Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Saturday, December 10, 2005
I was too amused to be afraid
Your story, Mickey, reminds me of growing up in Fresno, in California’s San Juaquin Valley. From November through February of each year, the Valley experiences what’s known as Tule Fog (named after the ancient lakebed on which the Valley now sits). Anyone anywhere else who says they’ve got bad fog has never tried to drive through Tule fog. Every year you hear about 80-car pileups on highway 99—someone rearends someone else, and for the next several minutes (seemingly hours), one vehicle after another plows into the back of the pile. Imagine waiting for the next crash....
Anyway, my mother was (is) known for driving like a crazy lady—yellow means step on it, you know? But I remember this one Saturday morning when the Tule fog had laid down on us, and I had to get to a junior high basketball game across town. The fog was so thick that you literally couldn’t see two feet in front of the car, and headlights only made it worse. So, I had to roll down the window and stand up through it, leaning out while holding onto the window well. I watched for the curb, mostly, while she crawled along at about ten mph. After an hour of that, we found the gym, which was closed up with a sign on the door saying, “Game cancelled due to fog.”
She took me to a Denny’s we’d seen on the way, and treated me to a fat breakfast until the fog started to thin.
Posted by Hawk on from Boulder, CO 12/10 at 11:20 AMHawk, I really like the way you confidently jump right into the “middle” of things. Excellent story.
(Btw, for those who might be wondering why a word might be in quotes in the comments by the Expendables...it’s sort of a game I guess. You take the word in the “captcha” box below and work it into your comment. Profound, huh?)
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 12:37 PMThanks, Mickey. I like the Expendable’s use of the captcha word—I’ll see what I can do with that.
Now, off to cook a late breakfast for my lady… who is nothing like my “mother.”
Posted by Hawk on from Boulder, CO 12/10 at 01:20 PMTo continue the “pattern” (love that captcha) not of car stories but just ones of parents in general, here’s this from a few weeks ago that I emailed out to a bunch of high school friends. Might sound just like a silly adventure story, but the wild thing is that it’s true. Um, no not the story itself, but that I really did have this dream. It was fun, I wish all of mine were this entertaining. Most of mine have just been about red ink and office supplies lately. Background: my dad did have a very sudden fatal heart attack in July ‘85, not much explanation why; well he did smoke hence in part Joe et al, my not being such a fan of cigarettes:
I woke up just now from the strangest dream. I dreamt that my dad was alive again, that my mom had found out that he was actually in a coma all this time. And I went from believing it and being upset, to not believing and being upset that he was a clone or imposter or something. I’d get angry at my mom either for being so pathetic that she’d make something like this up with the help of the clone/imposter out of sheer desperate loneliness and inability to let go of the past, or angry at her because she never told us that he was really in coma all this time. Then I’d get angry at this guy, the resurrected/imposter dad, because he’d hassle me about what a mess my life is, saying this is no way to live, living in my friend’s apartment and never knowing where my next paycheck’s coming from, working all these crazy hours to get by, getting dumped by girls all the time, or not holding their interest for more than a first date. And I was like damn it it’s not my friend’s apt. anymore now that I’m paying the rent on it so there’s that, and for the rest of that stuff, well shut up, you’ve either been in a coma for over twenty years when we’d all thought you’d dropped dead of a heart attack all this time, or you’re an imposter my mom hired or whatever in which case you should go be a waiter or whatever it is that actors usually do. But hey if you got a lead on a steady job, proofreading or otherwise, let me know.
It was damn weird, I should go write it down.Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 01:34 PMOh and hey, I could be offline awhile, out to errands and stuff, but wanted to mention I’ll try to report details that come to mind about Tuesday; it’s troubling now my powers of observation have atrophied and how dreams and events of years ago easier to recall than details of the past week… but really, while I understand some of MZs frustrations, it was a cool time, an okay turnout for this season at such an event, some good interaction w/ the crowd, and he even sold some books!
