Stream-of-consciousness…proceed at yer own risk

[DAY THREE prompt for Writing 101.]

Note: this is my offering for this assignment, which is to write for at least 15 minutes non-stop, without thinking much about where it is going or where it has been.  This is how my brain works, in compartmentalized tid-bits of life.  Normally I give the post at least a look-see to try to pick up the dumbest errors and/or a stab at continuity.  Warts and typos and all.. WYSIWYG, “what you see is what you get,” no frills or whistles.

This is also my commitment to develop a better writing habit…since I call myself a Writer.:-)

Wow, my three favorite songs in my whole life?   I actually wrote a blog post on this subject a few weeks ago, but never published it.  For one thing it is not easy to narrow down eight decades of music into one three-song package.   I can narrow it down to three vinyl long-play albums.

When in Germany back in the late 1950s we listened to Armed Forces Radio or Network or whatever it was.   There was a disc jockey who had a radio show which signed off with the words: “If  the Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise, I’ll be back tomorrow morning at 6:05.”   Red Jones was his name, Sergeant Red Jones.  He played the latest hits from back in the states every morning after the 6 a.m. news.

I have always been obsessive about music, as well as anything else, and I had three or four basic records (yes they were 33 1/3 rpm, vinyl.    The three I played the most were the opera “Carmen,” “Johnny Horton,” and, “In a Persian Market,” by David Carroll and orchestra.   We also played other music, but those are the three that stand out.  (Sgt.  Jones never played any of them on air to my knowledge.)

I had grown to love the music of Bizet’s opera, Carmen.  I had seen the movie Carmen Jones, starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, with Pearl Bailey and other greats I can’t think of right now.   The record version of Carmen that I had was performed by I forget now what orchestra it was…and featured only music, no words.  (I wasn’t THAT classy.)  I can still hum most of the opera, but the words are not known…for one thing it was in Spanish and I would not study Spanish for another thirty years.  Anyway… Johnny Horton did all those “American Patriot” songs…noteably “The Battle of New Orleans,” “Sink the Bismarck,” “You marched all the Way Johnny Reb,”  and the sad tale of the horse that was killed at Little Big Horn with Custer.  Those songs still bring a tear to my eyes.  You do not want to hear me sing any of them…unless you are one of my cats, who will come from all over the house at the first note.

It was these songs that originally sparked my interest and/or fascination in the United States Civil War, the German Navy, General Andrew Jackson, and Persia.   “In a Persian Market” was a favorite of mine, and still brings up visions of camels walking across the desert and tents and Arabs and all that.  The album was “Percussion Orientale.”

I still have those original albums.   I copied them once on cassette tapes with poor results.  I think they are available on CD.

[my DAY THREE prompt, writing stream-of-consciousness for non-stop 15 minutes.]  one interruption…a computer calling to ask if I needed business capital… I was rude to the computer as I hung up.