Nothing much new in this space tonight—just visiting the folks and revisiting my A.A. Milne Pooh and poetry paperbacks. I wish I still had that Frank Luther album of Milne poems set to music: "Christopher Robin goes hoppity hoppity hoppity hoppity hop..." Although I haven't seen it since I was a kid, some 30 years ago, I somehow remember that it was on Decca. I must have been a record-label nerd even then. I think my "Hans Christian Andersen" soundtrack was on Decca too, if I'm not mistaken. All the cool kiddie records were on Decca.

Karol of Alarming News has a witty post about her worst summer jobs. I remember, at age 15, working concessions at an outdoor Jerry Garcia Band concert.* I was walking around holding a cardboard tray full of giant soft pretzels, calling loudly, "Pretzels! Pretzels!" when some scraggly young Reagan-era wannabe hippie guy scrambled up to me.

"Did you say mushrooms?" he asked hopefully.

I stared at him and articulated like I would to a child, "No, sir, I said, 'Pretzels..'"

Dejected, he said, "Aw, I thought you said mushrooms." And stomped away.


*Caldwell College Concerts on the Hill, produced by John Scher, 1984. Robert Hunter opened the show.