Some things...

Greetings,

First, let me say a public goodbye to Richard Wright, whose death was announced yesterday. You will no doubt be familiar with Mr. Wright's work, even if you're not familiar with his name. He was the keyboard/piano player for Pink Floyd. Anyone who knows me, knows that Pink Floyd has had a profound effect on my life; and while most of my lauding for the band centered around David Gilmour's guitar playing and Roger Waters' songwriting, the fact remains, as with any other musical group, Pink Floyd would have never been the same without Richard Wright. Keyboards and synthesizers were an integral part of the band's sound, and I have often said that Richard was one of the few keyboard players in rock and roll that truly understood how to use synthesizers to build a solid, yet not gaudy foundation for a song. I have also often said that I hate keyboards in rock and roll because so many other players did the exact opposite of what Richard did. So many bands in the 70's followed Pink Floyd's lead in using synth technology, but Richard was the only keyboard player I ever heard who's solos and other playing never made me cringe. If you really want to know what I mean, contrast a song like Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd with Lucky Man by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. I think you will find Keith Emerson's keyboard playing to be obnoxious and out of place in an otherwise beautiful song, while Richard Wright's playing is in perfect balance with the rest of the musicians in the Floyd piece - yet, among keyboardists, Emerson receives far more praise than Wright ever did. So, at last, Farewell, Richard. Your music made a tremendous impact on me, and you will be missed.

Next, I would just like to say that I have been in a funk as of late. I am having some pretty major self-esteem issues that center around the fact that I am 30 years old, and I have yet to really find a successful career for myself. I have dropped out of college twice, and I am now working as a security guard. I have applied for the electrician's union, but it looks like it will be spring before anything happens with that. So, I've been thinking that I might want to pursue something else instead. The problem is, I have know idea what the "something else" will be. I just know that I have a lot of intelligence and aptitude and I would hate to get to the end of my life and think that I haven't ever lived up to my potential. So, I am going to be doing some research over the next couple of weeks and see if going back to school (again) might do me some good. I also want to talk to as many people as possible about what types of careers may be right for me. I really would like to hear from you all on this. Even if you don't have any advice, some encouragement would be helpful.

Lastly, the presidential race is now getting into the "silly cycle." So I probably won't be commenting on it much until the debates. I will just say this until then: McCain and Palin are idiots. They are charming people, but their ideas on how to run the country and protect us are ill-conceived. Don't pay attention to the "he said/she said" game that will be going on for the next month or so. Wait until the debates, and then you will see how intelligent Senators Obama and Biden are and how truly clueless Senator McCain and Governor Palin are.

That's all I have for now. Please send me your comments on the career thing.

I am the Reverend Humpy and I have approved this message.