“Say it ain’t so, Joe.”

Eighties fashions are coming back. Now this is cause for spirited discussion. It all started this morning, when I saw a link to J. Crew’s new line of, you guessed it — 80s pegged, cuffed jeans.

There’s much about the 1980s that I laugh at now: the popped collars, the ripped shirts, the hair. Dear Lord, the hair…

I remember a high school kid around 1988 who wore the Mike Score Flock of Seagulls look. When I went to band concerts and watched him onstage, I constantly had the uncontrollable urge to get a brush and some Rave and…but yeah, I didn’t.

Cyndi Lauper gets the “80s Icon” award, IMO.

And from the Archives, check out this sassy rock and roll singer, circa 1986. Fiends, that’s a bumble bee yellow-and-black blazer with linebacker shoulder pads. Wish I’d kept it. Can’t say as I miss the gallons of mousse and pomade, however. But girlfriend’s band worked the stage back then. Mercy.

(Not pictured: BoomR playing keys, directly to my right.)

Now you just have a dandy Saturday. I’m off to Panera to meet Bando. And I hope she’s not wearing anything that might suggest a Flashdance flashback.

FO

Ah yes…”good music” while we’re waiting for New Grandson to be born.

We were treated to some major dobra glasba last night. That, and some fun conversation with our good friend Bob, who lives with his wife (and my BFF) Kay in Slovenija for six months out of every year. (Kay was out of town last night and couldn’t join us.)

Bob has been busy over there across the big water: not just teaching, but also learning to play the accordion. And not just any accordion, mind, but a diatonic, bi-tonal Melodija Mengeš Harmonike.

Also known as a “button box” (notice the absence of a piano keyboard on the side), it has a wonderful “old world” oompah polka band sound. Delightful! I was getting dinner ready, and heard him playing it as he walked up the backyard sidewalk. I knew our “traveling musician” had arrived.

After dinner, we sat on the back porch and enjoyed a concert:

The instrument is physically beautiful, with ornate markings. This one belonged to Bob’s uncle (his family is of Slovenian descent).

And what a gorgeous sound. So ethnic and happy. Most fun part, though: Bob let the Fink have a go:

Crazy. It cries out against every pianistic tendency in my rickety old body. Intervals of fourths and fifths in the left hand are just one key away; thirds in the right hand are adjacent. I simply could *not* get the hang. Bizarro…

So yeah, I was pretty much horrible, but I told Bob to leave it with me for a week and then come back. (Yeah, like I need another project…)

Happy Finkday, finally.

Like “molasses in January,” as Mother used to say. That’s my broadband connection this morning. There’s a dead fish in there somewhere. Gotta get the Thriller on the case.

More later…

…but I have 15 days of school left. Sixteen if you count my contract day on the 4th of June.

Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about it. Glad, I guess (you can be sure the students are). But what’s in store for me in the summer? Some good things — great, actually — and some not so good:

1. 5 June: Going to Columbus for the day with Hannah and New Grandson, so she can attend a series of meetings and still have the baby nearby for when he gets hungry. A whole day, almost uninterrupted, with New Grandson and his great aunt Mavis…joy. Good.
2. 21-26 June: On the faculty for the Heartland Vocal Camp for Jazz & Pop Singers at Tiffin University. Should be great fun — a week of working with young pop/jazz singers, and singing with a hot band every night. No suckage there. Good.
3. 13-15 July: Speaking at the Nebraska American Choral Directors Association conference at Doane College, near Lincoln. Mighty fun. Good.
4. Every other available minute: studying. Um…not so good.

I always gotta go and ruin it, don’t I?

Fink, stressed

PS – text message from Hannah: doc says baby can arrive any day now. That’s a good thing!