Thursday, July 24, 2008
Awesome.
This article on Salon.com is and isn't awesome: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/07/23/shock_and_awesome/
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Grass.
Lawns are not such a good idea. They are wonderful to roll around on, and I will miss them, but they are nothing but wasteful and it is probably for the best that most of them go away...
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/07/21/080721crbo_books_kolber
"Grass" by XTC
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/07/21/080721crbo_books_kolber
"Grass" by XTC
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Feral peeve.
You know what bugs the crap out of me? What bugs the crap out of me is when bathroom faucets are so close to the side of the sink that you can't wash your hands without bumping them against the porcelain and/or splashing some water out of the sink. Seriously, what the fuck? It is far too common. Like Jennifer Lopez's character in the film Enough, I have had enough!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Two articles to read.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_hersh?currentPage=all
You've probably heard about this first one, but if you haven't, I'll summarize: The Bush Administration is not learning from the past and most likely doing some really bad, really stupid, and really illegal things to try to destabilize Iran.
As for the second, it's much more uplifting: a small town in Denmark reduces its carbon footprint to basically zero, rather easily. Take a lesson, World!
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_kolbert?currentPage=all
You've probably heard about this first one, but if you haven't, I'll summarize: The Bush Administration is not learning from the past and most likely doing some really bad, really stupid, and really illegal things to try to destabilize Iran.
As for the second, it's much more uplifting: a small town in Denmark reduces its carbon footprint to basically zero, rather easily. Take a lesson, World!
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_kolbert?currentPage=all
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Bus Stop Toker.
There was a man at the bus stop, sitting not on the bench but rather beside it, in a motorized wheelchair. He wore thick glasses and an Oakland Raiders cap, and he was smoking marijuana out of a small copper pipe. As I sat down at the other end of the bench, he reached towards me.
"..do you...want...some?" he asked, grinning. His speech was muddled and slow.
"No thanks," I laughed. He shrugged with his upper body, and pulled the pipe to his lips for another toke. It was a cool, comfortable afternoon. I was impressed by his audacity.
"You've got a prescription for that?" I asked.
"..Yyyes...but this...shit's a lot stronger....than what I get from... the doctor." He grinned and sucked some more smoke into his body.
"Oh, yeah? Right on," I said.
"Don't tell anyone." He smiled at me and I smiled back. I wondered if he could wink.
He continued, "I got stopped...downtown...by annn undercover police...I showed him...mmmy pass...he let me go, but he...tol' me not to... in public, or..."
"You can't smoke in public?" I asked. He gave me a look as if to say No, that's not it, keep going. "Or just that you shouldn't do it in public or you'll get stopped again?" He smiled, nodded, and his eyes twinkled. Yep, that's it. I smiled in acknowledgment, and we sat in silence for a few moments. I craned my head to look down the street, then looked at my watch; the bus was late. I looked over at my waiting partner and shrugged; he gave me a understanding look. He could have been my age, or younger, or ten years older. Disabled people seem to age differently from the rest of us, I thought.
Across the street a young woman stood on a porch talking to her friend. The friend was seated and mostly obscured from my view by a low wall, but I could see the young woman, her curves silhouetted against the house. I glanced over at my waiting friend - he was looking at the same thing, and as I smiled, he caught my eye.
"The house is brown, but... her ass... is black," he explained. "It looks good."
"You're right," I laughed. It did look good. Hey, I called out in my head to her, I just wanted to let you know that my friend here and I have been admiring your ass from afar. Oh, really? she would say jauntily, and her eyes would sparkle as she laughed. Yes, you're quite lovely, I'd say, can I take you out tonight?
I laughed to myself at my silly fantasy and dropped it - my eyes refocused and I saw her, far away across the street. I looked over at my friend, who looked at me; clearly we understood one another. He anticipated my next question, and after another hit from his pipe, answered.
"I was innn...an acc...ident...and I spent four months in a... uh, in a... hos..." He looked confused.
