Andy Smallman

Since you can’t tell from the photo, you’re going to have to trust me that it’s of Elvis Costello from last night’s concert at the Paramount in Seattle. Melinda and I long ago bought tickets and were thrilled to go to the show. I not too jokingly say that Elvis got me through high school, so enamored was I (am I) with his music. That he has been performing for 35 years is quite something.

This particular tour is quite unique. In the photo behind him is a big wheel with song titles and themes. Elvis would bring people from the audience up on stage to spin the wheel and then lead the band through playing the song that popped up or a series of them based on the theme. Meanwhile, the audience member got to dance in a go-go dancing cage.

Fun stuff.

My favorite song of the night was a newer one, “A Slow Drag With Josephine,” although his rendition of “Please, Please Me” was mighty fine. Find the set list here, as well as links to videos from the show.

It’s my niece Tammy’s 21st birthday today (that’s her on the left, with her dad, Scott, on the right). Apparently, this makes her “legal.” Okay, I get that. It has to do with being of legal drinking age in the United States (interestingly, Chloe became “legal” in France last year and again became “legal” in Canada this year).

But this idea of becoming “legal” implies that at one point one could be illegal. That doesn’t seem so nice. I’ve had a brief Facebook exchange with Tammy today to try to determine what it means for her to have been “illegal” yesterday and “legal” today. Tammy said she’s not sure.

Maybe you can help.

Meanwhile, happy birthday, Tammy!

Remember a couple of days ago when I admitted I was a hockey fan? Well that is ringing true right this minute, 9pm on the opening night of the 2012 NHL playoffs. I’m trying to keep track of the Vancouver – Los Angeles game. It’s tied 1-1 in the middle of the second period.

Go Canucks!

So today’s’s photo is of a 1970 program insert from an Omaha Knights hockey game. That’s André “Moose” Dupont, a solid defenseman who later went on to play with the Philadelphia Flyers. But I said all this in that earlier post, right?

See, I’m a hockey fan and I’m all excited tonight. It’s opening night of the playoffs. It’s causing me to repeat myself.

Go Canucks!

What were you doing in 1982? That’s the year I lived mostly in Alaska, the city of Seward, specifically, and was an AM radio deejay. I’ve mentioned that before. But that year is prominent in my mind because it is when I really started figuring out more of who I was and what I wanted to do. High school hadn’t provided that so I initially bypassed college to “find myself,” although I never would have put it that way at the time.

This picture comes from December 30, 1982, four days after I had returned to Seattle from Seward. That’s me on the right, sitting with my brother, Scott. The occasion is the wedding of our brother, Steve. A pretty nice occasion to reconnect.

But what’s up with that facial hair??

So Melinda and I were at Costco over the weekend picking up some items for our Easter weekend hosting (see yesterday’s post). I spotted this box of Romaine lettuce and, for some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, I decided to snap this picture.

I wonder, if you have to say there is an original, does that suggest there are imitations? And if the original was in 1927, it goes to reason that any imitations came after, right?

Me, I came along in 1963. I guess that makes me an imitation.

It’s been a busy day around our house today, what with us hosting two family events and family from out of town. Melinda’s cousin Tracy and her daughter Isabel are staying with us for a couple of days. And with Melinda’s parents out of town, we had Brenda, Greg & Perrin over for an Easter brunch. Later in the day, everyone returned for dinner, supplemented by my parents, and my brother Scott, his partner, Sally, and Scott’s daughter Olivia. That’s 13 for dinner and 8 for brunch.

Today’s photo comes from an Easter egg hunt orchestrated by Isabel and Ella for Perrin. Late last night in the dark, the two older girls went outside and hid eggs for Perrin to find this morning. What fun. Perrin made sure to include her new bunny in the search.

News Flash – France has good food.

In fact, France has really, really good food, the bread, as is generally known, being incredible. Just as we suspected, we returned from France as self-proclaimed bread snobs. We can’t find a decent baguette anywhere (even in the so-called French bakeries of Seattle). I had this explained to me this week as having to do with Europe not allowing genetically motivated wheat, like in the US. Further, I was told, Europeans are coming to the states and experiencing gluten sensitivity.

Interesting.

Anyway, not only is the bread superior in France, so is the butter, at least by our evaluation. But today at Costco we found our favorite French butter. Perhaps things are looking up.

My name is Andy and I’m a hockey fan.

There, I said it. In fact, I grew up saying that “hockey is my favorite sport.” My childhood room always had a hockey motif. I collected hockey cards. I played a year of ice hockey. And I did all of this from the cornfields of Omaha, Nebraska, where I was born and where I lived until just before my 11th birthday.

Let me just say that it’s a hard thing to be both born in Omaha and be a hockey fan. Thank goodness for the Omaha Knights.

The Knights were the chief farm team for the New York Rangers so we got to see some pretty good players come through, the most notable of whom may be André “Moose” Dupont who went on to win a couple of Stanley Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers. The coach of those Flyers teams? Fred Shero who, before that, coached the Knights.

Today’s Prompt: What sport(s) do you love / identify with?

A highlight of my Thursdays this term at PSCS is co-facilitating a horse race handicapping with my father for a group of 8 students. The class takes place in the last slot of the day, which enables me to drive my dad home, connect with my mom, and then the three of us having dinner in the dining room of their retirement community. In fact, I’m writing this post from their apartment, having just finished dinner, while watching a hockey game on TV.

Man, this ain’t half bad. Horse racing, dinner, hockey.

In today’s class, one of the students asked about a book that was published some time ago that included some of my dad’s handicapping theories. He couldn’t remember the name, and I’m not sure if it can actually be found. But I did locate this link to a software program based on his work.

Today’s Prompt: Share a way you connect with a parent.

Here’s what’s intended to be a funny post.

That’s my brother Scott in today’s photo, one that is marked as coming from 1986, the year he turned 27. It’s also the year he defined tube socks as a fashion statement, especially when out for a day of fishing. Word has it that fish are more inclined to take the hook of a fisherman wearing tube socks, and those with red stripes on top are even more al”lure”ing (that’s my feeble attempt at a fishing pun).

I’m not sure what it is I have for Scott and fishing, but another post featured him with a fish. Scott, any ideas?

Today’s Prompt: Share the tale of one of YOUR “fashion statements.”