Earth Is A Weird Place To Live...

Earth Is A Weird Place To Live...

I haven't been here for a while, but I see that earth is still a weird place to live. 

I am still the Nightfly and this is still my perception of our world/

Speaking of Scary

They're back again...just in time for Halloween.  Just like last year there have been clown sightings again.  This time it's in South Carolina. 

These clowns don't do anything they just get near the house and act really creepy.  

Let's dissect this whole thing:

First of all, clowns are creepy in their own right.  These are real people who, I can only assume, are people.  Who really knows what's under the makeup?  I sure as hell don't know.  But, they make themselves up to look happy, sad, creepy, whatever.  We let them hang around our kids, at parks, at the circus, at carnivals, at restaurants, where ever "fun" is supposed to be happening.  

Second:

Uh-huh.  I don't make these pictures up.  They are readily available on the internet.  Not that I believe everything that I see on the internet but still...come on!  Somebody had to take this picture.  And that clown had to make himself up and do the liquor swilling. 

Third:

I was actually privy to a scene similar to this.  I was driving on I-94 toward Chicago one lovely afternoon when I looked over at the on-ramp.  This is almost exactly what I saw.  Except there were more clowns.  And they were all looking at me.  Menacingly.

They've been seen everywhere.  From California to Bakersfield to South Carolina.  To say that clowns creep me out is a huge understatement.   Turns out that clowns creep most people out.  Including themselves. 

Remember...Ted Bundy used to be a clown. 

In my estimation clowns should be abolished.  Maybe by an act of Congress.  Just round them all up and put them on an irradiated island somewhere until they end up looking like their makeup.  Remember that "Twilight Zone" episode.  Uh-huh.  That's the thing.  Shakespeare should have written, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the clowns".

To me, this is the best picture I've ever seen of a clown. 

My name is Bernard LaDuke and that's my view of this world. 

I Really DON'T Love Lucy!

The picture above is of a statue that somebody put up somewhere to honor Lucille Ball.  If I'm seeing this right, it's supposed to be from the "Vegameatavitamin" episode (note the bottle in front of her and the spoon in her hand).

Okay, first of all, this statue has been nicknamed "Scary Lucy".  I see why.  I have been looking at this picture for quite some time and I can't EVEN think of what that statue looks like or who.  It's sort of like a punk Grandma Walton.  Or a character in a bad science fiction movie.  Or...I just don't know.  I just know that I look more like Lucille Ball than that statue.  It's just weird.  It's just odd.  It's just SCARY! 

Now, secondly, there are many, many Lucille Ball fans that are really, really upset about this statue.  I see why.  

HOWEVER!  If this is the only thing in your life that you have to complain about or be concerned about is this statue, then your life must be pretty good.  I'm sure as hell not going to tell you what's going on in the world.  I would suggest that you watch ABC's World News with David Muir and get caught up! 

Until then "Scary Lucy" is still with us.  I hope you don't find her in your bedroom tonight!!!

Why?

Dateline:  The World. 

In just the past few weeks we have seen images of terrorism around the world.  Whether it is domestic terrorism such as the attacks on police in Dallas or Baton Rouge, the cowardly attacks on those who "protect and serve" or other terrorism around the world, it seems to be getting worse.

In Munich a lone gunman shot at people in front of a McDonald's after setting up a fake Facebook account indicating they were giving away free food.   In Nice, a terrorist didn't even need to use a gun or a bomb.  He used a tractor-trailer to mow down people in the streets.  Their crime?  They were celebrating Bastille Day.  Nine people were killed in the former incident and eighty-four killed in the latter.  These are just the latest events in a long string of terrorist attacks just since January.  

Why the hell are we so angry?  Why do we hate each other so much?  Is it the difference in the color of our skin?  Is it our fundamental ideas concerning how we treat each other or how we worship whatever deity we choose to worship?  Is there a secret text in some of our basic teachings that only some of us in this world hear or read?  Does this secret text tell some of us to kill?  

If I had the answer...well, I don't.  I do know that any of the fundamental teachings of all of the religions on the planet do not include injuring, maiming or killing as many people as we can.  Perhaps in some satanic Bible or Koran or some other writing there is.   But, I know for a fact that these things are condemned by my religion.  I have to believe that in all of the other religions the same holds true. 

I will not hold any one group up to the light as the perpetrators of these heinous crimes against humanity.  There are many groups, including Isis, Al Jazeera, the neo-nazis, the white supremacists.  Each have there own strange view of what is right and wrong in this world.  Each target other people as not being sufficient to be in this world.  As not being worthy of living.  AND WHO ARE THEY TO JUDGE?

"Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war!"  (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene I)

What disturbs me the most is that war has been declared by so many on so many more and yet, the enemy doesn't wear a uniform.  No, there are no redcoats, no Gestapo uniforms, nothing to let us know that they are near and that we are in danger.  All of the sudden, in a flash, people die, people are harmed and our lives our changed forever. 

