My 45th birthday passed a week ago. This being the 6th year now, I can now confirm that birthdays when you're in your 40s are no fun. The mind still wants to run but these old bones are getting creakier every year. Ha haha!

Clearing some space this evening out of my little trinkets cardboard box, I smile to myself as I look through my little 'treasures'

Found a few photos of myself from 30lbs back, my first (2nd hand ha ha) circa 70's stainless steel Rolex oyster I'd bought myself from my first bonus, wedding invitation card from an ex-gf (ouch), a gold friendship ring from another gf, floor trading badges from my time on the floor of the CBOT, Indian lucky charms from the desert trading posts of Arizona along the old Route 66 (what a drive...spring of 85'), a dried out sea-horse from the Philippines, couple of rare seashells, my first mobile phone (LMAO, a literally brick sized and similarly weighted Motorola e-tac) a couple of Casio handheld computer games from the 80s etc etc etc...

In a tangled mass, I pull out an ancient portable Creative MP3 521mb sized player with earphones still attached. I wonder what kind of music I ripped into it back then almost 9-10 years ago? Just could not recall...

Blew off the dust of the battery charger, cleaned its contact points and plugged it into the power socket praying for the best.

Oh wow.... the MP3 player was getting charged! 2 hours later I achieve (I think) a full charge.

Stuffed the earphone buds into my ears and started scanning the playlist.... hmmmm U2, Pearl Jam, Garbage, some meditation music, Rocky's theme song Eye of the Tiger(for when I needed a pick-up when feeling down) and at the end of the playlist I spot Mr John Lee Hooker.... I forgot I'd even ripped one of his CD's onto the player then.

Fixed me a hot cup of jasmine tea and settled into the leanback chair on my balcony with cigar in mouth and an ancient MP3 player in hand.

I'd picked up a favorite Cuaba Exclusivo (to me anyway, I know some of u guys dont agree with Cuaba)

The next hour smoking this generously full-bodied smoke was highly tasty with great wonderful leather/caramel/espresso flavors and listening Mr John (is the guy still alive?) work on my spirits with his guitar .... sometimes with a kicking number "I was a-boogying along...I felt so good"... sometimes with a grouchy, leathered soulful growl.

I was definitely on a different level of zen like focus (focussed yet so relaxed) and stayed on the 'float'.

I used to get to this state only with good weed when living in the US many many moons ago... I was shaking left and right and a-nodding my head to Mr John's mastery in one song ("thats a rocking good way") and all still and contemplative, almost on Jupiter with Carlos himself

As I reached nub-time, the flavors peaked and I closed it with a number that made me funk big time ("take me downtown...baby".)

(I cant recall the names of any of these songs except some of the lyrics.)

Great combination that I throughly enjoyed.