April 23rd, 2016

Felt cathartic to get put down an ode to Prince yesterday.  The connection that music has to life's moments is strong for me and his work touched on so many of mine. 

Has been sometime since I've had a chance to get to this space due to many things and nothing in particular.  Not sure if I mentioned that I was running for the School Board again this year.  Not much to say about it that wasn't said in my failed campaign from two years ago.  Am the only minority candidate on the slate this time and paraphrased Donald Trump in one of my speeches, so don't have high hopes of success, but you never know what will resonate.  To be honest, would rather not be elected as it'll be a pain in the butt and have to be more politically correct.  OK, have to attempt to be politically correct in some fashion.  Either way, the election ends tomorrow so am done with those obligations.  Have to be careful what I say on that topic as some folks read this that live here and wouldn't want to get into too much trouble with the powers that be at this point.

Update on the Boy's tail surgery...we are still dealing with it.  He went on his school softball teams trip to Bangkok a couple weeks ago and played 6 games over three days and think he may have torn open the wound.  We had to go back for another surgery to clean it up and restitch, and it just doesn't want to close.  We were talking about the original surgery that was not "major" but he was under anesthesia and anytime one has to be put out like that, there is worry.  In the nature v nurture debate, it is hard to not see how close his mind works to the way mine does.  I asked him after the original surgery if he felt nervous about it and he said that once he learned that he was going to be put completely under, rather than it being just a local anesthesia, he didn't worry as if anything happened and he died, that he would be out and wouldn't know about it.  I had the exact same thought during all of my surgeries and always took the 'completely under' option when it was a choice for just that reason. 

The converse of that happened the other morning at breakfast.  Turned on the Dodger game and Vin Scully was doing his thing.  Paul sits down to eat and is listening to Vinny tell some story as he is wont to do, and Paul says that he really doesn't like this announcer.  Blasphemy.  I thought I brought him up right and attribute this heresy to the immediacy of the internet age.  He was still unconvinced when I pointed out that the best baseball impressions by Harry Shearer on the Simpsons were based on him. 

The best baseball/Simpsons related video though is this Hank Azaria one...

We have been going back regularly to the hospital to get it checked up on and cannot stop being obsessed with this advertisement in the dermatologists office.  I have to assume that it is for that surgery that arrests over active sweat glands, but really take a moment to look at what is going on here.

Why does the main dude wear an eye patch?  Why is his friend trying to collect his excretions and what's up with the curly hair?  And I would be keeping my mouth closed, rather than wide open.    What's with the lips and head of the sweat guy?  The third friend in the background seems quite pleased with his output.  Amazing ad.

Some random thoughts that have been rolling around...

- Everyone know the saying, 'when God closes a door, he opens a window".  There needs to be one about when you are passing through a doorway, go all the way through.  Don't fucking stop in the doorway.

- Selfies seem to be evolving, but not fast enough for my taste.  I don't see as many people throwing out the peace sign in every photo, but saw one the other night that disgusted me.  Babydoll and I went to our favorite Italian joint and at the table next to us were a couple of local ladies.  They get their pizza and it is...of course...seafood.  I was willing to let that go as cultural peculiarity, but then one of the gals picks up a slice with one hand and then takes several selfies of herself with the nasty thing.  What could she possibly do with that photo?  Has to be some kind of mental illness.  While it feels that obsessive selfie-ing is becoming a thing of the past, its death throes feel even more sad.

- I think my daughter watches the movie Mean Girls as more of a documentary than a piece of fiction.

- I love how kids can wear just about anything and not feel conscientious about it.  Maybe it is different in the States, but I remember being humiliated when I tooled into school on the first day one year in a pair of Toughskins.  Today, I see the Boy's buddies wearing jackets with the exact same pattern as ones my 89 year old mom wears.  Having to sport a certain hairstyle or clothes just doesn't have the same stigma as it used to, and that is such a great thing.

We didn't leave the country for Spring Break this year...wanted to save a few bucks and a week of Betty's vacation time to use in the States this summer.  We did take the train to Hualien to spend a couple of nights at a place called Taroko Gorge.  Everyone agrees it is the most beautiful spot in Taiwan but we hadn't gone as we wanted Betty to be able to come along with us.  A couple hour train ride from Taipei and you hit the coast...the hotel sends a van to pick up passengers for the hour drive to the only hotel in the park. 

