Esoteric Bowl

“Rain” Songs

Beatles - Rain
Blind Melon - No Rain
Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Woman
CCR - Have You Ever Seen The Rain
CCR - Who’ll Stop The Rain
Counting Crows - Rain King
Enigma - Rain Song
Enya - A Day Without Rain
Eric Clapton - Let It Rain
Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again
Evanescence - Listen To The Rain
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
Gordon Lightfoot - Rainy Day People
Guns N’ Roses - November Rain
James Taylor - Fire and Rain
Jimi Hendrix - Rainy Day Dream Away
Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain
Led Zeppelin - The Rain Song
Phil Collins - I Wish It Would Rain Down
Prince - Purple Rain
Ray Charles - Rainy Night In Georgia
Temptations - I Wish It Would Rain
The Carpenters - Rainy Days and Mondays
The Dramatics - In The Rain
Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me

Can you think of any that I missed?

Every great once in a while there comes a time when I’m able to find balance in life. When issues of the past, present, and future gently converge into place, and genuine contentment is rediscovered. The trials of the day don’t appear anywhere near as grand, and true meaning is found in all things. It is in such times where I’m able to find peace and happiness with the universe, as joy grows deep within the marrow of my bones and seeps through every pore.

And then along comes a spider, who wants nothing more than to stick a toe in my curds and weigh of tranquilty. In earlier times, my knee-jerk reaction to such a spider often led me into a web of conflict, but such a response is a losing battle. Later in life, I often sought resolution with the spider, but such predatory beasts have no taste for harmony.

Spiders are such envious and unhappy creatures. They are trapped within their own misery, seeking prey to tangle in their trivial conflict and drama. Yet despite the spider’s strength within the web, and the promise of it’s vengeful bite, such a spider cannot hurt me unless I allow it to. Eventually, someone will stomp the spider underfoot, but it will not be me. Instead, I choose to flick it away from my thoughts, as spiders are inconsequential.

Random Observations While Riding TheBus:

* Strong scents saturate the bus quite quickly.

* Those speaking in foreign tongues often talk the loudest.

* The ‘cool’ people still gravitate to the back.

* Babies on the bus still go waa, waa, waa.

* For small children, the bus remains an adventure.

Some People are more skillful at handling life’s difficulties.
Some People actually like sewer rats.
Some People just know how to fly.
Some People had sticks through their faces.
Some People would have criticized the bossman.
Some People say I done all right for a girl.
Some People are idiots.
Some People are left handed.
Some People are more equal than others.
Some People confuse him with David Doyle.
Some People get into trouble with debt.
Some People think you can bullshit anyone.
Some People see numbers.
Some People hate 69.
Some People almost always burn muscle.
Some People grew up being told the dangerous half-truth.
Some People hate freemasonry.
Some People adjust.
Some People are prone to cancer.
Some People want to impress others.
Some People still don’t want you to see my movie.
Some People eat all they want and still don’t gain weight.
Some People just need to talk.
Some People need to listen.
Some People sneeze when going out into bright light.
Some People drink too much.
Some People fall asleep with the help of warm socks.
Some People sense that an earthquake is about to happen.
Some People may be developing immunity to West Nile.
Some People react to Lantana.
Some People are eligible for free credit reports.
Some People avoid eating raw oysters.
Some People will try anything.
Some People are born gay.
Some People are born losers.
Some People who take pain killers for headaches get headaches.
Some People wanted to help me with this.
Some People have servere problems with static electricity.
Some People prefer Detroit.
Some People get so upset when penetration is called ‘hacking’.
Some People take in stray dogs.
Some People need to get out more.
Some People say Connecticut can’t rock.
Some People need to get a grip on life.
Some People live for the drama.
Some People push back.
Some People in Berkeley do the same!
Some People live in glass houses.
Some People are more at risk because of where they live.
Some People like body art.
Some People lost jobs.
Some People just can’t quit.
Some People don’t like to be spied on.
Some People don’t like Jews.
Some People never learn.
Some People were verifiably dead for days.
Some People have queried how this project came to be.
Some People we’ll miss.
Some People believe one person cannot make a difference.
Some People are never satisfied.
Some People use a bunch of unintelligible letters.
Some People make the leap.
Some People are excited by life’s banquet.
Some People are hungry.
Some People win!
Some People are unable to earn enough money.
Some People have a special gift.
Some People just shouldn’t be managers.
Some People pay a lot to blog.
Some People get confused why it’s called “shotgun”.
Some People are interested in SAT.
Some People really like Dylan.
Some People are more empathetic than others.
Some People have all the luck.
Some People do not act on their decisions.
Some People really do love their jobs.
Some People eat corn smut.
Some People remain unemployed.
Some People cannot see the miracle.
Some People drowned in the flood water.
Some People wonder why we travel into space.
Some People spot when they are pregnant.
Some People are black.
Some People are white.
Some People are ruthless.
Some People in northeast Ohio oppose beheading.
Some People think slamball is really stupid.
Some People don’t know when to quit.
Some People have foreseen the future.
Some People have nowhere to go.
Some People have obsessive personalities.
Some People are unbelievable!!!
Some People can’t handle the truth.
Some People can’t handle milk products.
Some People might seek revenge.
Some People are extremely confused.
Some People earn it.
Some People are stuck on fun.
Some People won’t ask ‘Why Not?’
Some People are in a tizzy.
Some People are avoiding paying for movies.
Some People saw a demonic possession.
Some People say there is more volcanic activity.
Some People are disenchanted with the leadership.
Some People are facing triple digit increases.
Some People turn to the Internet.
Some People use service animals.
Some People have no respect.
Some People say Olean may cause “anal leakage.”
Some People never seem motivated.
Some People don’t have the time.
Some People don’t know that this is America.
Some People have gone out of their way to be nice.
Some People are paranoid.
Some People want an instant fix.
Some People are so petty.
Some People believe everything.
Some People just need a good slap in the head.
Some People see red.
Some People get Leprosy.
Some People still support Bush.
Some People spend vacations lounging.
Some People are homeless.
Some People are dying.
Some People could care less.
Some People are beautiful inside.
Some People actually believe I give a shit what they think.
Some People need a good screw.
Some People just don’t get it.

