Topic: Songs, Evil & Writing
Noel: have been listening to your CD for several days. enjoying it. do you ever play it on your radio station? Tom*******************************************************************************************************Tom, Thanks for listening to my CD. I almost forgot about it. I do run a couple of my songs on Coverunner Radio. It's Not The End of the World, and Mercy Harbor. I still have work on 3 other songs. I think they are my best, but not yet recorded, Better Angels, about against the essence of evil, resisting it. Another, song Millennium, a quasi-fictional story about religious groups during the other century, 1900 where they were believing the "end of the world" was happening and about the Heaven's Gate group in San Diego who committed a mass suicide of 39 people hoping to "leave" by flying saucer to make a connection with the Hal Bopp comet. Both stories are about people that had great belief, but showed to be based on erroneous hope.

I was writing those songs before the change of the century, 2000. I kept getting lots of stories from many newscasters and many people were getting scared about some big impending disaster. The big scare before 2000 was the unfounded "2k Threat" during the computer change of the clocks. Lots of fear was generated for people and many millions of dollars were spent to make sure it wouldn't mean doomsday. Click! At during the New Years Day the clock clicked on with no problems. A year later, the 9/11 attacks in 2001 were real. Many people believe that the attacks were planned just by outsiders as well perhaps by insiders. We will never know the truth about Pearl Harbor, JFK, Iraqi War and 9/11. I don't like conspiracy mongers. But, there are real facts in conspiracy. That's the problem. You never can know anything. Even after the government reports, everyone wonders about the facts that were not answered in the officials reports. There are thousands of books with detailed facts on all these topics. Usually, those acts will be in infamy as each bit of information leaks out. For Pearl Harbor, most scholarly historians understand that the attacks were created to get the People and the Congress to agree towards war. Prior, Pearl Harbor most American citizens were not willing to commit to World War II against to Hitler. For most scholarly types already understand the causes for 9/11 and the Iraqi War and the ensuing police powers. It seems that evil groups use us, the people in order that the powerful men can work in their own evil agenda. Simply, there are very powerful men in the government and in international powers who will take advantage from Citizens, and so that the during chaotic events where the powerful can become even wealthier. They are willing to kill thousands of people, so the powerful to be even wealthier. It's not just money, the love of money, Biblical, is filthy ocre (gold). It's about power. It's a trap for many individuals that play the "power game" from every corporate bosses, to politics, to international intrigue. It's like being sucked into the Mafia. Once you get "in" where you will never get "out".
When the song, Better Angels was written by me. I didn't understand the song. I didn't understand the implications for that song, the essence of evil. For me, it was about my own personal resistance against spiritual evil. Now, I am even more aware of this world than before. Perhaps, I may add two other verses for Better Angels for updating that song and the preceding thoughts herein.
Perhaps, I'll update my songs and record them before I die. I've been working on and off for almost ten years on that album. I've made a number of demos and different versions of Cd's, graphics and liners . Perhaps, I've never made a fixed release. I never found any assistance from a producer to do the project CD right and I never had the $2,500. money for a batch minimum to make 1,000 discs. At least my album won't be dated by keeping it perpetual.
I still want to perform again, since I have a lot to say now. My "brain damage" (according by law, Aphasia), the stroke did destroy my ability on my right side for speech and memory for my audible, singing lyrics is still difficult for me. At least the some other parts of my brain are still repairing.
I've been developing my other intellectual "muscles" just like someone who is blind, who can develop their other senses to compensate for a lost sense. I hope I will enjoy music again some day. I could clip on some printed lyric pages on a music stand to perform. If the page gets lost by a wind, I'd be lost. I can't hold even a phrase of a song by memory, considering that I had about 60 songs in my repertoire in my memory, including my own songs.
My musical technical skills, guitar playing, are still fine.
