The Year of Matt

Since the declaration of this, "The year of Matt", I have a bunch of plans and responsibilities. 

Part of the Year of Matt is my attempt to be more social, in social situations but also to be responsible for being a friend worth having.  I guess it is taking responsibility for not having any friends.  I have basically a whole lifetime of not giving  a crap what people think ( most likely a defense mechanism from childhood) and winding up at 60 years old without much of an understanding of friendship. 

My brothers and sisters have all these friends from schools and life and I have almost nothing in the way of friends, certainly not good friends.  I take responsibility for that so in this year that is mine, I will work to change that.  Not that at this point do I want anyone invading my space like a bunch of cheerleaders, but with exploration comes understanding, then intelligent change can occur.

It is a plan anyway.

 

Sixteen Tons

This is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in coal mines in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.^[1] Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946.

 I remember the version by Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded in 1955.  Of course I did not hear it until the 60's but I was fascinated by his voice and the song.  My cousin Vince got hooked on Fords music on a visit to my parent's place in Ohio.  While there he heard one of Ford's gospel records and flipped out.  He was like a kid in a candy store.  He listened and listened.  We still had records (LP) in those days.  It was good times.  He had never heard such listenings.

It went along with the John Henry was a steel driving man song by somebody, maybe Johnny Cash. 

We had lots of music styles in our house.