ROLLING STONES

Well…here’s today’s headline…

Rolling Stones Tickets Selling for Thousands

Oct. 18, 2012

Tickets for the Rolling Stones' gigs in London are selling for thousands of dollars days before the public can officially get their hands on seats. The rockers are set to return to the stage next month  for the first time in five years to mark the band's 50th anniversary, and they've announced two shows at the British capital's O2 Arena and two December concerts at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

But British fans have been left outraged by the high price of tickets for the London shows, which start at more than $160 for the cheapest seats. Tickets for the London gigs have been made available early for fan club members and sponsors, and seats are already selling for high prices online a full day before they go on general sale. Resale website Getmein.com is listing some tickets for as much as $21,120, while others are being offered from between $589.60 and $17,600.

Tickets are also being sold off on auction website eBay.com for as much as $9,600. The band will play London on Nov. 25 and 26, and in New Jersey on Dec. 13 and 15. Tickets for the U.S. shows will be released to the public on Oct. 26.

Today’s headlines are about the Rolling Stones and the expense of their tickets to their upcoming concert. I told you yesterday…that in 1970…I saw Led Zeppelin from the 13^th row for $5.50. Fans are a little upset in London…where the first concert for the Stones will be…because the worst seats in the house…the worst seats…the one waaaayyyyy back there and waaaayyyyy up there….and maybe behind the column that holds the ceiling to the stadium up…is going for $160.

The way concert tickets are sold these days is just short of highway robbery. You can’t get them…it seems…without going through a middle man and paying extra fees. Ticketmaster has to charge their fees…or you buy them from a scalper who somehow bought them before they even went on sale to the public…and he marks up the price to make extra money. When the Stones come to the U.S., I’ll bet the ticket prices won’t be much cheaper than what the Londoner’s are complaining about. To get tickets on the floor near the stage…be prepared to pay $1000…if you can get them that cheap.

Now…having said that…if I got the chance…I’d consider shelling out several hundred dollars to go see the Stones. Cindy & I saw them in the late ‘90s and they were absolutely fantastic. I had never been a big Stones fan…(much more a Beatles fan)…but we went to see them anyway. I left the concert…being a 'big' Stones fan. The show was unbelievably good.

 

Now…that was over 15 years ago…Mick and the boys might have to be pushed out on stage in their wheelchairs and they may not get around as good as they did then.

But I’d be willing to take a chance. They’ll be the best damn ‘wheel chair’ band I might ever see.

 

Dan

LED ZEPPELIN

               5 Reasons Not to Miss Led Zeppelin's Concert Movie 'Celebration Day'

This was one of the headlines I perused this morning. The article that followed talked about the release of a concert film made of a Led Zeppelin concert from 2007. It apparently will only be shown at selected theaters across the country for the next few days…likely not even into the weekend. If it’s in any of our local theaters, I hope to go see it…on the big screen. With such a short release period, my hunch is that it will be released in DVD format in time for my kids to buy it for me as a Christmas gift. That may have to do…if I can’t find a local theater to watch it.

In my high school years, I was developing my love for ‘heavy’ rock 'n' roll…and Led Zeppelin filled the bill. I had bought their first 2 albums when they were released in 1969…and I must have listened to both of them a hundred times.

Then my rock 'n' roll fever was given a big booster shot…Led Zeppelin was coming to a nearby city for a concert…and I got tickets. And not just ‘any’ tickets…13^th row…close…real close. In February 1970, I traveled to Robert’s Stadium in Evansville, Indiana…and watched one of the heaviest…loudest rock concerts I could imagine. I took pictures with a borrowed camera…one of those Polaroid cameras that the picture spit out the front after you snapped it and developed itself over the next minute or so. The security in those days…wasn’t like the security I’ve seen at concerts today. I walked right up to the stage to snap my photos. If Robert Plant (lead singer) or Jimmy Page (guitarist) would have leaned down…I could have shaken their hand. They were…RIGHT…there. The drum solo…always a staple in those days of rock concerts…was fantastic. John Bonham (the drummer) was as good a drummer as any around…and he put on a display that I had not seen or imagined.

