Elizabeth, I love your pictures from this morning! That's your favorite field - it's your personal field (natural habitat of the Wild Beth!) - and if I remember correctly it's located close to where you live. Right across the street I think you said. It's so beautiful with all the yellow flowers, and the sound of the cicadas and it makes me happy that you have such a wonderful place to enjoy, so close at hand. From your pictures, it looks like it goes on forever once the field becomes the woods. I would love to go on a hike with you there. That would be very awesome indeed. We could have breakfast together, too. :):)
I just think it's nice to have such a place of peace and beauty. That's what I love about Planet Earth - it just keeps spinning around and doing it's thing, no matter what goes on with human beings. The power of a place like your field speaks volumes about God and nature. It not only takes you away from the tumult, but makes you realize what real truth is, far away from the chaos of the world. One of my favorite things on a hike is just to watch a bird flit from tree to tree. He knows exactly what he's doing and why he's doing it, and that's the way all of nature seems to operate. Out in the woods, whether in Aliso Canyon or in your prairie, everything - every critter, every bug, every tree and every rock - operates the same way, day after day, year after year, century after century. And all of them (even the rocks) just seem to know.
They seem to know a lot about Planet Earth.
I think it's a good way to be, to tune in to the same vibes the birds are tuned into, and when you walk at night, to make sure to check on The Moon and Jupiter and Saturn (and Mars and Venus, when available).
You made my day with your pictures, Elizabeth. I trust all is well, and I hope you are thinking about your music, too.
I love you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Saturday, August 29, 2020
Some Of The First Albums I Ever Bought
Writing about "Quadrophenia" the other day caused me to look up it's release date, which Wikipedia lists as October 26, 1973. Earlier today I was trying to think of the very first albums I ever bought when I started hanging around College Records, and I knew "Quadrophenia" was one of them. I'll backtrack just for a minute to say that I bought a handful of albums as a younger kid, let's say from about age 8 to 12 ( a few Beatle records, some Monkees and Three Dog Night), but at that age my main music purchases were 45rpm singles, which were easier to afford with my allowance. Maybe I'll write a blog about my listening habits in the 1960s, but for now, let's return to the Summer of 1973, when I first started going to College, as it were (wink wink nudge nudge).
My friend Dennis and I became pinball wizards the Summer before, in 1972. There's another Who reference for you, but yeah; all we did in the Summer of '72 was play pinball at the Two Guys department store, located two miles away on Balboa Boulevard. We walked or rode bikes there every day, all Summer long, and we were always barefoot, so by the end of the Summer the soles of our feet were black. And we played pinball all day long, every day.
By the Summer of 1973, we had been kicked out of Two Guys, and also the brick tower dormitory at CSUN that was known as Rincon Hall, where we monopolized the "Fireball" machine for days on end. Thus, we ended up at Thrifty Drug Store, located in the center of Northridge at the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Nordhoff Street. Thrifty only had one machine, but it was a good one (can't recall the name but it had a yellow motif). At any rate, by that point Dennis and I had been joined by my brother Chris and our friend David B., known by his middle name Louie in those days. We'd play pinball all day at Thrifty, taking breaks to order triple scoop ice cream cones for 15 cents, five cents a scoop. My favorite flavors were strawberry cheesecake and mint n' chip.
One day we came in to see that the pinball machine was taken. The guy playing it was dressed better than we were, wearing slacks and a button up shirt. He had long hair like we did, but he was taller. That was because he was wearing platform boots, which I'm not sure I'd seen before. Maybe on the feet of someone like David Bowie, but I don't think I saw a lot of rock magazines at that point. Anyhow, the effect of his clothing and especially his platforms made him look cooler and more sophisticated than us. He seemed friendly enough, however, and as we got to talking, he informed us that he worked just across the parking lot at the local record store, College Records (so named because of it's proximity to CSUN). He was fourteen at the time but seemed a year or two older, and he went on to say that he'd been working at College for almost a year. He introduced himself as Pat, and invited us to come over and check out the store. Prior to that, I'd been in the record department of stores like Zody's and Sears. But so far as I can recall, I'd never been inside a store devoted entirely to records, an actual record store. Maybe Wallach's Music City with my Dad when I was four or five, but that sorta doesn't count.
On the inside, College Records was true to it's name. The place was filled with records, there were LPs everywhere you looked - in racks covering the walls and in bins that ran down the center of the small store, which, if I had to guess, was no more than 300 square feet. But there were a million records in there, most of which were by bands I'd never heard of. Mandrill? Can? Camel? Greenslade?
Camel we know about from our last blog, and I own one Can album ("Tago Mago") and a couple by Greenslade (whose awful singer prevents me from liking them).
But getting back to the first albums I ever bought at College Records, I am thinking that one of the very first was "Sweet Freedom" by Uriah Heep. Wiki has the release date for that album as September 1973, which was not long after we met Pat. Heep were one of his favorite bands, so my purchase might have been at his suggestion. I remember hearing the song "Stealin' ", which featured the vocals of David Byron, an incredible singer who died young, and I remember really liking it. I have a distinct memory of being in the bike rack at Holmes Jr. High, getting ready to ride home, and thinking "when I get paid from my paper route I'm gonna by that Uriah Heep album". The price was $2.99, which was reserved for records that were new and "on special". And in fact it may have been the very first album I ever bought at College.
Then "Quadrophenia" came out a month later, and I know I bought that right away. It was a double album with a heavy cover made of thick cardboard. There was a booklet inside with lyrics and pictures. Unlike Uriah Heep, I'd heard of The Who from the '60s, though when I was a kid I got them mixed up with The Guess Who (from Canada). I thought they were one and the same band, and that "The Who" was just a shortened nickname for The Guess Who, like when you call The Rolling Stones "The Stones".
"Quadrophenia" was a game changer for me, because it introduced me to orchestrated rock music, and the concept of A Concept Album.
Prior to that, however, I may have purchased "Mott" by Mott the Hoople, which was a big favorite among all the clerks at College. Wiki says it was released on July 20, 1973, which was right around the time we met Pat at Thrifty. So I may have bought it even before I bought the Uriah Heep. They had a good stereo system at College, with - I think - JBL speakers, and the clerks played music all day long, so if they were playing something I liked, which was almost always the case, I knew I had to have it and made a mental calculation of how far my paper route money would go.
The other thing was that two clerks in particular made suggestions, as to what I should buy. One of them was Pat, and the other was the guy who worked the morning shift, Jon S.
Between the two of them, I probably learned about half the bands I love today. One of the first bands Pat suggested I listen to was Genesis, who had just released "Selling England By The Pound" in August 1973 (Wiki). I had never heard music like that in my life (who had?), and I bought a copy as soon as I could. I made about 30 bucks a month on my paper route, so I could afford up to ten albums at a time (maybe 6 or 7 if you deduct pinball and ice cream cones).
But yeah, "Selling England By The Pound" was one of the very first albums I ever bought at College Records, and it completely changed my idea of what rock music could be. /////
At any rate, I'm just trying to get my writing chops back, so......sorry if the ebb and flow sucks, or if the syntax is not up to speed. I'm just sifting through some early music memories, when the discovery of a new album by a newly discovered band meant everything to a thirteen year old kid. In those days, for me, I'd learn about a band's latest album from the guys at College, then I'd go back and buy all their previous albums.
But I also had a few ideas of my own, bands that I liked before I "went to College". Not many, but a few, and they were very powerful in my musical upbringing. We'll get to those soon.
That's all for tonight. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
My friend Dennis and I became pinball wizards the Summer before, in 1972. There's another Who reference for you, but yeah; all we did in the Summer of '72 was play pinball at the Two Guys department store, located two miles away on Balboa Boulevard. We walked or rode bikes there every day, all Summer long, and we were always barefoot, so by the end of the Summer the soles of our feet were black. And we played pinball all day long, every day.
By the Summer of 1973, we had been kicked out of Two Guys, and also the brick tower dormitory at CSUN that was known as Rincon Hall, where we monopolized the "Fireball" machine for days on end. Thus, we ended up at Thrifty Drug Store, located in the center of Northridge at the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Nordhoff Street. Thrifty only had one machine, but it was a good one (can't recall the name but it had a yellow motif). At any rate, by that point Dennis and I had been joined by my brother Chris and our friend David B., known by his middle name Louie in those days. We'd play pinball all day at Thrifty, taking breaks to order triple scoop ice cream cones for 15 cents, five cents a scoop. My favorite flavors were strawberry cheesecake and mint n' chip.
One day we came in to see that the pinball machine was taken. The guy playing it was dressed better than we were, wearing slacks and a button up shirt. He had long hair like we did, but he was taller. That was because he was wearing platform boots, which I'm not sure I'd seen before. Maybe on the feet of someone like David Bowie, but I don't think I saw a lot of rock magazines at that point. Anyhow, the effect of his clothing and especially his platforms made him look cooler and more sophisticated than us. He seemed friendly enough, however, and as we got to talking, he informed us that he worked just across the parking lot at the local record store, College Records (so named because of it's proximity to CSUN). He was fourteen at the time but seemed a year or two older, and he went on to say that he'd been working at College for almost a year. He introduced himself as Pat, and invited us to come over and check out the store. Prior to that, I'd been in the record department of stores like Zody's and Sears. But so far as I can recall, I'd never been inside a store devoted entirely to records, an actual record store. Maybe Wallach's Music City with my Dad when I was four or five, but that sorta doesn't count.
On the inside, College Records was true to it's name. The place was filled with records, there were LPs everywhere you looked - in racks covering the walls and in bins that ran down the center of the small store, which, if I had to guess, was no more than 300 square feet. But there were a million records in there, most of which were by bands I'd never heard of. Mandrill? Can? Camel? Greenslade?
Camel we know about from our last blog, and I own one Can album ("Tago Mago") and a couple by Greenslade (whose awful singer prevents me from liking them).
But getting back to the first albums I ever bought at College Records, I am thinking that one of the very first was "Sweet Freedom" by Uriah Heep. Wiki has the release date for that album as September 1973, which was not long after we met Pat. Heep were one of his favorite bands, so my purchase might have been at his suggestion. I remember hearing the song "Stealin' ", which featured the vocals of David Byron, an incredible singer who died young, and I remember really liking it. I have a distinct memory of being in the bike rack at Holmes Jr. High, getting ready to ride home, and thinking "when I get paid from my paper route I'm gonna by that Uriah Heep album". The price was $2.99, which was reserved for records that were new and "on special". And in fact it may have been the very first album I ever bought at College.
Then "Quadrophenia" came out a month later, and I know I bought that right away. It was a double album with a heavy cover made of thick cardboard. There was a booklet inside with lyrics and pictures. Unlike Uriah Heep, I'd heard of The Who from the '60s, though when I was a kid I got them mixed up with The Guess Who (from Canada). I thought they were one and the same band, and that "The Who" was just a shortened nickname for The Guess Who, like when you call The Rolling Stones "The Stones".
"Quadrophenia" was a game changer for me, because it introduced me to orchestrated rock music, and the concept of A Concept Album.
Prior to that, however, I may have purchased "Mott" by Mott the Hoople, which was a big favorite among all the clerks at College. Wiki says it was released on July 20, 1973, which was right around the time we met Pat at Thrifty. So I may have bought it even before I bought the Uriah Heep. They had a good stereo system at College, with - I think - JBL speakers, and the clerks played music all day long, so if they were playing something I liked, which was almost always the case, I knew I had to have it and made a mental calculation of how far my paper route money would go.
The other thing was that two clerks in particular made suggestions, as to what I should buy. One of them was Pat, and the other was the guy who worked the morning shift, Jon S.
Between the two of them, I probably learned about half the bands I love today. One of the first bands Pat suggested I listen to was Genesis, who had just released "Selling England By The Pound" in August 1973 (Wiki). I had never heard music like that in my life (who had?), and I bought a copy as soon as I could. I made about 30 bucks a month on my paper route, so I could afford up to ten albums at a time (maybe 6 or 7 if you deduct pinball and ice cream cones).
