Photo: Detroit (2010). Text: August 2011.

Earlier this evening, while slow drying a batch of our own homegrown tomatoes in the oven, Davin made a joke about the drying process to the tune of Rush’s “Closer to the Heart.” I’ve tried to replace it with “Subdivisions” (a superior song), but it refuses to come unstuck.

“But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth”

Growing up where I did, when I did, ensured that I was predestined to an over-familiarity with the band’s discography. “Tom Sawyer,” “Fly By Night,” “Lakeside Park“; I can recite most of the lyrics to these songs yet I can’t fully explain how they got there.

“Though it’s just a memory, some memories last forever.”

Endless Bible verses, the complete catalogue of Beverley Hills 90210 episode plots, and song lyrics to heavy metal and progressive rock bands of the 70s and early 80s: a great deal of my brain’s memory capacity has been squandered on useless knowledge.

Perhaps these trivial bits of information will find a purpose someday. Or perhaps they are the reason why I sometimes can’t remember what I ate for lunch.