Unfortunately…the photos I took that night have been lost over the last 40 years…I would love to have them now. I also had kept the ticket stub from the concert as well…I paid $5.50 for that 13^th row seat…but the ticket stub has gone to the same place those photos went.

I’m hoping to find the opportunity to go see the big screen concert…and for just a few hours…go back in time. But if I don’t make it…maybe Santa will help me out…with the DVD version.

Rock on.

 

Dan

 

 

BE ENCOURAGING

There was a nice story in our hospital newsletter this week. I have attached it below.

Living our mission

Be a source of encouragement to all

“If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.” Romans 12:8

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it as the man by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Now…some of the comments in the above story make me reasonably certain that this story isn’t a true story…but it’s a good story, surely one based on ‘some’ true facts. It is a story meant to make us…think. We have all...hopefully...met someone in our lives that is the type of thoughtful person represented by the blind man in the story.

 

May…we…all…try to be like that blind man. Make it your goal to be encouraging to someone each day. You...may be that...one person...that changes their life for them…just by a simple act of something you said…or something you did.

Be encouraging.

Dan

THE NEW LITTLE PUMPKIN

There’s something special about this new little pumpkin that has entered my life…Eleanor Corinne Koerner…Ellie.

Maybe it’s just been a long time since we’ve had a new little one to love. Our other grandchildren are 11, 11 and 9. None of them comfortably fit on my lap anymore…they are just too big. They still try it…and I love it when they do…but they are a lap-full. This new granddaughter is barely 2 hands-full…and I can’t get enough of it.

I wonder if it’s the reality of life that is sinking into me too. I won’t have these little people…this little…forever…evidenced by how fast those others became 11, 11 and 9 so quickly.

I need to enjoy every minute of this ‘little’ stage while I can.

Anna…my other granddaughter…is already 11 years old…going on 20. By the time my new little pumpkin…Ellie…is 11…I’ll be 70 years old. My life will have changed a lot in those 11 years I assume.

Some of those changes I may not like…aging bones…a bigger waistline…white hair…loss of older loved ones…loss of friends…those things that come with retirement…and aging.

Some of it I ‘will’ like…watching my other grandchildren grow…maybe having more grandchildren…time with Cindy.

So…until that time comes…I’m gonna get in every squeeze…every hug…every kiss that I can with my new granddaughter. I have tried to be a good papaw to my other grandbabies and they know that I love them…and always will. My new little pumpkin is gonna know her papaw just loves her to no end…too.

I look forward to every moment I can have with her.

Dan

ELLIE IS HERE !

October 13, 2012 is a wonderful day I won't forget. For today...my 4th grandchild came into our lives.

Joni called in the wee hours of the morning to say she had spent the last several hours with contractions. She went to the hospital later this morning.

At 1:12pm, 7# 8oz. Eleanor "Ellie" Corinne Koerner joined us.

We went in their room to say hi to our new little one.

She's healthy...she's perfect...and she's beautiful...of course.

We are so proud for Joni & Ryan...and so in love of our new granddaughter...Ellie.

Can't wait to get her home so I can hold her...squeeze her...and tell her how much papaw loves her.


Dan

RULES TO LIVE BY

Last week, while on vacation in Saugatuck, Michigan with Cindy…we stopped in a book store and found a few books for our new grandbaby-to-be…its’ parents…and us.

One book Cindy picked up for us was titled, “Dance First. Think Later.”  The authors, (Kathryn & Ross Petras) said their inspiration for the book was to answer the question…’How should one live life?’

They were further inspired one night as they watched the David Letterman show as he was interviewing musician Warren Zevon, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 55. Dave asked Warren what he’d learned about life…and death. Warren stated simply…”Enjoy every sandwich.”

This honest…simple…yet profound answer…inspired the authors to ask other people…what were their ‘rules to live by.’

I thought I'd share a few that I felt were interesting…funny…or thought-provoking. Maybe you’ll like them too.