But yeah, "Selling England By The Pound" was one of the very first albums I ever bought at College Records, and it completely changed my idea of what rock music could be. /////
At any rate, I'm just trying to get my writing chops back, so......sorry if the ebb and flow sucks, or if the syntax is not up to speed. I'm just sifting through some early music memories, when the discovery of a new album by a newly discovered band meant everything to a thirteen year old kid. In those days, for me, I'd learn about a band's latest album from the guys at College, then I'd go back and buy all their previous albums.
But I also had a few ideas of my own, bands that I liked before I "went to College". Not many, but a few, and they were very powerful in my musical upbringing. We'll get to those soon.
That's all for tonight. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, August 27, 2020
The Who Weren't All That Great, But Camel Was Pretty Good Too
I really don't wanna lose the blog, but I can't sustain it without something constant to write about. I'm not gonna write about politics or violence (though I'm really sorry to see what's happening in your state, Elizabeth). I may eventually return to movies, though I still haven't watched one for almost six weeks now. The events of mid-July really knocked the stuffing out of me. Things seem okay now, at least I hope they are, but anyway the blog was on a even keel for more than seven years, and if you count Myspace and Delphi, I've basically been writing - more or less on a daily basis - for twenty years. And I've always found something to write about. The problem these days is that I have basically no life outside my job. I don't even get to sing in church anymore. I know I'm not alone in my troubles and I don't mean to complain; this horrible year has affected everyone, but because I became a choir singer out of the blue and purely by chance - and got good at it - it has been hard to watch it vanish after five years of singing every Sunday morning, and then getting the opportunity to sing solo tenor last Christmas for our holiday service. That was awesome, and I practiced and practiced for it, singing in the car in the weeks preceding so I would sound good when the time came.
Music has always been the thing that got me through the worst times in my life, and I think that may be true for many folks, so for now I guess I'll try writing about music. I'm reading this biography of John Entwistle, and I'm blown away by how some of these rock stars have lived their lives. I must preface this to say that I never thought The Who were all that great. I know many folks would disagree, but that's my take. While it is true that "Quadrophenia" is one of the greatest albums of all time, and while "Who's Next" is iconic in an overplayed, Led Zeppelin 4 kind of way, I am of the opinion that their reputation far outweighs their actual output. I don't find "Tommy" to be all that brilliant, outside the concept, and beyond those three albums they're a hit and miss singles band. Their real power was as a live act, and though I've never seen them in concert I have no doubt they were top of the heap in that respect, in their heyday. But man, were they ever a bunch of messed up dudes, at least according to Paul Rees, the author of "The Ox".
Entwistle lived like a king and spent his money as fast as he earned it. But his story is ultimately a sad one, at least to me. His life was one long, neverending party, and then he died at age 57 from years of abuse. No doubt he lived a big life, a huge one in fact, but the way it's portrayed in the book it seems a bit empty. He was an incredible musician, however, and for that he shall be forever remembered.
This leads me to remember the very first time I ever went to a rock club (and I'm just rambling here, trying to keep the blog alive. I don't have any actual point to make). It was November 1974, and Camel were playing The Whisky. I was 14 and a half, and had been to four concerts prior to that - California Jam, ELO, Rick Wakeman and Golden Earring. But this was gonna be my first time in a club, and a legendary one at that. Only five years earlier, Led Zeppelin played there as a young band. So did Yes, and a hundred other bands, including the legendary acts from the 60s like The Doors, who were the house band at The Whisky in '66.
Ray Manzerek, the Door's keyboardist, was the opening act for Camel that night. Grimsley and I went, his landlord drove us down there. Grim was 21, he's 67 now. While Manzarek was playing, Keith Moon came onstage to sit in on drums for a song or two. He was drunk, and playing sloppy, and a guy standing next to Grim and I was heckling him in a good natured way. "You're flat, Keith"! Grim pointed out that the guy was Bruce Johnston from The Beach Boys, who were one of Moon's favorite bands. He loved Surf Music, apparently. But those were bad years for Keith Moon, and he would only live for four more.
After Camel played an incredible set, in support of their "Mirage" album (a progressive rock masterpiece), Grim motioned to me to follow him, and we went up the stairs to the second floor of The Whisky, to where the dressing rooms are. I barely had time to wonder "is this okay"?, when there stood Peter Bardens in front of us. He was the keyboard wizard from Camel, one half of their musical genius composing team. Grim immediately affected a German accent and introduced himself. "You vere in-credible tonight"!, he said to Bardens, who looked amused. I think he asked Grim what part of Germany he came from. I was speechless, because Peter Bardens was one of my musical heroes, and here he was, standing right next to me. As it turns out, he was the first rock star I ever met, if you don't count me standing next to Bruce Johnston, and if you don't count that Peter Bardens wasn't really a "rock star" (quote unquote), but a brilliant musician in a great rock band. I hate to say it, but he died too at age 57, just like John Entwisle, and like Entwistle, he was born in 1944 and died in 2002. And like Entwistle, he called Los Angeles home toward the end.
After we talked to Peter Bardens, Grim and I walked into the dressing room, and there stood Keith Moon. I remember there were several people who wanted his attention, but because Grimsley is Grimsley (and he was just Dave back then), he was always able to skew anyone's attention his way. And so, suddenly Keith Moon was looking at Grim. Grim saw that one guy in the room had a camera, and asked him to take a picture of him and Keith. Grim then grabbed Keith Moon in a hug with one arm, and with his other hand he pinched Keith's cheeks together as a "funny" gesture. I will always remember what Keith Moon said before the picture was snapped.
He said : "I feel like a piece of meat".
Grim had manhandled him, not out of mean-spiritedness, but just in the overzealous way of a fan who is overly starstruck.
Grim still has that photo. Keith Moon was only 28 when it was taken, but he looks 40.
I left that night thinking, "wow!.......I met Keith Moon, I met Peter Bardens, I saw the guy from the Beach Boys and I saw Camel"!
What holds up after all these years is the music. The memories hold up too, of course, and memories freakin' rock, but it's a shame that the rock n' roll lifestyle wound up killing so many musicians. I know that's an obvious statement and a cliche, but that's my story for tonight, just to keep the blog alive.
I remember when "The Who By Numbers" came out in 1975. I'd been hanging around College Records for a couple of years by then, and when one of the guys put it on the turntable, I was decidedly unimpressed. The song "Squeezebox" sounded wimpy compared to the majesty of the music on "Quadrophenia", and my review, instantly stated, was "The Who go country".
So yeah, I'm not one of the folks who put The Who up there with The Beatles (not by a million miles), nor even as one of the greatest bands of all time. But that's just me, and I suppose that just by their musical ferocity and the few good or great albums they did make, they were very great indeed, in their own way.
But Camel weren't too shabby either, and they had some of the greatest albums ever made, so it's important to keep them in mind too.
See you tomorrow. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Music has always been the thing that got me through the worst times in my life, and I think that may be true for many folks, so for now I guess I'll try writing about music. I'm reading this biography of John Entwistle, and I'm blown away by how some of these rock stars have lived their lives. I must preface this to say that I never thought The Who were all that great. I know many folks would disagree, but that's my take. While it is true that "Quadrophenia" is one of the greatest albums of all time, and while "Who's Next" is iconic in an overplayed, Led Zeppelin 4 kind of way, I am of the opinion that their reputation far outweighs their actual output. I don't find "Tommy" to be all that brilliant, outside the concept, and beyond those three albums they're a hit and miss singles band. Their real power was as a live act, and though I've never seen them in concert I have no doubt they were top of the heap in that respect, in their heyday. But man, were they ever a bunch of messed up dudes, at least according to Paul Rees, the author of "The Ox".
Entwistle lived like a king and spent his money as fast as he earned it. But his story is ultimately a sad one, at least to me. His life was one long, neverending party, and then he died at age 57 from years of abuse. No doubt he lived a big life, a huge one in fact, but the way it's portrayed in the book it seems a bit empty. He was an incredible musician, however, and for that he shall be forever remembered.
This leads me to remember the very first time I ever went to a rock club (and I'm just rambling here, trying to keep the blog alive. I don't have any actual point to make). It was November 1974, and Camel were playing The Whisky. I was 14 and a half, and had been to four concerts prior to that - California Jam, ELO, Rick Wakeman and Golden Earring. But this was gonna be my first time in a club, and a legendary one at that. Only five years earlier, Led Zeppelin played there as a young band. So did Yes, and a hundred other bands, including the legendary acts from the 60s like The Doors, who were the house band at The Whisky in '66.
Ray Manzerek, the Door's keyboardist, was the opening act for Camel that night. Grimsley and I went, his landlord drove us down there. Grim was 21, he's 67 now. While Manzarek was playing, Keith Moon came onstage to sit in on drums for a song or two. He was drunk, and playing sloppy, and a guy standing next to Grim and I was heckling him in a good natured way. "You're flat, Keith"! Grim pointed out that the guy was Bruce Johnston from The Beach Boys, who were one of Moon's favorite bands. He loved Surf Music, apparently. But those were bad years for Keith Moon, and he would only live for four more.
After Camel played an incredible set, in support of their "Mirage" album (a progressive rock masterpiece), Grim motioned to me to follow him, and we went up the stairs to the second floor of The Whisky, to where the dressing rooms are. I barely had time to wonder "is this okay"?, when there stood Peter Bardens in front of us. He was the keyboard wizard from Camel, one half of their musical genius composing team. Grim immediately affected a German accent and introduced himself. "You vere in-credible tonight"!, he said to Bardens, who looked amused. I think he asked Grim what part of Germany he came from. I was speechless, because Peter Bardens was one of my musical heroes, and here he was, standing right next to me. As it turns out, he was the first rock star I ever met, if you don't count me standing next to Bruce Johnston, and if you don't count that Peter Bardens wasn't really a "rock star" (quote unquote), but a brilliant musician in a great rock band. I hate to say it, but he died too at age 57, just like John Entwisle, and like Entwistle, he was born in 1944 and died in 2002. And like Entwistle, he called Los Angeles home toward the end.
After we talked to Peter Bardens, Grim and I walked into the dressing room, and there stood Keith Moon. I remember there were several people who wanted his attention, but because Grimsley is Grimsley (and he was just Dave back then), he was always able to skew anyone's attention his way. And so, suddenly Keith Moon was looking at Grim. Grim saw that one guy in the room had a camera, and asked him to take a picture of him and Keith. Grim then grabbed Keith Moon in a hug with one arm, and with his other hand he pinched Keith's cheeks together as a "funny" gesture. I will always remember what Keith Moon said before the picture was snapped.
He said : "I feel like a piece of meat".
Grim had manhandled him, not out of mean-spiritedness, but just in the overzealous way of a fan who is overly starstruck.
Grim still has that photo. Keith Moon was only 28 when it was taken, but he looks 40.
I left that night thinking, "wow!.......I met Keith Moon, I met Peter Bardens, I saw the guy from the Beach Boys and I saw Camel"!
What holds up after all these years is the music. The memories hold up too, of course, and memories freakin' rock, but it's a shame that the rock n' roll lifestyle wound up killing so many musicians. I know that's an obvious statement and a cliche, but that's my story for tonight, just to keep the blog alive.
I remember when "The Who By Numbers" came out in 1975. I'd been hanging around College Records for a couple of years by then, and when one of the guys put it on the turntable, I was decidedly unimpressed. The song "Squeezebox" sounded wimpy compared to the majesty of the music on "Quadrophenia", and my review, instantly stated, was "The Who go country".
So yeah, I'm not one of the folks who put The Who up there with The Beatles (not by a million miles), nor even as one of the greatest bands of all time. But that's just me, and I suppose that just by their musical ferocity and the few good or great albums they did make, they were very great indeed, in their own way.
But Camel weren't too shabby either, and they had some of the greatest albums ever made, so it's important to keep them in mind too.
