What a week from work hell it has been! Sorry for the scarcity of action here at this site but unfortunately 70+ hours and blogging don’t mix. Hopefully things have quieted down – at least for a while – so we can get right down to it, for, in the words of the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis, there is indeed a ‘whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on’.

First of all, RIP Rick Wright of Pink Floyd, who passed away from cancer last week. Wright’s spooky, ethereal organ and keyboards typlified the early psychedelic “Pink Floyd Sound” and transcended the Syd Barrett and David Gilmour eras. Lots of people point to his instrumental “The Great Gig In The Sky” from “The Dark Side of the Moon” as a standout, but for me it was on the Floyd’s follow-up album “Wish You Were Here” (in my mind the best work they ever did) where Wright’s talents and influence on the band stands out.

Sure there’s the whole Wall Street meltdown and tensions in the Middle East rising between Syria and Lebanon exacerbating an already-tense region concerned about a possible Iran-Israel conflict, but Yahoo! tonight has far more important concerns leading its headlines: it seems that Clay Aiken announces he’s gay.

Which leads me to ask – who on God’s green earth is Clay Aiken? I’m obviously missing something (or someone) important….

Thanks to Jana and Rob for their recommendations on the digital camera thing. This will make shopping for a digital camera a great deal easier.

Oh, The Pool Guru came over today and straightened out our vacuum system and warned me never to fool with the filter’s inflow and outflow valves again. I’ll make the setup the first digital image I take. Heck, I might even post it here.

And condolences go out to our good friend Jana tonight who is mourning the loss of her long-time kitty cat Elizabeth. She was a cutie and having gone through that with two birds, two cats, and two rabbits I know just how tough it is when you have to say goodbye to such a long-time, loving companions. You and Elizabeth are in our thoughts and prayers, Jana.

The other day I was totally burned out and in need of something completely different that was non-electronic to look at, and picked from my bookshelf John Barry’s wonderful book “Rising Tide”, about the Great 1927 Mississippi River Flood. Well, even though I’d read it years ago I’ve started reading it again and, for the second time, can’t seem to put it down. Not only does Barry weave a fascinating narrative about America and how its culture, society, and future were marked and shaped by this event, but there are significant lessons still to be learned from it. If you enjoy American history, or just a good read, this is a book I cannot recommend enough.