Thunderbolt

The Great Strides walk was excellent this year. The weather was very permitting and there seemed to be a great turnout. I was so thrilled that my old friend Jay showed up with his kids an girlfriend. Although we have not hung out at all in the past years, I hope that this is the start of a friendship renewed. Mom flew out from Tucson, however Dad could not make it this year. It almost didn't feel right without him walking with us. The kids loved having their grandma visit, though. After the walk (which raised over $120K so far), everyone came over to our place. Seann lounged on the couch while the Tribe game played in the background (they won on a Victor Martinez single in the bottom of the 9th-- sweet). Meanwhile, Budd and I assembled the new basketball hoop I'd purchased the night before. I never would have thought I'd have a hoop of my own... oh wait, it's the kids'... I love just bouncing the ball around the shooting it. Kind of relaxing. The Wills and the Cruz's came over, too. I haven't seen them in some time. At one point, Vill and I did an errand to Lowe's. It just felt good to drive away with my old bud for a couple minutes and talk about nothing in particular. I miss those days of having limited responsibilities and being able to jet off at a moment's notice.

Yesterday we hung out at Budd and Karyn's pool. I am impressed with Budd. He was laid off from a shitty job that he despised and is hitting the ground running with his next plan. I don't know what we'd do if something lik that happened to me. I pray we never have to find out.

That's a hint, by the way, to watch "Flapjack" over an over again when it premieres and to rush out and purchase your very own copy of "King's Highway" this June!

Aloha

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

MARATHON FOOTNOTES (for those who didn't think I would really footnote a stream of consciousness thought): Footnote #1 Academy Award Winning Best Picture Films from 1969 to the Present: Midnight Cowboy, Patton, The French Connection, The Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather II, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Rocky, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Terms of Endearment, Amadeus, Out of Africa, Platoon, The Last Emperor, Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs, Unforgiven, Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, The English Patient, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, American Beauty, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Footnote #2 Members of the band YES, from 1969 to the present: In 1969, Yes is formed with Jon Anderson on vocals Peter Banks on guitar, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Kaye on keyboards and Chris Squire playing bass. This group records...

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 9: Mötley Crüe, "Girls, Girls, Girls"

Column 3, Row 13: Mötley Crüe , Girls Girls Girls. I was never a big fan of Mötley Crüe. I liked their radio hits, but I never listened to one of their albums in their entirety until 1989’s Dr. Feelgood , which was orchestrated in a way to dominate radio stations and suck in casual fans, like me, who had trouble getting past the Crüe’s purposeful sleaziness. That said I always admired them more than the other Sunset Strip bands. Bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee were such a formidable rhythm section and laid down a solid groove to all their music. Guitarist Mick Mars had a knack for making his guitar hiss sinister, matching his perpetual scowl. Vince Neil was nothing to write home about as a vocalist, which made his unpolished singing just a little more intriguing than most of the other front then who dominated mainstream rock in the mid-late 80’s. Girls Girls Girls was released in May of 1987, just in time for a long summer of Mötley Crüe taking over the mi...

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 10: U2, "Rattle and Hum"

Column 1, Row 17: U2 , Rattle and Hum U2 are one of two acts that immediately conjure memories of my late friend, Matt (the other one is Dylan). Matt and I knew each other since first grade. Despite the comings and goings of other friends and girlfriends, we held on to that friendship until the early 2000s. It's a remarkable feat, when you think about it. We both left our suburban Cleveland hometown and moved west (he to Seattle, me to L.A.) and lived very different lives. What I remember of Matt was him chasing the that spark that brought him joy and wonder. He was always curious, sometimes to a fault, at least when I knew him. I can't tell you what he was like toward the end of his life; we'd lost touch. All that I have are the memories of the haunting young man I knew from young adulthood. Matt and I came of age in the mid to late 80s, as U2 made their commercial breakthroughs with War (1983) and The Unforgettable Fire (1984) and then became the most significant band ...