The area for technical abilities still works for me for complicated computer programs for video editing. For navigation skills during a long trip (from Catalina to Newport Harbor for 15 hours during heavy wind and until early morning to arrive) with no physical aids for navigation (no buoys or land) where a friend sailed while he trusted me to plot loran coordinates (numbers) on a paper chart. We got there to the harbor. Considering, I was only three days after I got out of the hospital. The rest of my mind was very cloudy. So, as my writing ability shows (some may differ regarding my writing and perhaps by my cloudy thinking) still the technical skill is not impaired and perhaps even enhanced. For me, I'm happy, thankful, that in my life that I still have an outlet for creativity. So, now I take every opportunity to use the gifts that my Creator gave to me while I have it. You might want to read the psychological fictional book, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (1966) and the film based on it, Charly (1968) to think about the mystery of the mind.
Daniel Keyes http://www.danielkeyesauthor.com/algernon.html

Most of the world uses vehicles like these for getting around. I had begun to my cruise to live on the boat along the Southern Californian coast. I had yet not decided what to do with my car, a '96 Ford Aerostar minivan ("Soccer Mom"), a nice vehicle. I'd had a number of financial hits, a $360.00 photo red light ticket, another $300.00 for trying to smog the vehicle and I had no place to park the car some where in LA. I had reduced my income by half by the boat payments and boat slip which was now leaving my ex. By not having a car, insurance and gas, I saved myself by about $500.00 a month. I repossessed the vehicle and handed them over the keys. I had begun to riding on an e-bike, an electric bicycle, a Merida Power Cycle. This 400 watt/24 volt electric motorized bike called a Power Assist Vehicle (PAV) was able to give me about 15 mph and with a range of about 18 miles. They are OK. I had bought a few of these new bikes for about $200.00 on Ebay. Usually these quality Taiwanese bikes are about $799.00. The Merida ebike is also the "Step-Thru" version sold to Lee Iaccoca's's very well-know GlobalEV Ebike,
The Merida Power Cycle has sensors on the pedals that activates the motor. But, you must pedal them to get the "assistance". You can't just cruise directly by turning on a switch, like many scooters. Instead you get a lot of exercise. The benefits beside of getting healthy (I lost 25 lbs since), you get the assistance for going up hills. Usually, I can pedal up hills while sitting on the seat. On very steep hills on first gear I have to stand up on the pedals. The little Heinzman (German) motor is also integrated with a four-speed (Nexus) transmission rather than a big gear sprocket. The "tranny" is also shifted electronically by using a twist-grip on the handle bar. The 20 lb. battery pack (lead sealed acid) is removable. I'm able to run almost from (20 miles) the beach bike path and up to Beverly Hills. There, I remove the battery pack and bring a 4 lb. charger upstairs on the 12th floor of The Four Seasons Hotel, where I charge battery in about 4 hours. Costs them for about a nickle of electricity. I did fabricate another 24 volt (18 lbs more) pack. I made a harness to tap into the contacts underneath the original battery pack. Yes, this gives me 36 miles for distance. But, this gets a bit heavy, about 40 lbs. If I wanted to purchase for a (Nickle Metal Hydride) lighter battery by 40% less and for about $400.00 or more and get a different charger.
The 36 mile ride does hurt after a day of working and riding. A long ride against 15+ mph winds can be tiring (including the bum). Usually, I throw on the bike rack on the bus or on the train for half of the trip. I haven't really had any problems for rain although I will ride if it's seriously raining. The Ebikes are heavier. Most of the regular racing bikes will be faster and are lighter. The Merida is great for about 10 mile trips for the bank or the grocery store. I shop regularly (remember, I don't have a car) on the bike. I have two folding canvas panniers on the rack and have a rack pack bag. I usually can fill up quite a few bags of groceries for a week ($60.-70). I also usually carry my propane bottle for the boat stove and two gallon bottles and also stuff in other groceries in the pack bags. I carry tools on the bike doing carpentry work around the marina. I can at least roll along the long docks rather than leaving a car and instead of lugging stuff by hand. Luckily, my ride home is all downhill. In fact, I found this other Chinese bike, the ELITE. I found for about $30.00 and fixed it up and sold it. It had a generative hub motor that charged up the battery by running downhill. I could actually pedal very fast to top off the battery. I've played with a lot of these 200-500 watt bikes. Next I will be looking to some of the next generation of electric bikes that have 1,000+ watt bikes that can drive around at about 25 mph and have a range for 30 miles before after charging. To be Legally for under 1,000 watts (Federal and most States) means you you can drive without a license and use most bike paths. At that point they will be considered legal at Motor Driven Cycles at that point.
