Being In Dire Straits and other Memories of the Past

Did you know that Leonardo DaVinci invented scissors? I thought he just did movies like the Titanic… What is even more fascinating is that I found this out off the back of a sanitary pad…why do they put trivia on these things? Why did I read a sanitary pad, hmmm…
on to my blog.

I was helping Christine fill in the blanks for the journaling component in a photo album of my life she is putting together. We got to January 17th 1984 – 21 years ago last week. The day my life changed forever…in fact I believe every day your life changes forever but that is another story.

On that day in 1984 the car I was travelling as a front seat passenger in veered off the road and into a guard rail, slitting the car and almost severing my leg at the ankle.
The story that folows includes many miracles of God and amazing experiences of incredible community and friendship, I may blog the story one day. The memories that flood back when I look at the photos of nurses, doctors, locals that visited me in my isolation in Ballarat, of gore and blood, of smashed van, these memories were only enhanced as I jumped up from the table and headed for the CD rack and selected Dire Straits – Making movies. This was the tape I listened to in my hospital bed, over and over, along with Tim Finn Escapade (remember “There’s a Fraction Too Much Friction” and “Made My Day?”)

These two were classic albums that people still rock to today, and they were my comfort in my hospital bed for 2 months. I was not allowed to get out! Just me in one bed, stinking of gangrene from my rotting foot, my Dad in the middle bed, who passes wind at the best of times and some alcoholic guy who seemingly never stopped farting pure methane. His wife kept smuggling in beer and smokes and as he too, was bed bound due to a broken back from a drunken horse fall (he was the drunk one) the farting and other deligtful smells hung so thick in the air the nurse would come in and spray us!
But I had my Romeo and Juliet (Straits) and Finn and was lost in my own little world of dreams.

Is it not just amazing how the music that I played tonight brought back stronger memories of those times than even the photos themselves did? Maybe the photos bring the memories and the music adds the feelings to the memories.

Maybe I could do a series on songs that create memories and feelings.

Thompson Twins would win the feelings competition! Remember them…ho boy, I do! That’s a whole other story…speaking of story – back to Dirt Music.