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I don’t get paid to read t-shirts, but I do it anyway, especially when the font is big or cool.  Last week I checked in patients who were wearing t-shirts that said:

It’s Called THINKING… You Should Try It Sometime

Weirdos Do Exist

I came, I saw, I left early

Yesterday was my 59th birthday.  I didn’t take the day off, but I did eat tacos at Torchy’s.  As pictured above, I wasn’t the only one celebrating, Gary turned 80 earlier this month (he’s my brother-in-law), and Tehau (one of my coffeehouse sons) had a party for his 40th birthday.  So anyway, after dinner last night I discovered Chuck’s Arcade was a few steps away from Torchy’s, and someone even left a credit on one of the old games… I didn’t have to drop a quarter or buy $16 worth of credits– I just played it!  It was Defender (see below) and I was never good at Defender in high school, so it lasted about 30 seconds, but hey it was free!After the arcade experience, Jenny & I walked the length of a nearby mall until we reached the other side to smell the popcorn in the theater, and then we went home.  A mellow time was had by all.

It was truly a sight to behold.  The hits were spinning, and Hermans were on the dance floor at the family reunion this year– and when Meatloaf sang Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Rachel, Barb, and Shilo were out in the middle of it all.

I was in the mood for listening to the American Graffiti soundtrack with deejay chatter from Wolfman Jack in between tracks… but I couldn’t find anything online.  Thankfully someone uploaded 4 cassettes of music from that era, and that’s what I’m tuned into now.  I still miss the Wolfman.  The tracks listed below are the same classics that were played on WHB when Chris & I drove around the West Bottoms after midnight.

Judd, Molly, Ally, Emilio, and Anthony (Michael to his friends)… The Criminal, The Princess, The Basket Case, The Athlete, and The Brain got up on a stage to talk about the iconic movie they were in 40 years ago, and how it still resonates with fans today.  If you don’t mind sitting through the YouTube ads you can watch it here.

that’s one small “pew pew” for a man…

My immediate family and our loved ones gathered for the annual Black Family Reunion earlier this month.  Depending on the state of mind I’m in, it’s weird and humbling to think that Mom, Darla, and I have been in each others’ lives since the 1960′s.  That’s a long family tree root.  My niece, Sara, is holding a pic of my grandfather, Hugh Black, Mom’s dad.

The on/off switch on our retro swag light fell apart a few days ago.  It had a good run.  It did a reliable job for 50 years or more, but when the bare wires were showing I crossed my fingers and hoped it was something I could find in a hardware store.  The first two didn’t have one, but the third one did.  When I described the old light switch to a white haired clerk, he looked at me and then he looked at Jenny & I felt like we were time travelers asking for an ancient mechanism… and we were.  The old clerk pulled the new packaged switch from a drawer and said “is this what you’re looking for?” — it was.With the twist of a screwdriver the past came back to life, and no one was shocked in the process.

The Sound of Noise came out 15 years ago, and it STILL resonates with me.  It makes me remember why I drum my fingers, tap my foot, or knock out a rhythm of any kind– because it feels good.