"Hospital?" Immediately I felt like an able-bodied jerk for interrupting.
"...nnno, not hos..pital...a place they...put you be..fore... you die..."
"A hospice." Oh, such a jerk I was.
"...hospice..." he nodded.
Wow, I thought. "But you're all healthy now?" Wait, that didn't come out right. "I mean, besides... um, well... besides..." I stammered and gestured weakly at his chair. For the first time he looked at me like I was an idiot. "I can't walk," he said slowly.
"Right," I said, trying my best to affect an understanding and apologetic tone. Another few moments of silence. We both looked away.
The woman across the street said goodbye to her friend and turned towards us. She began to cross the street, heading for a car just a few feet from the bus stop.
"Heyyy," my companion called out as she opened her back door and deposited her bag. "... hhheyyy!" He waved to her with a twisted hand. She looked puzzled for a second, as if she may not have been the target of his interest, but then she shut her door and walked over to him. Could it really be that easy?!
"Hi," he said.
"Well, hi there," she replied pleasantly, smiling at him. She caught my eye, and I half-smiled at her, but she had turned back to him. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Chito," he said.
"It's nice to meet you." She spoke to him, not as to a child or a pet, but as to someone she might be completely unafraid of, and completely confident around.
"What... ddo you... do?"
"I go to school."
"Where do you....ggo to school?"
"At Evergreen," she said congenially. An Evergreen girl! I thought.
"Oh?" I interjected. "I went to Reed!"
She looked up at me expectantly, then confused.
"In Portland," I clarified. Still nothing. "You go to Evergreen? In, uh, in Olympia, right?" I stammered.
"No, here in Denver." She looked at me, confused but charitable.
"Oh." I had no follow-up. She turned back to him.
"You have... a nice ass," he said to her.
"Oh!" For a moment she was taken aback, but then her eyes sparkled and she laughed. "Thank you! You're sweet." She smiled down at him; he grinned at her.
I think so, too, I think you have a great ass, and I can even move my arms and hands properly to grab it, I wanted to say.
"Well, I've got to go," she said to him. "It was very nice meeting you."
"Nnnice... meeting you."
She looked at me and smiled kindly. "Bye."
I smiled and nodded; I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
As her car disappeared down the street, the number seven bus pulled up to the stop. We waited for the ramp to extend. I watched him line up his wheels, taking several tries before he got them on the ramp. A few more seconds for the ramp to retract, then I hopped effortlessly on. He was already situated in the designated handicap zone.
"Well, keep it real, man," I said as I passed him, heading to the back of the bus. He didn't acknowledge me.
I settled in to my seat at the back and looked down at him. He was turned in his chair, waving at the woman seated behind him. "Hiii," I could see him saying to the woman, who looked uncertain. "Hii.. what's... your name?"
I put my head down and closed my eyes, to think.
"..do you...want...some?" he asked, grinning. His speech was muddled and slow.
"No thanks," I laughed. He shrugged with his upper body, and pulled the pipe to his lips for another toke. It was a cool, comfortable afternoon. I was impressed by his audacity.
"You've got a prescription for that?" I asked.
"..Yyyes...but this...shit's a lot stronger....than what I get from... the doctor." He grinned and sucked some more smoke into his body.
"Oh, yeah? Right on," I said.
"Don't tell anyone." He smiled at me and I smiled back. I wondered if he could wink.
He continued, "I got stopped...downtown...by annn undercover police...I showed him...mmmy pass...he let me go, but he...tol' me not to... in public, or..."
"You can't smoke in public?" I asked. He gave me a look as if to say No, that's not it, keep going. "Or just that you shouldn't do it in public or you'll get stopped again?" He smiled, nodded, and his eyes twinkled. Yep, that's it. I smiled in acknowledgment, and we sat in silence for a few moments. I craned my head to look down the street, then looked at my watch; the bus was late. I looked over at my waiting partner and shrugged; he gave me a understanding look. He could have been my age, or younger, or ten years older. Disabled people seem to age differently from the rest of us, I thought.
