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Saturday, February 20, 2021

Photographs Of Places I've Lived # 22: SE 62nd Ave.

(image from Google Maps)

We've come to the end of this series.  Not counting the places the family lived before my mother left my father in 1972 - which may have been as many as three different homes, but no one in the family can tell me addresses for sure - I have lived in twenty-three different places.  As I am now 53, that averages out to about two years & four months per home.  I'm not sure how that compares to most people - or even to the rest of my family!  From around 1989 until 2017, for example, my mother lived in the same place.  During that time, I have lived in about fifteen or sixteen different places - & before that, she & I lived in the same place from the time I was born until 1986.

This is the rental we lived when we first moved to Portland.  That picture is from August 2019, so we were living in this house when it was taken.  I used to sit on that chair to change shoes when we went for walks in the rain.  The little room to the right of the front door was where my computer & music collection was, so I would've been in there most of the time (unless you count sleeping) (& since the car is not in the driveway, we were probably not home when the Google car drove by).

The place was too big - three or four bedrooms (if you count the little room in the front, it was four), three bathrooms, two floors.  Two of the rooms we basically used for storage.  One of our dogs is geriatric, so the stairs were a problem.  Oh, & we paid way too much for rent - because we had three dogs.  We never told the landlord about the cats.  We learned that trick back in Kentucky.  We rented the house two months before we moved - we visited in March, & didn't want to repeat the Fort Worth experience where we came to a place sight unseen.

Still, we loved the neighborhood & we had excellent neighbors, whom we met the day we drove in.  The wife began looking for a place to buy almost immediately - & in fact the place we did buy is about a third of a mile away, although we did look elsewhere.  On the whole, we were happy here - by the time we left, I was doing two shows on the Portland airwaves & volunteering at three excellent stations.

This series ends because the 23rd place I used to live is currently the place I live.  Like a paraphrase of the Mitch Hedberg joke, "I used to live on Insley Street.  I still do, but I used to, too."  Maybe I'll talk about it next week.  But if you've been paying attention, last week I said that the house is Fort Worth was my favorite place to live, & I think I said that the house in Lexington (the one we owned) was my third.  The place I currently live is my second favorite place to live.

The one up there?  It was okay I suppose for a stopover.  I felt bad because it didn't have much of a yard, so I felt my sweet pup Pauline was missing her excellent Fort Worth backyard, & we started walking them twice a day to make up for it.  We continue to do that even though she has a much better yard now.  Maybe it turned out we needed those walks, too.

Friday, February 19, 2021

Souvenirs Of The Souvenirs Show

At some point during the souvenirs show on Tuesday morning, I asked listeners (assuming there were any) to send me pics on the show's text line (which is 971 319 4847) of their own collections of souvenirs.

One person chose to humor me - & I asked his permission to share them on the blog.  He said yes as long as I credit them to "Jerome Zone In The Jerome Zone."  So, here are the souvenirs by Jerome Zone In The Jerome Zone:



He wanted me to make sure I let you know that the Ramones pick above is actually one that Johnny Ramone used, which makes it officially cooler than any souvenir I currently have.

You can share your souvenirs in photos in the comments to the blog, if you want.

Thanks Jerome Zone In The Jerome Zone!

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Self Help Radio 021621: Souvenirs

(Original image here.)

You've visited.  You had your experience.  Now it's time to get a souvenir!  What kind of souvenir do you want?  There's a shop with some things.  Also there are craftspeople who make stuff, they're over there.  Oh! A tee shirt!  I'll bet you can find a tee shirt!  Or there's one of those people who'll draw you in a grotesque manner.  That's fun!  They're all souvenirs.  They're all keepsakes, mementos to remember that you were here.  Things to display or show.  Just pick one!  Or two!

Or you know what?  Why not just listen to a radio show about souvenirs?  There are lots of songs about souvenirs & there are interviews with people who run souvenir shops & stuff like that on the very same show!  It turns out that this week's Self Help Radio is about souvenirs!  What?  No way!  It's true!

The show is in two handy places depending on where you want to listen.  You can go to the Self Help Radio KBOO page, it's there.  You can also listen at the Self Help Radio website, where you'll need a username & password, which are SHR & selfhelp.  There are playlists at both places but below are details about what you'll hear in-between the songs.

Sorry we don't have any keychains with your name on them!

