Jeff Healey and the Jolly Rancher

Jeff Healey, RIP.

The cancer that claimed his eyesight at age 1 finally claimed his life, 40 years later.

What’s it been, maybe a month since I posted that link to “Angel Eyes”?

He leaves a wife and two kids.

Heartbreaking.

***

I saw clients this morning, as I usually do on Mondays. It went well.

As I left I was just starving. The barbecue joint had a sign that read, “$2.99 Special—chopped beef sandwich, 1 side.”

Sold! I whipped a u-turn.

“To-go orders placed at the bar,” read the sign at the front. Okey dokey.

So I bellied up to the bar and ordered my lunch.

“Do you know how to make a jolly rancher?” the bartender asked me.

“No,” I said. “I don’t drink.”

“Well, you can sit here and watch me make them while you wait,” he said.

Okay then.

He was quite meticulous, showing me as if I’d soon be tending bar back there. It’s a shot of citrus Skyy vodka, a shot of peach schnapps, a shot of something called watermelon pucker (is that a liquor too?), shaken, then poured over ice. Fill the glass with cranberry juice, and “it tastes like candy.”

“And if it doesn’t fill the glass, just add more cranberry juice,” he added. “Because the right amount of alcohol is already in there.”

“Okay, so it’s 12:30 on a Monday afternoon, and there’s some demand for this?” I asked.

“Oh, this is their second round,” he said.

***

So who in the world is going to have a chance at stopping Anderson Silva? He made Chris Leben look like a rank amateur. Rich Franklin fared hardly any better. Travis Lutter looked okay into the second round, when he got submitted. Dan Henderson looked good in that first round, but he too got submitted. Who is left?

And Kongo and Herring had themselves a real scrap there! How about all those cool reversals from Herring, who admitted he’d trained no ground at all for the match?

I’m kinda cheesed that Andrei Arlovsky, Diego Sanchez, and Luke Cummo were all on the card but didn’t make the broadcast. We missed THOSE guys to see the likes of generic white guy with a beard Fitch fighting one boring matchup with generic white guy with a beard Wilson?? Heck, Jorge Gurgel was on the undercard too, and though he’s never seemed to live up to his hype, I’d have liked to see him in action.

And Evan Tanner showed his age. He looked rusty, looked frustrated… I have to wonder if he’ll fight again.

***

This place gets mighty quiet when everyone’s in bed but me. But I still hear music.

***

Good night.