General Music Chat

Hey folks, after living on this rock for 53 years I have been through some things, experienced "stuff"!
I know some of you have as well!
Let me be specific. Have you at some time in your life been in the "right place at the right time" to have a positive effect on some one else's life? We all have stories and I know you have yours! Let me start by saying "please be honest and unbiased! I will tell you mine.

After the oil bust of the 1980's I was a young 20 something year old man with 2 young boy's! I was raising them the best I could! Being a carpenter back then was a VERY unrewarding occupation! I had an opportunity to manage a small 20 unit apartment complex on h-towns southeast side. Needless to say out of desperation I excepted the job for compensation of free rent, elec, phone. We were the ONLY white family. The folks there had a manager before me that, shall we say was of their same race and exploited the situation. Needless to say they were JADED and floored when a family of cracka's moved in to collect they rent money! After being there a while and them seeing and recognizing that I was trying to make things better. I started to sense those folks knew I cared. The owner of this complex told me "if these people come in offering to pay a portion of their rent YOU TAKE IT". Oh and for you Texas HATERS the owner was from Seattle! These folks ONLY paid in CASH. As a result I bought (out of my own pocket) A Rossi 38 with an inside the belt holster! I kept it in the small of my back and NO ONE ever knew I had it. Yes I was breakin the law! I was handleing cash. (that e is for you jimmy)
My situation happened in 1987! I was watching tv when my 7 year old son came in saying "dad JOE got into a fight with a man that went to his car and is digging around for something" I just reacted when I swung the door open all 20 units were looking standing on their porch, I saw this man pull a 14 inch Bowie knife and was heading for Joe. After swinging the door open I reached for the small of my back pulling out my pistol running behind this drug craised black man draweing down on him and pulling the hammer back (e for u) ! This man I Know would have KILLED this other man! My point is I had this man trapped as he was heading with a long knife to kill his adversary! He turned as I yelled for him to stop "looking at me he said go ahead shoot" I could have legally taken that mans life! This was before concealed carry and I had trained myself! Look folks I have not told this story before. The bottom line is after self training I diffused a deadly situation, kept a murder from happening and LITERALLY saved a black mans life! I did this in an area that the Houston Police would not respond without mutiple squad cars! The funny thing is the residents use to call me "rent main" after that they started calling me "Rambo" we had earned one another's R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Jeff Great story Thanks for sharing.

I cant recall ever being in a situation where I could leverage the safety and life of another man. What you did was rare and brave.

But I have different story...which demonstrates the real spirit of Texas...

During my young 20's, I was dating a 4 foot, petite but very beautiful lady... and I took her dancing one night at a CW club. Back then A feller could smoke in the bar, and if he was so inclined, he could smoke on the dance floor....and bring his drink with him as well (I'll call that period the "Dean Martin Days") .

As fate would have it that evening, I was maintaining with about three sheets to the wind, holding my drink in my hand, dangling a marlboro from the corner of my mouth and two-steppin with mah girl ... when suddenly I cinged the beard of a fella next to me...with my cigarette..
Well, he was livid and ready to throw down with me...wanted to beat my ass... But, Before he could do anything, my 4-foot beauty queen jumped in between us , facing him..and proceeded to verbally dress him down with threats of ungodly harm, that only a panther might understand... Needless to say, that guy backed off and without hesitation..... All I did was stand there like an idiot, watching the whole thing, with my jaw dropped in awe... Then she grabbed me and proceeded to teach me the real two-step...

...Haley ... excellent Thread Title. I do not feel that I have done anything extraordinary yet in my life...just lived it in accordance with my beliefs.

But reading your Post ... I salute you and it only makes me respect you all the more. I know that I am not your favourite person but I have always admired your honest directness finding it refreshing and from the heart. I merely wished to relate this to you. Shrug of the criticism you recieve and the spelling/grammar mistakes ... what you relate is important not the "package" of it's presentation. Ta

Ive done a few things, but if I were to share them then I would have to hunt you all down and kill you, so I better keep it all to myself!