I am a sucker for anything that relates to How the Earth Was Made and Taroko hit that spot. 

Taiwan was created by the convergence of three tectonic plates and this area is mainly made from ancient marble forged deep under the ancient ocean floor.  It is a hard rock, which is harder to erode, but as the island is tropical, it gets a ton of rain, so the erosion is more gradual.  That is why the gorge is so narrow and sheer.  Truly spectacular.

Other things I'm a sucker for include...
70' s Funk and Soul
Giraffes
Dimples on a girl (but not on a guy as that signifies evilness)
Baseball
Feedback guitar
Octopus (alive, not sauteed)
Rain
Meatballs


Regarding dimples on a female, took the bait on this article that listed the 6 traits men can't resist in women...according to science.  Hard to dispute most of them, like a wider hips to waist ratio, smiles and healthy hair...those are so duh.  And it was nice to have validation that less make-up is a trait men prefer.  The one that caught my eye was that men prefer women with high pitched voices.  Explains the local variety of girls with that squaky "Xie xie" that I can't stand.  After years listening to Loveline, was sure that the high pitched voices were a signal of arrested development.  Really just a manifestation of why guys are perverted and why I worry about my daughter when she is out of my sight more than the Boy.

Also could not resist clicking on this  9 great things about Taiwan article.  Open government, no guns, lots of butterflies, high recycling rates...lots of good things here to be sure.  But # 9 was a head scratcher..."The approval rate of President Ma Ying-jeou is dwindling at 9.2 percent, but it’s higher than former Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s 8 percent when Yeltsin was in office."  Think I would have stopped at 8 great things.  This Ma guy is done in a couple of weeks and as I've posted before, am excited about the new government and first female President who gets sworn into office in May  Was waiting outside of the oil change place yesterday and was approached by an older lady who had an axe to grind about the new lady.  It is weird in that there are people on the street handing out ads for all kinds of stuff, but they never want to give me one as the (rightly) assume I can't read it.  That's OK by me as I am not opposed to a little racial profiling.  The converse is that every crazy that knows some English feels obligated to spew their theory or conspiracy forth to me.  When I'm not in the mood, will just start speaking in Spanish and they go away.  But if I have the time, will engage in discussion.  Old lady yesterday started talking about how the dinosaurs went extinct because they were angry and equated their demise to present times by comparing the incoming President to a dinosaur that was going to tear down all the buildings.  I am a pretty thorough student of politics (and have read a lot about why the dinosaurs went extinct) and could not really get the connection, but I told her that we Americans really like this new lady and that she should too.  Please back me up on this should the topic come up in your conversations with Taiwanese people.

Finally...mentioned earlier that the Boy went to Bangkok for a school softball tournament.  The school (and regional association of American schools) have agreed to switch to real baseball next year only that our school will not be participating citing "safety" reasons.  This is one of the topics I cannot elaborate on at this point as I am quite disappointed in the schools administration and the way they went about this issue in general.  The point for today is that this might be his last sporting opportunity in High School and that it was an important moment for him.  By all accounts, they had an amazing time...he and three of his favorite teammates all stayed at one of the local like-minded boy's house and played video games and laughed the whole weekend.  I regrettably could not attend, but another mom, who is a rabid and talented shutterbug was there and took a ton of photos.  Thought I'd share a few. 

Talk soon




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April 22nd, 2016

Prince.

He died today and have been melancholy since.  When Bowie died, I was sad too...did a deep dive into his life for many days afterwards and have been amazed at not only the outpouring of emotion since, but the deepness and length of that sentiment in social media.  But Bowie was my sisters era.  She lived for him for many years and while I had some first hand times with his oeuvre, his passing didn't hit me as much as Prince.