See you tomorrow. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Grohl
I finally saw Dave Grohl.
This afternoon I stopped by Northridge Library in order to return a book ("Waco", which I didn't finish because it was heavily biased), and after doing so I decided to go for a short walk, to add to my daily miles. I try to do 5 per day, as you know. My walk near The Libe leads down Darby Street, past Rayen to Parthenia Place. You can street view it on Google to get a better perspective. About 4 years ago, I discovered that Grohl's Studio 606 was located right on that corner, of Darby and Parthenia Place. He's got the Lemmy mural painted on the back wall, you can't miss it, even though it's located in a totally nondescript area. Over the years, since my discovery, I've walked by there on occasion, when I stop at The Libe, just to see if Dave Grohl is there, and to get some mileage in. You can see through the tinted windows as you pass by. He's got some vintage pinball machines in the lobby.
But I've never seen him until today. I must've timed it just right, because as I walked down the sidewalk, I could see a guy standing in front of the studio, which looks like an industrial building. I've seen other guys standing out front over the years. Most of the time, no one is there. But this time, as I got closer, I could see it was Dave himself. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, like me. He was holding the studio door open, talking to someone inside, but when I passed by he looked at me directly, almost like he expected me to recognize him. He probably gets that all the time. The whole exchange lasted less than two seconds, then I walked past and continued on my way.
If this were 1975, I'd have stopped and asked him for a picture and an autograph. But now, that's the last thing I'd do, because that's his studio, his private enclave. I've walked past because I'm a Northridger and since 2016 or so, he's been a Northridger, too. So as it stands, we're just a couple of local schmoes, and I've just wanted to see if I could see him. For all I know, he probably walks past my apartment on occasion, just to see if I am outside, and if I was, he very likely walked by without saying anything, much like I did today.
What I'd really like to tell him, if I ever see him again, is that in 1982, before his building was even there, I played a party at the house next door, with my band Disturbing The Peace. We got the gig through my late great friend "Freedy", who knew the owner, a guy named Paul Braun. The place was a crazy house. Paul drank vodka like it was going out of style. His roommate Kirk had hair to his waist and kept rattlesnakes. Another guy lived there too and they'd have drunken fistfights. Paul and Kirk were computer geniuses, pre-Internet. I was only there a few times, they were Freedy's friends, but I'll never forget that party. We played Judas Priest and Rush covers to about 30 people, including a handful of bikers. It was only about our third or fourth gig, but everyone seemed to like us, and we played super loud.
I think there was another house on the corner where Grohl's studio now stands, but I'm not certain. Anyway, next time I see him I will tell him about that party. As a fellow Northridger, he will surely get a kick out of it. ////
In other news, Pearl had a nice birthday today. She got a lot of cards from friends and we went for a walk after dinner. Then we watched a Buster Keaton short called "The Boat", which was hilarious.
That's all I know for tonight. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
This afternoon I stopped by Northridge Library in order to return a book ("Waco", which I didn't finish because it was heavily biased), and after doing so I decided to go for a short walk, to add to my daily miles. I try to do 5 per day, as you know. My walk near The Libe leads down Darby Street, past Rayen to Parthenia Place. You can street view it on Google to get a better perspective. About 4 years ago, I discovered that Grohl's Studio 606 was located right on that corner, of Darby and Parthenia Place. He's got the Lemmy mural painted on the back wall, you can't miss it, even though it's located in a totally nondescript area. Over the years, since my discovery, I've walked by there on occasion, when I stop at The Libe, just to see if Dave Grohl is there, and to get some mileage in. You can see through the tinted windows as you pass by. He's got some vintage pinball machines in the lobby.
But I've never seen him until today. I must've timed it just right, because as I walked down the sidewalk, I could see a guy standing in front of the studio, which looks like an industrial building. I've seen other guys standing out front over the years. Most of the time, no one is there. But this time, as I got closer, I could see it was Dave himself. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, like me. He was holding the studio door open, talking to someone inside, but when I passed by he looked at me directly, almost like he expected me to recognize him. He probably gets that all the time. The whole exchange lasted less than two seconds, then I walked past and continued on my way.
If this were 1975, I'd have stopped and asked him for a picture and an autograph. But now, that's the last thing I'd do, because that's his studio, his private enclave. I've walked past because I'm a Northridger and since 2016 or so, he's been a Northridger, too. So as it stands, we're just a couple of local schmoes, and I've just wanted to see if I could see him. For all I know, he probably walks past my apartment on occasion, just to see if I am outside, and if I was, he very likely walked by without saying anything, much like I did today.
What I'd really like to tell him, if I ever see him again, is that in 1982, before his building was even there, I played a party at the house next door, with my band Disturbing The Peace. We got the gig through my late great friend "Freedy", who knew the owner, a guy named Paul Braun. The place was a crazy house. Paul drank vodka like it was going out of style. His roommate Kirk had hair to his waist and kept rattlesnakes. Another guy lived there too and they'd have drunken fistfights. Paul and Kirk were computer geniuses, pre-Internet. I was only there a few times, they were Freedy's friends, but I'll never forget that party. We played Judas Priest and Rush covers to about 30 people, including a handful of bikers. It was only about our third or fourth gig, but everyone seemed to like us, and we played super loud.
I think there was another house on the corner where Grohl's studio now stands, but I'm not certain. Anyway, next time I see him I will tell him about that party. As a fellow Northridger, he will surely get a kick out of it. ////
In other news, Pearl had a nice birthday today. She got a lot of cards from friends and we went for a walk after dinner. Then we watched a Buster Keaton short called "The Boat", which was hilarious.
That's all I know for tonight. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Monday, August 24, 2020
Looks Delicious!
Elizabeth,
Those wontons sure look good! I'm guessing they are wontons. Or Dim sum maybe? Well in any event, I'd like to place an order for myself! Not only do they look delicious, they're very nicely arranged on the plate, and I think I'll be okay using chopsticks, too. Now, I also remember another photo where you were making a whole tray of dumplings that looked similar. I couldn't find it on your Instagram, but maybe you remember it. Next time you make them, I'm coming over for dinner. I'll do the dishes, too! :):)
I hope you had a nice weekend. We are still doing the Heat Wave thing, with temps in the triple digits for about the 12th straight day. Of course, I don't mind it, but I don't love the humid part, which always comes in August. The last few days feels like we're living in a swamp. I'm at the mid-point of my current work cycle, just doing my job and reading my books during my breaks (the John Entwistle bio and "JFK and the Unspeakable" by James Douglass).
Tomorrow is Pearl's birthday. She will be 96. Pretty amazing.
I'll be back tomorrow with more.
I love you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Those wontons sure look good! I'm guessing they are wontons. Or Dim sum maybe? Well in any event, I'd like to place an order for myself! Not only do they look delicious, they're very nicely arranged on the plate, and I think I'll be okay using chopsticks, too. Now, I also remember another photo where you were making a whole tray of dumplings that looked similar. I couldn't find it on your Instagram, but maybe you remember it. Next time you make them, I'm coming over for dinner. I'll do the dishes, too! :):)
I hope you had a nice weekend. We are still doing the Heat Wave thing, with temps in the triple digits for about the 12th straight day. Of course, I don't mind it, but I don't love the humid part, which always comes in August. The last few days feels like we're living in a swamp. I'm at the mid-point of my current work cycle, just doing my job and reading my books during my breaks (the John Entwistle bio and "JFK and the Unspeakable" by James Douglass).
Tomorrow is Pearl's birthday. She will be 96. Pretty amazing.
I'll be back tomorrow with more.
I love you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, August 21, 2020
Dear Elizabeth
Happy late night, my love. I hope you had a good day. I'm just writing to say hi. I wanna get into the habit of writing every day once again, as I was doing when I wrote about movies. I don't know that I'll go back to that - I haven't even watched a movie for several weeks - but I do want to keep writing because I love to write and don't wanna lose the discipline, and I also love to talk to you! So, when you post I can respond, and on other nights I can just try to write off the top of my head, go on tangents, etc.
Ha! That makes me think of early blogs from the old days. Remember when I would go on tangents and tirades? Lol. Sometimes I would even preface one with a warning, something like "I hate to go on a tirade, but"........and then I'd go on one, about one subject or another. Usually it was about a pet peeve of some sort, haha. I love to write free form, when I have a lot of mental energy and the ideas are coming to me as fast as I can type 'em. It was easier in the old days, when my job was less demanding, but because I am an Inveterate Jabberer, I'm sure I could get back to writing that way if I practiced enough. But yeah, I like to write because I like to talk and communicate.
So what did you think of the Democratic Convention? I know I don't usually talk politics, but this is the most important election in our lifetime and I'm hoping against hope we can beat Trump. I liked your Senator, Tammy Baldwin, and I hope her prediction is right that Wisconsin will go Blue this time around. If we can get you guys, it will offset a possible loss in Michigan. And then if we can get Pennsylvania, that might be enough to win it. Wouldn't it be great to be rid of Trump and the pandemic as the year ends, and ring in 2021 with a feeling of tremendous optimism? My fingers are crossed, and with that I will end my paragraph on politics.
I've been really enjoying the daily Weather Reports on Youtube from David Lynch. He's one of my major heroes, as you know, and since the pandemic began he's taken to posting his reports every morning without fail. He lives in the Hollywood hills, so it's always 10 - 15 degrees cooler there than in the Valley. When you watch him on a regular basis, there is a Zenlike quality to his weather reports because they're almost exactly the same every day, as predictable as our weather here in Southern California. It was 106 here today in Reseda, and super humid, but the quality of the heat was a big step down from Tuesday's Major League Scorcher of 112. That was one of the all-timers in my recollection.
I just started reading a new book, a biography of John Entwistle called "The Ox". I don't read a lot of rock biographies but I chose it because it got really good reviews, and also, while The Who are not one of my very favorite bands, they did make an album called "Quadrophenia" - one of the greatest records ever made - on which John Entwistle contributed one of the greatest bass guitar performances of all time. He died relatively young, in 2002 at age 57, and because his life was an enigma (not much was known about him), the book generated a lot of publicity and thus found it's way into my consciousness. I'm 50 pages in, and am riveted.
What music are you listening to these days? For me, this will go down as the Summer I discovered Buddy Holly, Bobby Fuller, and Gentle Giant. I know that's a weird grouping, and in the case of GG it's a rediscovery for me. I was a fan of their well known "Octopus" album as soon as I began listening to progressive rock in 1974, but I think their music was too complex for me to latch onto at age 14. Maybe not too complex, but too weird? Or not even weird, but odd. Whatever the case, I delved into their catalogue last May after a fortuitous post by my friend Ono, and man I was blown off the map. Since that time I have purchased all 11 of their albums and have listened repeatedly to all of them. Now I will put them at the top of the heap, as great as King Crimson or Genesis or ELP or any of the great progressive rock bands.
Right now, as I'm writing, I am listening to the 3rd Symphony of Anton Bruckner, as played by the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. My Dad got me into classical music, but some things I've discovered on my own, like the symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler, which are lengthy and very heavy and dramatic. Both of those composers were influenced by Wagner, whose operas I've have discovered in the last five years or so. My discovery began with the Overture to "Tannhauser", which KUSC plays all the time. That led me to check out more Wagner, which led to Mahler and Bruckner. Dad might not have approved, as he would have found the music non-traditional and melodramatic, but I love it. For the last few years, I try to go through the Bruckner symphonies at least once. My favorite is #8. The best versions are all by Berliner Philharmoniker and conducted by von Karajan.
It would be so much fun go to a concert with you, whether it was classical or rock n' roll, or whether it was in Madison or Los Angeles.........or New York, Paris or London.
But it would be incredible to be with you at any time.
