In vegas I spent some time with Joel. Joel and I met in 1986 in Venice Florida when we arrived at the now defunct Clown College. I had a roommate that I didn't like and Joel had one he didn't like so we traded. We've been fast friends ever since. He lives in Vegas now with his wife and daughter.

Mostly we just marveled about the fact that 20 years has gone by. It seems like everything has changed and nothing has changed. That is an experience that one only gets from experiencing the passing of time. There is no short cut to that perspective.

A part of me still thinks I just met Joel in the recent past; that not much has happened since then. Maybe it hasn't. Maybe two decades is a short time. All I know is that it feels good to talk to an old friend

There is a store in Tucson called the Chicago Music Store which sells used instruments including accordions. I remember visiting the store in 1987 and I've been looking forward to visiting it again, perhaps I'd find my new accordion there.

I walked to the store on Wednesday and went in to ask about the accordions. The store has not been cleaned since 1987, there's a lot of dirt on the floor and dust on the instruments. Also, there are considerably fewer accordions. None, in fact that I fell in love with. This is not going to be easy.