By way of introduction

I'm new here and thought I might give a little background on myself and my views. While I do support the Dems in general and Obama in particular, I grew up in a conservative, mainstream environment and am influenced by those years. Indeed, where I lived, the 60's was a time when parents played bridge on Friday nights and kids got a soda after school or met at the library to finish up their homework.

Schools in my area were quiet institutions where students could depend on a traditional, if not classical education. With Berkeley and Cal State Hayward to the east, Stanford to the south and San Francisco State in between, young people in my area had real choices for serious study.

A few places popped up to give young people a place to meet and make friends on weekend nights. Many had live music and friendly vendors outside selling all manner of unusual products. For those who might not be feeling well, there was a whole host of medicines and even herbs and spices!

Once your poor feelings were treated, you could meander inside and listen to as many as four or five ensembles a night play a nice selection of ballads or heart warming love songs. It was a magic time and I enjoyed all it had to offer.

Here's one female artist who typifies just what I'm talking about. Although I don't recall her name (can you help me out here, Fogg?) her slow, melodic and soulful ballads were both relaxing and moving at the same time.



With tongue firmly in cheek, I look forward to working with you all here at The Swash Zone.