my careless contagion

Twenty-six years ago, Bad Religion (BR) released Stranger Than Fiction , their seventh studio album. They now have 16 or so, not counting any greatest-hits or live albums (and I haven't even bothered to listen to the last one). The video for this song is here if anyone is interested. It's odd, even by BR standards (silly is the word, perhaps). I didn't post it because it might frighten small children. I'm kidding, of course. But, hey, if you think punk rock is scary, think of it this way. Slow it down, and it's essentially folk music. If it's still scary, then just think of it as fast polka music. I'm German, so I like polka (Mollie B., anyone?). I also like sausage of all kinds. Don't all Germans like sausage and polka? At the same time? Oh, and the song has a Hammond organ in it. What? A punk rock song with an organ? Anyway, why am I writing about this album and the song of the same name? Give me a moment.  This is a long post, by the way. You m...

Some of McCook's bricked streets. A lot of Nebraska towns have these. I took all the pictures for this post. McCook, Nebraska, was where I attended college (the first time) for two semesters in 1996-97. It has a little community college which my high school guidance counselor suggested I apply for an academic full-ride scholarship to attend. The classes were cheap as hell, so I could have attended anyway, but it was nice to have everything paid. McCook Community College is part of the Midplains Community College system. At least, it was back then. This town was the first stop on my retrospective. A lot happened in the short time I lived in this town. After two semesters, I saw my bravado reduced by a personal crisis to a complete lack of self-esteem. When my parents announced they were moving to another state, I decided to hitch a ride with them out of Nebraska as opposed to trying to figure out what the hell I was going through. This was a crucial decision, a decision in ...