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 01:45 PMHi Mickey & James & Hawk -
Thanks for these stories, you guys. Though there are sometimes very few tales posted, I always look forward to Saturdays here at the Zoutpost…James, I guess I now have a pretty good insight into your worldview. Thank you. `nuff said, methinks.
Hawk, your story could have been referring to the world right outside my window, this morning. Cold air near the ground, warmer air above - serious fog… lost your entire back yard kind of fog.
“Tule” fog reminds me of a fascinating novel I read, many years ago, about native Greenlanders in Greenland and in Denmark: “Smilla’s Sense of Snow.” There were many references to Thule, a small population center in Greenland, and home to a US airbase. I’d known absolutely nothing about Greenland, and almost nothing about Denmark, and I was just sucked right into it. Smilla was a bright, tough, fiercely independent Greenlander living in Denmark. A little boy in her apartment building fell off of the roof, and died. She loved the kid, and went up to the roof to look around. The official story said he’d been playing around up there, and fell off. Smilla, however, knew quite a lot about snow - and his footprints, up there on the roof, told her a different story.The book also touched on the colonial relationship between Denmark and Greenland, and, of course, on the relatively harsh treatment of the immigrant Greenlanders, by the Danes. A whole world I’d never even thought about…
Just lift any rock, anywhere - you’ll find someone getting screwed…
Wow, just reread this “book review.” Boring, eh?
Sorry, my paint tins are all empty - `cept black and white. I’ll go out, right now, and get some colors.Back soon, I hope, with a dream of my own…
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 02:21 PMHey Joe-- and sure, I wish you luck not to get hassled by people who might not be smokers but most likely have their own issues, physical or otherwise, which should disqualify them from bugging others like that… full circle a bit, and my dad was born in Denmark, on a long-farm, or a ‘Langergaard’, came here in the 60s… been fascinated by Peter Hoeg, but have always had trouble with his style, or maybe the translation’s not so good. There is that movie out there with Julia Ormond as Smilla… In the meantime, can anyone recommend their favorite Lars von Trier movie? Been reading Kierkegaard lately, and should expose myself to more recent Danish culture.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 02:27 PMI got a car story, of sorts.
Spring break of my sophomore year at University of North Texas., I went on a road trip with my (then) girlfriend in my big ‘87 Pontiac Bonneville. I knew we were heading to Big Sur, California, but it was to a surprise for her and our parents were left completely in the dark.
We made it to the Pacific Coast on day 4, I think. It was stunning--neither of us had ever been to that part of the world. But we were used to the road and after one night under the redwoods decided to keep going further. I had a friend then in Eugene, Oregon, so we drove the sixteen hours from Big Sur to Eugene in one gulp, all the way along the coast. Fantastic.
And after a day in Eugene we moved on, through places I imagine are thoroughly deforested now (they were on their way then). After sending postcards from Weed, California (that’s still funny to me) we approached the California-Nevada border at Truckee. Now, I had been driving the whole trip. Jessica didn’t have a license and I was a tyrant anyway. We had been making such good time because I drove that old Bonneville fast. But I never neglected to signal a lane change, never cut anyone off, never ran red lights or anything like that.
Still, a cop---the cop, complete with CHiPs-era sunglasses and moustache---pulled me over, a stone’s throw from the border. I was told, angrily, that I had been doing something like 100mph in a 55 zone. This was an old car with 175,000 miles on it, a third transmission system, and a speedometer that went up to 75. Oh, and there was traffic as well. But he hauled me in for it, put me in belly-cuffs for chrissakes. Bail was set at a thousand bucks. So I made my phone call home.
“Mom?”
“Hi, honey.”
“I’m in jail.”
“Talk to your father.”
I spent 40 hours alone in a jail sell in Truckee, California. They took my shoes and my belt (standard procedure, apparently), and fed me canned soup. On my court appearance they brought me over in belly-cuffs again. I could plead guilty and risk 6 months in jail, or a $3,000 fine, or both, or I could try to fight it.
“Level with me, your honor. I’m a student. I’m on spring break. I’ve never broken the law. What should I do?”
