Gut Check

This weekend's outing for the StillWaters Jazz Band was probably our toughest so far. (Sorry, no pictures this week.) We played at the Brian Center of Salisbury this week.

To be honest, I think that we all expected a crowd similar to the one we had encountered at the NC Veterans' Home last week, however, it didn't take long for us to realize that we were playing for a much different group. In fact, by the end of the first song the differences became evident. Most of the folks didn't respond at all to the music. They just sat there. There was one fellow who clapped for us on most songs and another that tried to clap.

When we got to our break time we went out into the crowd and talked to several of the residents. I was able to have a pretty good conversation with the gentleman that I was talking with and Justin and Sara seemed to do all right with the folks that they were talking to as well. (Justin is excellent at the ministry aspect of our playing anyway. Not bad for a self-described introvert!) Most of the residents there needed skilled care. It was pretty heart-breaking to see the condition that some were in.

I wish I could say that we played our best this weekend, but frankly it was quite a challenge. I found myself getting lost a bit and just wasn't on top of my game. We ended up wrapping things up a little early to accommodate the dinner hour.

In the parking lot after the gig we all talked it over. It had been rough for all of us, but Justin did a great job of bringing us back around to the reason we are doing what we do. He said, "If we're just doing this to stroke our egos we're doing it for the wrong reason." Amen.

If the environment there was clinical and uninviting to us, how much more so must it be to the people who have to live there day in and day out? There is no one who needs what we are doing any more than the folks at the Brian Center. Therefore, you can bet that we'll be back. Hopefully we'll be better prepared for what we'll encounter when we get there, and hopefully we'll have a better strategy to make it fun, but we will be back. How could we do otherwise?

Can Someone Get Clinton a Kleenex?

Breaking news!

According to Matt Drudge , Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have been excluded from the speaker list at President Reagan's funeral. According to him,

Former President Bill Clinton has privately expressed anger he has apparently been left off the speakers list of Friday's Reagan State Funeral

He's angry and disappointed neither he nor President Carter have been asked to speak, as of yet.

The top source says Clinton has been critical that both Bush presidents will address the crowd gathered at National Cathedral.

Can someone look around and see if they can find the ex-president a Kleenex and a ladder so MAYBE HE CAN GET OVER IT?!!

All I have to say is, "THANK GOD!

The absolute last thing that I want to see when I watch President Reagan's funeral is that "man" sitting there spouting lies about how much he respected President Reagan and his policies etc, while looking sad and biting his lower lip. I am sure that he would have used the event to say something inappropriate too.

I am absolutely sick of ex-president Clinton taking advantage of America to stroke his hemispheric ego. He did it for eight VERY LONG years and I, for one, would rather not see his face again until some future Republican President is delivering a very short eulogy over him (short, because ex-president Clinton never accomplished one thing for America in 8 long years). Sadly, I'll still probably end up having to endure visions of the lip-biter regardless of whether I am spared to hear him run his whiny little mouth.

Drudge's report goes on to say,

Clinton's inner circle is convinced Nancy Reagan has personally shut out Clinton from any high-profile participation.

Well that would hardly be a shock. Good for her (and us)! Nancy was always good at smelling a rat. This one comes with his own cheese.

Apparently Billy whined,

President Clinton really held out all hope the funeral would be a nonpartisan event

Give me a freaking break! Any time a Democrat doesn't get his way he whines, "Partisanship! Partisanship!" Of course I'd love for them to explain to me what they would call their stonewalling on the confirmation President Bush's judicial appointees. Sometimes it just makes me want to lock and load!

It is the height of selfishness, over-indulged ego, and backwoods tackiness to pitch a fit over not being invited to speak at President Reagan's funeral like a spoiled child. Some of the President's dearest friends weren't invited to speak either, but oddly enough, they aren't throwing temper tantrums.

Funny thing about funerals, outsiders don't usually get a say in the way they are put together. That is the job of family and friends. I dare say Clinton was never a friend - at least not the type of friend that you trust to hold your ice cream cone. Billy Boy should have been President Reagan's dearest friend, though. It was President Reagan's economic policy that generated the wave of prosperity that Clinton rode into the ground after 8 years.

Funny how President Bush has already gotten the horse turned back around in the right direction. The economy has grown under his watch even faster than it did under President Reagan. I guess "Ronnie" taught "Dubya" well.

I'm sure it is going to gall me to have to see ol' Backwoods Bill at the funeral. Maybe he won't scratch and spit. It's a good thing that I'm not President. I'd give him a reason to be mad: I'd bar him from the ceremony.