things i
did
in 15.
a moustache-twisting journal of the few things in my life worth mentioning
23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 09 | 08 | 07 | 06 | 05 | 04 | 03 | 02 | 01 | 2000 | 99 | 98 | 97
read dr. jekyll and mr. hyde
We're in a golden age of books, mainly cuz because people are selling them to used bookstores at an unprecedented rate — and the people who valued and bought them in the first place are dying and their relatives sell off their libraries for pennies. I've been buying up gorgeous editions at prices I'd be embarrassed to share: wonderful sturdy children's books, finely printed and illustrated, lit classics, rarities, and first editions. Then there's this wonderful print of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde from a run of only 1000 — in the great 20th-century tradition of collectible editions, with gorgeous lithographs and thoughtful typography. Bonus: I'd never actually read this book. How on earth had I gone this long? It was a spine-chilling pleasure.
hit the 4000-day mark
Catherine and I walked, talked, dined, smiled, hugged, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and each other, on the 4,000th day of our marriage. Four thousand days! We're old pros now, and we loved thinking up what we'd say to our younger selves all those days ago about what was to begin in their future: a beautiful lifetime together, who knows how long — a marriage of true minds.
... then forgot our anniversary
We were sitting there with a friend, and got to talking about weddings. We mentioned that we were married in April of 04, ... April 3rd. ... She got an odd look on her face and said, "That's today." We were sitting there on our anniversary, and both had forgotten it! I'm sure she thought privately how glad she was that she and *her* husband were more thoughtful. Hah! I guess the 4000th day was so close that an eclipse happened.
got more fragrances
I regularly wear colognes that came out during my teens — a golden age in fragrance. I also wear ones that had come out decades earlier. But it's also good to keep up with things. So I embarked on a long experimentation, and wound up with a couple of new favorites: Prada's Luna Rossa, a great big smile of a fragrance, snazzy and clear as a bright March day; and Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc, guyish and citrusy and watery and glowing. Man, I smell good.
did sound for the four freshmen
Their big convention was in town; they needed a sound guy. I truly loved getting the flesh tones just right. They're total pros and great to work with. It was an active thing: in 4 days I walked 35 miles. And I heard some terrific music.
gave away a bunch of stuff
It was time. We got rid of lots of household junk, dozens of the kids' toys, over 50 pieces of my clothing, and something like 200 pieces of Catherine's. The house is lighter now. (We'll winnow more later, no doubt, now that we've caught the bug.)
arranged a sing act
It's been 8 years since I did my last Sing arrangement. I came out of retirement for the son of a friend, who was Sing chair for his fraternity. I gotta say it was really fun digging in and doing this again. I'll probably do it again in 8 years or so.
took a girl to kindergarten
Can you believe it? Greta entered Kindergarten this year. Class of 2028. I just love every single bit of it (including her adorable plaid jumper dress).
charter membered
Right down the street from us, the SA Children's Museum retooled, rebuilt, and rebranded as the Doseum. It's spiffy and impressive, loaded with fascinating stuff pitched right to kids' curiosity and desire to play and learn. Our membership allows us to stroll in and stay for an hour here and there — just perfect.
said goodbye to the bistro
The Boardwalk Bistro closed its doors after its old owner retired and the new owner made uncaring botch after uncaring botch. It was the Protagonists' last-Saturdays home for several years. We loved every minute of the great atmosphere, terrific staff, and music-appreciative audience. Any jazzer who's gigged anywhere will tell you that the Bistro was an unusual place. Gigs would begin with play-it-cool-it's-dinner-hour, filled with chatting tables — standard for a restaurant gig — but by about halfway through the second set the entire vibe consistently shifted to you-could-hear-a-pin-drop reverence and attention, something every jazz artist appreciates. With a steady hand, Barbara provided something like ten thousand nights of great food and great live music for this city. I'm grateful to have played there.
started making pizzas from scratch
Kind of. I don't roll the dough or crush my own wheat or anything. But I strew chopped carrots (yes carrots they're great) and olives and pepperoni and cheese and sauce and pepper and spices on, and it comes out just delicious. Cheaper than delivery, only slightly costlier than store-bought, and better than both.
used the last of our wedding money
11 years, 6 months, 3 weeks, and 6 days into our marriage, on the anniversary of our first "I love yous", we spent the last of our wedding money on a blender/food processor, a beautiful dish cleaning brush, and some Godiva chocolate. It reminded us again how fortunate we are to stand among thoughtful and generous friends. We registered for things we knew we really could use, and when there was some money left over we spent it over the years only when it was really useful and needed. So, we finally decided our old blender wasn't quite suiting our needs: we gave it away and got this one. The last of the wedding money, 11 years later! Think on this: the store we'd registered at, Foley's, had stopped existing! This was all transferred to Macy's years ago. Crazy.
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What a year. Dedicated to the glory of God.
so, what did you do?
23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 09 | 08 | 07 | 06 | 05 | 04 | 03 | 02 | 01 | 2000 | 99 | 98 | 97