Here's just a few:

If you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know? –Julia Child, chef

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle. –Ian Maclaren, writer

The only dream worth having…is to live while you’re alive and die only when you’re dead.

–Arundhati Roy, activist/writer

Never spend money before you have it. –Thomas Jefferson, statesman

If you don’t get what you want, it’s a sign either that you did not seriously want it, or that you tried to bargain over the price. –Rudyard Kipling, writer

Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day. –Harry S Truman, statesman

Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you? –Fanny Brice, comedian

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. –Katharine Hepburn, actress

Life is half delicious yogurt, half crap, and your job is to keep the plastic spoon in the yogurt.

–Scott Adams, cartoonist

You can’t build a reputation on what you intend to do. –Liz Smith, gossip columnist

When angry, count four; when very angry, swear. –Mark Twain, writer

If you have an important point to make, don’t’ try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time—a tremendous whack.

–Winston Churchill, statesman

Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what’s right. –Isaac Asimov, writer

If everything is under control, you are going too slow. –Mario Andretti, race car driver

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

–Margaret Mead, anthropologist

Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. –Jerry Garcia, musician

The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cool. –Julia Child, chef

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. –Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman philosopher/statesman

If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow. –William McFee, writer

Watch with glittering eyes, the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. –Roald Dahl, writer

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. –Mark Twain, writer

Smoked carp tastes just as good as smoked salmon when you ain’t got no smoked salmon. –Patrick F. McManus, writer

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, “Certainly, I can!” Then get busy and find out how to do it. –Theodore Roosevelt, statesman

Never run away from a gun. Bullets can travel faster than you can. –Wild Bill Hickock, gunfighter/scout

Don’t ever ask anyone for an opinion of your performance.   They’re liable to tell you. –Jerry Stiller, comedian

Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. –Oscar Wilde, writer

Make a careful list of all things done to you that you abhorred. Don’t do them to others, ever. Make another list of things done for you that you loved. Do them for others, always. –Dee Hock, founder of VISA

Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary?

–J.M. Barrie, writer

 

Dan

ZOE MEMORIES

Cindy & I spent a number of times this weekend…thinking about our missing family member…Zoe.

Zoe liked to sleep on the floor beside Cindy…so every time Cindy got out of bed…she had to step over the big mound of golden retriever lying beside her. During this weekend…out of habit…Cindy kept making that ‘big’ step when she got out of bed…only to be reminded she didn’t have to.

I noticed I did the same thing this morning when I got ready for work. I usually had to step around Zoe as I walked over to the closet to get clothes to slip on each morning. I got ready to make that ‘step around’ this morning…but didn’t need to.

We thought often about Zoe as we heard noises during the night…noises that reminded us of her. We thought about her as we looked in the corner of the kitchen where she spent most of her time…but she wasn’t there. The thunder that rumbled early this morning…made me think about Zoe…(she hated thunder!)

That big old golden girl was a part of nearly a quarter of our lives…13 years. It will take us a while to get adjusted to…when we don’t see something or hear something that reminds us of her. I still look at her picture…with those white facial hairs she developed as she aged…and smile. She’s gone…but the memory of her isn’t…and maybe never will be.

We have had 2 wonderful dogs during our years in Lafayette. After moving to our current home…we got a black lab…Layla. Layla helped the girls as they grew through those awful teen years. About 5 years later…in an effort to keep Layla company…and out of the simple fact of falling in love with that fluffy little round butter-ball we would call Zoe…we had found 2 wonderful dogs. Wonderful for our girls…wonderful for Cindy & me.

Layla lived to be nearly 10 years old and our hearts broke when she left us…but we still had Zoe…and that helped. Now our Zoe is gone too…both now resting out in the garden spot we made for them at the back of our property.

I don’t think it’s in my heart to have another dog. I think we found the 2 perfect dogs for us…and I’m doubtful we would ever find any that could replace them.

My dog raising years are behind me now…but I will carry wonderful memories of our ‘black and gold’ girls…Layla…and Zoe.

 

Rest In Peace Girls.

 

Dan