There are a few new bikes that can ride about 50 mph. I'm very excited about a new electric motorcycle VectrixUSA
For the last six months, great changes have occurred since I last wrote. When we last found me cruising on the boat in late October at Alamitos Bay
in Long Beach. I had been cruising around Catalina Island and a few anchorages near Malibu.
I had intended to make Avalon on Catalina Island to make my home on then moorings this picturesque little town. It's like a Mediterranean village
with small cottages along the hillside. The church bell rings on the harbor a few times each day. I was hoping to do some writing, history and know some
of the locals there. The internet provider there covers most of the area including over the bay. I was hoping to broadcast live on Coverunner Radio
from the boat.
I was getting the boat ready for supplies and was cleaning the bottom of the dinghy. I had been riding the electric bike for seven miles and then took
the train up to work in Hollywood. It was riding in the rain for the last few days. I was getting tired out. So, I rented a car for the last day of work.
Next day, I had hauled the dinghy, scraped off lots of growth, and rubbed surfboard wax on the hull hoping that it might work stop the growth (it's
ok). I just turned the dinghy over the dock and slipped it into the water. I felt a little bit tired, but I had been doing a lot of work. I was just
about to get onto the big boat and starting to make some coffee.
My left leg was straddled into cockpit of the boat. The right side was straddled on the dock. I was stuck. I couldn't really move again. I was aware of tunnel-vision and everything cloudy around my peripheral vision, or hear any sound. Yet, I still had acute clarity about what was happening.
I noticed that my right arm was doing a little snake dance voluntarily. Sometimes it would go behind my back and then fly around on the air.
Sometimes it seemed to have been disappeared. Finally, I grasped the left hand and secured the flailing right arm. For a few minutes I just sat there. I realized that something might be wrong.
Soon, for who knows when, I finally was able to move again. I moved down below onto the boat. I changed my wet clothes from cleaning the boat, put on
warm clothes, socks, shoes and everything I needed it wallet, keys, Blackberry etc. Turned off the propane gas, electrical and closed the thru-hull valves on the boat. I knew I was going to the hospital. I made sure that I'd at least be warm, hospitals always make me cold. I'd make sure
there was at least comfort.
I couldn't talk verbally or still couldn't try to even know to be able to make effort to communicate or visually to wave by a few of the boaters next
by.
I was able to use the Blackberry phone, could actually control of the menus, some of my technical ability for part of the brain to make those things to
work. When my son called me, but I couldn't talk. I couldn't cry and make any sense verbally. I only was cussed and could only use the only word I could. Use called as "Crumped" was the only word I could use (I have my some recorded speech during that crisis).
My son spent over an hour talking me trying to get some info from me by twenty questions. He didn't know where I might be have moved the boat recently, was I on Catalina? No. Paradise Cove? No. Finally he figured out that I was in Alamitos Bay. He was able to get on the phone with the Harbor Patrol and was able to find me easily, the office was just across the boat. The Fire CRT people tried to check me
out and took me down dock on a gurney.
My neighbor had recently interviewed & photographed both him and me for an Orange County newspaper about liveaboards. As he went by my rescuers, my neighbor came by his boat. He gave me a clipping of the article and photo about me. I was able to give it to them and only point to it them. It gave me at least some sense about my lost identity. I started to relax a bit and felt that they had control on the situation. This was the end of my cruise. During the next few months the start of recovery was to start and now a complete change of my life.
It turns out that the winter storms (call nor'easters. Usually this is the calm lee side) on the Avalon where I had been headed to. They got blasted there a few times. They lost boats, had torrential rains and had six foot surf. I saw three headlines with scary photos on The San Diego Log, the
boating newspaper. Who knows what else had occurred to me instead. Mercy Harbor (her hidden name).
Noel Diotte
noel@coverunner.com
Coverunner Radio - Ocean/Island Music
Website: http://www.coverunner.com
Listen: http://www.live365.com/stations/coverunner