Friend of Dave's

Ok, I'm now a friend of Dave's. Apparently he's pretty famous, even my parents already knew him.Well, probably not him personally.  Charged with figuring out what I wanted for dinner in a town I was no longer all that familiar with, I went to Google Maps and asked for restaurants.  Immediately, I spotted this one, having walked by one in another town and been tantalized by the smell.  So I chose my food, placed the To Go order, drove to that town, picked it up, and wow, amazing food.  Beef Brisket, Potato Salad, Beans and Cornbread(!) Muffins.  We have left-overs that I really wish I could eat now, but that might be a little silly.  (I was wrong about the meatloaf, it wasn't for tonight, some kind of miscommunication mostly on my part - upshot - we will have meatloaf on Monday.)  Also, earthquake cake with some kind of ice cream called "overload."   The cake, especially eating it at my parent's house, took me back.

Want

:)

Beloved art professor dies at 59

PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS VOICE

Beloved art professor dies at 59
December 08, 2006

Former PLU art professor Lawrence Gold passed away from complications from a recent stroke on Dec. 1. He was 59 years old.

Gold joined the PLU faculty in 1984. Following minor heart surgery in 2002, he suffered a stroke and remained on medical and other leaves until his formal retirement last May.

He was born in Chicago, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University in 1971 and a master’s in fine arts from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1976. While living in Madison, Gold was a singer-songwriter.

Gold was a gifted and popular teacher who was energized by student learning. He continued to visit campus, and team taught courses even after his medical leave began in 2002.

He was active in PLU’s Center for Teaching and Learning and had a keen interest in "relational pedagogy." His teaching took him beyond the art department, and included team teaching with a number of colleagues in the international core. His interest in global education led to the development of two successful study away programs in Findhorn, Scotland, and Crystal Waters, Australia.

John Hallam, chair of the art department, characterized Gold’s art works as diverse, bridging design, sculpture and painting. In addition to PLU University Gallery showings, Gold’s work was shown at the Tacoma Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Center on Contemporary Art in Seattle, American Art Company in Tacoma and the Blue Heron Art Center on Vashon Island.

Gold is survived by his wife, Lisa Queen ’00, and a brother. A private remembrance was held, and cards may be sent through the president’s office.

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Had a class with Professor Gold my sophomore year. He was a really cool guy, artistic, flair, ponytail and all, but not a suffering artist. In addition to his professorship at PLU, he also designed product containers for other companies. One of the things he told us early on is one of my favorite pieces of trivia. For most of the world, the overall favorite color is blue. Except in the middle East and Africa, where the favorite color is green because of little vegetation there is.

I missed it.

I intended to commemorate the one year anniversary, thought it was today. Discovered I had missed it by three days. Bummer.

Time Machine

If someone wanted to buy this and then travel back in time to, oh, let's say tomorrow 14 years ago -- and give it to me for no reason -- that might be kinda cool. I know it's no Delorean, but it would be a good second choice. (Now if someone wanted to give me a Delorean tomorrow for no reason, I would be your friend forever and ever.)

Trapped in the Past

I don't know if it's the rain, or being so close to PLU or what, but I'm feeling nostalgic and sad today for the life now gone that was mine so many years ago.

Music has been a huge, defining part of my life ever since six grade when I someone gave me a little Time-Life FM radio and I stopped listening to my parent's radio station (mostly just KOMO) and started finding music of my own, most notably KPLZ (now STAR 101.5, still with Kent and Allen, but also now with Kurt and Karina - ok-ish - and a syndicated John Tesch show - blech) and KHIT 107 (later K.H.I.T. 106.9 and now has even abandoned the western US's greatest call-letters to be WARM 106.9 - blech blech blech) and then later 107.7 The End (now an awful Adam Corrola show - much funnier in small doses on KROQ in L.A. and music that I can no longer relate to)
and Young Country (now also gone).

Kevin will be quick to note how much KVI I listened to in college but there was plenty of music radio as well. I used to talk about how my Audi held 18 FM presets and in Seattle that still wasn't enough but in L.A., there wasn't enough good stuff to fill 12, let alone 18. Sadly, Seattle radio is pretty lame these days as well. I do have 12 decent presets, but way too many commercials. And when I'm not in my car, I don't listen to the radio. At home we've got MusicChoice on Comcast, when walking I've got my iPod and at work I've got LaunchCast. So even discovering new music is difficult.

LaunchCast will introduce me to new music, but it also plays a lot of older music from back in the day. I enjoy the music, but it always brings up emotions. And today, perhaps mixed with the rain, I'm feeling a little "homesick" for a place in time that has passed on and no longer exists. There will be no more days in Impact working on advertising with the radio up and the lights down. LaunchCast played a Toad the Wet Sprocket song followed by an Outfield song and it simultaneously made me happy and sad. But I guess a problem now is that there isn't enough new music that's
relevant to me to be the soundtrack of my life now. I'm not sure why that is. But I guess it's just part of growing up. It's why kids always accuse their parents of not being relevant or hip, not being with the times and listening to oldies. How sad.

And now an old Bad English song has started and I'm racing along my favorite backroads towards Silverdale by way of the lake and past Doug Hahn's house and up Ridgetop. It was the long way, but it was a road that you could drive fast, but required skill and some loud music. Could we warn kids to enjoy their lives as it's lived, or would that just depress them to know it will slip away at some point? To be sure, to be replaced with new experiences and grand adventures, but history will always seem sweeter in the rearview mirror.