Ever feel . . .

. . . like an outsider; . . .

. . . like you don't belong;  at least you don't belong to many things?  You have belonged to some things which you later learned you would rather not.  But you suppose that's simply a matter of your maturation process.

You feel like you're  pretending;  like you're playing charades;  like you're going through the motions.  You want to put your heart and soul into the things you do during the preponderance of your waking hours.  But you simply can't.  You're not cheating anybody;  you are devoting yourself to your daily tasks to the best of your abilities.

But you cannot deceive your own heart.  You can't pretend to love what you do not love.  You may do a respectable job of deceiving or deflecting any suspicion;  but you cannot pretend.   That's not to say that you are insincere or calculating.  You are honest, conscientious and devoted.  In a 'fair' supply and demand situation, you will (and do) deliver.

But how many are able to devote their waking hours to the pursuit of their heart's desire and provide for all the physical needs at the same time?  NOT MANY!  That you truly believe.

You feel the daily stresses of life just like anyone else.  You have your responsibilities and do not want to run from them.   You embrace your responsibilities.  And during the hours remaining when your 'workday' is over, you actually enjoy true happiness in all that you do.  TRUE happiness.

So it seems that you really are an outsider.  You can't or don't necessarily express yourself very well with regard to this dilemma and have very few people to whom you can express even a portion of this and only one to whom you can express it all.  But you think those aren't bad statistics.  At least you're happy with them.

Ever feel this way?   I have.

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Once upon a time . . .

 . . . there was. . .

. . an open-ended  law in a particular state called the "Stand Your Ground" law.  This law allowed people to defend themselves with deadly force as long as they "reasonably believed" it was necessary to protect themselves.

In this state there was a very bad man who found the opportunity to invoke this law, claiming he was acting in self-defense, and was forced to kill an unarmed teenager. The unarmed teenager happened to make a phone call to a friend only minutes before his death, which made it clear the teenager did not pose a violent threat to the very bad man, calling public attention to a law that clears a suspect from prosecution if the state does not find evidence to dispute their claim of self-defense.

In short, this was a very bad law.

The law extended what has been called the Castle Doctrine, which asserts that a person has the right to defend his or her home with deadly force if they are in "fear of great bodily injury." Unlike similar laws across the country, this particular state's provision does not require residents to retreat before using lethal force -- whether it be with a gun, knife or baseball bat -- against a home intruder, a concept that is based upon the English common-law idea that an individual's home is their "castle."

With this very bad law a person no longer needs to prove that they feared for their safety, only that the individual they shot, even if unarmed, had forcefully and unlawfully intruded. Unlike the initial Castle Doctrine, the newer law extends the principle to vehicles and public places and also does away with an earlier requirement that said a person attacked in a public place must retreat if it is a viable option.

Many people involved did NOT live happily ever after.

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How? . . .

. . . Mitt? . . .

 (from MSNBC http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/19/10765542-romney-best-thing-i-can-do-for-student-debt-is-get-you-a-good-job) at a 'Town Hall' session at Bradley University recently. . .

 "I and my party are also devoted to making sure we don't pass on to you trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt. We have in the Democratic party people who are consumed with giving more and more benefits to me and my generation, and passing on those burdens to you,"

How, Mitt?


"My party, my vision, is about protecting economic freedom for you," Romney said. "I've had it for me. I've had economic freedom. I've achieved beyond my wildest dreams. I want economic freedom for you."

 How, Mitt?


"Well they can go wherever they’d like to go; this is a free society. But here’s what I’d say, which is the federal government should not tax these people to pay for Planned Parenthood," Romney said. "The idea of the federal government funding Planned Parenthood I’m going to say no, we’re going to stop that."

How and why, Mitt?


"Best thing I can do for student debt is get you a good job when you come out," Romney said.

How, Mitt?

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Heart, soul . . .

. . . warmth, grit, poetry. . . Mark McKay

But listen to what some others say. . .

"Surrealistic cowboy poetry. Springsteen on mescaline. Steve Earle on a literary jag. Wilco with grit. . . expansive, exotic Americana, urgent, whiskey-fed melodies topped with lyrics that often seem to consist of a string of vivid images and striking non sequiturs . . . "  - Jason Warburg , The Daily Vault

". . . punchy roots rock fit for prime time. In their incarnation on Hotel, some of these tracks displayed a raw beauty that tended toward sprawl. . . "  - Nick Zaino III , Paste magazine

". . . Combining many traditional American styles, including rock, bluegrass, country, and even a smidge of blues, Mark McKay, continues his style of mellow and melancholy acoustic (or acoustic-type) rock with heavy country influence . . . "  - Sarah Kantor , Emmie Magazine

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Ever wish. . .

. . . you could go back in time?

I have, although not quite THAT far back.  Just far enough to get a 're-do' and prevent the disaster that has now been wrought.  Well, if not quite a disaster, at least one bad night.

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Opening . . .

. . . this week's Brewer's Alley Songwriters Showcase Monday at 7:30PM is . . .
me . . . on piano.

There's a certain warmth, familiarity and appreciation in the air at the old mayor's office in Frederick on Monday evenings.  For me it's like playing for family.  The acoustics enhance the heartfelt music from an array of original regional musicians and poets, with understated yet imperative sonic management by Rod who, on most Mondays, adds subtle, complimentary blues harp to the mix in all the appropriate places.  Tomy and/or  Ron are at the ready with a gentle,  sympatico arsenal of percussion, to enhance the performance of any artist enlisting their superlative skills.  In short, be there.

Monday,  March 19 @ 7:30PM
Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery (Songwriters Showcase-Upstairs)
124 North Market Street Frederick, MD 21701
Telephone: 301-631-0089 Fax: 301-631-1874
http://www.brewers-alley.com/
(For Ray's complete schedule, see http://www.rayjozwiak.com)

[Oh yes, AND LOOKOUT!!!. . . for AMBIENCE & WINE a new digital distribution music release  (www.cdbaby.com) on APRIL 3, 2012]

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This ole world. . .

keeps on turnin' . . .

. . . that's an old song, isn't it??

Pondering our humanity, interactions, inadequacies, imperfections . . . while communicating in REAL TIME on the internet.

Hell of a thing!!!

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