Watching Desert Storm (1991)

When Desert Storm had just begun, Scott and I stayed up until all hours one night (at least, may have been more) watching the CNN coverage. I remember being freaked by a number of things: living in a country at war, wondering what the hell we were doing there, watching a war on television and them going on and on about some precision bombing into a heating duct or something like that. Wow! We could bomb with impunity thanks to our super special technological advantage. That must make us the better nation!

Oddly enough, I also remember that I had really bad gas on the night in question. My little contribution to the war effort.

Ernie Steele's (1992)

I loved Ernie Steele's on Broadway. It was what it was, with the yellowing smoke-stained walls, cheesy hunting scene and wildlife paintings, people who were not interested in posing and the excellent possibility of a Cuba libre when most bars of its ilk could only serve beer and wine. Connie, Loren and I, with some other folks, I recall not whom, went there to watch the '92 presidential election returns. The first president to win who I'd actually voted for. Lots of excitement and hope was in the air.

I miss Ernie Steele's. It's now a sports bar thing, or some other such nonsense.

Last Exit (1975/76)

When we first moved to Seattle, somebody took us to the late great Last Exit in the U District. I loved it because it a) wascool and groovy and b) offered a ham and cheese sandwich on a hotdog bun wrapped in napkin and served in one of those great thick white coffee mugs. This was most unprecedented and also most excellent stuff for a kid!

Jesus Christ Superstar (late 1980s/early 1990s)

Connie, Lo and myself went up to Vancouver B.C., for a concert, I think. Probably a concert, and very most probably Sonic Youth. On the way back, to keep us awake and frisky, Connie and I sung ALL of Jesus Christ Superstar. Wish I could remember who the fourth person in the car was. All I know is that he later said he was suitably impressed. I highly recommend it, filled the journey quite nicely, and tons of fun, to boot!


Update: In a bit of serendipity action, just saw in today's paper that the musical is coming back to Madrid in September. I've already got the album in Spanish, so maybe I'll just give it a whirl.

My first vote (1984)

I was lucky enough to turn 18 right before a presidential election, and so my first voting experience was an exciting year. Unfortunately, it was also the year Reagan won by a landslide. I remember waiting in line with my mom to vote in a church near our house, and feeling very proud and adult. Then we went home and I took a bath while listening to the election returns. It was depressing, especially as I remember that year a lot of people on the West Coast didn't even bother to vote because it was such an overwhelming victory for RR. Still, I'd done my part, and was happy to have been able to.

Ice cream on the 4th (late 1970s)

When we first moved to Seattle, my mom was part of an acting group which staged amateur productions. A great group of people they were. Anyway, one 4th of July a group of them, with me and my brother as the tag-along kids (don't remember any other young 'uns in the group) walked from someone's house near Green Lake down to the lake to watch the fireworks. (Yes, this was before they moved to Lake Onion.) Someone had an old-fashioned wooden ice-cream maker, and a couple of the men carried it along on poles. We ate the ice cream at the lake. Strawberry it was, not normally my favorite, but fresh berries made this pure bliss!

I had some sparklers, which I was having a great old time with, that is, until I accidentally burned someone near us, and they got mad. Oops!

Coffee rites (1980s)

I think my first espresso might have been at the Last Exit on Brooklyn. I had a mocha, as the person (whose identity is only a vague blur) initiating me suggested that this would be a more gentle introduction. It was probably about 1982, and was subsequently followed by many au laits from Craig Cappuccino at the Egyptian and various and other sundry sites.

This was, of course, before Starbucks took over the planet, and we were forced to drink lattes and not au laits. There also seemed to be a greater variety of Sundry Sites in Seattle from which to choose, although perhaps my memory is clouded by nostalgia. Favorites, due to taste or convenience, included: the late great Last Exit, various espresso carts downtown, B&O Espresso, Septieme on 1st, the Nordstrom Place Two espresso bar (just down the street from the Varsity, and future employer - shock-horror), ETG, the Still Life in Fremont, Molly's espresso bar in the U Book Store, that place in the alley in the U District whose coffee I never liked much but which is a good place to hang out, the place that used to be where Caffe Vita now is, Caffe Vita, and my favorite long-lost place, which was on Roy, opposite the Harvard Exit. I loved sitting there, it always made me feel like I was living in Europe. And now I am!

National is coming (1995)

One fine day, my friend Connie called me to tell me she was pregnant. She has never called me much here in Spain, so I was perhaps a bit suspicious, but was just pleased to get the call, and didn't immediately cotton on when she told me she's quit smoking. (I was just so happy she had.) And then when she told me she wasn't drinking coffee, I got a bit confused: she lurves coffee! Finally, she had to spell it out for me: "Now, Nedra, why do you think I would do such crazy things?" Duh, I can definitely be a bit slow sometimes. Now National/Nash has been here for what seems like forever (in a good way) and still as cute as a bug's ear, as you can see.

Connie was the first of my friends to have a baby, now it seems everybody's doing it! Tick, tick, tock, goes the biological clock!

Achoo! (January 1995)

A few days before I was to head off for Colorado, followed by Ecuador and then Spain to live, via one-day's breath-catching in Miami, I started to come down with a yucky cold. "Impossible," I said, "I can't get a cold, I've got too much to do!" I was over to my mom's that night, and she pressed the herbal tea, juice and water on me so well that I was literally peeing every 15 minutes. The next day I was absolutely perfect!

The horses (early 1990s)

A group of us from ye old Ballard Liberry went off to see the horses one fine day. (The name of the track has completely escaped me right now, but in looking for it, I came across this very disturbing article.) Kathryn and I pooled our money on one race and we won big, eighty-some dollars on about a ten-dollar bet, or something like that. I think by the end of the day we'd about bet away all our winnings, but it sure was fun! Felt like free money.

Water fight (late 1980s)

Mr. Nick had a house for a while in the U District down near the Ship Canal, I think. One night he had a party which degenerated into a water ballon fight in and around the house. Things got really messy when Nickbob himself dragged the garden hose into the kitchen and started blasting folks with it. Teribob was the biggest victim, if I do recall.

This may have been the same party during which an expedition was made to the Safeway and Tammy tried to nap on the ground in the parking lot. This was brought about by a bad reaction to tequila, which as I was told it, resulted in her having a slightly green tint upon waking up the next day.

BTW, don't drink tequila!

Dead Can Dance (late 1990/early 1991)

I remember the first time I heard Dead Can Dance, Aion, to be precise. I was at Scott's house in the living room and he put it on. I was almost transfixed, and wanting to know what this great music was. The CD case was on the mantle and I walked over and looked at it. The beginning of a love story!