That's really all I know, except for that I love you.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Ha! That makes me think of early blogs from the old days. Remember when I would go on tangents and tirades? Lol. Sometimes I would even preface one with a warning, something like "I hate to go on a tirade, but"........and then I'd go on one, about one subject or another. Usually it was about a pet peeve of some sort, haha. I love to write free form, when I have a lot of mental energy and the ideas are coming to me as fast as I can type 'em. It was easier in the old days, when my job was less demanding, but because I am an Inveterate Jabberer, I'm sure I could get back to writing that way if I practiced enough. But yeah, I like to write because I like to talk and communicate.
So what did you think of the Democratic Convention? I know I don't usually talk politics, but this is the most important election in our lifetime and I'm hoping against hope we can beat Trump. I liked your Senator, Tammy Baldwin, and I hope her prediction is right that Wisconsin will go Blue this time around. If we can get you guys, it will offset a possible loss in Michigan. And then if we can get Pennsylvania, that might be enough to win it. Wouldn't it be great to be rid of Trump and the pandemic as the year ends, and ring in 2021 with a feeling of tremendous optimism? My fingers are crossed, and with that I will end my paragraph on politics.
I've been really enjoying the daily Weather Reports on Youtube from David Lynch. He's one of my major heroes, as you know, and since the pandemic began he's taken to posting his reports every morning without fail. He lives in the Hollywood hills, so it's always 10 - 15 degrees cooler there than in the Valley. When you watch him on a regular basis, there is a Zenlike quality to his weather reports because they're almost exactly the same every day, as predictable as our weather here in Southern California. It was 106 here today in Reseda, and super humid, but the quality of the heat was a big step down from Tuesday's Major League Scorcher of 112. That was one of the all-timers in my recollection.
I just started reading a new book, a biography of John Entwistle called "The Ox". I don't read a lot of rock biographies but I chose it because it got really good reviews, and also, while The Who are not one of my very favorite bands, they did make an album called "Quadrophenia" - one of the greatest records ever made - on which John Entwistle contributed one of the greatest bass guitar performances of all time. He died relatively young, in 2002 at age 57, and because his life was an enigma (not much was known about him), the book generated a lot of publicity and thus found it's way into my consciousness. I'm 50 pages in, and am riveted.
What music are you listening to these days? For me, this will go down as the Summer I discovered Buddy Holly, Bobby Fuller, and Gentle Giant. I know that's a weird grouping, and in the case of GG it's a rediscovery for me. I was a fan of their well known "Octopus" album as soon as I began listening to progressive rock in 1974, but I think their music was too complex for me to latch onto at age 14. Maybe not too complex, but too weird? Or not even weird, but odd. Whatever the case, I delved into their catalogue last May after a fortuitous post by my friend Ono, and man I was blown off the map. Since that time I have purchased all 11 of their albums and have listened repeatedly to all of them. Now I will put them at the top of the heap, as great as King Crimson or Genesis or ELP or any of the great progressive rock bands.
Right now, as I'm writing, I am listening to the 3rd Symphony of Anton Bruckner, as played by the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. My Dad got me into classical music, but some things I've discovered on my own, like the symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler, which are lengthy and very heavy and dramatic. Both of those composers were influenced by Wagner, whose operas I've have discovered in the last five years or so. My discovery began with the Overture to "Tannhauser", which KUSC plays all the time. That led me to check out more Wagner, which led to Mahler and Bruckner. Dad might not have approved, as he would have found the music non-traditional and melodramatic, but I love it. For the last few years, I try to go through the Bruckner symphonies at least once. My favorite is #8. The best versions are all by Berliner Philharmoniker and conducted by von Karajan.
It would be so much fun go to a concert with you, whether it was classical or rock n' roll, or whether it was in Madison or Los Angeles.........or New York, Paris or London.
But it would be incredible to be with you at any time.
That's really all I know, except for that I love you.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
The Milky Way!
Elizabeth..............those are amazing pictures of the Milky Way! I mean, OMG right? I saw them this morning, and then all day I was trying to think if I've ever actually seen the Milky Way "in person". I think maybe I did, after the earthquake, when Los Angeles was blacked out for three days, but I'm not 100% sure. I know we saw a lot of stars then, and there's a slim chance I saw it as a kid on one excursion or another, but if so I don't remember it.
Man, I was just mentioning in my recent blog about seeing Saturn, and how that blew my mind, but we really can't see much else here except the evening's visible planets. I see by your comments that you took your photos near Dodgeville, and I Googled the distance (40 to 50 miles away from you), so maybe you have a similar situation with light pollution. It's interesting too, because here, once you drive north of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, of which I am on the "north ridge" haha, you're in the Mojave desert, which like Dodgeville is not more than 50 miles away. Maybe I could see the night sky from there, I dunno.
Best of all would be to see it with you. :):)
The other thing that struck me about your photos was that they show the rift in the middle of the Milky Way, where it looks like it's split in two. In my reading earlier this year, I learned about the rift and what it meant to the Sumerians, and right now - off the top of my head - I can't recall if the book was Sitchen's "When Time Began" or "Worlds In Collision" by Velikovsky, but I remember it was interpreted by the Sumerians as a passageway. Just imagine how, in ancient times, the study of the night sky was important enough to various cultures to have watchers stationed all night long, every night, for centuries. No wonder their astronomy became so advanced, even though they only had the naked eye to observe with.
If I were a Sumerian, that would be my dream job!
In other atmospheric news, it was 112 degrees here today. But apparently that's chopped liver compared to Death Valley last Sunday, where the temperature reached 130, the hottest temp on Earth in 107 years.
I am glad you went stargazing, because you made my day today. There is no doubt that we will look at the sky together, one night in the not too distant future.
I love you, Elizabeth. xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Man, I was just mentioning in my recent blog about seeing Saturn, and how that blew my mind, but we really can't see much else here except the evening's visible planets. I see by your comments that you took your photos near Dodgeville, and I Googled the distance (40 to 50 miles away from you), so maybe you have a similar situation with light pollution. It's interesting too, because here, once you drive north of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, of which I am on the "north ridge" haha, you're in the Mojave desert, which like Dodgeville is not more than 50 miles away. Maybe I could see the night sky from there, I dunno.
Best of all would be to see it with you. :):)
The other thing that struck me about your photos was that they show the rift in the middle of the Milky Way, where it looks like it's split in two. In my reading earlier this year, I learned about the rift and what it meant to the Sumerians, and right now - off the top of my head - I can't recall if the book was Sitchen's "When Time Began" or "Worlds In Collision" by Velikovsky, but I remember it was interpreted by the Sumerians as a passageway. Just imagine how, in ancient times, the study of the night sky was important enough to various cultures to have watchers stationed all night long, every night, for centuries. No wonder their astronomy became so advanced, even though they only had the naked eye to observe with.
If I were a Sumerian, that would be my dream job!
In other atmospheric news, it was 112 degrees here today. But apparently that's chopped liver compared to Death Valley last Sunday, where the temperature reached 130, the hottest temp on Earth in 107 years.
I am glad you went stargazing, because you made my day today. There is no doubt that we will look at the sky together, one night in the not too distant future.
I love you, Elizabeth. xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Monday, August 17, 2020
Dear Elizabeth
I'm back at Pearl's. We're having a heat wave (108 yesterday) and I can't take her for our usual after dinner walks, so I've just been staying inside and practicing my recorder. It's fun, and this is the first chance I've had to really try it out, since it's way too loud to practice in my apartment. I found some Youtube "learn the recorder" videos, and I've been having fun learning the few finger positions I've mastered thus far (haha, yeah right).
My recorder is just a seven dollar cheapie, but it's a Yamaha, so it sounds okay, when I have my fingers placed properly over the holes. I've discovered that if any of your fingers are "leaking", i.e. not covering the holes completely (which is harder than you might think) the resulting sound will be a squeak, no matter the note. My Dupuytren's condition requires some adjustments to the normal finger positioning, but if I can adjust on guitar I can do it on the recorder. The hardest part so far, besides the "leaky finger" problem, is that the notes on a recorder are counterintuitive. Think of a piano, where all the notes are lined up in a row, or even the guitar, where you go from the low end of the neck to the high end. With the recorder, from my beginner's point of view, all sorts of stuff seems to be happening, depending on how many fingers are down, and in which combinations. It seems to be "all in a row" if you're playing the first six notes, but after that, all bets are off.
But so far, I think I've learned enough to at least become a Snake Charmer, with some practice.
I hope you had a nice weekend. I guess I sure said a mouthful with all the recent blogs I wrote, but I stand by them. I hope you've been reading, and I know it's been a lot to absorb, but I'd love to know what you think about everything I've said.
I've got to go into Drill Sergeant Mode just for a minute, to urge you once again in the strongest possible terms to keep going with your most recent style of songwriting. You have a knack for vocal melody, which is the most important element of a song. Delivering that melody with feeling is just as important, and you've been able to do that too, in a big way. And it's not just vocal melody, as important as that is. It's that you have a unique voice. You deliver the emotion in your songs, and I can't emphasize this enough. And you have the words to go with it. So........write, write, write! :):)
Think of the great songwriters who had just an acoustic guitar and their own voice. How did they start out, if not from belief in themselves? (and a heap of talent and inspiaration, which you've got!)
As your Drill Sergeant, I don't believe I've ever steered you wrong before. So write.
Sweet Dreams and I'll see you in the morning. I love you.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
My recorder is just a seven dollar cheapie, but it's a Yamaha, so it sounds okay, when I have my fingers placed properly over the holes. I've discovered that if any of your fingers are "leaking", i.e. not covering the holes completely (which is harder than you might think) the resulting sound will be a squeak, no matter the note. My Dupuytren's condition requires some adjustments to the normal finger positioning, but if I can adjust on guitar I can do it on the recorder. The hardest part so far, besides the "leaky finger" problem, is that the notes on a recorder are counterintuitive. Think of a piano, where all the notes are lined up in a row, or even the guitar, where you go from the low end of the neck to the high end. With the recorder, from my beginner's point of view, all sorts of stuff seems to be happening, depending on how many fingers are down, and in which combinations. It seems to be "all in a row" if you're playing the first six notes, but after that, all bets are off.
But so far, I think I've learned enough to at least become a Snake Charmer, with some practice.
I hope you had a nice weekend. I guess I sure said a mouthful with all the recent blogs I wrote, but I stand by them. I hope you've been reading, and I know it's been a lot to absorb, but I'd love to know what you think about everything I've said.
I've got to go into Drill Sergeant Mode just for a minute, to urge you once again in the strongest possible terms to keep going with your most recent style of songwriting. You have a knack for vocal melody, which is the most important element of a song. Delivering that melody with feeling is just as important, and you've been able to do that too, in a big way. And it's not just vocal melody, as important as that is. It's that you have a unique voice. You deliver the emotion in your songs, and I can't emphasize this enough. And you have the words to go with it. So........write, write, write! :):)
Think of the great songwriters who had just an acoustic guitar and their own voice. How did they start out, if not from belief in themselves? (and a heap of talent and inspiaration, which you've got!)
As your Drill Sergeant, I don't believe I've ever steered you wrong before. So write.
Sweet Dreams and I'll see you in the morning. I love you.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Hank is Super Cute!
Elizabeth, I love Hank! He is beyond cute. Man, he can't be more than a few weeks old. Did you just get him? I also love his meeting with your dog. Now, I am guessing the doggie is your family dog but lives with your Mom? Do I have that right? I think I can remember him in some photos of yours from years past. He looks like a Lab, and of course........Labs rule! That's a great expression on his face (and I should be saying "he or she" cause I don't know), but he's impressed by Hank's forthrightness in introducing himself. "So you're Hank, eh"? And Hank's sitting there all composed, like "yes, that's me".
I am glad you have a new kitty! Tomorrow I will be back with the famous Black Kitty, now ten years old. She's the stray that Kobi chased up a tree in October 2010, when she wasn't much bigger than Hank. She was a feral kitten, separated from her kin, and somehow wound up in Pearl's backyard. When I pulled her out of the tree that day, she stuck around and she's been with us ever since, still half-feral, but asks to come in the house every now and then, and every night in the winter.
