Sometimes I can become alarmingly astounded by my hubris; at its sheer depth; at its utter blindness.

I realize, of course, that if you know me, I've shocked you to the core. "Hubris!?!? You?!? Fie on't, good sir, fie!"

Having grown up in the brilliant white heat of Duran Duran, Def Leppard, Motely Crue, AC/DC, Survivor, Loverboy, Van Halen, White Snake, Queensryche, et al. under the warming but fading comfort of Sabbath, Zeppelin, Styx, Skynyrd, Bread, Clapton, Hendrix, Dylan, Joplin, The Dead, et al.

I'd like to think that I'm just the epitome of clever and hip;

All children, let alone my own, would do well to humbly and happily 'sup at my feet as I regal them with stories of my rock-bred youth and seek to edify them on the oh so many inerrant reasons that the "music" of their interest is truly not where it's at, nor even halfway to intelligence. What a waste they've involved themselves in.

Can I get an amen?

Saturday evening I spent some time with "my grandfather and his friends". I had the opportunity to relax downstairs in my garage with a really good cigar (an Arturo Fuente Hemingway, if you must know), my favorite beverage and Pandora Radio (an internet radio thingy. Very cool.)

As I sat relaxing and staring into the starry sky, enjoying the smoke and silk, I sat back and proceeded to get an unexpected education.

I tuned Pandora to the Buddy Rich "station", which is to say I had a Pandora's box of Buddy Rich and like-minded music opened up to me. From there, I was forced to flip over to the Count Basie "station".

I have only one word available to articulate my conclusion: WOW!

Man, could those guys compose and play. They were doing things that I'd never had the pleasure to hear before; and that long before my parents had even been born. Good grief.

All of that to give this simple thought: It seems to me that the natural tendency of a man is to consider himself the sum and pinnacle of all good that came before him. That all had been designed and implemented soley for his benefit, so that he could be assured of the perfect pleasures of life and therefore go boldly into the world performing perfect works for the good benefit of God and man. All that follows in history is a either a positive result of his life or a lesson not learned.

HA!