WTIT: The Blog

Thanks to Gal for authoring this meme. Click on the Sat-9 title of song on the next line below to play.

Saturday 9: Rocky Mountain High (1975)

… because BEV suggested it

My soon to be ex took this picture of me while I was going table to table flirting. When she contacted me I did not remember her.

1) In this song, Denver sings that he was “born in the summer of his 27th year,” because that’s when he discovered the place where he felt most at home. What do you remember about your 27th year? (If it hasn’t happened yet, what do you want to happen when you’re 27?) By 27 I had a wife and two kids. I got married at 13 (or it seemed like it) but I was working in a nightclub working as a DJ. At the time I was the biggest DJ in that city. The drinking age was 18 and I had an engineer to spin the disco. My job was to keeping the ladies coming back. It was like two separate worlds. That was the best job I ever had. It’s why my soon to be ex-wife (number 3 if you are keeping track at home) searched for me 35 years later. I really wish (now) that she never found me.

2) In 2007, the Colorado General Assembly named this one of the state’s two official songs. (The other is “Where the Columbines Grow.”) Do you know your state song? No. Unless you count Carly Simon’s ridiculous hit “The Wives Are in Connecticut”.

3) John Denver was a dedicated environmentalist who wrote an anthem about Earth Day. Are you careful about your energy consumption? Do you recycle? Yes. My ex was not. Our electric company sends us monthly usage versus our neighbors. We were almost double the average. My latest report (the first full period since she left) showed we used half the average neighbors did. Her problem? She never turns a fucking thing off. If I sound angry, I’m really not. It’s just the truth.

4) 1975 is also the year that Denver released a collection of holiday songs called Rocky Mountain Christmas. On this August day, what’s the first carol that comes to mind? “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by what’s-his-name.

I did recently post this picture of my college friend, Mike Toscano. This was taken in 2010 in what was then the WTIT Studio.

5) Denver dabbled in photography in his spare time and friends say he was quite good. Tell us about your hobbies. WTIT is my main hobby. A great college friend of mine that I last saw five years ago and is a huge media guy who has written for the Washington Post and presently does news for a radio network now, said recently that after reading my WTIT stories here that I should write a book. I told him I have 20 chapters but that I stopped. His encouragement by calling me “a great writer” has encouraged me. My next vacation I will start the finishing process. Then I will contact my first true blogging buddy who left the blogosphere to write a book. She now has at least five and is a huge big time writer. I think she’d help me get it published.

6) In 1975, when this song was popular, mood rings were all the rage. It was said that the ring reflected the wearer’s mood. Black = anxious/stressed, orange = worried, green = normal, blue = happy, pink = as good as it gets. As you respond to this week’s Saturday 9, what color would your mood ring be? Black. Going through a divorce sucks. My wife and I met this week. Since an email that I took as “working it out” was sent I was open to it and met her. She restated why she left me. I really needed that. I think she just wanted a free dinner.

My dog Happy. He’s is such a good pal.

7) Pet Rocks were 1975’s other odd cultural phenomenon. Do you have any real-life, breathing pets? Only my virtual dog Happy. He is real to me but I can’t say that he breathes, but to me he’s real life. It’s this type of logic that is taking me to divorce court a third time. Here’s a true story: A guy that I knew in college had a pet rock. He had a leash and everything. Here’s the killer: It happened in 1972. Had he patented it he’d have been a millionaire…

8) 1975 saw the premiere of Wheel of Fortune. Are you good at word puzzles? Yes.

9) Random question: Did you sleep well last night? It’s funny that you have asked. I had the worst night ever. After my morning work I needed a nap desperately.

I guess you might live my separation and divorce with me. How someone says “I love you and miss you but I need to live alone” is beyond me. I mean we have a four-bedroom 3-bathroom house. She did her thing (like her TV show) up stairs. My man-cave is downstairs. She couldn’t have had more privacy and for most of our marriage I paid for everything since her jobs last no more than three months. I just smiled and told her to be happy. And I meant it. If there were another person involved it would make more sense. She has convinced me that there isn’t. I totally believe her on that point. I am a tad hurt and feel incredibly naïve and stupid since she did this exact same thing when we were living together when single. She moved out and begged to come back and I said yes. I know it will all happen like that again. I just hope I’m smart enough to say “no”this time around. Till next time. Join me again. I won’t talk about her. (I hope.) Same time. Same blog. Peace & love…

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