portrait

Arvida . Richard Phillips

ohh my gawwt!

Last week my friends from Spain came to visit me in Portland. Briefly. Our visit involved Indian food at Swagat and Voodoo Donuts (where we experienced the best of the best of "Keep Portland Weird"). Really. Compared to nightlife in Spain it was pretty out there... It reminded me of something I really liked about the gaditanos. Yeah, maybe since "LA CRISIS" things aren't quite the same, but they enjoyed life just the same. In small ways. For example, I remember an old shoe-shiner (he must have been in his 70s) but he could always be seen walking around Cádiz with his box strapped to his back and his bench in his hand, all hunched-over. I remember one day I was walking back home from La Caleta and I saw him sitting outside the Italian ice cream shop where the entire town would gather, dressed to seen on the weekends. He was sitting on his bench eating the biggest ice cream cone you can imagine. He obviously couldn't afford it regularly, but it didn't matter. I loved that.
The other day I was reading Lynn Yaeger's Dressed to Chill...

" ...M., who spent over 20 years as a marketing executive for high-toned fashion companies, confesses that while she frequently spends the afternoon in gym clothes (Nike shorts in a men’s small, for the pockets; racer-back tank) she often pairs this plebeian costume with a pair of Prada heels, explaining that she doesn’t want to lose the calluses built up over a lifetime of professional stiletto wearing. And though she hasn’t stopped shopping completely — a pair of Nine West turquoise sandals recently occupied far too much of her dream life..."

Amazing. Honestly, I don't even know what to say to that. I'll have to get back to you there...

words

How my thoughts they spin me 'round
And how my thoughts they let me down
And how my thoughts they spin me 'round
And how my thoughts they let me down

How my dreams they spin me 'round
And how my dreams they let me down
And how my thoughts they spin me 'round
And how my thoughts they let me down

And then there's you
Then there's you
And then there's you
Then there's you

How my love it spins me 'round
And how my love it's let me down
And how my thoughts they spin me 'round
And how my thoughts they let me down

And then there's you
Then there's you
And then there's you
Then there's you

You know I know who that you love
I've written it on myself, if you can't tell
With a melody that climbs and then falls, then falls, then falls
Without you, without you

How my days they spin me 'round
And how today it sets me down
And how my days they spin me 'round
And how today it sets me down

Alongside you
Alongside you
Alongside you

And Then You (Greg Laswell)

rose

Things seem a little strange lately. I couldn't really say why, it's just a feeling. It feels like Spain all over again, only a little more painful. I miss you. I'm a little lost. Please tell me the soul sounds are still sounding strong.