Self Help Radio Souvenirs Show
"Souvenirs" John Prine _Diamonds In The Rough_
"Souvenirs Of A Heartbreak" Thelma Jones _Second Chance: The Complete Barry & Columbia Recordings_
"Souvenirs" The Concretes _Hey Trouble_

introduction & definitions

"Souvenir From A Dream" Tom Verlaine _Tom Verlaine_
"From Souvenirs To Souvenirs" The Three Degrees _A Toast Of Love_
"Souvenirs" Architecture In Helsinki _Fingers Crossed_
"Lembranças" As Mercenárias _The Beginning Of The End Of The World: Brasilian Post-Punk 1982-88_
"Souvenir Of Mexico" The Silvertones _Silver Bullets_

interview with Graceland souvenir shop proprietor Daniel Black

"I Always Get A Souvenir" Tommy Collins _Blackcat_
"Among My Souvenirs" Judy Garland _Alone_
"Souvenir Of Summer" Bill Pritchard _Jolie_
"Tears & Souvenirs" The Stylistics _Thank You Baby_
"Souvenir" Saxophone _Souvenir_

interview with local entrepreneur Regis Regis

"Sad Souvenirs" The Four Tops _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 5: 1965_
"Souvenirs" The Drifters _Let The Boogie-Woogie Roll (Greatest Hits 1953-1958)_
"Souvenir d'Afrique" Boulpik _Konpa Lakay_
"Souvenir" Almadrava _All You Left Us_
"Souvenirs" Gretchen Peters _Trio_

interview with the Rev Dr Howard Gently

"Souvenir Souvenir (Part 1)" Kuruki _TV Scape_
"A Terrible Souvenir" Bricolage _Bricolage_
"Souvenirs Of Stefan" Dana Gillespie _Foolish Seasons_
"Souvenir" Pink Martini _Je Dis Oui!_
"Souvenir" AgesandAges _Alright You Restless_

interview with souvenir skeptic Dr. Frederick Smoot

"(Thanks For The) Summer Souvenirs" Bill Haley & His Comets _The Decca Years & More_
"Les Souvenirs Les Souvenirs" France Cartigny _France Cartigny_
"Souvenir Souvenir" Stereo Total _Oh Ah_
"Le Temps Des Souvenirs" Françoise Hardy _Françoise Hardy_
"Souvenir D'Italie" Connie Francis _The Italian Collection Volume Two_
"Souvenir" Valley Below _Running Rites_

three souvenir haiku from Polish poet Jadwiga Lukasz

"Broken Heart For A Souvenir" Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys _Faded Love 1947-1973_
"Souvenirs & Californian Memories" Billie Jo Spears _Faded Love_
"Goner w/ Souvenir" Richard Buckner _Since_
"Pictures Are My Only Souvenirs" Peter Courtney _Guys Go Pop! Volume II 1966-1967_
"Souvenirs Of Summertime" The Rays _30 Original Golden Oldies_
"Souvenirs" Shout Out Louds _Ease My Mind_

conclusion & goodbye

"Les Portes Du Souvenir" Les Nubians _Princesses Nubiennes_
"Souvenir Souvenir" Oswald Kouame _Gninfangui_
"Tristes Souvenirs" Molly Johnson _Messin' Around_
"Souvenirs" J Fernandez _Many Levels Of Laughter_
"Souvenir Of 1969" The Thieves _Soul Thief 12"_
"Souvenirs" Barbara Evans _Rockin' Boppin' Girls_

Monday, February 15, 2021

Whither Souvenirs?

(image from here.)

Do you like souvenirs?  Do you collect souvenirs?  Do you have a cabinet or other place in your home where you show off souvenirs?  Or are you a reluctant gatherer of souvenirs?  Are they forced upon you by person with whom your travel?  Do you sometimes acquire them out of obligation but imbue them with no real meaning?  Does it sometimes feel like the process of getting souvenirs is a memory you'd rather not have of a journey?

These seven questions form the basis of this week's Self Help Radio, which is a show about souvenirs.  In fact, if those questions were an essay test, this week's Self Help Radio would be the actual three-hour essay composed during the exam.  Although it probably won't be as depressing as a test.  Though it might be as depressing as watching someone taking a test.  Or listening?  Probably more like listening.

With that, I remind you that Self Help Radio's show about souvenirs airs tonight on KBOO from midnight to 3am.  That's on 90.7 fm & online at kboo.fm.  Afterwards you can keep or throw it away!

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Preface To Souvenirs: Power Off


Power went out tonight.  Ice covers everything.  Phone on low-power mode.  Might not be able to live tweet Dickenbock Report in the morning.  Of course!  This is a souvenir of the weird cold ice snow we've been having!  Because it's all about Self Help Radio.