We have another cat who's kind of taken over the place, and it's funny because she's not even our cat. Her name is "Booie", which roughly translates to "come here" in Hebrew, and she originally belonged to Pearl's neighbors. One day about three years ago she started hanging around, so I began feeding her along with Black Kitty. Then she'd go home at night, across the street. But after a few months, she wasn't going home any more. She just camped out on Pearl's porch, waiting to be fed. I felt bad because she was the neighbor's cat, but I fed her anyway. She is a mama cat, a little older, and doesn't stray much, doesn't roam. Pretty soon she was wanting to come in the house, too, and she adopted us as her new home. One day last Winter, the neighbors came over while I was outside and introduced themselves. They are a nice couple from Israel. I was a little nervous about Booie (whose name I didn't know yet), and I just explained that I'd initially fed her and she stuck around. "I'm really sorry that she's stayed here, I didn't plan for that to happen". I encouraged them to take Booie back if they wanted, but they laughed and said, "No, it's okay. She's your's now, she likes you better". They went on to explain that Booie didn't get along with their other cat, which might have explained her departure. I didn't know her name until they told me, and said that it meant "come here", which almost sounds like she was a stray when they met her, just like Black Kitty was for me. But I didn't ask.
Booie hangs out on the table in the back yard, and meows like crazy when it gets near feeding time. She's turned into the Alpha Kitty of the household.
Then finally we have Sylvester. I call him that because he's black and white and resembles the cartoon cat of the same name. Sylvester is a quiet guy, very humble, who comes over from across the street in the other direction. Pearl's house in on a corner, so he comes "catty corner", which is appropriate haha. Sylvester is older as well. He's on the skinny side. Maybe his owners don't feed him a lot, or maybe he's got a high metabolism, but whatever the case, he discovered our feeding area, and feeding time, and began showing up promptly at that time (late afternoon) about two years ago, and he's become part of The Lunch Club as I refer to them. Sylvester doesn't show up every day, but most days, and when he's there he pounds food. He was super shy when I first met him, and would run away when I offered him a bowl, but now he will even let me pet him, but just a little bit. But man can he eat!
The only problem is that Booie tries to boss the other two cats around. She used to bully Black Kitty and Sylvester out of their meals. What she would do was scarf down her own bowl as fast as she could, and then intimidate the other two away from their bowls because she is bigger than they are. This worked easily on the humble Sylvester, who would give up his food to avoid confrontation. Black Kitty, though, she fought back after a while. She's a street cat, not to be messed with for too long.
Ultimately I stepped in, and began feeding Booie separately from the other two. Now I feed Black Kitty and Sylvester first, up high on the table, and they get along. They eat right next to each other. But I feed Booie last, on the ground over by the front porch. That way, she is less inclined to jump up and bully the other two who are eating together.
And now, they all eat in peace. All we need now is a new Kobi to chase them around.
I am glad you have Hank, and that Hank has his new friend, your Black Lab.
Cats and Dogs rule!
Sweet Dreams, my love. I will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I am glad you have a new kitty! Tomorrow I will be back with the famous Black Kitty, now ten years old. She's the stray that Kobi chased up a tree in October 2010, when she wasn't much bigger than Hank. She was a feral kitten, separated from her kin, and somehow wound up in Pearl's backyard. When I pulled her out of the tree that day, she stuck around and she's been with us ever since, still half-feral, but asks to come in the house every now and then, and every night in the winter.
We have another cat who's kind of taken over the place, and it's funny because she's not even our cat. Her name is "Booie", which roughly translates to "come here" in Hebrew, and she originally belonged to Pearl's neighbors. One day about three years ago she started hanging around, so I began feeding her along with Black Kitty. Then she'd go home at night, across the street. But after a few months, she wasn't going home any more. She just camped out on Pearl's porch, waiting to be fed. I felt bad because she was the neighbor's cat, but I fed her anyway. She is a mama cat, a little older, and doesn't stray much, doesn't roam. Pretty soon she was wanting to come in the house, too, and she adopted us as her new home. One day last Winter, the neighbors came over while I was outside and introduced themselves. They are a nice couple from Israel. I was a little nervous about Booie (whose name I didn't know yet), and I just explained that I'd initially fed her and she stuck around. "I'm really sorry that she's stayed here, I didn't plan for that to happen". I encouraged them to take Booie back if they wanted, but they laughed and said, "No, it's okay. She's your's now, she likes you better". They went on to explain that Booie didn't get along with their other cat, which might have explained her departure. I didn't know her name until they told me, and said that it meant "come here", which almost sounds like she was a stray when they met her, just like Black Kitty was for me. But I didn't ask.
Booie hangs out on the table in the back yard, and meows like crazy when it gets near feeding time. She's turned into the Alpha Kitty of the household.
Then finally we have Sylvester. I call him that because he's black and white and resembles the cartoon cat of the same name. Sylvester is a quiet guy, very humble, who comes over from across the street in the other direction. Pearl's house in on a corner, so he comes "catty corner", which is appropriate haha. Sylvester is older as well. He's on the skinny side. Maybe his owners don't feed him a lot, or maybe he's got a high metabolism, but whatever the case, he discovered our feeding area, and feeding time, and began showing up promptly at that time (late afternoon) about two years ago, and he's become part of The Lunch Club as I refer to them. Sylvester doesn't show up every day, but most days, and when he's there he pounds food. He was super shy when I first met him, and would run away when I offered him a bowl, but now he will even let me pet him, but just a little bit. But man can he eat!
The only problem is that Booie tries to boss the other two cats around. She used to bully Black Kitty and Sylvester out of their meals. What she would do was scarf down her own bowl as fast as she could, and then intimidate the other two away from their bowls because she is bigger than they are. This worked easily on the humble Sylvester, who would give up his food to avoid confrontation. Black Kitty, though, she fought back after a while. She's a street cat, not to be messed with for too long.
Ultimately I stepped in, and began feeding Booie separately from the other two. Now I feed Black Kitty and Sylvester first, up high on the table, and they get along. They eat right next to each other. But I feed Booie last, on the ground over by the front porch. That way, she is less inclined to jump up and bully the other two who are eating together.
And now, they all eat in peace. All we need now is a new Kobi to chase them around.
I am glad you have Hank, and that Hank has his new friend, your Black Lab.
Cats and Dogs rule!
Sweet Dreams, my love. I will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, August 14, 2020
For Elizabeth
Good morning, beautiful lady. I was glad to see your post this morning, another incredible Red Dress shot against a breathtaking landscape. That photo could be out of a Fairy Tale : "Once upon a time in northeast Iceland", as you say. Every time I look at the Red Dress series, I'm impressed all over again, by the composition, the lighting, where you place yourself, how you position yourself, and the color and detail. Those are astoundingly good photographs, Elizabeth. But not only that, the sheer initiative of your undertaking is amazing also. Those are some forbidding locations! And in a few of the photos, you are perched on rocky ledges...........wow.
I remember the first Red Dress photo, and I'm pretty sure it was the one where you are sitting next to the upright piece of driftwood by the lake. Was that taken in 2017? 2016? Well, I just remember thinking......"what a great idea", the formally dressed model against the natural background. Only it was more than that, because the Red Dress, as it went along, added a fantasy element to the pictures, especially because of the model who is wearing it! And the way you are posed, the angle of your hair, your arms. In the first photo, with the driftwood, I remember thinking and maybe commenting that you look like you are sitting next to a harp.
Who knew you'd take the Red Dress all over the world! (well, you probably did.....)
It's such a great series, and so original, and it should become a book. And you can still add to it once this pandemic is over.
Well, I hope you are enjoying your day. This is my last day off for now. Tomorrow I will return to Pearl's until September 1st. I'll get back to hiking myself, and taking pictures.
I love you so much. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I remember the first Red Dress photo, and I'm pretty sure it was the one where you are sitting next to the upright piece of driftwood by the lake. Was that taken in 2017? 2016? Well, I just remember thinking......"what a great idea", the formally dressed model against the natural background. Only it was more than that, because the Red Dress, as it went along, added a fantasy element to the pictures, especially because of the model who is wearing it! And the way you are posed, the angle of your hair, your arms. In the first photo, with the driftwood, I remember thinking and maybe commenting that you look like you are sitting next to a harp.
Who knew you'd take the Red Dress all over the world! (well, you probably did.....)
It's such a great series, and so original, and it should become a book. And you can still add to it once this pandemic is over.
Well, I hope you are enjoying your day. This is my last day off for now. Tomorrow I will return to Pearl's until September 1st. I'll get back to hiking myself, and taking pictures.
I love you so much. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Dear Elizabeth
I hope you are having a nice day. I went for a CSUN walk this afternoon and listened to some music. No hikes yet, but I'll get back to it. Well anyway, I just want to apologize again for whatever went wrong. If I took you for granted or wrote something stupid or insensitive, I am sorry. I didn't mean to, honest. I should've paid closer attention to what you were saying, especially in your songs and posts from last Spring, and some even before that.
It's not that I wasn't paying attention, because I've never missed a single thing you've posted. It's just that, as I've said, I didn't allow myself to believe the words were meant for me. And I'm still not sure. If I'm wrong, you probably think I'm crazy : "Ahh, there goes Adam again, letting his imagination get carried away". But I'm also basing my assumption on eight years of our unique communication. So maybe there's a chance I'm right. But either way, your songs are so beautiful, Elizabeth.
I wish I'd had a chance to hear your new song more than I was able to. I know you were still working on it. Maybe when you finish it you can post it on Instagram (or I could even see it on Facebook if you ever want to unblock me).
In thinking back to the spirit in which you wrote your songs, especially the Northwoods song, have you ever thought "what if it all could come true"? What if you could be with the person you love? I mentioned this in another blog, but in your lyrics you sing "you're nowhere to be found, in our small town".
If it were about me, you can be sure I'd be found there. Just to be honest with you and put all my cards on the table, I'd relocate for you. If you wanted to be with me, we could live anywhere you wanted. I've been wishing and hoping that song is about me. I guess I've probably said that a hundred times by now, but it can't hurt to say it again. But I'd move to your state, no problem. Just being with you would be home, no matter where we were.
My point is, you didn't write that song out of indifference. You were feeling something very powerful when you wrote it. That's clear not only in your words but in your voice. But what if what you were feeling came true? And why can't it? I say it can.
Have people ever fallen in love over the Internet? They sure have, it happens all the time. People have gotten married after falling in love over the Internet. People have gotten married who have an age difference, too. There's nothing wrong with it, and anyway (sticking up for myself here), I'm not some old geezer. I'm a guy who takes care of myself and is in good shape. We could go on hikes together. We could do everything together. We could share life.
Please keep in mind that I'm not taking any of this for granted. I'm only saying "what if you could be with the person you love? What if it could come true"? I'm saying it can come true, and I'm hoping that person is me. Of course, it would have to start with a dialogue, with you and I talking to each other, but we already had that in 2012. It's not as if we don't know one another. Unless I've been wildly mistaken for eight years, our method of communicating in all this time has resulted in a very close connection between the two of us, psychically, spiritually and in our hearts. I'll say it again : people fall in love over the Internet, sometimes in indirect ways. But in our case, we had that long string of Facebook messaging back and forth in the Summer of 2012, and e-mails too, so it's not like we never talked. We talked a lot in 2012, and I thought we had great conversations about all kinds of stuff, and especially music.
We could talk again, if you want to. It could lead to something wonderful.
