Legacies revisited

Howdy from the Pac Northwest office of The BCB.

I'm at the Waypost, a downhome café around the corner from where I'm staying with friends who enthusiastically took part in the Great Oakland to Portland Migration of 2006. It's not raining for some reason, and we're all grateful.

Last night, my bro and I helped gather together a table of random friends from different places and stages in our lives, from childhood to six months back. We ate killer sushi and talked about a thousand things, from how to start a magaine to buying land in Nicaragua. And it didn't rain.

My old blog is about to expire from neglect, and that's okay. But there's an entry I'd like to save, and it seems to fit the place and the time of year.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Thursday, 12 May 2005

Instead of going to the Lyrics Born show tonight, I'm home with a fever. It's been so long I forgot they make me kind of woozy & sentimental. So I'm putting up this tribute I wrote the other night. 'Scuse the footnotes, a feverish haze...

I say “y’all” because of B.
I listen to hip-hop because of M.
I read poetry because of S.
I hit the low notes because of A.
I make curry because of D.
I have friend crushes because of K.
I’m a faithful correspondent because of S.
I practice yoga because of N.
I value white space because of J.
I drink tea because of B.
I kick a soccer ball with my left foot because of D.
I know tupperware¹ makes a great gift because of S.
I call all little kids “munchkin” because of M.
I can flirt in French because of G.
I try to read more slowly because of A.
I write songs because of C.
I sing backup because of J.
I chew gum because of R.
I look everything up because of M.
I sign my name the way I do because of S.
I watch for flying ice walruses because of J.
I know a meal isn’t a meal without cheese because of C.
I revisit the good old boys because of H.
I carry my keys on a carabiner² because of K.
I drink red wine because of A.
I can recite “Jabberwocky” because of S.
I honor ritual and silence because of J&P.
I’m coming to terms³ with the wanderlust/stability paradox because of A.
I have a blog because of B.
I can play whist because of R.
I remember the names of all the former Soviet republics⁴ because of D.
I still love playing dress-up because of C.
I look for shooting stars because of L.
I dance to reggae because of A.
I know how to smoke because of F.
I’m a nonsmoker because of C.
I eat avocadoes because of J.
I’m growing new dendrites because of S.

Each of those initials belongs to a different person. It’s funny how friends and lovers and family stick around, but also comforting somehow. Even when you’d maybe rather some of them exit your psyche stage left.

But the spotless mind is just a fantasy, and not the healthiest one. Our brains don’t discriminate between the accidental and the deliberate. They just keep everything.

Then turn it into a dream or a habit when you least expect it.

¹ When it's full
² Same one for nine years!
³ Slowly
⁴ By singing them to the tune of "Jingle Bells." For real.