The judge, who I’m guessing was a relative of both the arresting officer and the bailbondsman my father hired, was stonefaced. I pleaded innocent and when the bail came through we skipped town, sleeping in Reno that night. A lawyer took care of the rest, long distance, and I was out the bail money plus the $600 lawyer’s fee. But I have no record of it. Except this: during those 40 hours in a cell in California I lost every ounce of my naive faith in the American Justice System. And that, unlike my belt and my shoes and my Bonneville (long departed), could never be returned to me.
Posted by Keir on from The Hague 12/10 at 02:35 PMIt is with the saddest heart that I must pass on the following news:
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast
infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffm.
Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkles, and Captain Crunch.
The gravesite was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled
with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes.Despite being a little flaky at times he still was a crusty old man and was considered a roll model for millions.
Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus
they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly dad, Pop Tart.The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 12/10 at 03:01 PMThis all makes me sincerely wish I could put together a book called “Storytelling Saturday. Your tales “should” reach a wider audience. Rosemarie, however, is the biggest surprise. Who knew we had a closet Doughboy fan in our midst?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 04:36 PMRMJ is not alone: http://www.doughfan.com
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 04:41 PMHi again, humans -
So James, you’re reading one of the great “religious existentialists.”
He’s an interesting, if dark read, I remember. “Fear & Trembling, and the Sickness Onto Death.” Cheery title for a very intriguing book… I spent a bit of time with him, back in my very, very troubled years. Hung out with Camus, Sartre, and Heidegger, as well. Those were dark times, for me, but I wouldn’t trade them for several huge fortunes. Haven’t seen von Trier, at all. Sorry
A book which knocked me over, at the time, was Colin Wilson’s “The Outsider.” I don’t know how I’d see it, now, but I recommend it.
I wonder where you’re headed, my friend. I read these guys during the first steps of a journey which took over thirty years, consumed most of my money, time, and energy, and which dragged me all over the world. Only recently do I realize that I’ve found what I was looking for.
As someone who walked some of the same terrain, I hope you’ll let me know, if you’re ever looking for some new or strange perspectives on your search. Otherwise, I’ll try to stay out of your way, as it were…Keir -
I really enjoyed your story.
“I’m in jail.” “Talk to your father.”
Oh, boy, that line brings back a whole tidal-wave of memories… joe in trouble, parents sweating…
“…during those 40 hours in a cell in California I lost every ounce of my naive faith in the American Justice System…”
My friend Wes used to say: “Some things - once you see `em, you can never un-see `em.” Junior-senior high school was where my first “see-`em’s” occurred. Navy bootcamp pretty much finished me off.
In high school, when I’d hammer away at the status quo, kids would say: “Yeah, Carpenter - you’re right, the world’s wrong.” But, in bootcamp I realized I WAS right, and the world WAS wrong.
Of course, that insight was the source of infinite problems… and I was on my way.
A fine tale, Keir. Thanks.
Weed, California is included in our “local” weather forecasts. Your journey probably took you right past me, here in Southern Oregon. I’m just over a mile from the main north-south freeway, I - 5…Rosemarie - I don’t know what to say, except that I chuckled my way through. Thank you, as well.
And thanks for your story, Mickey. My father, too, always drove very, very slowly, especially as he got into his 70’s and 80’s. I’d say: “Dad, there are twenty cars backed up behind you.”
He’d respond:
“The speed limit’s 30, I’m going 30.”
I’d say: “Dad, you’re going about 26 or 27.”
He’d get annoyed: “You need to be careful on this road - there’s always cops parked along these side roads. Ya can’t see `em till you’re right up on `em, then it’s too late…”
Those were Looong rides… and there were a great many of them.Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 04:48 PMYou know, Joe, you just reminded me of another Dad/driving tale. Some 15 years ago, my Dad had a triple bypass. I drove into Manhattan to pick him up and bring him home. Because he was just few days removed from major surgery, my Dad sat in the back, clutching a pillow to his chest to cushion the bumps. Even so, it was painful for him. I drove verrrrry slowly and took the quietest side roads I could. At one point, a car came up behind us and the honking began. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the driver’s face. It was a mask of hatred. He hated me for not moving faster.
