Alone Time
THE CHESS GAME - “If you don't take it seriously or if you make stupid moves, or you’re too tentative, you’re a bad business risk. But if you’re mature, prepared to give up some ground, have a game plan, and are determined to stick to it, then you're someone to be reckoned with.” --Paul Huljich, BETRAYAL Of Love and Freedom, a novel This week I received a photographic postcard of Sonny Stitt, chilling on his saxophone at a club in New York City in 1953. This card was sent to me from Dorothy Rua while she was waiting around at the Oakland International Airport. It’s funny because I was in Memphis for a short spell late last month (not by choice and only at the Memphis Airport) when we stopped on our way to Washington DC. I don’t see myself visiting Memphis anytime soon. It’s not exactly tops on my list. Dorothy wrote:
Just a note to let you know you’re on my mind, especially when I think of travel. I’m on my way to Memphis, TN on business.
Will visit a few VALENT customers and decided I’d stay the weekend for some fun.
I love the BLUES and Memphis is supposed to be a great place for those tunes.
May even take a trip down The Muddy Mississippi. Looking forward to the break.
Love,
Dorothy
I also wrote mom a cool BEAUTY IS ART photographic card of a violin this week. I wrote:
Dear Mom,
You may not recognize this card, but I bought it for YOU in May 1996 when we were in Yosemite for Carol Lucero’s wedding. Actually, I bought it in Oakhurst, CA. You surely remember that town. That’s where we saw the movie, TWISTER, and everyone in the audience looked like they were from the same town as the town setting in the movie. Ha-ha.
Gloria said, “I promised Virginia I would take care of you when she wasn’t here.”
She was so sweet to pick me up and take me. I treated her to breakfast at NATE N’ AL’s.
I need you to come to L.A. again for a visit. The trip to Washington D.C. was really great but we didn’t have a lot of ‘alone time’. If you come to L.A. we can go out to dinner. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come over to Alameda soon. I do have the last week of August off from work. I might drive just to show off my new car: BMW 328is.
My eye was tearing and irritated earlier. It now feels okay. That’s a relief. It looks like a nice, hot day outside but I’m playing it safe, so my eye won’t feel irritated again.
You should reconsider going to Spain and Switzerland with Tony because it’s a great opportunity for you. I really think you’d enjoy it. I’d like to take you to Spain one day myself. Although, I think we’ll go to Santa Fe, NM again before we go to Spain. In fact, we should think about a 4- or 5-day escape to Santa Fe soon!
Oh well, I’m going to close here for now to write to a few other people. I just wanted to send you this card and let you know I was thinking of you.
It was great seeing the USA Magnificent 7 girls win the Gymnastics Gold medal last night!
Later, Love,
Michael Armijo
Feeling one’s own pulse, as meditation teachers call this practice, that is recognizing and measuring one’s own momentary situation, state of health, the distribution of one’s energies, one’s hopes and cares—in a word, seeing oneself and one’s daily work objectively and carrying nothing unresolved on into the night and the next day. --Hermann Hesse, The Glass Bead Game (Chapter: Magister Ludi) a novel
