Jesus' Blood

No, I haven't converted, I'm still the hard-core Atheist you all know and love.  Though being Atheist I am not immune to the charms of religiously based music such as requiems and most Classical and Baroque pieces that were commissioned by the church or written as an indulgence to help the composer sneak pass the gates of heaven in the end.

Back in the mid 70s Bryan Eno of Roxy Music fame, started the Obscure Music label where he produced records for av ante-guard musicians.  One which caught my ear was an album by composer Gavin Bryares called, "Jesus' Blood Hasn't Failed Me Yet."  Gavin recorded a street tramp singing a short improvised section of the hymn and he made a loop of the recording.  As this loop recording played over the next twenty five minutes Gavin added strings and then fused in an entire orchestra.

Bryars made a new/shorter recording of the piece with Tom Waits (totally unnecessary) in 1990 which this video link below represents.  The 26 minute original version is on You Tube as well.
Jesus' Blood on You Tube

Six Years and Losing Steam

I just realized that I missed the 6 year Blogaversary of Astoria Rust on May10th.  This post marks the 1,868th post here yet somehow I am no longer enamored by any accomplishments; be it longevity or the amount of posts I've done.  It seems to me the days of the Blog are gone.  They have been replaced by the short attention span Internet experience with sites such as Twitter and Facebook and I'll even throw in Tumblr.  You no longer need to be creative on the Internet.  All one needs to do is find a good source of crap to repost under your name.  It's like, "I haven't seen this one before so I'll post it and others will think that I was the creative genius that thought it up!"

It's just a rehash of all the crap that goes around like a social disease.  How long will it be before the dancing Oogachuka baby (look it up, it's on You Tube) makes its way around again for all the new users that were too young to see it' first go-round fifteen years ago.

Of all those in my blog circle, only Darev and Donna still post daily.  These days I halfheartedly try to post every week and if I don't reach that goal I don't lose any sleep over it.  It used to be that I'd be upset if I didn't have at least a months worth of post lined up and ready to go.

Maybe it's the influx of the transitory nature of the instant that Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr has got us to accept, that now has me in its grasp.  Maybe I no longer care about the big picture of the past, present and future, but now live for the dopamine hit when I see something enjoyable yet instantly forgettable on the internet.  Here and gone in a flash.

What's With The Doves?

What is with the doves this year?  The only time I normally ever see them is when the cascara berries are ripe and they can be seen bouncing from one branch to the next.  Each time they land on a branch the branch will sink down a couple feet and spring back when they move on to another branch.

However this year they have been a constant outdoor companion.  They coo all day and well into the evening.  I've only seen them in flight a couple of times, but I always know they are near.  It's nearly as annoying as hearing a dog barking all day, but not quite as annoying as our former rooster, Blue.

I recall my first experience with doves in Oregon when I first moved here.  I had a bird feeder just outside my bedroom window.  At that time I was new to feeding birds and I was trying to find the best seed or blend of seeds to attract the largest variety of birds.  This one time in particular I purchased a bag of millet and I filled the feeder that same evening.  The next morning I was awoken by some sort of squabble at the feeder.  My feeder was covered in doves and the electrical service line that ran outside my window was the host of probably 30 doves waiting to get their turn.

I realized the millet had to go.  I didn't want to have one of those houses that was home to a flock of doves.  I've seen houses where pigeons hung out on the roof and soiled the shingles like an statue in the park.

I replaced the millet with black oil sunflower seed and never had a dove on the feeder again.  I suspect one of the neighbors hasn't learned this lesson yet.