www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I was having a delicious Mama Candela dark beer at the P3 bar above Tostador on Av Central a few days ago, a bar usually playing a mix of US rock songs.

Near the end of a song, I noticed it was Tom Petty, can't remember which song. It brought me back to remembering Al, my next door neighbor for several years, doing his karaoke thing at SL, singing along with Jim's band. It was always/usually "Free Falling" by Tom Petty.

As the reminiscence grew, another song began. It was "Learning to Fly", and I asked the bartender if he had started a program of Petty songs. No, it's still random playlist piped in from somewhere.

OK, I thought, if anyone can pull this off, it's Al. Waiting for the next song, I thought of my first time in Bangkok, shortly after he had died.

Three times is enemy action, they say, or at least confirmation of something. Sure enough, the next song was "Into the Great Wide Open" ("rebel without a clue")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmFxgEGKH0

And then it went back to the normal mix of tunes.

Al used to set up sound systems for various clubs and hotels, maybe an earlier set-up of the SL's. He seemed to have been a career IT/electronics expert, and a constant advisor to visitors on how to make the best use of their travels, both in Asia and Latin America.

I last sat with him at SL in July 2016, a month before his passing. He gave me some recommendations for my first Thailand trip.

I was in Bangkok that December, and I hadn't yet heard the news about Al. I was walking past his favorite hotel, Nana Plaza, and the bar across the street ("Stumble Inn"?) was blasting out Tom Petty -- Won't Back Down. (Not "Free Falling" haha). I took note of the connections with Al.

Later on, learning he was gone, I put it all together as, "if anyone can influence a sound system from the Great Beyond to play his favorites, it would be Al."