Daily Archives: August 19, 2024

Encouraged

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day and I’m feeling OK. I used to really like that Nina Simone song but wow it is overplayed and overused these days. It’s been like that for a while now, maybe a year or so but I wasn’t writing then and I am writing now.

I had a collection of Nina Simone, a disc one out of two that I got when I was working for Arif Mardin at Atlantic Studios. I eventually got the two-disc set years later but to tell you the truth I prefer the first disc. And Feeling Good is not on that collection. I got it years after I got the Colpix collection when my brother Frank gave it to me.

Now Nina Simone is recognized for the giant she was, the force of nature, and the tragic figure. I almost watched her biopic but I knew where it was going and I did not need to see that. I am somewhat particular about the things that I watch.

Though like I wrote yesterday I can take comic book violence and gore but other violent things I avoid. I also avoid zombie flicks. Those pop up in my dreams and who needs that? Last night I had a dream that involved a semi-famous photo of Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry, Siouxsie Sioux, Viv Albertine, Pauline Black and Poly Styrene. (I’d post it here but Word Press changed its set up so I can’t. It’s all words words words unless someone steps up and helps me out with that and they won’t since I’m not asking)

Six female singers around 1980. It pops up every now and then on the social medias so you can find it there or do a search using what I just wrote. I just remember seeing the photo or perhaps being at the photo shoot which was interrupted by a man who had a fear of flowers flying in the air.

And it’s been almost 40 years but some friends of mine who had a band called Tiny Lights had a song called ‘Flowers in the Air’. 40 years since I heard that song but it still takes up residence in this mind palace of mine. The man with the flying flower phobia had an ominous air about him. How long is a dream though?

The dreams one has when sleeping, not the type of life plan people have. I’ve never had a dream like that and I’m fine with that. I’m happy and trying to enjoy life so maybe that is the dream. Simple but not easily attainable. Same with ambition. I wasn’t pushed into anything growing up.

Well, I was shanghaied into playing Summer League baseball but that was a necessity since no one had any idea what to do with me during the summer months. I don’t think my brothers or my sister were encouraged to ‘go for it’ to ‘reach for the stars’.

We were encouraged to look out since my father had a bad day and a few drinks in the bar car of the train home.