Today, the drifter officially became one year older than he was yesterday. Funny, but to him it only feels like a day.
Ellen and Will showered me with gifts this morning, and I was especially honored by Will’s willingness to arise from his slumbers at such an unprecedented hour. I got two, count ‘em, two bottles of premium Tequila, which is either their way of saying they think I ought to drink more, or it’s just a sign that my taste for the distilled Agave is not so problematic as to incline them to refrain from being my enablers. Along with the booze was a brand new original collage that Ellen created consisting of pages from Moby Dick, music scores,crossword puzzles and other elements lifted from the Drifter’s world of enthusiasms…and that’s not all, wait there’s more!!! I got two books, one being a Roz Chast collection called Things I hate From A to Z and the other…damn, can’t recall now, never heard of it, but Ellen did research and assures me it’s a winner.
And the pile still wasn’t depleted, I also received a new pair of house slippers to replace the ones I’ve been wearing since the Nixon years, a soft, warm flannel shirt, wool socks and last but not least (gee, I hope I’m not forgetting anything) a hand painted card from Ellen of a vase and flowers that I think (despite her humility) is as beautifully rendered as the hundreds of similar ones she’s produced over the years.
Ok, enough about me…now how about something from the Macho Man himself.
INTRODUCING AOD’S VERY FIRST GUEST APPEARANCE.
After many futile attempts to crack the code of the Blogspot COMMENT function, Marty has written to me with a request to post what follows below--which includes re-posting of song video featured back in Sept. And I am not only happy to comply with his request, I am hopeful that it might spur others to do the same since I’m beginning to feel the onset of writer’s block coming on and it was my hope from the beginning of this digital adventure that the blog would be a platform for all sorts of contributions from all walks of Drifters and Drifter followers.
AND NOT ONLY IS MARTY THE FIRST GUEST BUT I THINK HE'S SETTING THE BAR PRETTY HIGH FOR OTHERS WHO ASPIRE TO USE THIS SPACE FOR THE SOULFUL EXPRESSION OF PERSONAL MEMORY AND EXPERIENCE.
So….take it away….MARTY!
I was all of 11 and this song spoke my language to me, having an eternity of bliss and losing it the next moment. What could be sweeter and more painful. I remember Denise- there was a song for her as well (Oh Denise, shooby doo / I'm in love with you, Denise shooby doo) ) , Carnarsie, 101st street Seaview Village next door neighbor, playing hiding-go-seek, late warm,muggy summer nights, my terry cloth shirt and did I feel on top of the world.
Actually reminds me of a girl in third grade Susan, (maybe that's why that first song stays with me) little blond cutey pie who I accidentally tripped during recess, Oy veh what mortification. I should not neglect my 1st grade teacher, Ms, I mean Miss Siegel. Dreams of sitting on her lap. Early experiences leading to a senior thesis analyzing the similarities and differences between being alone, isolation, alienation and loneliness.
Ah those things we feel so young and revisit as adolescents, are part of us forever, right now, at this moment.
The unconscious knows no time and nothing is lost. Respond to every moment with every part of us. Is that what a peak experience is about? Wait I think I am having one now, which upon reflection is lost Well it was a moment.
Speaking of ryhmes and words. The other day from my driftwood writer called me Macho Man. The initials MMM which my wife and two daughters gave me now stand for Macho Man Mart. What did the old MMM stand for Mad Man Mart. Why would they call me this?
THANKS MARTY…AND PLEASE COME AGAIN, ANYTIME.
And one more shout out to Macho Man Marty...
Marty continues to Rock the Casbah by solving all the mysteries and conundrums appearing on the estimates and bills coming from our contractor. Glad it’s him and not me cause I couldn’t do it half as well, and I would probably lose my patience and temper after spotting one wrong detail let alone the dozen or so Marty’s identified so far. But Marty works full time like the rest of us and I think he could use a break…and though I’ve offered to spell him for some of these chores, the group seems to prefer (and wisely, considering what they know about my temperament) that he soldier on and keep up the good fight without complicating matters with an out of tune second fiddle.
UPDATE ON NON-LEXICAL VOCABLES.
As expected (and predicted) my annoyingly youthful creative comrades came up with song after song from band after band as yours truly sat in bewildered silence trying desperately to identify something or someone familiar. A couple of Police songs and classics from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and The Kinks rang a bell and maybe a few others. But I had a blast listening to them with their competitive juices flowing as they rattled off one after the other, and my job was to find it online so they could all sing along when the non-lexical vocable came along. And then the editing suite was awash with the most awful out of tune wailing anyone’s ever heard this side of Sonny Bono and Madonna. I left early as they continued one-upping each other and filling the (thankfully) sound-proofed room with their discordant revels.
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