I've done nothing extraordinary in the sense of heroism, nothing has really come up.

I'd like to think that I've somehow influenced a young'un to pick up an instrument, but I play in places 21+ so probably not.

As someone already mentioned, I also just try to live a good life, and abide by my own moral code.

I have recently started doing charity events, such as I did the philadelphia bike-a-thon, where I rode 66 miles from philly to the jersey shore, and raised donations. I personally raised about $400, and my team of 23 people totaled about $13k in donations (American cancer society).

I also have participated in autism fundraisers, and have become something of a public speaker about some aspects of autism, mostly in the activism areas. I've marched on DC in an attempt to get DHHS and congress's attention, although the only media coverage was from fox news painting all 10,000 of us as misguided extremists. yay.

So, all I've really done is dedicated my life to my music, have become a champion for the challenges my autistic daughter faces daily, and am trying to find a way to at least be more of a part of the solution and less a part of the problem when it comes to social/world issues.

have i done something extraordinary?

i once finished third in a hot dog eating contest.

no guns, knives, or rescues were involved.....

I've had plenty of extraordinary things happen in my life and while I haven't saved anyone's life, at least I don't think so, I've got to travel the world and experience everything from the extremely rich to the downright indigenous. I've inspired people to follow their hearts, to start their own businesses, and to pull them out of deep depressions.

I focus every day to live my life with integrity and make the best choices for my highest good, to pull away from the world when I need to, and to engage when I feel prompted to. Most of all, to continue learning and experience life here on this rock.

Chaeya

Not yet but I'm working on it.

no, I am a munDANE person..

Yes I have. But it is pointless to explain. So I won't.
Besides,,,,

I once pulled over to help an owl get out of the street.

Yes . . .

I once pulled over to help an owl get out of the street.

I didn't run over a turtle today. I waited till it crossed the street, Even though the assshole behind me started honking. I didn't do anything, I was in a good mood. Could you imagine honking at some one just because they stole one minute of your life to let a poor little turtle swim home.

Mr. Haley

The Villa Elaine in Hollywood was a holdover from a better age. Across from the Hollywood Ranch Market and just down the street from the original Brown Derby. Fountain and Vine. The tourists ate it up but folks who lived there were walking on the edge.

Almost everyone was black. After a few very serious confrontations, we pretty much respected each other. Turns out they were there for the same reason I was - to make some music. They called me 'that crazy white boy' so I guess confronting them with a pick handle had an affect.

Adventures?

Getting to hollywood with 200 bucks and a heart full of soul.

Going to Africa to fight in a nasty little war, serving with the Rhodesian AFrican Rifles.

Doing this and doing that and taking one last stab at artistic greatness while my world collapses around me.

But I stay busy...

Talbot

I once pulled over to help an owl get out of the street.

I didn't run over a turtle today. I waited till it crossed the street, Even though the assshole behind me started honking. I didn't do anything, I was in a good mood. Could you imagine honking at some one just because they stole one minute of your life to let a poor little turtle swim home.

Glenn, you just reminded me of an incident I had at this year's NAMM. I was walking down the blue-carpeted walkway when a spec of black caught my eye. When I came close to it, I found a large black spider, perhaps a male black widow. I stopped everyone coming down and told them that I had set up a "spider crossing." A few women screamed and the guys laughed and looked on as I coaxed the spider up on the tip of me cane.

So I go over to the nearest set of doors and the woman told me I had to walk "way the f**k down yonder" to get out. I told her that I had a big black spider on the tip of me cane and that I needed to put it outside. I tipped it up to her face and she quickly backed away and opened the door.

I set the wee one down near the trash can, safest place I could find. I saved his life!

Funny, my last day there we were packing up and the Jeff, the owner of Gig-FX, comes over to me and says "I think one of your daughters left this." And he placed a black plastic spider ring in my hand. I believe when you do a good deed, you are given a gift by the Universe. A small deed, but I was blessed with spider medicine - I always save spiders, I don't kill them, even in my house. Spiders or the Goddess Arachne offers people the gift of creativity, being the weaver that she is.

Chaeya