Andy Smallman

Individuals often pose in front of a mirror, imagining themselves as rock stars. You’ve done it, right? In our family, we sometimes like to do it all together, but we set it up as a family photo shoot and imagine the best photo will be our album cover.

This picture is such a situation. The opportunity came upon us spontaneously, while waiting to catch a train in Ladysmith, British Columbia in 2007. We had no idea the train station would be abandoned and more than a little seedy. Chloe and Ella were a tad uncomfortable there, among the trash and graffiti. Melinda and her design eye saw the potential. Adding more enthusiasm than she felt, she told the girls and me, “Let’s set up the camera and pose for pictures!”

We took several and forever have a great story to tell. Part of that story involves the train slowing, not quite stopping, to allow us to get on, the conductor calling out, “C’mon!!”

Today’s Prompt: Where have you staged a family photo?

Today’s photo was taken this week a year ago in the midst of Melinda and me taking a long walk in Nantes. It’s one of the things I most miss about our year in France, going for walks. It’s not that I can’t do it in Seattle, of course. It’s just I have less time for walking.

Each weekday morning Melinda and I would ride the tram with Ella to her school and then the two of us would walk home. A couple of times a week I’d walk with Chloe to her main babysitting job, and then walk home again. I’d walk to the library, walk to the grocery store, walk to the bakery.

And beginning in January last year, when I wasn’t walking I’d go for a run.

Today’s Prompt: Do you walk? If so, where?

In the 1960’s, I was Batman. That’s me on the right in the front row (you can usually spot me in pictures because of the crazy tuft of hair dropping down the center of my forehead). Like my cape? I sure did. My best friend (Steve Frolio, there on the left, who just had a knack of looking tougher than me) & I ran around the neighborhood wearing our capes and utility belts while saving everyone from unseen dangers.

In high school some friends & I made superhero ID cards for ourselves in a graphic design class. We adopted secret superhero names (get this — I was dubbed Fruitcheeks). During our graduating year, seniors were asked to write about our future plans for inclusion in the annual. Most people talked about going to college, or getting married and having kids, or what careers they intended to have.

Me, I shared my superhero motto: “To remain a defender of all that is pure and good. Let it lead me where it may.”

Today’s Prompt: If you were a superhero, who would you be?

Platonic public kissing is much more common in France than in the U.S. Most often, there are the little pecks on each cheek, the bisous, a regular form of greeting. It takes a little getting used to, especially for stodgy Americans like me who aren’t accustomed to that level of physical closeness. Paraphrasing a founding father, “Give me a handshake or give me death.”

Okay, so maybe I got that quote a little wrong.

During our year in France, Melinda adapted to the bisous quickly and has been committed to employing it here at home. Well, at least among members of our family. I’m all for it but it requires some ongoing mindfulness from me. And with mindfulness, there’s no time like the present. I’m off to practice.

Today’s Prompt: Tell about the most recent person you kissed on the cheek.

Way back in the 80’s I dabbled at writing songs or, at least, writing song lyrics. I wrote dozens and even had some music to go with some of them. But I couldn’t play a musical instrument to save my life so my melodies went unaccompanied.

Gathering a little moxie, I took out an ad in a Seattle area music magazine and found a songwriting partner. He put music to a few of my songs and sang a couple of my melodies accompanying himself on his guitar. On one occasion, I plugged a cheap microphone into my cassette player and taped him. This song was one result.

Linked here is an online collection of songs by obscure artists I downloaded legally that you can stream. Go take a listen, contributing to my intention to support fledgling songwriters and bands.

Today’s Prompt: What have you dabbled in?

I received an email today from our good friend Bernard in Nantes, complete with a handful of photos showing the snow they are experiencing in our old neighborhood there. Of those sent, I was drawn to today’s photo as to build a snowman this size requires some serious snow. Even more dramatic, I’m taken by how the snowman’s companions, Théo, Celeste and Claire, have grown since we left Nantes. In fact, I can’t even be sure that’s Celeste (second from the right).

What do you think, does the girl second from the right look like this little girl of 18 months ago?

Today’s Prompt: Is it a true sign of aging when you are stunned by the changes in your friends’ children?

I had my hair cut earlier today, something that got me thinking about haircuts and bad hair days and things like that. It also got me hunting for this photo of my mother from the early 70’s. If I’m not mistaken, she’s wearing a wig.

My worst haircut experience was in 6th grade. The barber cut my hair so short that I went to school the next day with a stocking hat on my head (a New York Rangers stocking cap, no less). At recess a kid in class wrestled the cap off of my head and started to laugh. I socked him in the face.

Really.

Then I ran.

Today’s Prompt: What’s your worst haircut story?

That’s right, for a while I was a professional horse race handicapper. I worked as a statistician and handicapper for the Daily Racing Form, the newspaper that publishes the past performances of race horses. If you don’t know, the term “handicapping” refers to the act of weighing the various factors that lead a person to predict which horse might win a race.

It was another great job, and a big part of my personal growth.

I grew up going to horse races, thanks to my father’s sideline as a horse racing journalist. By the time I was in high school, I was a regular visitor to Longacres racetrack near Seattle (this photo comes from the summer of 1980 and was taken at Longacres — I was 17). After my stint as a deejay, I was hired by the “Form” and worked on and off for them from 1984-1992.

Today’s Prompt: Share an experience that helped shape who you are today.

That’s me on my 19th birthday. I’m sitting at the control board of KRXA Radio in Seward, Alaska, where I was working for most all of 1982. That’s right, when I was 19 years-old, a year out of high school, I was an AM radio deejay in a small town in Alaska.

KRXA played mainly Top 40 songs (and I swore then that I’d never again listen to “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” by Joan Jett). But every Saturday night I took control of the station to play an hour of the music I loved, what I called the Alternative Music Program. And get this — I’ve uploaded an episode that you can stream online!

Today’s Prompt: Tell about a job you had (and now recall fondly) when you were young.

Here’s a photo that really touches me, of Chloe and Ella from many years ago, playing in our kitchen with their “Groovy Girls.” Both girls loved these dolls but I will forever link them to Chloe, who had several and could play with them for hours.

I hadn’t thought about these dolls for a long time but seeing this picture inspired me to do a quick online search. I discovered that the line is alive and well, complete with its own groovygirls.com domain.

Today’s Prompt: What toys did YOU enjoy that you have outgrown? Are you sure??