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CYNTHIA’S BOYFRIEND

A cop just came to our door. He called first. My beloved spouse was selling an old printer on Craig’s List. The buyer lives way down in a south suburb, but a friend works at the East Precinct a few blocks up the road, and would it be alright if he came by after his shift, as long as we didn’t mind a cop showing up at our door? A friendly, burly guy in his early 50s, he asked my son his name, and my son said, “Nat, but sometimes I call myself Madeline.” His diction is that of a 2-and-a-half-year-old’s, so I’m not sure the cop understood what he said.

“He calls himself all sorts of things,” I said, “Like Mr. Jumping Chocolate Pudding.”

“Yeah!” said Mr. Jumping Chocolate Pudding. (Pronounced, “weah.”)

We introduced ourselves to each other and the cop, Ron, explained that his friend needed the old printer because the program they use to score water skiing tournaments won’t communicate with new printers. My beloved spouse came downstairs with the printer and said, “Hi, are you Cynthia’s boyfriend?”

The cop was taken aback. I was surprised too.

Cynthia works with my wife and had talked about her water-skiing boyfriend Ron who’s a cop at the East Precinct, so my wife knew. Ron’s next stop was dinner with Cynthia. We’ll see Cynthia tomorrow night at a work event of my wife’s.


TREASURES FROM THE DOLLAR BIN

Picked up today a CD of Andy Griffith singing. No credits other than the lead singer (Griffith) and a song listing. Not a bad singer, the album is an odd mix of bluegrass-with-drums, upbeat blues, and various folksy things. One song includes a couple verses from Canned Heat’s (presumably later) hit “Going Up the Country”; he also covers Leadbelly’s “Midnight Special.” I wonder if maybe it’s close to a minstrel mix of material.

Also got a CD of Vivaldi’s “4 Seasons” put out by a restaurant, for “an extraordinary dining experience.” No credits other than a song listing -- no ensemble, no soloist, no conductor, no recording date or place information. Not as showy as Nigel Kennedy’s take, which is the fastest I’ve heard. I like the CD’s anonymity -- it’s all about Vivaldi, all about the music. And the extraordinary dining, of course! (Coincidentally, we had it on while eating one of the best salmon dinners I ever cooked. Though “extraordinary” is pushing it.)

Also bought a $10 book-and-toy for Mr. Jumping Chocolate Pudding, because he liked it. A tiny, in-tune monophonic keyboard, and a tiny, battery-powered, highly distorted microphone and amp and speaker, to go along with a little songbook. He really liked both what he cutely called the “pianio” and the microphone. I may use them for recording -- the mic-amp-speaker combo may work to get a gritty Chicago blues harp sound.