I know all of this is a huge extrapolation on my part, but I'm just continuing from the things I've said in the other recent blogs. I love you so much. I'll write some more later tonight.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
For Elizabeth
Good Morning, Beautiful Lady. I saw your post on Instagram just now, and I just wanted to say that you always look gorgeous, dressed up or not. That's a pretty outfit you have on and you look nice in a dress. :):)
This pandemic won't last forever, and soon you will have plenty of opportunities to dress up. You will also be back out there doing all the things you love to do. Are you working from home these days or is Sound Devices opened up? I trust and hope that you still have your job, but all of your best times are still ahead of you, in your artistic career, doing what you love most.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and that I love you so much. It was wonderful to see you. I'll be back a little later on.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
This pandemic won't last forever, and soon you will have plenty of opportunities to dress up. You will also be back out there doing all the things you love to do. Are you working from home these days or is Sound Devices opened up? I trust and hope that you still have your job, but all of your best times are still ahead of you, in your artistic career, doing what you love most.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and that I love you so much. It was wonderful to see you. I'll be back a little later on.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Monday, August 10, 2020
Basil
Hi again Elizabeth,
Just a quick note to say goodnight and that I hope you had a nice evening. I discovered something new on Instagram. I was looking at your pictures and for whatever reason I moused over your profile pic, and the mouse icon became a clickable "hand", so I clicked it, and voila! - a feature came up that is similar to "stories" on Facebook. I saw a picture of basil leaves against a black background. I think your comment was "basil and sunlight". The green color was nice and deep.
No doubt you use the basil leaves for cooking. I myself would use them in spaghetti sauce (minced of course). I'm not a five star chef, but I do make a mean marinara, one of my (few) specialties, but man I love spaghetti.........and lasagna........and pizza......and anything Italian.
And it's a wonder I can maintain my weight (hence the miles-long walks and hikes, lol).
I'm hoping you are feeling better about things. I am so grateful for you.
Sweet dreams and I will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Just a quick note to say goodnight and that I hope you had a nice evening. I discovered something new on Instagram. I was looking at your pictures and for whatever reason I moused over your profile pic, and the mouse icon became a clickable "hand", so I clicked it, and voila! - a feature came up that is similar to "stories" on Facebook. I saw a picture of basil leaves against a black background. I think your comment was "basil and sunlight". The green color was nice and deep.
No doubt you use the basil leaves for cooking. I myself would use them in spaghetti sauce (minced of course). I'm not a five star chef, but I do make a mean marinara, one of my (few) specialties, but man I love spaghetti.........and lasagna........and pizza......and anything Italian.
And it's a wonder I can maintain my weight (hence the miles-long walks and hikes, lol).
I'm hoping you are feeling better about things. I am so grateful for you.
Sweet dreams and I will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Dear Elizabeth (an old blog from Myspace)
Hi Elizabeth,
I hope you are having a good weekend. Just for fun I wanted to post an old blog from the Myspace days. It was written on April 19th, 2013. What struck me on re-reading it was the amount of energy in the words. Wow! But that's what you've always done to me. :):)
Anyway, here it is, the way things were then, expressed in a "torrent of words" as I call it. Though seven years have passed, the feeling has remained the same.
Have a great day. I'll be back later tonight with more. I love you with all my heart. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
From Friday April 19th, 2013 :
Happy Friday, my Angel!
Today, I wanted to broach the subject of possible expanded communication in the future. I'm just broaching it, so there's no big pressure or anything. There is some construction going on here at the Oviatt, they are gonna remake the whole first floor into a giant lounge and study area, complete with coffee shop. Currently, most of the computers are located here, and many of them are already reserved for students, though some are public. These are the ones I've been using, and I don't know if they will be available during the construction process. There are a few others upstairs, too, so I could probably still have some access, but what I really want to do is buy my own computer, which I have been planning to do for a while now anyway. I don't wanna spend a ton of money, because I will mainly be using it only for Internet. So I wanna spend around 500 bucks, if I can get a good laptop for that much. I don't wanna spend more than 1000 bucks, tops, because I want to continue to save as much money as possible to continue building a good savings for the future - our future - and I already have a very good start.
What I wanted to broach, though, about communication, is the question of how far in the future might it be possible to talk directly again? Again, there is no pressure on that score, so it's just a general question for future planning, and I ask it just because of the expendature involved in buying my own laptop and signing up for Internet service. Even if the Oviatt computers remain available in the summer - and I would guess that at least some of them will be - the library will nevertheless be on summer hours, and will close every night at 7pm until late August. That will suck for me, as I have not only grown accustomed to writing to you at night, but I love to do it. There is, as I have said before, nothing I would rather do. And while direct communication would be ideal - as it was last summer - our current system is not so bad for the forseeable future, so long as I have something to respond to. I like to write daily, because it is you I am writing to! Since the beginning of March, I have probably written the equivalent of a small book, lol, but it has been such a wonderful thing to do, to write to you spontaneously and from the heart. Communication is, in itself, the heart of a relationship, and - again, as I have said before - we have been able to build a relationship even without direct communication. Your use of symbols has been so strong that I was able to understand first, late last Fall, that you were trying to get my attention, and then, starting early this year, that you were trying to tell me something more. The miraculous month of March confirmed all of this, and here we are. And it was all done, on your part, through the use of symbols : pictures, a few songs, some posted quotes, comments of others and a few of your own - really a genius approach on your part. Super creative! On my part, well, it was nothing short of a torrent of words, but I have been so overwhelmed with feeling for you that I've had to let it all out!
All along the way, I have always hoped that I have read your symbolic communication correctly. Things really kicked into high gear with the Sam Cooke song. First, I saw the title, and I thought it was a great reference to our Connection, a psychic and emotional bond that I have never experienced the likes of, and which has quite literally blown my mind since it began. Then, a day later I thought "you didn't read the lyrics, you dummy" (meaning me), and so I did read them, and I was..........well, you know. My heart melted right then and there. "I find myself wanting to marry you and take you home"...........
Reading that changed my life, my dear sweet lady. I had thought that was what was taking place, as far back as January, which was why in February I felt confident enough, when writing my little poem, to call you my soulmate. I had fallen in love with you almost immediately and was sure of it by last May. By June I was bursting with the feeling and by July, I had to tell you, so powerful was the feeling. I had wanted you to be my soulmate all of the time since then, but during our direct communication I tried as hard as I could not to mention it, with mixed results! In Fall, of course, we had our communication interrupted, and in that recent blog or blogs, I detailed what I went through at the time. At first I was crushed, October was pretty horrible for me. But then, little by little I began to sense things. There were days, like Thanksgiving - which I wrote about - where I could literally feel you with me. This is what I mean when I say our Connection is mindblowing, which is why I always capatalise that word. But even in November and December, when I was sensing your presence, I did not allow my heart to go too far, to hope too much, because I did not understand, at that point, what had happened to cut off our communication in the first place. It wasn't until I heard the Bai Xu song that I really allowed myself to hope, then later came the Eric Whitacre song, and other posts by you, and by then, your system of symbolic communication was in full swing. By now it was around Valentine's Day, and even though I still did not have 100% confidence yet, I still felt courageous enough to call you my soulmate in the poem. That is quite a thing to say to someone, but it was all I had dreamed of since I met you, and by then I finally felt confident enough to do so. Imagine being me : to first have you come into my life in the way you did - nothing short of the very miracle I had prayed for, for years - and then to fall head over heels in love with you, and then to seemingly lose you last Fall............wow.
But then to discover that not only had I not lost you, but that you were seeking me out - through symbol. Excuse my language, but how fucking amazing was that ? You'd have to be me to know the answer, to feel and understand how wonderful that was, after the anguish of the Fall. You'd also have to be me to fully understand - to know as I know, in my soul - how beautiful it was to then discover, ultimately in your posting of "You Send Me", that you had deep feelings for me, too.
If you have ever wondered where this torrent of words has come from in the past six weeks, that was it. To read the lyrics of that song had a life changing effect on me, no exaggeration. I say "you'd have to be me" because I prayed for so long, not just for someone to come into my life, but for someone who was made just for me - my soulmate. To pray for years, and then - to actually have it happen?
Thank You, God.
The only words that could apply would have been Grateful, Humbled and Astounded.
I knew that I loved you. Since last May I knew it.
To find out that you loved me? You'd have to be me to truly understand it, but I have tried to explain it; hence the torrent of words.
Since then, we have continued to use our system of symbols on your part, and blogs on my part, and we have communicated a great deal of information in the process. For the most part, it has been pretty effective. There have been a couple of misunderstandings here and there, but they were no big deal, and for the most part I feel I have been able to "get the message" behind your symbols, and to respond accordingly. All of this is fine for the forseeable future. When getting into the details of things, however, it can be a little more difficult to communicate solely by symbols. What I mean by that, is that I am operating under the assumption that we have been on the same page as far as life goes. Not specific plans, per se, because you are still in school and will be for another year (at least I assume so). But we are at the stage where we know we love each other. That has been my take, not only from the symbols but because I have been able to feel it.
Sometimes, I have been confused, however, and that is where the use of symbols can cause miscommunication. I know there have been times since March when frustration has played a part, as when I did not understand the "finger" post and you explained it. Recently, there have been a few others I didn't get (or wasn't certain of), like the garbage-in-school post. Because we have been relying on this system, I have been trying every day to discern which posts are symbols and which are "just posts". I know you have friends that you like to post to as well, and sometimes I don't understand if the post is a symbolic message to me, or a direct message to them - meaning "just an ordinary post", in other words. So in this way, symbols can sometimes be a little confusing. Back in March, there was no doubt about the symbolism, I could tell exactly what you meant! Now, I am still mostly pretty good at interpreting them, but sometimes I am not sure I understand.
I have written some extremely personal things about my feelings, that I would love to marry you, and eventually - if you wanted to - have a family with you. Mostly, I have spoken more generally of my desire to spend my life with you, and make our plans as we go, to plan things but also see what happens - to live artistically, though with a responsible financial approach. This is why I am saving as much money as possible and will continue to do so, to provide us with a combination "launch pad/safety net". In the future, with direct communication (whenever it becomes possible) it will be easier to talk about the details of things. It will also be easier to talk about life in general. Meanwhile, I try every day to write and communicate, because I know how important it is to communicate in a relationship, and especially one in which communication is restricted. That is why I need a little more to respond to. Sometimes, I don't understand. Yesterday, for instance, I saw your post to your friend, and I don't know : "Is that meant for me or for him, or is it both"? I don't know. In his case, I know you are a fan of his band, but if a post says "I wish I was on a plane right now", I think - because I am always thinking in symbols and messages - "does that mean me? Or does it just mean she wishes she could see his band"? And those kind of symbolic messages are harder to decipher. I know you have friends and musicians you talk to, and that is awesome, but I have been, since March, looking at the long-term aspect of all of this, and in cases like that one, it would be easier to have direct communication. If that post was meant for me, I wonder "well, if she would love to be on a plane right now, how can I make that happen"?, and I start thinking of ways to do that. Conversely, if I think it is meant only for your friend, then I think, "well, maybe I shouldn't make any long term plans". I am a second guesser because of what I went through with Lillian, and I apologize for that. But this is where the use of symbols can be confusing sometimes. With symbols, the clearer they are, the better I can read them and understand them.
As for future plans, well, just read any of the blogs from the past six weeks to know how I feel. In that torrent of words is everything! I want to marry you, to be with you, to create with you, and really just to live life with you. I know that you still have school, that you still have the factor of your parents, and that these are all major life decisions. I am always aware of all of this, but I also always want to keep our communication running smoothly. I know we have two different styles of communicating. I am a "heart on the sleeve" type, always posting a lot and describing my feelings, ideas, etc. If I ever overdo it, here or on Facebook, you can tell me. You have a quieter, less demonstrative way of saying things, but when you say them with clarity, boy are they ever understood!
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of our knowing one another. I know that, since March, the feelings have run high and could possibly have felt overwhelming at times. But they are real feelings, and they run high because that is love. As the one doing the direct (yet interprative) part of our communication, I want to be able to keep writing to you every day, especially as we head into summer. I also want to continue to anticipate the future, to know what you see ahead, what you think about things. We've got plenty of time, and that's fine because I am in it for the long haul, you can always expect a 100% committment from me, and you can always be sure that I am yours for life. I am interested in no one else, nor will I be. You are It : my wife, my life. And being in it for life means that I can wait, and will gladly wait, for things to play out. As for our communication, the more you give me, the more I have to work with, and that way you and I can keep steering the ship steadily in the direction we want it to go. Let's do it!