From that day on, I swore never to honk my horn unless absolutely necessary. You never know why someone is going slowly. I rarely drive now but even so, I’m proud to say I’ve pretty much kept that promise to myself.
James: I neglected to respond to your earlier Lars von Trier query. I’ve seen only a few of his films. Always wanted to see Breaking the Waves but never got around to it. So, among the few I know, Dancer in the Dark was my fave. I also liked Dogville.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 04:59 PMKeir,oh shit!
So much trouble for a little speeding.
I remember when I got caught doing that (here in Sweden) and get fined approximately 210$ and lost my driverslicense for two months.
It´s no excuse but I was used to drive on that road and expected the speedlimit to be the same all year but on the summermonths with more hectic traffic they slowed it down,that´s why I neglected the speedsigns and got caught.This summer I experienced how fast a almost brand new Saab can go since a friend of mine put it to test with me on autobahn in Germany,it was like being in a grand prix computer game or something.
Posted by The poster formerly known as "Old Glen". on from 12/10 at 05:39 PMWhile we´re on the subject the best roadmovie I´ve seen is David Lynch:s “the Straight Story”.
Posted by The poster formerly known as "Old Glen". on from 12/10 at 06:13 PMHey Joe-- SK’s surprisingly fun at times, a fun style of writing and quite witty often as well… but often like walking through marsh, yes. I’m only 34, so just a part of way through such a journey as you…
Mickey, yeah I think I recall you mentioning Dancer here before. Seems that his career’s put roughly into two parts; early crime/adventure fiction fiction stuff like Epidemic and Element of Crime, and these films dealing with women in odd isolating situations… I once read that Bjork said she hated working with him so much that she’s given up acting forever. Which isn’t true, she’s in something new soon, I think.
And check it out, I thought of you and 50AR when I saw this:
http://www.kylebaker.com/
A Nat Turner comic book!Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 06:36 PMMickey, any website you can dig up for Denmark like you did with Scotland last night? So far all I’m coming up with is Lego blocks as a Danish invention. Which explains why the Vikings were always the invaders against the British isles and rarely the other way around. See, the blocks of the Norse fortresses fit together too smoothly for any would-be conquering hordes to scale the walls…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 06:40 PMFog and driving, eh? I can “try” that.
In my last year of college I was in the school’s Reader’s Theatre group and we traveled to NYC to do a performance at Jamaica High. The director of the group was a wonderful woman in her late 60’s, short, energetic and flamboyant in that theatre sort of way. She was the one responsible for driving a van full of students from extreme northwest Pennsylvania to Long Island, where we to stay with and old schoolmate of hers. Unfortunately, our director’s driving verged on criminal. She drove too slow or too fast, depending on which would be most inappropriate for the circumstances; she used her mirrors so infrequently that we started calling out where cars were located so she wouldn’t run someone off the road; and her sense of direction was so bad we quickly nominated a co-pilot in an attempt to insure our continued survival.Somehow we made it onto the Long Island Expressway without any casualties. Heading east, however we hit some very thick evening fog. Unable to see any road signs until we were practically past them, things started to get dicey. Our director became confused as we drove down an exit ramp, and insisted that she look at a map. So she stopped in the middle of fog bound exit ramp, put the van in park, and started struggling with her map.
I’m not too proud to say that I found religion at that moment.
Deaf to the increasingly desperate pleadings of the group to at least pull over to the side of the road, our director fussed over the map. Before we started kicking out windows, our director found her bearings and calmy continued her way down the ramp.
Posted by Cart on from near Warshington DC 12/10 at 07:13 PMHello Expendables. This has been a great Storytelling Saturday. The best ever. Thanks, everyone.