As note in the title of this essay my question is still "Why?".  It is my (perhaps very naive) belief that most people just want to live their lives quietly and with some prosperity.  They want to enjoy their family and friends and maybe a good bottle of wine every so often or a good meal.  They want to work their jobs and play with their children and try to teach them right from wrong.  They want to hold the person they love at the end of the day.

I really don't believe any of us want to live in fear every moment of the our lives.

So what is the answer?  

Only God knows.  I hope that He will explain it to me when he takes me home with Him. 


I am The NightFly and this is my view of this crazy, incredibly mixed up world. 

May the Fourth be with you.

This weekend we celebrate the 240th anniversary of our freedom.  We must remember that it was the forward thinking of those founding fathers that brought us everything we have.  

While I realize that many of those founding fathers are rolling over in their graves as a result of the choices we have this year for our leader, our Commander in Chief, our President, it is what we have.  We must remember to be grateful to be able to vote at all.  For years in what used to be the U.S.S.R. they did not have this opportunity.  There are still many countries in this world that don't have that privilege.  Many of us don't even exercise our right and responsibility to vote.  That's the real shame of it all. 

On this day, we must also remember those who went before us and who are serving now to make this country free and the greatest country in the world.  Although I never served, I applaud and appreciate those men and women who have served, who have lived and died to in service of this country.

Remember, when you complain about our choices for President or anything else about our government, we have the right to do so. 

We are truly blessed to be part of this country.

ps:  Please be careful this weekend.  Don't blow off any fingers or something like that, okay?

Have a truly blessed and safe Fourth Of July!

Many times, There is nothing there!

Ok, just for the sake of reason, let's say that, sometimes when I get on this blog to write, I really have nothing to say.  Well, this is one of those moments.  What I'm saying is that I am bereft of any ideas whatsoever and only posted this picture because I thought it was bizarre. 

Then I thought to myself that I should look for some other weird pictures and see what thoughts might come to mind.  Very much in the fashion of those of the greatest tabloids like the National Enquirer and, especially, the World Weekly News, I'll take a picture first and then write the story around it.  Not the other way around like it should be. 

So now I've come across photos like the one above.  Only a very demented mind could really make up anything like a plausible story that could fully explain this picture. 

 Cannabalism...very cool.

Nuns with Guns!  Rock and Roll!

I would love to go see Rox Bauschneder and his creepy-ass sidekick, Charlie!  Fun for all ages!

And finally...

And you all thought that this world was bizarre and completely tilted.  Remember, these are all vintage photographs.  From that "simpler time" we all talk about.  These photographs, while not inspiring any prose, does inspire me to one question.

WHAT IN THE HELL WERE THESE PEOPLE THINKING? 

HOT.

Hot

That's all I will say.

Today it was hot.

I don't like hot.

If I wanted to be broiled,

I would have been born as a chicken...

Or a steak.

I don't like hot. 

Sometimes It's The Sanatorium

Unlike the previous, very optimistic and upbeat entry about seeing and being with everyone and doing everything, there are days when I just want to be alone.  Somewhat like being interred in a sanatorium, it let's me rest and recuperate from the rigors of the world. 

The best thing about it is I'm the only crazy one there.

Life is good today!  I had the day off from everything and everybody and, yet, I still went to see everything and everybody.  I miss those in my life when I don't see them.  Or hear from them somehow.

I have a tendency to be lonely and I fill the holes with music and writing and just "hacking around" the house and other places.

It's amazing how many acquaintances I have and how few good friend I have.  But I do have a few good friends.  People who know me and my background and who I am and still love me!

And I love them. 

Life is good today. 

This is kind of a personal blog message but I need to put it down on "paper", so to speak...

I am a cat person.  Don't get me wrong, I love all animals, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, cats, etc.  I especially like anything that's soft, furry and can interact with me.  But, I especially like cats.  I have had cats all my life and they're just the coolest little people on the planet.  

If you leave a dog over a weekend and go somewhere on a little getaway, you have to find someone to feed and walk and take care of the little dude.  With a cat, you fill a big bowl with food, another bowl with water, make sure all the breakables are put away and you leave.  'Nuff said?  

When you arrive home from the trip, the dog will go out of its mind.  "Oh, my God, I thought you were gone forever", "I'm so happy to see you!", "Dear Lord, I thought you were dead and I really didn't like that person who came over to feed me".  All the while, the dog is jumping up and down on you, slobbering all over everything, barking, shedding, biting and just generally being hysterical.

When you arrive home from the trip, the cat will look up from your favorite chair and say, "Oh, you were gone?"

Cats are autonomous.  The do what they want, when they want and they don't give a rat's rear-end about you or anything else, for that matter.  However, when they are feeling like it, they love to come up and cuddle and sit in your lap and walk all over you in bed at six in the morning and let you know that you are part of their world.

