Special Presentation, complete with drums

As a complete surprise I found Snoopy Come Home was on TV the other afternoon which threw me headlong into early childhood nostalgia. I distinctly remember rambling on about the Halloween Charlie Brown special in this other blog way back when. Peanuts played a prominent role in my formative years, clearly. What was even more of a pleasant surprise was, after some minimal searching, finding THIS -- the original 1973 CBS Special Presentation Intro to pretty much any TV special of note in my innocent childhood world. I can't believe the memories that flooded back just on hearing and seeing those magical (and ultra 70s) 5 seconds of psychedelic loveliness. Watch and enjoy -- and then watch and enjoy again, and again, and again...

Where to Go?

Cagliari. November 6, 2005.

Two years ago we went to Sardinia for my birthday. We are trying to go somewhere special this year again, but I'm having trouble coming up with anything definite. We've even thought of returning to Sardinia, maybe to a different area or even the same.

Cold Comfort

Backyard, March 20, 2007.

Dalston In Common

July 25, 2005.

A view of the #38 Routemaster rounding the corner at bustling Dalston Junction.

Atmosphere

Cagliari, Sardinia. November 3, 2005.

A little over a year ago Dan and I went to Sardinia for my birthday... or you could say we went to Sardinia and my birthday happened to be at the same time. Anyhow, for someone who loves taking photos of facades and windows, it was a virtual goldmine. The light was amazing most of the time, surely aided by the early winter sun (and for this shot, evening sun as well, at just before 5PM). Sometimes the strong shadows would almost be a problem, with much of the city being shrouded in shade on account of the deep, thin streets. We found ourselves often saying "if only the sun was on that!" However, I think a lot of scenes were enhanced by the contrast, creating a sense of atmosphere that might otherwise be absent, or at least very different. I think this is one of those scenes.

Goodbye James Brown

Memories of my high school trip to New York City and hatching a plot to steal off from the hotel in the night to see James Brown play in Manhattan, knowing that I had the chance to see a legend, that it would be a performance I would never forget. I never made it that night, but I can't forget the man who taught me what funk and groove was at it's finest. Over the years he's given me countless hours of listening enjoyment. It's undoubtedly worthy of taking a few minutes out of this Christmas morning to remember the 'hardest working man in show business'. This is how I will honor the memory of the Godfather of Soul.

Shop Front Window

Stoke Newington Church Street, London. July 28, 2005.

I took this photo walking from the bus stop back to my last flat in Stoke Newington after work. It's definitely still one of my favorite areas of London, and hopefully when we move back, it'll be to somewhere nearby.

Confectionery

I was just reminded of this great shop I found in London a couple of years ago. Honestly, I think I was surfing the web to see if I could order Hershey's kisses from anywhere because I was having a very focused homesick craving! I came across the site for Cybercandy and was so excited to see that there was a shop in Covent Garden! They even have a live web cam set up in house! (Odd, I know, but fun fun fun). So I made my way down there and was overwhelmed with a sugary blast-from-the-past sensory overload. Some things were there that I hadn't seen since my friend Tina and I would get our little brown paper bags filled at McDonald's corner store in Eastwood where I grew up. You name it, they have it: Jolly Ranchers, Blow-Pops (link complete with Blow Pop nutritional information for all those mindful parents out there... I kid you not.), Lemonheads, Sugar Babies, Hot Tamales, Charleston Chew, Now and Later, Chuckles, Tootsie Rolls, HERSHEY'S KISSES... etc etc etc.

One very welcomed find was the original Necco Wafers. I have a tender spot for those, as they were a special treat that Dad and I would share from time to time. When we were out on our own for any reason, and he would go into a shop for something or to pay for gas, he would come out with a roll of Necco Wafers for us to share. I always liked the chocolate ones, but didn't approve of buying the whole chocolate roll.

So here I was in this mecca of childish indulgence! Thing is, the products were so damned expensive I ended up leaving with a couple of Mary Janes (which I didn't realize 'til now were made by Necco!)and a handful of Bazooka Joes complete with comics!

Since then I've noticed some products popping up in the shops here. I almost dropped when I saw Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in a regular shop for the first time -- and at normal candy bar prices! Still haven't seen Kisses, though. Maybe it's just Reese's that made the international inroad.

This trip to memory lane was inspired by my friend Karen in Chicago. She sent me an email today updating me on what she's been up to. She's working at a similar shop to Cybercandy called Suckers Candy in my old neighborhood of Roscoe Village. Suckers has popped up since I've been there last (a shocking two or so years ago now). I must get back to Chicago sometime in the near future. I lived there for something like 4 years, only leaving when I moved to England for the first time in 2000.

**Note, this post is being loosely labeled as 'food'.

Missing London

Tower Bridge Sunrise. October 17, 2006.

I've been going into London every now and then with Dan when he goes to work in Peckham. This consists of leaving the house at the ungodly hour of 5:25am. Ghastly in a way, but this photo is the result of one of the nice surprises I was given for making the effort: sunrise behind Tower Bridge, something I never experienced before. The sun was just emerging when I stepped onto London Bridge. I pulled out my camera and started shooting. This is one of 16 that I actually saved (which means there were probably more like 25 or so that I took). It must have been an exceptional sunrise because even the early morning City businessmen were pulling out their mobile phones to get a pic.