Dinosaur With Headphones

I made a new acquaintance while practicing in the park on Friday. His name is Afrim, he is from Kosovo. He joined in kicking the soccer ball around with me for a while, then I gave him a ride back to his hostel as he was missing change for the bus. He's visiting the U.S. for a few months on a work exchange program while he's studying for his Master's degree in Law back in Kosovo. I took him to Coronado beach today. It was his first time in the ocean. At some point I was asking about his family and I asked if he and his family are Muslim. He said, "Yes. I am Muslim. This is not problem for you is it?" I laughed and said of course not. He has four sisters and I asked a few questions about what life is like in Kosovo for women.

Yesterday I went on a bike ride and listened to Adele's first album 19. It came out in 2008 but that's me, I'm usually several years behind. I figured I would give it a listen since she's well-respected and because she does a nice cover of Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love". It's a beautiful song, and one of the few Dylan songs that I think his version of is weak. Anyway, not a bad album. My favorite track is "Best For Last" I think. As I rode my bicycle and listened I saw a little girl in a purple dress digging into her lawn. Made me sad/nostalgic. I saw a woman walking up her driveway from the mailbox and had a Proustian recollection of riding bikes with Georgia, a most glorious little child with a heart and brain of gold. We used to ride our bikes up and down a hill in front of her house repeatedly, through sparse cotton floating from the trees. I took Georgia to a park once to play with a friend, another little girl that I've only dreamed of riding bikes with. The xylophone on Adele's song "First Love" was clanging in my ears.

"The storms are raging on the rolling sea,
and on the highway of regret.
The winds of change are blowing wild and free,
you ain't seen nothing like me yet.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true.
No there's nothing that I wouldn't do.
Go to the ends of the earth for you,
to make you feel my love."