt should have it's own autobiography. Each person should celebrate their individual existence by expressing his/her life in some artistic way, writing, drawing, painting, etc. Doesn't matter which medium ( or combination of mediums) you use just express what it is, what it means to have lived your life.

I'm still feeling tense in both mind and body. When the Werewolf shows his face, and it's difficult to herd him back into the mind closet. A few more days and he'll tire of howling at the world that lives inside  my apartment. I'm sure the neighbors are tired too listening to him rage and slam doors and closed and pound the walls with his angry fists at all hours of the early morning. Well, maybe not the next door neighbor who can be heard yelling at something almost day and night. A bunch of crazy bananas live in this building.
Friday, December 23, 2o16

Sitting in the dark. I do a lot of that. Sitting in the dark. Christmas is soon. People are still out buying presents, I suppose. I was always waiting until the last moment to go Christmas shopping. Not so much because I'm a procrastinator, mostly I like to go and watch all the people who are terminal procrastinators go mad trying to find a parking space in an already full parking lot. The Sooner Fashion Mall. Wonderful place to watch folks go crazy, searching from one store to the next for that perfect present that they had forgotten to buy earlier. I like watching the pushing and shoving that goes on. But believe it or not, not much of that goes go on. Most people in this frenzy to buy the forgotten gift are well aware that everybody else at the mall are in the same predicament as they. So, they smile a lot and say "I'm sorry" a lot as they run from one small shop to the next. The true meaning of Christmas lost on them.

I need to work on my poetry chops. You know, find myself as a writer, create more metaphors and similes, images, word usage, rhythm and tempo . . . a lot of work. I need to do it, though. I need to start acting more like a poet if you know what I mean.

Saturday, December 24, 2o16 5:45a.m.
Well, I got maybe twenty minutes of sleep before my eyes popped open and I was wide awake. I read somewhere that if you have insomnia you should get up and do something. Not productive to just lay in bed staring at the shadow cluttered ceiling. Actively doing something physical will get you back to sleepy mode faster than doing nothing. So, Here I am in the dark writing on the blog and listening to the Stone's Let It Bleed album. Honkytonk Women is playing right now. Not the rock version but the bluegrass version that's on the above mentioned album appropriately titles Country Honk.

The picture on the left? Yeah, that's me back around 2oo6 when I was teaching theatre at New Mexico Highlands University. I was the front man for a geriatric blues band, Still Kickin'! The band was made up of a bunch of real musicians . . . and me. I really wasn't good. Not anywhere near the professional level of my fellow geriatric band members. But I did okay . . . sometimes. Never was much of a singer but every now and then I could hit a note or two just right. During my band days I got into writing songs. Here's the first one I wrote for the band:

ROCKIN’ WAYS

E
When I was a younger man I tore it up,
D                                                      A            (d)
Just a rockin’ through the night until the sun come up
E
Now that I’m older everybody say, “Hey!
D                                     A           (d)
Man you gotta end your Rockin’ Ways.”
C                                    G
I may be older than the Rolling Stones
D
What little hair I got’s turnin’ gray
C                                                  G
But’cha can’t stop the rhythm in these old bones
B                                                             (or D to B)
Never gonna stop my Rockin’ Ways
(Chorus)
E
(Rockin’ Ways), Rockin’ Ways (Rockin’ Ways) Rockin’ Ways
D                                             A
I got that rockin’ knockin’ at my soul
E
(Rockin’ Ways), Rockin’ Ways (Rockin’ Ways) Rockin’ Ways
D                                    A
I’ll keep on rockin’ till I can’t no more
E
Rockin’ Ways
(Break)
E
Hey, Little Sweetie, ain’t you lookin’ fine
D                                        A            (d)
Let me introduce you to a friend of mine
E
Wrinkled as Methuselah, ugly as a frog
D                                              A                          (d)
But he can turn you lonely nights into a sweet love song
C                                 G
A little loving goes a long, long ways
D
To make an old man feel like a boy
C                                                G
“Let sleepin’ dogs lay,” I heard people say
B                                                                            (or d to b)
But grappa’s gonna shock ya with his Rockin’ Ways
(Chorus)
E
(Rockin’ Ways), Rockin’ Ways (Rockin’ Ways) Rockin’ Ways
D                                        A
I feel that music thumpin’ in my head
E
(Rockin’ Ways), Rockin’ Ways (Rockin’ Ways) Rockin’ Ways
D                                   A
I’ll  keep on rockin’ till the day I’m dead
E
Rockin’ Ways
(Solo)So if some little punk tells ya you’re way too old
To be shakin’ your stuff to the Rock ‘n’ Roll
Look him in the eye and set the record straight
“Ain’t no business of yours what I do,

anywayI been a rockin’ long before you were born

And I’ll be dancin’ on your grave
Remind the little sucker what the good book said:
“Thou shalt keep a rockin’ till your dying day!”
(Chorus)
E
(Rockin’ Ways), Rockin’ Ways (Rockin’ Ways) Rockin’ Ways
D                                             A
I got that rockin’ knockin’ at my soul
E
(Rockin’ Ways), Rockin’ Ways (Rockin’ Ways) Rockin’ Ways
D                                    A
I’ll keep on rockin’ till I can’t no more
E
Rockin’ Ways

Sunday, December 25, 2o16 12:45a.m.

Well officially it's Christmas Day. However, I don't count the next day to be the next until I go to sleep for a brief amount of time and wake-up!

Suppose to go to David's daughter's house this morning and spend a few hours with her and her husband and David's son, Michael Khoo. The we are off to see Fences! I've been looking forward to this movie more than any of the other flicks we've seen. First August Wilson play to be made into a movie-movie. There's been at least one of his plays, The Piano Lesson, that had a TV movie developed from it. There hasn't been a theatrical release of any of his plays until now.

Monday, December 26, 2o16
Christmas day came and then went away. 363 days from now it will return. I hope there will be some of us still alive in Trumps America to celebrate it{no smiles this time}.

Christmas this year was nice enough. spent it with David and his kids and Brendan and his family and some teenage girl who barely talked to anybody let alone the old fart with the camera. I got presents, a stocking (filled with goofy little gifts and candy) and a Kung Fu movie series, IP Man, which I thought was I-P-MAN. IP was the main character's first name and Man his last name.  I felt odd because I didn't get anyone anything. Did take a lot of pictures of everybody so I guess that is something I contributed.

For some reason I woke up this morning wanting to go right back to bed. But I promised David that I would call at 11:30a.m.:
David: (answering phone) Grgggklaghbdrt!
Woodie: Time to get up man.
David: Can't call me in an hour and a half.

An hour and a half later.

Woodie: Dude, it's 2p.m.
David: Give me another hour and a half.

Seems like the both of us had too much Christmas to get up before 3:30.