ARRRR

Yes, it’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day again. Here are some bonus buttons to celebrate, along with a scurvy tale of my own.

For dog lovers.
For T Rex fans.
For artists.
For princesses.
For crafters.
For math geeks.
For fellow descendants of Celts.
Pirates: the real thing.

Today I shared an experience with many others across the country who’ve blogged about it over the past few years. I ran into adherents of a particular political philosophy who were demonstrating outside the post office. I won’t name their affiliation because I wish not to bring Googlers here. But as I walked in and out of the post office, they managed to insult me, a gentleman who was also leaving as I was, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and Holocaust survivors. Though their behavior makes me want to condemn them to walk the plank, I know it’s good that we have the freedom to speak out in the U.S., even if the way we use that freedom is counterproductive to winning friends and influencing people. They make no apologies for their incivility; I make none for reacting with courteous indifference.

Button Sunday and Legacy Writing 365:253

This is another of Lynne’s buttons, and I don’t know if it was for a particular retailer (maybe the old Blockbuster/Sound Warehouse chain?) or if it’s somehow affiliated with the decades-old Give the Gift of Music campaign.

I’ve talked on here before about some of these music-as-gift moments of my life: when Riley gave me George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” and also all the times he sang and played for me; the mix tapes Tim used to send me from NYC and all the music he introduced me to that I’d somehow missed, especially from the 1980s; the time my brother found out I gave Riley the John Lennon photo from my White album and surprised me by opening his White album and giving me his picture; the first albums my mother ever bought me with my new record player when I was a young teen; some of the best concerts I’ve been to through the years with Debby, David, Lynne, Tom, Amy, and friends from high school and college; listening to my nephew Josh play drums in a blues band; the countless hours I’ve spent listening to music with friends and talking about it, singing along, and just being quiet and digging it, as Riley might say.

I have a zillion music-related memories. It would please me very much to turn this over to you in comments and hear a way or time music has been a gift in or to your life. GO!


Riley, December 1980

Button Sunday

One time when I was looking at buttons, Tom was looking over my shoulder, and when I saw this one, he said, “You have to use that for a Button Sunday.”

“But I don’t love roaches,” I said. “And it will creep Lindsey out if she sees it.”

Then a few weeks later, when Lindsey was over, I showed it to her, and she said she didn’t care, “use the button, you’ve done so much roach-damage to my brain already, what’s one more thing?” Or words to that effect.

So here it is: a lying button. I don’t heart roaches.

Maybe later today, I’ll have some heartwarming Legacy Writing Tale to share, with a bit part for a roach in it. You can’t wait, right?

Button Sunday

This is from Lynne’s button collection and is from her days of going to Junior Achievement as a youngster. One time I went to a JA party with her and won a door prize. And as proof that you can find EVERY DAMN THING IMAGINABLE on the Internet, even though I long ago got rid of my prize, there’s one for sale on The Pink Picker’s Etsy site. Just in case you can’t live without a bit of vintage craftiness with a light that FLICKERS.


Image © The Pink Picker

Button Sunday

I’m sure most people who collect things know that one of the cool features of collecting is that people think of you in random places and random times when they see an example of that thing you collect. And sometimes they bring that thing to you, which is also cool.

This is from a restaurant called Louie’s on Main in Garden Grove, California, and Jim brought it to me. Now I want to go there and eat. I have an idea! If someone who knows I want to collect red trucks gives me one that’ll make it to California, I think I should drive us there to eat. 😉