in the huge feud between natalie maines and the people of the city of lubbock i have to admit, i still probably don't know the whole story. i've become an outspoken advocate of the city just welcoming her back unconditionally, putting her downtown with buddy holly and her dad and all the other cool musicians from the area. but both sides are really angry and less likely to compromise than ever. i'm fond of saying that people around here don't even want to talk about it, but i don't really know that. the problem with having one side be "the people of the city" is that now you're talking 225,000 people so it becomes harder to make vast generalizations about them. don't want to talk? some of them probably do.

it's a sick sick world, one in which twitter and television get hooked into the texas legislature filibuster just because they have nothing better to do, it's as close as you can get to high drama in the summertime, the world's eyes on texas again. texas executes its 500th prisoner. it's a world of its own, self-absorbed, and by the way the fourth of july is a ten-day holiday around here, they're celebrating it already, the police got a major grant to keep down the dui's so they have massive patrols for all ten days, they're figuring if they spread it out ten days everyone will get the message, namely they'll make plenty of money to keep hauling them in. i don't mind, actually, that they haul everyone in, now that i'm staying under the speed limit almost every time. you got these wild young turks, let them explain to some policeman why they were in such a hurry.

speaking of hurry, natalie was in a hurry to get out of lubbock, and she's in no hurry to come back. her dad, judging from the sounds of it, has forgiven her. she was a kid, she has a big mouth, she said some mean stuff, what teenager doesn't? the people of the city though show no sign of letting up. she got some digs in those songs, and the songs went viral, it won album of the year, the world got to see how much she hated lubbock. then what do you figure, they'll hold it against her forever? seems to me a musician ought to be able to make a single point, say, i hate lubbock, but any point will do, and put that idea into a song, and not necessarily be choke-tied to that point the rest of their lives. seems to me they ought to have the right to grow or move out of that point, to say maybe, i felt that way then, but i don't necessarily feel that way now. but no, she may never have that chance. she may be tied to that general idea, all her life.

one time i was in a bar and feeling sorry for myself so i put a quarter in the juke box and played elvis presley's don't be cruel...i thought it was appropriate, given the situation, but it was a small bar, full of writers who felt proprietary about the place, and one of them lit into me, saying elvis was a small-town, low-down, red-neck, drug-doing racist s.o.b. and you shouldn't give him a penny let alone a quarter. i was quite offended by this rant but didn't say much rather acted kind of drunk like i needed mentoring or something. but in the end, i'm a musician, i'm with elvis. it really doesn't matter what he did with his personal life, or even how he felt about other races, or whatever. he made a great song there, and he made a few more great ones, and a whole lot of good ones. i reach a point where i care mostly about the music, and if they perform, and do it well, i like that, i overlook that other stuff.

all this may go into a story...i finally counted what i had, and i have 18, maybe 19, almost enought to put it all together, and i'm thinking of doing it. actually i have 20 but one is old and another one is bogus, too short, kind of goofy. i'm feeling like 20 is pretty close though, time to conjure up a title, package them, get them out there. you like my writing? i'm trying to get it out there where people can see it. right now you can see it at the writing blog, but that's kind of a well-kept secret for example you have to read four whole paragraphs of this before you even find it out, but that blog will be a little redesigned and a little better hidden as i get this writing stuff off the ground. you'll be able to read about natalie here because i'm about to tell lubbock to stop its lollygagging and just do the right thing. but it's 110 in lubbock and i don't think anyone's in a big hurry to do anything except maybe get a giant cup of unsweet. that's what i'm into these days, try to stay inside in the afternoons, and get yourself a giant cup of unsweet. other people might like it sweet, i don't know, i'm not a waiter, i couldn't even give you the percentage. it's hard to make generalizations, i'm sure there's some people who just stick a lemon in water and that's ok for the rest of the day. but i'm saying, around 5, take a break. if you aren't doing siestas, at least check your facebook. and stay out of the sun.