Did anyone hear that Richard Pryor has died? (http://tinyurl.com/bd3nr). Eugene McCarthy, too (http://tinyurl.com/8hhjg)
James, this one’s for you: http://tinyurl.com/8jqqu. I used TinyURL because the original link was about a “foot” long.
P.S. I loved Straight Story.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 08:07 PMYou mean the Richard Pryor story, right? Well he did get 15 yrs more than my dad did, and he did have have some um, prior (truly no pun...) history with heart trouble… though my dad never set himself on fire to get a laugh out of us. He had his faint traces of Danish accent for that. Also, my dad (1935-1985) grew up in Nazi-occupied Denmark; a story or two in that sometime…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 08:24 PMI think I messed up the links, James. This one’s for you: http://tinyurl.com/8jqqu
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 08:27 PMOh, the invention one, thanks… funny though, Richard Pryor and Kaj Langergaard dying in almost the same way.
Heh, is the list in order of importance? Legos are #3, over paper clips. By the way, Finns are not really Scandinavian, more Baltic, but I’ll let it go.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 08:28 PMSo while I have Nat Turner in mind from seeing that comic book-- the other night someone asked you about reactions to 50AR from the left and right. You mentioned that some left-wing site reviewed it saying ‘and I thought *I* was liberal...’, and then on the right, reaction I think you said surprisingly positive but someone was a bit put off by inclusion of Lolita Lebron opening fire at, or toward, congress… and what seems far more screwed up than that, not even in the same league, is the Turner thing. Don’t get me wrong, he was a revolutionary and literally a visionary as well a slave for crying out loud, but if I read correctly, he murdered women and children in their sleep?
I don’t know, is that a little fucked up under any circumstances? Just an offhand thought reading through it now, no I haven’t become a troll, or Frost Giant of Norse myth…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 08:54 PMYeah, I’m not saying I agree with or condone everything in the book but Nat Turner almost singlehandedly put the South on notice: Someone was gonna pay for their sins...and innocent bystanders no longer existed. Again, I’m not condoning a form of death penalty here...but it’s interesting to view Turner’s victims through the same lens Ward Churchill used, re: 9/11.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 09:01 PMHi Folks -
Mickey, I’ve had that experience, as well. Once with my father, after a major stroke, and a very messy spinal tap - and again with my wife, after major abdominal surgery. Two very long, stressful rides. Then, I was driven home, by my wife, about 20 hours after an appendectomy… Just taking a deep breath made me feel like my stomach was going to burst open -
and yet, it was somehow less stressful than when I drove my dad and my wife. Odd how that works.
Like you, I’ve never been quite the same when I’m behind the wheel.About driving:
In 1994, I think it was, Suzanne & I were driving on a major 2 lane highway and we were struck by a car which had been rear-ended by still another car. Our car was totalled.
Many months later, the folks who hit us, sued us for one-half million dollars. Our insurance company lawyer told us that we might lose… she said she was also defending the estate of a guy who had been hit and killed by a drunk driver who’d run a red light, and smashed into him. The drunk went to jail for a while. When he got out, he sued the estate of the guy he killed - because the crash had ruined his life, yadda, yadda…
The lawyer said that the guy had a very good chance of winning.I hate driving. Every time I get behind the wheel I feel like a fool… and that’s before I think of the social / political effects of what I’m doing.
There’s an entire industry built around car accidents… an industry which MUST have a stead supply of accidents in order to continue.
At the same time, the auto industry systematically destroyed much of the nation’s public transportation system, so a great many people MUST have a car to survive…I wish we could “stop” this madness…
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 09:06 PMHey Mickey & James - sorry, I feel like I busted into your conversation.
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 09:10 PMJoe, you know better than that. Everyone here is welcome to join in at any time and, by odd coincidence, the topic you bring up (car culture) is the reason I met James. A mutual friend introduced us and those two had met, I believe, through this organization: http://www.transalt.org.
Here in NYC, I often find myself standing at a street corner waiting for the light to change. I use that time to peruse the facial expressions of drivers as they zoom by. If anyone slows down in front of them, they freak out. Consumed with rage, they cannot honk loud enough. I’ve often thought that if I filmed such reactions and showed the footage to the driver, he or she would be far less likely to behave in such a manner again.
