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I bought my first Tom Waits record in 1984, the album called “Foreign Affairs” (that’s the CD version in today’s photo, complete with my reflection – cool, eh?). I bought it at Tower Records on what is known as “The Ave” in Seattle’s University District. It was a “Nice Price” LP, meaning it was cheaper than most brand new records.

I took the record home to my apartment and put it on. I loved it immediately, which helps me remember that day. It was a dreary winter day, with a chance of snow. I had a date that night, a friend coming over for dinner. I listened to the record while preparing dinner.

I’m embarrassed to admit that the only part of the meal I remember is the dessert, a mint pie with a crushed cookie crust. I’m also embarrassed to admit that I got stood up that night. That’s right, my date didn’t show. I blamed the weather.

I’m not embarrassed to say that from that first listen, I’ve been hooked on the music of Tom Waits.

I took today’s picture yesterday afternoon, while lying flat on my back on a lounge chair, sunning myself, looking up at the perfectly blue sky. I tried to explain to Melinda that the warm weather and blue sky were my birthday present to her. If only I could manufacture days like yesterday.

Today, too, for that matter. In fact, Melinda and I got home a little early today, about 4:45pm. We quickly changed into our sun wear and went out back to lie down. We kept telling ourselves that this was what it was like in France a year ago.

As the sun went behind the trees we went inside and imagined calling up Frédérique and Laurent or Christine and Bénard to invite them over for a little weeknight repartee. Ah…

It’s Mother’s Day AND it’s Melinda’s birthday, meaning Chloe, Ella & I get to take care of two events on one day. Not bad, eh? Indeed, it reminded me of this expression coined by a former PSCS student. He didn’t want to hurt anything, including two birds. Nor did he really like throwing stones. So he came up with, “feeding two birds with one scone.”

Much better, don’t you think?

On that note, we hosted a big Mother’s Day/Melinda’s birthday dinner. Melinda’s parents were here, as were Melinda’s sister, Brenda, and her family. Brenda’s mother-in-law, Dolly, is in town so she was present, too.

In other words, we fed a lot of Mother’s Day birds on one scone today. 🙂

Melinda and I are just about out the door, out on a date on the eve of her birthday. We are the lucky recipients of two tickets to tonight’s Seattle Sounders FC soccer game, given to us by our co-worker, Liana. It promises to be a great game. The Sounders are on an absolute roll, having won 5 straight games and having only lost 1 of their first 8. They are playing Real Salt Lake, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year. With temperatures in the mid 70’s and Liana’s great seats, we should have a blast.

But, as you can see from today’s photo (which, incidentally is from a previous date of Melinda’s and mine, this one from 1994 on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train), we’ll have to move fast to keep from being run over. Game time is in an hour and Melinda is still getting ready.

The first record that I bought with any real mindfulness of wanting to own a specific record was Elvis Costello’s brilliant 1979 LP “Armed Forces.” Owning the record turned out to be another one of those inspirational experiences.

Owning it and loving it, I then bought his two previous records. Because Nick Lowe produced all three records, I bought Nick Lowe records. Because Dave Edmunds played with Nick Lowe, I bought Dave Edmunds records. Follow? Before long I had a huge record collection, most every record tracing back to Elvis and Armed Forces.

I have dozens of Elvis stories, maybe even hundreds. But the saddest is from January of 1981. Elvis was coming to Seattle and all of my friends and I bought tickets. Two nights before the show my girlfriend came over and we played every record. She dabbled a bit on piano and started playing his song “Just a Memory.” She asked me if I thought he’d play it. No chance, I told her.

The next day I came down with a severe bout of food poisoning, causing me to miss the concert and so severe that a Department of Health investigation was launched. The next night, Elvis opened the show with “Just a Memory.”

On Thursdays after school I head over to my parents’ apartment in a nearby retirement community, my dad with me after having volunteered at PSCS (a horse race handicapping class). Together, the three of us have dinner in the community’s dining room, on most occasions having dinner with other residents. Tonight we had dinner with a husband and wife couple. The husband worked for Boeing for years and at one time had US Top Secret clearance. He said with all seriousness that he worked on a flying saucer project.

Interesting!

On the drive home I got the pleasure of being in the car by myself which, of course, means I got to choose what to listen to on the radio / cassette deck. I chose a favorite old cassette I put in the car for just such an occasion, Stompin’ Tom’s “A Proud Canadian.” I sang along with songs about Prince Edward Island, Bud the Spud, and the tobacco fields of Tillsonburg (“My back still aches when I hear that word.”).

I’ve had this idea to periodically showcase things that have inspired me in my life, at least things that can easily be shown on a blog. Tonight I present author Kurt Vonnegut.

In 10th grade my English teacher suggested I read “Slaughterhouse 5.” It was one of those transformational moments, a time when you follow a suggestion and it has a huge impact on you. I read the book and was moved by its anti-war message, the first time I recall a book having that kind of an effect on me.

On sabbatical last year I read all of Vonnegut’s novels and in the order they were released. I pretended they were all just one big book. At PSCS I tease the students that they cannot graduate unless they take a “Vonnegut class” from me. I’m currently facilitating a class using Vonnegut’s “Mother Night,” my favorite of his books.

By the way, the book links above take you to Amazon. If you order from those links, or even place an order after having connected to Amazon from one of those links, Melinda’s and my Kind Living project gets a small percentage of your purchase.

Remember that scene in that fabulously funny movie “The Jerk,” the one in which Navin Johnson, played by Steve Martin, gets all excited because the new phone book has arrived? He’s all excited because, now that he is living in his own apartment, he’s in the phone book.

“I’m somebody!”

Last week Ella asked if I would buy her a book. I went on Amazon, checked it out, and agreed to buy it. She asked if I could have it sent to her instead of it arriving with my name on the package.

It arrived today, addressed to her.

If you like this story, you’ll LOVE this one.

I rebuilt the wall in today’s photo yesterday. I slept for about 9 hours last night and woke up sore today. That was a big job.

On Saturday afternoon our neighbor noted that the retaining wall at the edge of our yard was buckling. I knew immediately that repairing it would be my Sunday focus. When I got started at about 11am, I touched the first stone and the wall collapsed to the ground (narrowly missing my legs and feet). I spent the next 4 hours digging it out, moving the stones, and then rebuilding it.

Chloe says she’s sore today, too. No, she didn’t help rebuild the wall. She went to a workout class.

Yesterday evening I got an email from my brother, Steve, He and his wife, Deb, are in New Orleans. He wrote, “Deb and I are walking in New Orleans. Nick Lowe is playing the House of Blues tonight and we just got tickets.”

Wow!

Nick Lowe in New Orleans. That’s pretty sweet. And I grabbed this from Nick’s Facebook page, “Swamp Pop legend Johnny Allan stopped by to give the band some pre-show inspiration at the House of Blues in New Orleans. And what a show!”

Then this morning Steve sent me what I’m using for today’s photo, one he took with his cell phone during the show.

Regular readers will know what I big fan I am of Nick Lowe.