That's all for today, I hope you are enjoying the start to your weekend, and I will talk to you tomorrow!
I Love You! ////
I hope you are having a good weekend. Just for fun I wanted to post an old blog from the Myspace days. It was written on April 19th, 2013. What struck me on re-reading it was the amount of energy in the words. Wow! But that's what you've always done to me. :):)
Anyway, here it is, the way things were then, expressed in a "torrent of words" as I call it. Though seven years have passed, the feeling has remained the same.
Have a great day. I'll be back later tonight with more. I love you with all my heart. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
From Friday April 19th, 2013 :
Happy Friday, my Angel!
Today, I wanted to broach the subject of possible expanded communication in the future. I'm just broaching it, so there's no big pressure or anything. There is some construction going on here at the Oviatt, they are gonna remake the whole first floor into a giant lounge and study area, complete with coffee shop. Currently, most of the computers are located here, and many of them are already reserved for students, though some are public. These are the ones I've been using, and I don't know if they will be available during the construction process. There are a few others upstairs, too, so I could probably still have some access, but what I really want to do is buy my own computer, which I have been planning to do for a while now anyway. I don't wanna spend a ton of money, because I will mainly be using it only for Internet. So I wanna spend around 500 bucks, if I can get a good laptop for that much. I don't wanna spend more than 1000 bucks, tops, because I want to continue to save as much money as possible to continue building a good savings for the future - our future - and I already have a very good start.What I wanted to broach, though, about communication, is the question of how far in the future might it be possible to talk directly again? Again, there is no pressure on that score, so it's just a general question for future planning, and I ask it just because of the expendature involved in buying my own laptop and signing up for Internet service. Even if the Oviatt computers remain available in the summer - and I would guess that at least some of them will be - the library will nevertheless be on summer hours, and will close every night at 7pm until late August. That will suck for me, as I have not only grown accustomed to writing to you at night, but I love to do it. There is, as I have said before, nothing I would rather do. And while direct communication would be ideal - as it was last summer - our current system is not so bad for the forseeable future, so long as I have something to respond to. I like to write daily, because it is you I am writing to! Since the beginning of March, I have probably written the equivalent of a small book, lol, but it has been such a wonderful thing to do, to write to you spontaneously and from the heart. Communication is, in itself, the heart of a relationship, and - again, as I have said before - we have been able to build a relationship even without direct communication. Your use of symbols has been so strong that I was able to understand first, late last Fall, that you were trying to get my attention, and then, starting early this year, that you were trying to tell me something more. The miraculous month of March confirmed all of this, and here we are. And it was all done, on your part, through the use of symbols : pictures, a few songs, some posted quotes, comments of others and a few of your own - really a genius approach on your part. Super creative! On my part, well, it was nothing short of a torrent of words, but I have been so overwhelmed with feeling for you that I've had to let it all out!
All along the way, I have always hoped that I have read your symbolic communication correctly. Things really kicked into high gear with the Sam Cooke song. First, I saw the title, and I thought it was a great reference to our Connection, a psychic and emotional bond that I have never experienced the likes of, and which has quite literally blown my mind since it began. Then, a day later I thought "you didn't read the lyrics, you dummy" (meaning me), and so I did read them, and I was..........well, you know. My heart melted right then and there. "I find myself wanting to marry you and take you home"...........
Reading that changed my life, my dear sweet lady. I had thought that was what was taking place, as far back as January, which was why in February I felt confident enough, when writing my little poem, to call you my soulmate. I had fallen in love with you almost immediately and was sure of it by last May. By June I was bursting with the feeling and by July, I had to tell you, so powerful was the feeling. I had wanted you to be my soulmate all of the time since then, but during our direct communication I tried as hard as I could not to mention it, with mixed results!
In Fall, of course, we had our communication interrupted, and in that recent blog or blogs, I detailed what I went through at the time. At first I was crushed, October was pretty horrible for me. But then, little by little I began to sense things. There were days, like Thanksgiving - which I wrote about - where I could literally feel you with me. This is what I mean when I say our Connection is mindblowing, which is why I always capatalise that word. But even in November and December, when I was sensing your presence, I did not allow my heart to go too far, to hope too much, because I did not understand, at that point, what had happened to cut off our communication in the first place. It wasn't until I heard the Bai Xu song that I really allowed myself to hope, then later came the Eric Whitacre song, and other posts by you, and by then, your system of symbolic communication was in full swing. By now it was around Valentine's Day, and even though I still did not have 100% confidence yet, I still felt courageous enough to call you my soulmate in the poem. That is quite a thing to say to someone, but it was all I had dreamed of since I met you, and by then I finally felt confident enough to do so. Imagine being me : to first have you come into my life in the way you did - nothing short of the very miracle I had prayed for, for years - and then to fall head over heels in love with you, and then to seemingly lose you last Fall............wow.But then to discover that not only had I not lost you, but that you were seeking me out - through symbol. Excuse my language, but how fucking amazing was that ? You'd have to be me to know the answer, to feel and understand how wonderful that was, after the anguish of the Fall. You'd also have to be me to fully understand - to know as I know, in my soul - how beautiful it was to then discover, ultimately in your posting of "You Send Me", that you had deep feelings for me, too.
If you have ever wondered where this torrent of words has come from in the past six weeks, that was it. To read the lyrics of that song had a life changing effect on me, no exaggeration. I say "you'd have to be me" because I prayed for so long, not just for someone to come into my life, but for someone who was made just for me - my soulmate. To pray for years, and then - to actually have it happen?
Thank You, God.
The only words that could apply would have been Grateful, Humbled and Astounded.
I knew that I loved you. Since last May I knew it.
To find out that you loved me? You'd have to be me to truly understand it, but I have tried to explain it; hence the torrent of words.
Since then, we have continued to use our system of symbols on your part, and blogs on my part, and we have communicated a great deal of information in the process. For the most part, it has been pretty effective. There have been a couple of misunderstandings here and there, but they were no big deal, and for the most part I feel I have been able to "get the message" behind your symbols, and to respond accordingly. All of this is fine for the forseeable future. When getting into the details of things, however, it can be a little more difficult to communicate solely by symbols. What I mean by that, is that I am operating under the assumption that we have been on the same page as far as life goes. Not specific plans, per se, because you are still in school and will be for another year (at least I assume so). But we are at the stage where we know we love each other. That has been my take, not only from the symbols but because I have been able to feel it.
Sometimes, I have been confused, however, and that is where the use of symbols can cause miscommunication. I know there have been times since March when frustration has played a part, as when I did not understand the "finger" post and you explained it. Recently, there have been a few others I didn't get (or wasn't certain of), like the garbage-in-school post. Because we have been relying on this system, I have been trying every day to discern which posts are symbols and which are "just posts". I know you have friends that you like to post to as well, and sometimes I don't understand if the post is a symbolic message to me, or a direct message to them - meaning "just an ordinary post", in other words. So in this way, symbols can sometimes be a little confusing. Back in March, there was no doubt about the symbolism, I could tell exactly what you meant!
Now, I am still mostly pretty good at interpreting them, but sometimes I am not sure I understand.I have written some extremely personal things about my feelings, that I would love to marry you, and eventually - if you wanted to - have a family with you. Mostly, I have spoken more generally of my desire to spend my life with you, and make our plans as we go, to plan things but also see what happens - to live artistically, though with a responsible financial approach. This is why I am saving as much money as possible and will continue to do so, to provide us with a combination "launch pad/safety net". In the future, with direct communication (whenever it becomes possible) it will be easier to talk about the details of things. It will also be easier to talk about life in general. Meanwhile, I try every day to write and communicate, because I know how important it is to communicate in a relationship, and especially one in which communication is restricted. That is why I need a little more to respond to. Sometimes, I don't understand. Yesterday, for instance, I saw your post to your friend, and I don't know : "Is that meant for me or for him, or is it both"? I don't know. In his case, I know you are a fan of his band, but if a post says "I wish I was on a plane right now", I think - because I am always thinking in symbols and messages - "does that mean me? Or does it just mean she wishes she could see his band"? And those kind of symbolic messages are harder to decipher. I know you have friends and musicians you talk to, and that is awesome, but I have been, since March, looking at the long-term aspect of all of this, and in cases like that one, it would be easier to have direct communication. If that post was meant for me, I wonder "well, if she would love to be on a plane right now, how can I make that happen"?, and I start thinking of ways to do that. Conversely, if I think it is meant only for your friend, then I think, "well, maybe I shouldn't make any long term plans". I am a second guesser because of what I went through with Lillian, and I apologize for that. But this is where the use of symbols can be confusing sometimes. With symbols, the clearer they are, the better I can read them and understand them.
As for future plans, well, just read any of the blogs from the past six weeks to know how I feel.
In that torrent of words is everything! I want to marry you, to be with you, to create with you, and really just to live life with you. I know that you still have school, that you still have the factor of your parents, and that these are all major life decisions. I am always aware of all of this, but I also always want to keep our communication running smoothly. I know we have two different styles of communicating. I am a "heart on the sleeve" type, always posting a lot and describing my feelings, ideas, etc. If I ever overdo it, here or on Facebook, you can tell me. You have a quieter, less demonstrative way of saying things, but when you say them with clarity, boy are they ever understood!Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of our knowing one another. I know that, since March, the feelings have run high and could possibly have felt overwhelming at times. But they are real feelings, and they run high because that is love. As the one doing the direct (yet interprative) part of our communication, I want to be able to keep writing to you every day, especially as we head into summer. I also want to continue to anticipate the future, to know what you see ahead, what you think about things. We've got plenty of time, and that's fine because I am in it for the long haul, you can always expect a 100% committment from me, and you can always be sure that I am yours for life. I am interested in no one else, nor will I be. You are It : my wife, my life. And being in it for life means that I can wait, and will gladly wait, for things to play out. As for our communication, the more you give me, the more I have to work with, and that way you and I can keep steering the ship steadily in the direction we want it to go. Let's do it!
That's all for today, I hope you are enjoying the start to your weekend, and I will talk to you tomorrow!
I Love You! ////
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Drawing
Dear Elizabeth,
I was really glad to see your post on Instagram. After not seeing anything for the past three weeks I was worried. That's a nice self-portrait. It's really good, too (naturally), and I guess you've been drawing for a long time. You mention drawing your eyes large, and I have to say that they are what really got me the first time I saw you, in the "Autre Temps" video. At the end of the song, you kind of looked down and closed your eyes, and for me, that was it : "Who is this girl"! :):)
Your eyes are also shining in the video for "Where She Walks", in the middle section where you are sitting in the field singing and looking directly at the camera. I watched it again yesterday; it's another great song that, if you put it alongside the ones you have written recently, would make one hell of a start for a new album.
I'm just sayin'.
As for drawing, I've gotta get back to it myself. Last year I completed seven "actual drawings", meaning representative as opposed to abstract. As I've mentioned, they took a longer time for me to draw, because I absolutely do not have a natural talent for that kind of drawing, but they turned out quite good and were very satisfying. Let's see, in 2016 I did a ton of drawing, about a dozen abstracts all in the same style, that I am really proud of. They're weird and psychedelic, but they're "all me". Then in 2017, I tried pencil sketching and failed miserably. Gave up after a few tries.
But then in 2018 I was back. I got some charcoal sticks which led me to another abstract style. The medium influenced the end result. You've gotta have the right tools for the job to get excited.
And then, last year I was drawing with my newly purchased Prismacolor pencils, which you had mentioned using several years ago. That led me to buy a box, and I made my first attempt at Actual Drawing (not counting stuff from elementary school). My Prismacolor drawings are like cartoons. They're primitive, comparatively speaking, but they are original, and I was glad I was able to finish so many.
But this year..........nothing so far. I haven't drawn a single thing. But when I do, I want to continue in the representative style, for now.