I first came into contact with Prince while visiting my brother in Palm Springs.  Must have been 1979 give or take.  He was 16 years older than I and we never really had a huge brotherly bond due to this age difference, but for some reason, my mom let me take the Greyhound to visit him for a few days one summer.  His relationship with the family would be what one would call estranged, but we were polite to one another and cannot remember the motivation for the trip or why my mom let me go.  I don't remember too much about it other than a few things.  It was summer and Palm Springs was fucking hot...remember riding one of his bikes around town in the morning, and going for 31 Flavors in the afternoon.  He had a old Ford pick-up and would just drop the keys on the floor when we would go into the store.  I also remember that one morning, the dudes came around with the leaf blower at 7am outside the condo window and he lost his shit and ran outside to yell at them.  And as it was so hot, I recall hanging out at his condo when he went to work and pawing through his records.

You can say a lot of things about my brother, and people have, and one of them is that he had a particular taste in music.  One of the greatest gifts an elder sibling can give to their younger ones is opening their minds to music.  His taste in music would probably now be referred to now as Yacht Rock.  He gave me the Doobie Brothers 'Minute By Minute' for Christmas one year, and he sat me down to listen to Steely Dan's 'Gaucho' when it came out.  I recall him saying it was one of the greatest albums ever.   He also took me to see Kenny Loggins at the Universal Amphitheatre when one of his pals couldn't go.  Went with these two smokin' hot chicks and it was a great show.  After, these two girls (I mentioned they were hot, yes?) knew Kenny so we hung out and went backstage for an after party...the only time that happened in my life.  For what its worth, I enjoy Loggins and the Doobies when they pop up on the radio or wherever, and worship at the alter that is Steely Dan, but think that Aja is their greatest album and that Gaucho is just pretty awesome

So I am of the age where music is everthing, but before I disovered what pot was all about and am digging into his records and come across Price's first album.



It stuck out as not being in tune with the other album covers and gave it a spin.  I loved the groovy opener 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' and some of the other songs, but as a young teen, his image didn't jive with my sensibilities and am sad to say, did not become an instant fan.  Still, logged it in my database for future reference.

Next time Prince came into my life was October 9th, 1981,  Was just 16 and a couple of buddies and I skipped school (again, with my mom giving me the OK) to go see the Rolling Stones at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  We got there early with the intention of going in when the gates opened and pushing our way to the front.  We weren't early enough and started around the 30 yard line but after a very long day, were at the barrier in the front row when the Stones came on.  Epic by the way.

The line up that day was the Stones, preceeded by the J. Giles Band (Freeze Frame was everywhere at the time) and George Throrogood (Bad To the Bone was everywhere at the time).  But opening for all of them was gawdamn Prince. 

 I do still have the classic rock show sleeve t-shirt bought that day.  Doesn't fit 50 year old me as it did the 16 year old variety, but it does fit my current 16 year old boy and get the chills when he sees fit to wear it. 

Controversy was the album he just put out and while the Stones, in their infinite wisdom, knew he was the shit, the assembled mass of white folk had no clue.  When Prince came on, he was wearing a long purple coat (natch), purple boots, black panties and black stockings held up by garter belts.  He launched into the title track of his new album and the crowd was not amused.  Next came the song Sexuality and the barrage of whatever could be thrown at him came raining onto the stage.  After a quart of orange juice landed near him, he threw his guitar down and walked off.  A homophobic young me laughed and went on with the rest of a truly amazing day.  I will still pull up Controversy (playing as I write this) and love it.

A year and half later, I'm a seventeen year old exchange student in Melbourne, Australia (will have to ask my mom why she let me do that, but how fucking cool was/is she?).  A couple months into the 11 month program, I fall into the cool crowd at school.  I was a senior in high school at the time, but I went to a place in Australia called Frankston Technical College and while there were other kids my age, there was also a group of older students in their twenties.  In retrospect, you'd probably call them losers or burnouts, but they were cool...and smoked out. 