Across the street a young woman stood on a porch talking to her friend. The friend was seated and mostly obscured from my view by a low wall, but I could see the young woman, her curves silhouetted against the house. I glanced over at my waiting friend - he was looking at the same thing, and as I smiled, he caught my eye.
"The house is brown, but... her ass... is black," he explained. "It looks good."
"You're right," I laughed. It did look good. Hey, I called out in my head to her, I just wanted to let you know that my friend here and I have been admiring your ass from afar. Oh, really? she would say jauntily, and her eyes would sparkle as she laughed. Yes, you're quite lovely, I'd say, can I take you out tonight?
I laughed to myself at my silly fantasy and dropped it - my eyes refocused and I saw her, far away across the street. I looked over at my friend, who looked at me; clearly we understood one another. He anticipated my next question, and after another hit from his pipe, answered.
"I was innn...an acc...ident...and I spent four months in a... uh, in a... hos..." He looked confused.
"Hospital?" Immediately I felt like an able-bodied jerk for interrupting.
"...nnno, not hos..pital...a place they...put you be..fore... you die..."
"A hospice." Oh, such a jerk I was.
"...hospice..." he nodded.
Wow, I thought. "But you're all healthy now?" Wait, that didn't come out right. "I mean, besides... um, well... besides..." I stammered and gestured weakly at his chair. For the first time he looked at me like I was an idiot. "I can't walk," he said slowly.
"Right," I said, trying my best to affect an understanding and apologetic tone. Another few moments of silence. We both looked away.
The woman across the street said goodbye to her friend and turned towards us. She began to cross the street, heading for a car just a few feet from the bus stop.
"Heyyy," my companion called out as she opened her back door and deposited her bag. "... hhheyyy!" He waved to her with a twisted hand. She looked puzzled for a second, as if she may not have been the target of his interest, but then she shut her door and walked over to him. Could it really be that easy?!
"Hi," he said.
"Well, hi there," she replied pleasantly, smiling at him. She caught my eye, and I half-smiled at her, but she had turned back to him. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Chito," he said.
"It's nice to meet you." She spoke to him, not as to a child or a pet, but as to someone she might be completely unafraid of, and completely confident around.
"What... ddo you... do?"
"I go to school."
"Where do you....ggo to school?"
"At Evergreen," she said congenially. An Evergreen girl! I thought.
"Oh?" I interjected. "I went to Reed!"
She looked up at me expectantly, then confused.
"In Portland," I clarified. Still nothing. "You go to Evergreen? In, uh, in Olympia, right?" I stammered.
"No, here in Denver." She looked at me, confused but charitable.
"Oh." I had no follow-up. She turned back to him.
"You have... a nice ass," he said to her.
"Oh!" For a moment she was taken aback, but then her eyes sparkled and she laughed. "Thank you! You're sweet." She smiled down at him; he grinned at her.
I think so, too, I think you have a great ass, and I can even move my arms and hands properly to grab it, I wanted to say.
"Well, I've got to go," she said to him. "It was very nice meeting you."
"Nnnice... meeting you."
She looked at me and smiled kindly. "Bye."
I smiled and nodded; I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
As her car disappeared down the street, the number seven bus pulled up to the stop. We waited for the ramp to extend. I watched him line up his wheels, taking several tries before he got them on the ramp. A few more seconds for the ramp to retract, then I hopped effortlessly on. He was already situated in the designated handicap zone.
"Well, keep it real, man," I said as I passed him, heading to the back of the bus. He didn't acknowledge me.
I settled in to my seat at the back and looked down at him. He was turned in his chair, waving at the woman seated behind him. "Hiii," I could see him saying to the woman, who looked uncertain. "Hii.. what's... your name?"
I put my head down and closed my eyes, to think.
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