Anyway, I am super glad you're back. I'm hoping we can fix things on Facebook, too. I am really tired tonight, but I will write more tomorrow. Everything I've said recently still stands.
I love you.
I was really glad to see your post on Instagram. After not seeing anything for the past three weeks I was worried. That's a nice self-portrait. It's really good, too (naturally), and I guess you've been drawing for a long time. You mention drawing your eyes large, and I have to say that they are what really got me the first time I saw you, in the "Autre Temps" video. At the end of the song, you kind of looked down and closed your eyes, and for me, that was it : "Who is this girl"! :):)
Your eyes are also shining in the video for "Where She Walks", in the middle section where you are sitting in the field singing and looking directly at the camera. I watched it again yesterday; it's another great song that, if you put it alongside the ones you have written recently, would make one hell of a start for a new album.
I'm just sayin'.
As for drawing, I've gotta get back to it myself. Last year I completed seven "actual drawings", meaning representative as opposed to abstract. As I've mentioned, they took a longer time for me to draw, because I absolutely do not have a natural talent for that kind of drawing, but they turned out quite good and were very satisfying. Let's see, in 2016 I did a ton of drawing, about a dozen abstracts all in the same style, that I am really proud of. They're weird and psychedelic, but they're "all me". Then in 2017, I tried pencil sketching and failed miserably. Gave up after a few tries.
But then in 2018 I was back. I got some charcoal sticks which led me to another abstract style. The medium influenced the end result. You've gotta have the right tools for the job to get excited.
And then, last year I was drawing with my newly purchased Prismacolor pencils, which you had mentioned using several years ago. That led me to buy a box, and I made my first attempt at Actual Drawing (not counting stuff from elementary school). My Prismacolor drawings are like cartoons. They're primitive, comparatively speaking, but they are original, and I was glad I was able to finish so many.
But this year..........nothing so far. I haven't drawn a single thing. But when I do, I want to continue in the representative style, for now.
Anyway, I am super glad you're back. I'm hoping we can fix things on Facebook, too. I am really tired tonight, but I will write more tomorrow. Everything I've said recently still stands.
I love you.
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Dear Elizabeth
I'm just writing to say hi, cause I'm thinking about you. It goes without saying that I haven't stopped thinking about you, and I wanted you to know that I'm still here and haven't given up hope. I'd write every day if I wasn't feeling so down all the time. My energy is low as a result, so I'm just hanging out at my apartment. Been reading a lot. Going for my CSUN walks at night.
I hope you are okay. I am here for you no matter what, even if I'm a lunkhead who messed things up or got things wrong. I'm not a guy who's gonna walk away and pretend it doesn't matter, cause it does.
I re-discovered another caption today, on a Red Dress photo at Instagram, This one goes back to December 2018. You are standing in the surf on a beach I believe is in Oregon or Washington. You are looking out at the Pacific Ocean. A rock formation is in the distance, perfectly positioned in the background. It is sunset. You are almost in silhouette but the Red of the Dress comes through as always.
I won't quote your caption in full this time, because it's very romantic and personal, but you know what it says. It's about a person who was "born by the sea". I have wondered, in one of my recent blogs, if you wrote these Red Dress poems yourself. This one I am sure you wrote, which means that you wrote the other ones also. I'm not just saying this to flatter - you know I don't do that - but they are really good.
I say that I "re-discovered" this poem and photo, because I saw it the first time around. Of course I did; I always saw everything you posted. I know I must've seen it on Facebook, too, and on Instagram I see the red heart that shows I "liked" it. The photo is beautiful. You know how much I love the Red Dress photos. But tonight I'm thinking especially about the caption again - the poem.
I'm just gonna say "if" again. If that poem was about me, cause I was "born by the sea", then I am sorry I didn't get it the first time around. And actually, that's not entirely accurate, because I know I read it the first time and did get it. I would've said "wow" to myself! But then, because of all other issues mentioned in previous blogs (John, etc.), I might've second guessed myself and said "c'mon, Ad........she doesn't mean you".
But if I had not second guessed myself, I'd have written right away to answer your poem, and the other ones too, in the two other Red Dress photos that have poems.......lovely romantic poems, from your heart.
I wish I was in your heart. I hope I am, cause I don't want to keep feeling so sad. I want to feel happy.
When you wrote those poems, whether they were about me or someone else (and I hope they were about me), you must have hoped the person would get the message, right?
What if the person did get it, but it took him a while, because he has a thick skull? It would be better late than never, wouldn't it?
Elizabeth, when you wrote those poems, you wanted them to be received.
The same with your most recent songs, the ones with words.
I've been listening the whole time, and I've heard every lyric, everything you're saying.
Everything you've written has been received, by me. If you meant those words for me, they're in my heart and soul forever. And they are anyway, because I want them to be for me. :) :)
What you were feeling when you wrote those words, I've been feeling the whole time. I only doubted they were meant for me because of what I've said.
The truth is, we won't meet anyone else like each other.
We're two of a kind, and we've known this for eight years.
What you were feeling when you wrote those poems can come true. I want it to come true.
So please believe in what you wrote. I believe it and want you to be mine.
I want to be yours, and I'll be right here. I'm not going away because you are everything to me.
I love you with all my heart. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I hope you are okay. I am here for you no matter what, even if I'm a lunkhead who messed things up or got things wrong. I'm not a guy who's gonna walk away and pretend it doesn't matter, cause it does.
I re-discovered another caption today, on a Red Dress photo at Instagram, This one goes back to December 2018. You are standing in the surf on a beach I believe is in Oregon or Washington. You are looking out at the Pacific Ocean. A rock formation is in the distance, perfectly positioned in the background. It is sunset. You are almost in silhouette but the Red of the Dress comes through as always.
I won't quote your caption in full this time, because it's very romantic and personal, but you know what it says. It's about a person who was "born by the sea". I have wondered, in one of my recent blogs, if you wrote these Red Dress poems yourself. This one I am sure you wrote, which means that you wrote the other ones also. I'm not just saying this to flatter - you know I don't do that - but they are really good.
I say that I "re-discovered" this poem and photo, because I saw it the first time around. Of course I did; I always saw everything you posted. I know I must've seen it on Facebook, too, and on Instagram I see the red heart that shows I "liked" it. The photo is beautiful. You know how much I love the Red Dress photos. But tonight I'm thinking especially about the caption again - the poem.
I'm just gonna say "if" again. If that poem was about me, cause I was "born by the sea", then I am sorry I didn't get it the first time around. And actually, that's not entirely accurate, because I know I read it the first time and did get it. I would've said "wow" to myself! But then, because of all other issues mentioned in previous blogs (John, etc.), I might've second guessed myself and said "c'mon, Ad........she doesn't mean you".
But if I had not second guessed myself, I'd have written right away to answer your poem, and the other ones too, in the two other Red Dress photos that have poems.......lovely romantic poems, from your heart.
I wish I was in your heart. I hope I am, cause I don't want to keep feeling so sad. I want to feel happy.
When you wrote those poems, whether they were about me or someone else (and I hope they were about me), you must have hoped the person would get the message, right?
What if the person did get it, but it took him a while, because he has a thick skull? It would be better late than never, wouldn't it?
Elizabeth, when you wrote those poems, you wanted them to be received.
The same with your most recent songs, the ones with words.
I've been listening the whole time, and I've heard every lyric, everything you're saying.
Everything you've written has been received, by me. If you meant those words for me, they're in my heart and soul forever. And they are anyway, because I want them to be for me. :) :)
What you were feeling when you wrote those words, I've been feeling the whole time. I only doubted they were meant for me because of what I've said.
The truth is, we won't meet anyone else like each other.
We're two of a kind, and we've known this for eight years.
What you were feeling when you wrote those poems can come true. I want it to come true.
So please believe in what you wrote. I believe it and want you to be mine.
I want to be yours, and I'll be right here. I'm not going away because you are everything to me.
I love you with all my heart. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, August 2, 2020
I'm Back Home
I'm writing from home tonight, back here for the next two weeks though I wish I weren't. My neighbors never turn their stereo off and they have their friends over until 2-3am, pretty much every night. Thank goodness I'm only here half the time (I think there's an optimist/pessimist comparison in there somewhere; "do you see your apartment as half empty or half full"? ).
I spent part of the evening listening to the new Rick Wakeman album, "The Red Planet", which is really good. It's all instrumental and keyboard heavy, in the style of his early progressive records. I also read a few more pages of Neil Peart's "Far & Wide", about his motorcycle travels during Rush's last tour in 2015. It's much more than just a travel book, though. Neil gets his thoughts in on a thousand other subjects. He has the same habit I do of putting tangential thoughts in parentheses, and he does it on every page (which made me feel better about doing it myself).
I went for a CSUN walk around 10pm, and in the sky you could see the Moon, almost full, and on either side of the Moon - fairly close - you could see two bright planets, one of which I assumed was Venus, the brightest object in the sky after the Moon. The other one I thought was Jupiter, because it was less bright and was situated in the area where Jupiter is often seen, in the Southern sky. I am pretty new to skywatching, and I only do it when I'm on my walks, but on some nights you can't help noticing the way the Moon and planets are lined up (and in Los Angeles that's all we get. No Milky Way, nor very many stars). But I've learned where the observable planets usually appear, at least the ones I can see, and so I usually recognise Venus and Jupiter, which you can see most every night, and Mars, which has that orange tint (not quite red in the Northridge sky).
You can't mistake Mars because of it's color, and it doesn't appear all that often. So tonight, I thought I was looking at Venus and Jupiter on either side of the Moon, even though Venus had been appearing in the Western sky recently.
But when I Googled it a little while ago, I found out that the two planets were Jupiter and Saturn.
Wow. For me, that was awesome, because I don't think I've ever seen Saturn before. If I have, I didn't know what I was looking at. But it was really bright, it stood out just like Jupiter, and this time Jupiter was like Venus, extra bright tonight.
You can see both planets near the Moon tomorrow night, according to the website earthsky.com, so look for the Moon on the left, then Saturn, then Jupiter. ////
Elizabeth, if you are reading I hope you had a good day.
I love you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I spent part of the evening listening to the new Rick Wakeman album, "The Red Planet", which is really good. It's all instrumental and keyboard heavy, in the style of his early progressive records. I also read a few more pages of Neil Peart's "Far & Wide", about his motorcycle travels during Rush's last tour in 2015. It's much more than just a travel book, though. Neil gets his thoughts in on a thousand other subjects. He has the same habit I do of putting tangential thoughts in parentheses, and he does it on every page (which made me feel better about doing it myself).
I went for a CSUN walk around 10pm, and in the sky you could see the Moon, almost full, and on either side of the Moon - fairly close - you could see two bright planets, one of which I assumed was Venus, the brightest object in the sky after the Moon. The other one I thought was Jupiter, because it was less bright and was situated in the area where Jupiter is often seen, in the Southern sky. I am pretty new to skywatching, and I only do it when I'm on my walks, but on some nights you can't help noticing the way the Moon and planets are lined up (and in Los Angeles that's all we get. No Milky Way, nor very many stars). But I've learned where the observable planets usually appear, at least the ones I can see, and so I usually recognise Venus and Jupiter, which you can see most every night, and Mars, which has that orange tint (not quite red in the Northridge sky).
You can't mistake Mars because of it's color, and it doesn't appear all that often. So tonight, I thought I was looking at Venus and Jupiter on either side of the Moon, even though Venus had been appearing in the Western sky recently.
But when I Googled it a little while ago, I found out that the two planets were Jupiter and Saturn.
Wow. For me, that was awesome, because I don't think I've ever seen Saturn before. If I have, I didn't know what I was looking at. But it was really bright, it stood out just like Jupiter, and this time Jupiter was like Venus, extra bright tonight.
You can see both planets near the Moon tomorrow night, according to the website earthsky.com, so look for the Moon on the left, then Saturn, then Jupiter. ////
Elizabeth, if you are reading I hope you had a good day.
I love you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)