In all the different houses that I lived in as a child, there was always a certain place within the home that was unofficially declared the family hub. This centre was usually a specific kitchen counter where everyone would gravitate to just before leaving and upon arriving home. It was where the daily mail was placed, where Mom left us lunch money, where Dad would place a few packs of cigarettes just so he wouldn’t forget, and where little notes were left to remind someone to take out the chicken from the freezer for the evening meal. With all of the activity surrounding our family hub, the area was always neat and orderly.

In the many places that I have called home as an adult, I’ve continued with the tradition of the family hub. At one house the area was a little table, at another it was atop a small bookshelf. In my current home, the hub is the counter that seperates the living room from the kitchen. It’s probably the biggest hub I’ve ever had.

There’s a danger in having too big of a hub; things that are not hub-worthy tend to end up there. So while the mail, keys, wallet, and sunglasses are suitable hub items, I too often find the hub cluttered with loose change, coupons, pens, old receipts, saved rocks and stones, assorted old notes to myself, and torn sheets of paper with a few lines of verse. My hub has lost it’s center, the energy of good intentions has fallen stagnant to clutter.

One truism of life is that we all have our emabarrassing moments. Fortunately in most cases of embarrassment, the statute of limitations expires rather quickly. Falling down in public, walking into a telephone pole, arriving at a party a day early, all are examples of brief encounters of embarrassment.

Of course, there are other moments of embarrassment where the shame never completely fades away. We cringe at the mere thought of those moments, seldom sharing the stories with even our dearest of friends for fear of ridicule and humiliation.

A long, long time ago, I was on the road working. I had just completed a job at a customer’s home, and I was looking over my schedule for the location of my next job. I felt the need to relieve myself, and decided to pee in the nearby bushes. In a brief moment of body miscommunication, I pooped my pants.

Stuck in the middle of nowhere, I sat gently in my truck and drove to the beach park which was a couple of miles away. There were no doors on any of the bathroom stalls, so I could only hope that no one would walk in while I cleaned myself. I won’t bore you with the details, but lets just say that a small amount of poo goes a long way. After washing myself the best I could, I decided to go home rather than continue with my work schedule.

Later that evening, my friend and coworker came by the house. He asked why I didn’t show up at our favorite lunch spot. I told him what had happened, and after he finished rolling on the floor with laughter, he asked what I was going to tell the boss. We both knew that there had better be a good excuse for not finishing the work schedule, or it could be my job. Being a good friend, he offered a few of his best lies that I might tell the boss, but I wasn’t quite sure if I could pull any of them off.

The next morning arrived and I was still unsure what I was going to tell the boss. The boss was an all right guy as far as bosses go, but he had shown in the past that he had no compassion for those that failed to complete the work schedule.

As soon as the boss saw me enter the building, he asked me to come into his office. He told me to close the door and have a seat, which was not a good sign at all. He sat behind his big desk, leaned back in his chair, and asked if I had completed all of my scheduled work from the day before. I told him that I had not. His eyes glared at me as he asked why. I looked him squarely in the eyes and told him the truth, that I had pooped my pants. He slowly leaned forward in his chair, looked down upon his desk, then confessed his shame and embarrassment of having the same thing happen to him once.

When I was a young boy, going to the Kam Drive-In movie theater was a big family event. Like many other families, we couldn’t afford to buy goodies from the theater snack bar, so instead we brought our own. Dad would load the cooler with ice and sodas, and Mom would make enough batches of popcorn to fill a large brown paper sack.

Once we arrived at the drive-in, we would collectively search for the ideal place to park. The ideal parking space, as Dad would point out, has three main features. Those features consisted of a speaker in working order, relative closeness to the bathrooms, and a good view of the screen.

After finding our ideal spot, we would put down the backseat of the station wagon and spread-out the blankets and pillows. Dad would then get comfortable, while Mom would walk over to the bathroom. My brothers and I would run towards the playground, where we would play until it was showtime.

Back in those days, not only did they show a double feature at the drive-in, but they also showed a brief cartoon beforehand. Generally, I would eat some popcorn and drink my soda while watching the cartoon, and then watch five minutes or so of movie before falling asleep for the night.

Sadly, Kam Drive-In stopped showing movies in 1998, and symbolically tore down the movie screens in 2001. The death of Kam Drive-In followed the closure of Oahu’s four other drive-in theatres. The space where Kam Drive-In once was continues to be used three times a week for swap meets.