Human interaction on the subways can be awful but cars bring out even worse behavior in humans.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 09:17 PMThat’s okay, Joe-- I had to go cook my cats’ dinner anyway; it is Saturday night, after all… oh man I wish I were kiding. Yeah, I was thinking of mentioning the anti-car stuff here when you brought up the eco-unfriendly aspect of places like NYC. At least some people do envision big cities being more livable/sustainable, etc. And Mickey’s not the only self-promoting demogogue, though what I’m promoting is unclear:
http://tinyurl.com/bxt32
Kinda resting on my volunteer laurels here…
Also I wouldn’t have Frank the Auto-Free Kitty if not for TA (for recent Expendables):
http://homepage.mac.com/trorb/iMovieTheater81.htmlAnd yeah that’s cool, I get the idea about Turner and 50AR in general. By the way, TA holiday party on monday… check it out online.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 09:52 PMThat’s a great idea, great organization, Mickey - especially for NYC, where there’s almost zero excuse for folks to operate a private vehicle.
I’ve observed those intense, angry, aggressive faces, as well, my friend. Something seems to “come over” many people, as soon as they get behind the wheel of a car.
I drove a cab in SF for about 4 months. I didn’t make much money, but I really got to know the city, and - though I thought I already knew - I learned how to drive. Sometimes, it was like a war, out there.The most straightforward “war-zone” I’ve experienced, in the US, is in Boston. There’s almost no pretense of any sort: It’s war, pure and simple. An amazing experience, driving in Boston.
In Mexico City, there were sometimes boulevards wide enough for 3 or 4 lanes, in each direction - except that, often, there were NO lines / markers on the street. Thus, it was acceptable to occupy ANY open space, anywhere on the road, as long as you could do it without wrecking the car. Accidents were frequent, and in the aftermath, people would step out of their cars, on the passenger sides - open the glove box, and yell at each other, each person with a hand in the box. Now, I don’t really know what was happening, but everyone said they were holding guns…
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 10:03 PMHi James -
Well, it’s a wonderful idea, and a truly logical one. Hey, all you can do it try to make a difference, in whatever way you can.Of course, to some extent, with so many maniacs on the road, bikes become a target - motorcycles and bicycles.
After riding a motorcycle around Michigan and around California, for a while, I became really afraid of the cars, and even more so of the pickup trucks. They’d drive as if you simply were not there.
An aging biker guy I used to know told me that that was one stimulus for the formation of the Hell’s Angels.
I’ve seen those guys, in California… believe me, one look at a bunch of Hell’s Angels, and you KNOW they’re there… and you approach them with care and respect, unless you’re suicidal.Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 10:13 PMThat’s quite a story there, Mickey! Shows another side of your Dad ..
A beautiful sunny day in Daylesford, Australia: about 77F, nearly blue sky and a light breeze.
And hi to all of your MZ’ers - I hope your weekend is a good one!Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 12/10 at 10:32 PMActually, the NYC bicycling activist/ recreation group Times UP! (http://www.times-up.org), a companion group of sorts to TA, used to have headquarters on East 3rd street, next door to the NY Hell’s Angels HQ, and I think it was that the HA bought them out of that place, why TU moved… glad they did, they have a better space now, and yeah the ‘Angels could be a bit creepy sometimes. Where in Oregon are you? Portland’s got a cycling community to rival this one here…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 10:34 PM11:01 pm in chilly Astoria...time to get “myself” to bed. Thanks, all.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/10 at 11:01 PMHi James -
I think I’ve seen some photos of you biking about, here in the NorthWest… didn’t you do a “bike-move?”
I’m outside of a small town called Grants Pass, about 60 miles north of the California border.
Ashland, an over-hyped artsy community, is about 40 minutes down the road.
