Category: Lifestyle

Music in my Life

By Tom Peters

Has anyone else been subjected to a 50s radio playing “Mr. Sandman” a little to often? However, listening to tunes from that hopeful era, once in a while, smells like Mennen After Shave and fried bologna.

Looking back on the 60s, I now think the Stone’s “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” ushered in multitude of ADD wanderers such as yours truly.

While still choking down leftover turkey and stuffing, I’m compelled to give thanks to the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” for contributing to my sanity in 1969 worn torn Vietnam. And as Woodstock music closed the door on the 60’s, Gil Scott Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” opened the door to the 1970s.

Dylan ran through my blood for many years and shaped my mind from the long “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” to the all too short “One Too Many Mornings”. But as speakers got bigger and louder, Dylan picked up an electric guitar and turned my attention to Steely Dan, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Procol Harem, Jimi Hendricks, yes, a band called Yes and a boss called Bruce. Too many other artists of this time to name them all but I’m proud of the amazing music from the Motown movement, my hometown. Yet it was the Beach Boys and a group called ‘America’ that turned my head west.

OK, before someone cries out “where’s the women artists”…Joni Mitchell, Holly Cole, Peggy Lee, K D Lang, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Knall, Nora Jones, and Peter, Paul, and MARY! Jeez, you’re a tough crowd!

My wife rejects my overgeneralized, mean-spirited occasional comment that there was no music in the 80s and 90s worth listening to since she’s younger and was hitting her music prime in the 1980s. I turned my attention to jazz during this period to the likes of Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday and many others. On the Jazz Fusion front, Pat Metheny became a favorite. Metheny’s “Last Train Home” puts me on that train. “Sketches of Spain” by Miles lands me in a Spanish village, and Coltrane’s “Love Supreme” feels like JoAn’s shoulder.

I’ll finish with the three songs that lyrically touch me to my core: Randy Newman’s “In Germany Before the War”, with the chorus line ‘I’m looking at the river, but I’m thinking of the sea’. From the shores of the Detroit River to the Pacific Ocean, there go I. Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues” with its aspirational line ‘I play just what I feel’ feeds my quest for trying things for the fun of it. And lastly, from Tom Waits’ song “Tango Till They’re Sore”, the line ‘Let me fall out of the window with confetti in my hair.’ Helps me not take myself too seriously and YES we’re all going to die…but let’s be sure to live until we die.

Delicious and Healthy

Healthy breakfast of Baby Bok choy, cup ends w peanut butter and raisins, cream cheese/raisins, leaf end used w spicy mayo and fresh avocado filled with truffle honey. Figs w cheddar cheese (torched) and fresh dates.

Since I fast until around 11:00am every morning AND I’m retired now, taking my time to create healthy, tasty and photographic meals is both delicious and fun.

A trip to the Farmer’s Market in Santa Monica sourced this breakfast. Fresh figs with torched cheddar cheese, dates, baby bok choy white ends filled with cream cheese or peanut butter topped with raisins, and finally, boy choy leaves with spicy mayo, avocado halves filled with truffle honey.

Helpful Habits

After almost 6 months into the pandemic, we’ve acquired some nice routines and habits

Ellie just released her second harvest of butterflies.
I’m making keto bread presently.
JoAn is out walking with a friend and will walk another friend’s dog afterwards.
Ellie and I go to the park twice a week to play catch with our mitts and hardball (she’s quite the pitcher), also we throw around a football, some volleyball practice and skateboarding.
We are all in school remotely. Ellie is in 9th grade at Crossroads, JoAn is working on a spiritual degree to become a chaplain and I’m taking writing and political science classes at SMC’s Emeritus Campus.
JoAn orders Blue Apron dinners that Ellie and I prepare together.
JoAn is gardening in our patio and I’m gardening the area behind our garage.
Ellie is helping me learn French.

I’m share some photos soon!

Family trivia and Fasting

Tomorrow marks exactly two months since retiring from Santa Monica College.
I swim every day at our pool, cook quite a bit, take naps and keep up with friends and family on Zoom or the phone. A couple of new activities include:

A Friday night ‘Trivia’ with family members from back east. Naturally, it’s a zoom event but great seeing and having some laughs with brothers. sisters, nieces and nephews from Michigan, North Carolina and Florida. Someone different hosts the event every week. Loads of fun!

JoAn and I just completed 5 day program in healthy ‘fasting-mimicking’ called Prolon. As it’s website states: …is a carefully formulated nutrition program that nourishes the body with plant-based proteins, fiber rich carbs and healthy fats, and goes undetected by cellular food sensing paths to keep your body in fasting mode. I lost 10 pounds in February on the program and was pleased when JoAn agreed to join me in these last 5 days. We both jumped on the scales this morning and each lost 5 pounds.

I know, another gimmick, faddish diet coming to you from a Californian.
All I can say is that the food kit Prolon mails you has enough food to sustain you for 5 somewhat long days….BUT, we can both report feeling great overall.

Bye for now everyone…stay safe!

Rest in place…

I love our dwelling…. (thanks SR!)

Retire….watch flowers grow & hummingbirds cruise by. Then do some wholesome chores.

Take a nap…coast breeze cool your feet as you pull the heavy blanket (thanks JW and BW) over me for 45 to 90 minutes….

Create dinner with Ellie…

Watch “Hamilton” on Disney+ while clearing and medicating your throat with a vesper…

Stay safe!

Retired!!! One of the Ultimate Lifestyle Changes…

Okay…after way more stress than I care to admit, I finally made the big move and here’s how it happened…

As early as early March I figured I had four more years at Santa Monica College. Ellie is entering high school at Crossroads and between the tuition there and the rent in Santa Monica…well, I was thinking the battle cry of every first term President…FOUR MORE YEARS! (let me skip politics to save my blood pressure)

To my pleasant surprise, the college offered a ‘golden handshake’ (simply put, 75% of 2019 salary paid over X number of years) for those who wanted to leave by the end of June.

So…let me get this straight…75% of my salary is almost the amount of tuition I need for Ellie until she graduates H.S.! Where do I sign???

I’ll spare you the number-crunching stress I put myself, JoAn and close friends through…I JUST DID IT!

As of June 17, 2020, I’ve been retired from the college…in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic no less!

I will save the …”what am I going to do now?” to future posts:)