www.markholder.org

  Just your typical 1970s Lou Reed night out I know what you're thinking, that Holder guy and his reviews of old records again. But hear me out; this is a great album.  Recorded at the Bottom Line and released in 1978, the double-album captures Reed at his sarcastic, shit-talking best, talking to the crowd, the band, roadies, even himself at times. Rather than sing "Walk On The Wild Side," which Reed admits is a song he's become bored with, he tells the story of how the song came to be written, shedding light on the Warhol Superstars mentioned throughout.  "Coney Island Baby" has always been one of my favorite songs. The studio version of the song showed Reed at his subtle best. The Take No Prisoners version is anything but subtle, with wailing saxophone, sultry background vocals, and a thundering chorus transforms the piece from a song to an experience.  Take No Prisoners is an intense, honest, even funny album. It captures Reed at an interesting time, afte...

 Spring is arriving in the Deep South, with four seasons in one day weather, storms, and all the usual stuff. With Spring comes rockhounding weather, and the family and I went on our first dig a few weeks ago.  The location was a rock quarry in the town on Summerville, Georgia. The event was hosted by the Georgia Mineral Society and a group from Alabama. We'd had rain a few days before but the weather was perfect on the day of the event, starting with a cool morning and warming into the afternoon. Of course, the North Georgia clay that is predominant in this area held much of the rainwater so everyone ended their day a bit muddy and sticky but it was well worth it.  Summerville is home to a type of rock known as the Summerville agate . These rocks are a beauty to behold and are found throughout the area. The quarry is also rich in quartz so a great many of the pieces we brought home have bands of clear white quartz running through them.  It was a great way to kick of...

 I’m pleased to report that I’ve found employment with a local healthcare facility. Coming from a printing background, healthcare may seem an unusual career trajectory, but I’d worked at this same facility some years ago, which perhaps helped to grease the rails to rehiring and foam the runway of the Black Swan event. It’s good to be back. I left 9 years ago and am honestly surprised to be recognized in the hallways and lunch area after so many years away. At first glance, the fact that a healthcare facility took in a manufacturing refugee for the second time seems an unlikely, eyebrow-raising occurrence. Looking a little deeper, it almost feels inevitable. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proposed a thought experiment in which he stated “time is a flat circle.” In a nutshell, this statement addresses the cyclical, repetitive nature of life. I seem to have been swept into the current of a particular circle and the event has been fascinating to observe (and quite maddening to ...

 After taking a job for which I slowly realized I was wholly unsuited for, I find myself back in the job market. Things feel a bit different this time around. After the implosion of Brown Industries, a hiring frenzy seemed to take place. Now feels a bit different, more slowly paced. I have interviews lined up, including two in one day, as happened before, but this has taken a couple of weeks to form.  The weekend after leaving the aforementioned job, my family and I went on a long weekend getaway to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, a charming little town on the Gulf Coast. It was a much-needed stepping away from the anxiety of the last two months and we're thinking of going back for Mardi Gras.  One position I'm interviewing for could, if an offer is made and accepted, prove on a personal level that Nietzsche was right when he said time is a flat circle - more to come in a future post.  

  "There is no route out of the maze. The maze shifts as you move through it, because it is alive." - Philip K Dick

 One week ago, I, along with all employees of the print division of Brown Industries, was summoned to a meeting. Tensions were high and fear was palpable, as work had been slow for several weeks. Layoffs, it seemed, were to be announced.  If only it were so simple. Speaking through a poorly set up PA system, one of the two CEOs announced that funding that had been sought had fallen through and the company could no longer sustain operating costs. Brown Industries, inventor of the carpet sample industry and economic juggernaut for more than 60 years, would permanently suspend operations.  I was suddenly unemployed.  All were stunned. A short Q&A session took place in which we were reassured this wasn't the fault of labor, this was a failure on the management level. Cold comfort, to say the least. My immediate coworkers and I returned to our desks and began filling boxes with photos and other personal effects. I was reminded of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 200...

 In May, I read an article that said gas prices would reach $3/gallon in the US, partly due to increased demand as the country reopens from the COVID restrictions and partly to possible shortages. This was before the ransomware attack that shut down the Southeast’s main pipeline, an event that had my fellow Southerners filling plastic bags with gas.  It is June as I write. Gas is just under $3/gallon. I learned long ago that when an announcement is made regarding prices, don’t take it as a prediction, take it as a statement of intent. There have been no shortages as of yet, except for during the week in which the previously mentioned fuel bags were being filled. The article mentioned the most likely cause of shortage wouldn’t be a lack of fuel, but a lack of certified truck drivers to deliver the fuel. While a commercial truck driver can drive most any truck, he or she must be certified to haul hazardous chemicals such as gasoline. When COVID shutdown much of the economy in 20...