I don't think I was a bad kid, but my first host family sucked.  They were this giant outfit of 6 kids and the mom was the domineering matriarch and all of the weekends were spent visiting the other siblings.  To be fair, they were all very nice, but I wanted to explore more than having barbies in the suburbs with the family.  At some point a couple months in, they were done with me and kicked me out of their house.  Never found out why but have some suspicions.  Perhaps I'll share those another day as that is a long story, but the result was that they found another family that happened to live 3 doors down from one of my "cool" friends named Damien Lester.   I am sure I have mentioned him before...he had an old car and we would drive to school together.  It was this old thing that he insisted on warming up in the driveway for 10 minutes and he had one cassette tape that we would listen to on repeat, the track listing I can still recall.  One morning, he and the other people in our group, introduced me to coffee (a cappuccino with a dash of cinnamon, still my favorite coffee drink and flash back to the moment I tasted it the first time every time I have one).  They introduced me to so much more, but back to the point.  He lived a few doors away and had his own house, so I would go over there to hang out.  MTV was a big thing in the states at the time, but hadn't hit Australia yet.  They did have video shows and Damien would tape the ones he liked.   Like his one cassette tape in the car, he had one VHS tape of videos that would run on a loop.  The first two videos on that tape were Prince's 1999 and Little Red Corvette.  While I had two significant encounters with him before, these hazy afternoons communing with the videos got me hooked.  Fell out of contact with all those Aussies but try to find them on Facebook from time to time.  Thought about them a lot today.

About 18 months later, Purple Rain was all over everything.  My dad made me work in the yard all day on weekends and I'd have a boom box out to keep me company.  Would listen to baseball games if they were on and if not, would turn on KROQ.  I can still remember where I was in the yard when 'When Doves Cry' played for the first time.  Unlike any song I'd ever heard for sure  Back at school that Fall, the Purple Rain tour came to DC and we got tickets.  Another acquaintance, whose name I cannot remember, had an idea of renting a bus and charging people to take it to the concert, which was in the deep 'burbs at the Cap Center.  I may have been 18 or 19 at the time and in those days, DC and Idaho were the only places left where the drinking age was still 18, so we advertised around campus that we had this bus and were going to have a keg on board.  We even bought the keg from the school...how cool were the old days?  We sold out the bus, made a bunch of cash and saw a quintessential Prince show (Shiela E opened).

Flash forward a few years, November 6, 1998 to be exact,  in LA and Prince was on the Lovesexy tour..  My old buddy Andy (who I've known since I was 8) and I were still into him then and we wanted to do the show right, so bought tickets in the second row for the outrageous sum at the time of $100.  The show was in the round and was incredible.  That link has a setlist...fucking great.  Haven't seen Andy since 1994 and hope he is well...trying to get him to visit LA this summer when we're in town. 

Not long after, Prince became the symbol, and I got heavy into indie rock and we sorta fell away from each other.  In the summer of 2004, he announced a tour that was coming to Seattle and the promise was that he was gonna play all the old stuff.  Loving the old stuff obviously, got Betty and I tickets to the August 31st show at the Key Arena.  The boy was about to enter kindergarten and the school, a charming little Catholic one called St. John's had an afternoon BBQ on August 30th so the kids and families could all meet.  He gravitated to a boy named Jon and we got to talking to his parents.  They had to leave the BBQ early as they were going to the first Prince show that night.  We were instant friends and still are.  Our lives all intertwined for years in sports and fun and have to give Prince some credit for that.

The show was on the Musicology tour.  They gave everyone that attended a copy of the album, which is quite good, but don't recall him playing a song from it but rather, ripped through every song from his catalog that I wanted to hear.  Was a flawless performance...he sang, danced, did it all.  Maceo Parker was his sax player for cryin' out loud.  At one point, he gets all the sexy ladies from the audience on stage to dance with him...there must have been at least 40 of them...and we're watching the big screen and saddling up next to Maceo to do some hard core grinding is the Boy's teacher from his day care.  Great night. 

Never did see him live again, but always stopped to watch him whenever he popped up on things like the Super Bowl, universally acclaimed as the best halftime performance in that events history, or when he wrote a song about Baltimore's troubles last summer.  I've been on a massive funk and soul kick the last few years and acquired a lot of the stuff of his that I missed the first time around and it fits in with the classics like a glove...James Brown, Ohio Players, Curtis, etc., etc., etc,  The guy did it all...danced as well as anyone ever, wrote both catchy songs that were equally familiar but completely unique while exploring all the new genres of the day, and was a virtuoso musician.  He was a true artist and was the soundtrack for so many great things and times of my life. 

Thank you Prince.  Rest In Sexy Peace.