Saturday, April 6, 2013

Tartan Day, The Boys and The New Babyfood Way

Today, April 6th, is Tartan Day. If you have a tartan, show it, wear it proudly. It wasn't all that long ago that they weren't allowed to be seen. Here's mine:


the Innes Modern tartan. (from the Kinloch-Anderson folks, fine tartan makers they are)

It's also the 39th anniversary of CalJam. Something like 250,000 people amassed for a huge rock festival. And The Boys were there.
Here's just the Greg alone songs:



And here's their whole set, with Keith's spinning piano and all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agH-9rr7n54

Speaking of Keith, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orechestra played the entirety of "Tarkus" in salute to Takashi Yoshimatsu's 60th birthday and Keith attended. And the long-in-birthing documentary of Keith's life, "Pictures of an Exhibitionist" creeps slowly ahead. I'll keep you posted.

Carl Palmer keeps on playing, everywhere, with his own band, and with Asia, and put out an art project:
http://www.carlpalmer.com/

In an attempt to repair my poor stomach, I'm on a boil-everything-to-soft-and-take-vitamins-to-help diet. This is a part of the chronic pain circus that docs never even mention; that at some point the drugs are going to screw up your digestive system so badly that not only will you not be able to take any pain relief, you won't know what you can and can't eat until it's too late. Now stir in some stress over- just everything. And if you thought you were okay coping with the joints and nerves that were the ultimate in pain, here's a whole new arena. Add chest and gut pain so sharp that it makes you wonder if it's a heart attack, along with a closing throat. Now we're talking!

If you or anyone you know gets to this marvelous place, boil everything to mush and take it in liquid. Gravy, sauce, soup, stew. If it takes chewing, it'll cause pain. Bear in mind I'm still working this all out. So far, I can't seem to digest anything dry, or raw, or baked. Soft, mushy, wet. Not fibrous- oatmeal and split pea soup hurt. Maybe if I'd boiled them to paste or put them thru a food processor they'd be okay. I haven't tried that yet. Bread is bad. Applesauce is okay. Yogurt is the best of all. As I go along with this. I'll post here and there about it. Life is such a banquet.

Hey, it's a beautiful day in The Shire. Spring may not exactly here, but it's close. Let's enjoy these last days of hot comfort foods and snuggly sleeping. Soon enough we'll be sweltering in the heat and swatting bugs. Enjoy the day you're in.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry you are going through so much misery right now. I hope you are able to sort out your dietary requirements soon. Pretty soon all we'll be able to eat is sawdust.

Geo. said...

I always wished I had a family tartan but we had to go and be Portuguese. I did have a favorite thermos with a tartan design when I started school. It was the old kind with a rubber stopper instead of a plastic screwtop like other kids had. Thinking of it still makes me feel special. Feel better soon Austan!

Unknown said...

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanLargeImage.aspx?ref=3127

There's the link to an image of my tartan for ya lass.

Hope you are feeling better soon. Twas wonderful indeed to to talk with you the other day.

Austan said...

Lawless- it could come down to custard sooner than I thought, until dairy is ruled out. :P

Austan said...

Geo.- I remember those! I bet that'd fetch a huge price now, as even a decrepit screwtop Mary Poppins thermos (what I had) just sold for 40 dollars. The tartan is a classic!

Austan said...

Tommy- Ach, and a beyoootiful green for a lovely green land (in Summer).

I'll abide, resentfully. ;)

'Twas a lovely long talk, we must have them more often.

Elephant's Child said...

I do love Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Megathanks.
No tartan here - a Jewish father virtually rules that one out.
And I so hope that your digestive woes leave with the warmer weather. Or leave anyway, without regard to the weather. Growing older is not for sissies is it?

paulg said...

Beef broth?
If you took a normal stew, added a little extra stock to thin it and ran it through a blender- would you be able to eat something like that? Not that I have any stew at the house, trying t think what we do have.
Good thing you're a cook. But sad if all you can eat is yogurt.

I should have checked in at Austanspace last night! Between 11 pm and 2 am I was doing a slow moving fantasy baseball draft. While it was running i watched Friday's Rachel Maddow Show and the second half of the Shock Doctrine. And still had time to watch Greg and the boys if I had thought to check in.

Austan said...

EC- we all have a clan of one kind or another, and these days they say tartans didn't even come to be family-affiliated til the 1800s. Who knows what's to be believed? I love my clan because I hardly know any of them. :)
Growing old is definitely not for sissies!

Austan said...

Paul! Yep, I'm eating everything boiled to mush. I'm really trying to not put things in the blender, cuz I think if I do that I'll lose the will to live. Yogurt isn't all I can eat, but it's the best, so far. It doesn't cause the problems that come with the other stuff.

See?! You coulda seen Keith spinning around in the wee hours!