Cats are cool.  In my estimation, cooler than a lot of people I've met. 

That's my view of this world. 

And I still want a cat.  Sometime soon.  

Life Is...

Oh, just shut up, Life is good today! 

Think of it, you could be this guy!  

Life is good today! 

Back Again?

Hard to say, really...

Another thought

Momma says she doesn't want me hangin' 'round,
Whatever you do, now,don't let Momma know!

I slip out in the in the darkness,
In the frosty moonlight
Fly aross the silver morning meadow.

Candle in the window,
Shadow in the shade,
I know my love lies waiting inside

Close the door now,
Have a taste of wine.

Lord, it's been too long a time...

Way down in the past, My Love,
Feel so young and fine
Wrap your love around me,
The wind is high.

Every minute passing
I want to hold you,
Every minute gone,
Is too long a time

Too Long a Time

Okay, I gotta do this!  This is what Christmas has really become about!  The people trampling each other for a friggin' Wii, DVD's, Blu_Ray...is that enought to kill for?

This is Christmas!!!  A time of love, a time of forgiveness...

Not a time of hate and hurting.

So, Happy Christmas!

Good Evening, Again!

I have so many GREAT Christmas memories, from my childhood to my middlehood, to my oldhood!   The above picture denotes a long tradition of "The Eating of The Weinies!"  Every year my Mom would set out a Christmas Eve smoregasbord of food and we would fill our little plates.  Not to be missed were the traditional "Vienna Sausages" cooked in a hot sauce!  And not to be missed was the traditional "Eating of The Weinies"!  Sort of a competition between my brother and me.  Not so much of who could eat the many, but, who could have their first down fast! 

I tear up a little when I think of the old traditions but I am blessed that I have those memories.  I am blessed that I have those Christmas traditions so seated in my psyche and my life. 

I am blessed that I knew those people...My Mother, Audrey.  My Father, Mal and my brother, Lee.  We loved each other very much, we enjoyed each others' company and we spent glorious times together.  I have to thank The Lord for those wonderful memories.

All of the good things that I am today each of those people, including the one who is left, Paul, made me.

And so I say with a full and happy heart,

Merry Christmas And a Happy, Prosperous, Wonderful New Year to you all!

With all my love,

The NightFly...

A Drag

As George said in "A Hard Day's Night",

You're..."a drag...a real drag".

George could have been talking about me!  Read some of these blog entries and you will find I am a real drag! 

I'll be happier...I promise you1

I don't want George looking at me like that..."Yar, a real drag!"

My Best,
The NightFly!

Sometimes, I am at peace with myself.

Sometimes I am not.

Sometimes, you find someone who you can call a friend.

And very rarely, they will be.

And very much so, sometimes, you want them to be.

And it doesn't always happen.

Tonight, I believe I made a friend.

And it makes my heart happy.

And My God will sanction this friendship.

And I will cherish this person

For a very long time!

If I have not told you,

Laduke would like to wish you

A Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year!

Feliz Navidad Y Prospero Ano Y Felicidad!

Sometimes, at Christmas, we are alone...and even when we are with others, we feel alone.  But, if we have God and we have our relatives, we are not alone.  With God, we are never alone!

Let us have a Merry Christmas!

ps:  The picture below is of my brothers, Paul (L) and Lee (R).  Lee passed away earlier this year and I miss him. 

Santa?

Santa?

Can that be you?

So many images and words and songs and pictures and movies and videos and...well, what next?  Holograms?  So many times we have seen Santa.  In the malls.  On the streets, ringing bells, on TV, in the movies...

For three years at another job, I played Santa for a few hours each year.  I thought to myself, "Of course these kids are being nice, if they're not, Santa's bringing the coal!"  Maybe I was wrong.  Some of the children would timidly walk up to me, to afraid to sit on my lap, for whatever reason, almost afraid to talk to me.  And I would ask, "What do you want for Christmas?".

I will always remember the one little girl who said, "I would like you to bring my sister a doll, because that's what she wants!"  Quietly she spoke, earnestly and with conviction.  That's what she really wanted for Christmas.

Who am I, in my humility before God and Jesus Christ, to say or do anything?  I remember I asked her again, "What do you want for Christmas?"  If I remember correctly, she smiled and said nothing, slipped off my lap and ran away.

So, every time that I think about what I want for Christmas...I think about that little girl...I want the best for those who have been my confidants, my cohorts, my . . . friends.

This Christmas I will not be alone.  I will be with what is left of my family, my mother, my father, my oldest brother are gone.  I have one brother, whom I love very much and his family.  I will spend THIS Christmas with family. 

I will spend THIS Christmas with My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And the spirit of Santa lives on...whether you can give a gift or not, if you give of yourself, you have given a Christmas present.

39

Don't you hear my call, though you're many years away?

Don't you hear me calling you?

Write your letters in the sand, for the day I take your hand..