27
Aug 14
Weekly Worthy List #20: Memories from yesteryears, part two
Memories
Taking life for granted; not many of us sit around pining about how we do this, nor should we…waste of energy. I do think, though, that if we were to identify it in ourselves and be conscious of that tendency within us…we might be able to recognize more of those special times and things in real time, instead of feeling their beauty and quality in hindsight. Special details, intensity that is felt at half potency, our souls know but the mind is slow. The day destroys the night, the night divides the day.
Spring brings crowds in brightly colored clothes
Auras blend and clash to paint their worlds
Blossoms play peek-a-boo with our eyes
Waves start dark and are transparent jade before crashing
Into beachy shallows and seal bearing peers
The town where I feel and say these things is warm and awake
Spring brings sun and smoke and song and sea
May 1988
Just getting off the bus from Soquel, stepping out onto the bus stops of the Santa Cruz metro center. I can smell the coffee roasters and a nearby mexican restaurant…man I am starving!!!
I sling my guitar case over my shoulder with its backpack strap and start to walk towards Walnut street…straight down Pacific avenue…all of the locals, students, panhandlers and teenagers are flooding downtown. I pass Mr. Smiley…
“Hey Mikey, take a card my good man,” he puts out an upside down deck of tarot cards.
“Oh man Smiles, I don’t need any omens right now…alright…” I close my eyes and take a card. The Lovers.
“Oh Mikey, nice buddy! This card reveals…” a guy came by and whispered something in his ear, “I’ll catch up with you later and explain, are you going to play down by the record store?”
“Yeah, for a little while, I am going to try and find John and get a slice first though.”
“Alright buddy, I’ll find you…”
I walk off again, past Logos and its art and philosophy books on display, past Lilly Wongs and its brightly colored Asian imports, wearing China flats from there right now, and finally to 1211 Pacific Avenue, a lovely reverberating alcove perfect for harmony vocals and acoustic guitars. Daniel and Ian are already playing there, they are doing a really haunting version of Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd; sounds really good. Sitting down I light a cigarette and listen to the rest of the song. I can smell the jasmine in full bloom. It is a perfect Santa Cruz day, and it’s obvious to everyone. The streets are alive and there’s music and energy everywhere. Their song ends…
“Hey Mikey, what are you up to?”
“Ahhh…just waiting for some old guys to get the hell outta my spot,” I say with a cocky smile…
“Oooh boy, you gonna be waitin’ a while…” Daniel replied with a gypsy grin.
“Fair enough, can I ditch my guitar in the hall while I go get a slice?”
“How much you think we could get for that thing Daniel?” Ian asked Daniel with a good natured grin and chuckle.
I ditched my guitar in the hall and took off across Pacific and a short jaunt down Soquel Ave to Pizza My Heart to get a slice of pesto pizza…mmm mmm good!!!
The smell of pizzas and calzones wafting out of the ovens was just killing me, the guy in front of me was sprinkling parmesan and peppers on his pesto slice already, lucky bastard! As I was getting the slice and my root beer handed to me I saw Katherine and Jayne walk by, I took a bite and ran out.
“Matthews…Johnson…whoaaaa nelly!!!”
“Hey Michael, we were just looking for you.”
“You were? Right on, what’s up?”
“Adam and Brett and Rio are hanging out of at Cafe Chameleon, they were trying to find you too.”
“Cool, what’s everybody up to?”
“Having coffee,I think Adam has a bottle of something…”
“Interesting, mmmmyesss, indeed…hey, I’ll catch up with you guys over at Chameleon.”
“Ok, don’t flake though, we really want to hang out with you tonight.”
“Me too, I’ll be there.”
Taking another bite of my pizza I walk back toward the alcove, still a hundred feet away I can hear that they are playing Willin’ by Little Feat, sweet version too. As I get to the alcove they are still mid-song, I slide into the hall, grab my guitar, salute the guys, and walk back up the mall toward Chameleon, the Sun is setting and it’s casting a pink glow on the world I am walking through, I wonder what Mark Stone is doing? I hope Adam didn’t bring Schnapps again, that gives me a headache. Maybe I’ll pop by Pergolesi and see if David and Rashid are there. I saw Smiley across the street pawning a tarot reading on a pretty girl he descended upon unexpectedly, no doubt. What a character!!! It’s the weekend and it’s time to have some fun.
When he’s not enjoying fishing, road testing cables, or fielding musical or instrument cable questions over the phone/e-mail, Michael handles operations and purchasing and is simply loving life.
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