Less than a month away from Christmas, and nobody's heart is into the holiday season. It has come to my attention that we once again is back for Thanksgiving 2020. And what used to be the annual turkey shoot of subpar albums, I have come to find myself blasted the events of the year that wasn't. And this year has really sucked from the word go.
In 1967, we had Thanksgiving in a old drafty rental place outside of Nevada, Iowa. My childhood friend from Lincoln Illinois Raymond came up with his brother and we were supposed to have a good time. Three days prior, I ended up getting real sick, to which on that fateful Monday morning, I preceded to puke five times and felt like shit for the rest of the week. To which my brother had fun with Raymond instead of me. I think I slept most of those days away and everybody thought that I might die from this illness. By the time I felt better, Raymond had went home. Oh, he came by around the early 70s and proceeded to play American Patrol from Duane Eddy about five times in a row to which we both fought over the record player, and scratching the hell out of The Roaring Twangies, the last Duane Eddy album on Reprise. He also could play the drums better than me, that Raymond. We lost track of one another after that. We might have spoke over the phone once.
53 years later, and my girlfriend has been stuck with the flu since getting a flu shot. She's very worried about getting COVID and she does get sick most of the time than being well. I wish I could find a way to make her feel better, but sometimes in my best efforts, I just never seem to find or act in the right way. If this is another stunning failure of me not keeping somebody happy, then perhaps I am dammed to remain alone forever more. Love and Loneliness by The Motors is playing in the background.
But enough of my problems, it is that time of year we talk of the not so bright moments of 2020. Music wise, I stayed away from the crappy music, but I found myself spurge buying the new Strokes album and got bored with it, hearing the new Lamb Of God album and wondered why the hell I bought it. It may have something to do with Target having a buy one new release and get one free sale.
More Turkey: The GrammyTM awards and The Weekend was left off. Hell, I didn't know 90 percent of the artists nominated for awards and at this point in life, I'm not about to embark on catching up. Too old and too set in my ways. Perhaps The Weekend has a point, Beyonce has 9 nominations, the guess is that her last album that was issued in 2018 may have passed the deadline of last year, so it was a make up call from the GrammyTM committee. The other turkey is Mrs. Petty aka Nicki Minaj still bitching about Bon Iver getting the Grammy win nod over her....back in 2012. Miranda Lambert got three noms for her last album, Wildcard, to which Jay Joyce sucked the life out of. To which he wins the Turkey award for that effort. Failed Presidential Candidate Kayne West (gobble gobble gobble) might win something. He's got two noms for Christian Music of all things. Body Count has one for metal and I still can't find their latest album anywhere.
The Shitstorm of August 2020. On any other year, COVID would have won out, but on August 10th, we got a derecho, or land hurricane that came out of South Dakota and changed the landscape around this area. Three and a half months later, Cedar Rapids is still picking up trees and other debris left from that shit storm. This storm didn't do a fucking thing for anybody living in this state and it will be years till we see the trees again around Daniels Park, Bever Park, Noelridge Park. Even the Nature Center's trails have been closed due to losing half the trees in the area.
The GOP: Urban vs Rural and rural won big time. Here in Iowa, people were bitching about the do nothing antics of Phony Joni Ernst and No Show Ashley Hinson and both fucking won. Abby Finkenhimer was out and about helping people while Ashley hid, except showing up when Trump made a bathroom break during the Shit Storm of August. For their efforts of doing nothing, both Ernst and Hinson won, which is a big joke. In the meantime, the Parlar gang continue to sing their praises and push conspiracy theories even after Trump got beat by Joe Biden. While Iowa voted for the failed reality star, Biden managed to flip Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania, whereas Trump continues to insist that he won. Still, meet the new boss, same as the old boss as Moscow Mitch won big time as well as Lindsay The Sham Graham. So, with Biden back in, expect these GOP start to bitch about the deficient, to which they had no complaints while Trump raised the deficient into uncharted territory. At this point in time, Biden is going have to undo the mess that the Failed Reality Star and the GOP left for him. Best he is do is see if McConnell expires. Congrats to Trump for losing the popular vote...twice.
COVID: Since the Failed Reality Star disbanded the CDC and other vital health agencies, this damn COVID has taken over and the epidemic has caused businesses and bars to shut down part of the spring and summer. COVID Kim Reynolds did nothing to prevent this either. The music scene has been shut down since March (expect some off and on jams and gigs during Aug-Oct) and it looks to be until a COVID vaccine becomes available, we'll still walk around wearing masks and staying six feet apart from one another.
Los Angeles Chargers: They return for the second straight year. Phillip Rivers, unloved and unwanted moved on to Indianpolis to which he's enjoy somewhat of a resurgence, replaced by an up and coming Justin Herbert, who will probably rewrite the Chargers record book that Rivers had. Alas, the Charger defense sucks, giving away Desmond King to Tennessee, to which he promptly scored a TD after being forgotten on a woeful Chargers squad. Herbert will do his damnest to keep the offense going but with no defense, he's going to need to outscore the other team. He had to do that, beating the Jets, as the Charger D kept giving the Jets chances to come back to make a game out of that.
Kim Reynolds: Worst governor in Iowa history. Nuff said.
Wal Mart: Deciding to not stock CDs anymore, just like Target, with the exception of new releases, to which they'll get two copies and you hope somebody will have the new Brothers Osbourne (they did) or King Gizzard (forget about that).
The internet: To which more and more online newspapers are going Pay Wall, just like ESPN Plus and You Tube stockpiling commercials (nothing like four commercial interruptions on Frank Zappa's King Kong's 22 minute version) Or worse, those fucking clickbait websites that make you keep hitting the next button just to read a 2 sentence paragraph. Just like cable TV, the internet is a rat infested commercials everywhere site.
That's about all for the Turkey awards. A good chance I'll go over 3,000 views this month. The fascination with the Hee Haw Top Ten, fits perfectly into the gobble gobble gobble this year. Thank heavens for the archives.
(lily smith-photo credit)
Iowa still owns Nebraska, but they struggled to a 26-20 win at Lincoln. The defense promptly gave up a NEB td in the 3rd quarter and the erratic Spencer Petras sputtered throughout the game. Former Lou Groza nominee Keith Duncan had a 51 yard DOINK to which the Cornhuskers had one final chance to come back only to have Adrian Martinez fumble and Zack VanVaulkenburg recovered. Like Minnesota, Iowa has won six straight meetings against the Popcorn team from Lincoln. Martinez did a better job getting the NEB offense going but center Cam Jurgens had trouble snapping the ball, prompting paranoid coach Scott Frost to complain to the officials about the hawks clapping across the field since Kinnick Stadium had no fans. Seems like Frost is the Big Ten's Trump, bitching about the little things. Frost is looking more like the bust that Jim Harbaugh is up in Michigan, not winning enough ball games, although today's game the Cornhuskers looked more ready to play. For Iowa, they should have handled Nebraska better. Even tho Duncan doinked one FG, he did make three of them. Next up for Iowa, Illinois in Champaign.