My sister lives in Portland, so we go up there once or twice a year. Portland is a pretty impressive town, I think - lots of great bookstores, including Powells, bikepaths everywhere, a world famous skate-park, and lots of people who seem fairly awake. And, it’s beautiful…
It’s expensive there, however, so we couldn’t afford to move into that area. Eugene was high on my list, as well, but it was too expensive, too. Hell, I couldn’t buy my own house, now, since real estate has gone up so much. Though it seems that I’m a beneficiary, it scares me…Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 11:09 PMG’Night, Mickey Z… thank You!
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/10 at 11:11 PMNever been there myself, but Clarence, the producer of http://www.biketv.org, goes there a lot, hence stuff like this on his page:
http://homepage.mac.com/trorb/BikeTV/PhotoAlbum48.html
http://homepage.mac.com/trorb/iMovieTheater30.htmlToo tired to do tinyurl; should be okay…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/10 at 11:22 PMGood night, Mickey - and good luck, and thanks for a superb blog! Great yarns, graphics (LOVE that dragon), links and, last but not least, a great comment thread with more links - am watching the Nobel lecture by Harold Pinter while I type this ..
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 12/10 at 11:27 PMHi James -
Saw that Bike Move piece before. You must have posted some links some time ago?! I guess I thought you were a participant.
Thanks for the links…
The “Kiss-In” certainly looks like a lot of fun.I also checked out a Seattle Link, as I lived there for 10 years. It was about “BikeStations.”
Brilliant idea. I sent the page to my friend Davie, a mountain climber and hiker guy, in Seattle. He has a car but uses the electric buses for work and many in-town activities. Thought he might want to consider riding a bike, instead… we’ll see.Also, wanted to tell you that I tried to get my son Craig into the United Bicycle Institute, in Ashland, last summer, to learn how to build and fix bikes. The class was full, but I’m set to try again, a bit later in the winter - for the summer classes. Locally, they say it’s one of the best schools of its kind in the US. I don’t know, of course…
I’m hoping I can get him in, this year. He doesn’t want to go to college - which decision I fully support, but he does like learning new skills, especially new moving / physical skills. He’s a tremendous skate-boarder, an excellent photographer, a great photo-editor / photo-shop guy, and is learning how to program and take computers apart & tinker with them, and put `em back together. I’d really be delighted if he can learn to build bikes…Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/11 at 01:28 AMMichael, from Friday: the Curmudgeonly Blogspot could be written by my British Bastard Brother! These so-called negotiations require anti-market commitments from the American economy,” the Commander-in-Chief said today. “The American economy does not commit. The American economy rocks.”
The British Prime Minister, who has on three occasions had televised sexual intercourse with the Commander-in-Chief’s second favourite dog in an effort to encourage US participation in the talks, was said by aides to be “satisfied” with the outcome of the talks.”
Hilarious stuff!
Oh my what a day. Went to see Brokeback mountain with Punkin. It was very weepy. Had a meeting afterwards with someone to, it would seem, set the wheels in motion to get my personal dream work situation in motion. Flirted with cute guy across the cafe where th meeting was taking place. Got soudnly slapped by Punkin, who had followed me to the cafe.
Long discussion of boundaries and what it means to us grown-ups when we say it’s over. It got weepy again.
I swear to God I will never think “age is just a number” again. It’s 1:10am here in my study, the rest of the world’s just too weird and scary for me just at the moment. I need to visit the astral “plane” for some renewal.
Really enjoyed the stories, y’all; MZ, o Helath Nut, do that anthology even if only for online perusal.
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 12/11 at 02:13 AMMr. Mudge -
Fear not, my friend - our friend.
As you surely know, being physically near does not mean being truly near…
We may all be separated by thousands of miles, but we care, Mudge, and you’re never alone…
Be well, our friend…Mickey - A hearty Happy Birthday to your Father.
Duhhh… I only had a dozen opportunities to tell you this, today, but I’ve waited till now, when you’re probably sound asleep. I’m “nearly” unconscious, myself - but then, I’ve been that way for most of my 55 years. Alas!Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/11 at 02:40 AM
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