For Malcolm Adams, the flight from Mobile, Alabama back to Washington, D.C. had seemed almost as long as his earlier flight from London Heathrow to the States. By now, he hoped, the replacement diesel generator would be fitted out below deck and his freshly painted yacht would be on its way from Mobile Bay to […]
March 1, 2009
Karma
Lydia signs in for herself and also adds my name to the list. There is a pleasant odor of overcooked coffee emanating from the corner of the room behind me. I resist the temptation to dose myself with a massive infusion of caffeine. The female executive and her crew have disappeared down one the hallways; […]
March 1, 2009
JPL
Reaching JPL at 8 o’clock in the morning is as easy as breaking into four lanes of solid traffic on the freeway, battling a motorcyclist for the rights to commit suicide on the Oak Road exit, and getting past a security guard set at the entrance to Visitor’s Parking in front of the main entrance […]
March 1, 2009
Corroded RV
Friday, March 7, Pasadena, California. The bed seemed a bit hard. I recall saying that, somewhere. Both shoulders are as sore as if I had slept on a marble slab. “Quiet as a tomb,” the manager had said. Superhard beds surely can only be useful to people who either sleep on their back in kingly […]
March 1, 2009
Hard Beds
Of course, here we are at the entrance to the Thai restaurant. My best guess at translation of the sign over the door to the Thai restaurant is “Fat Customers”. A young woman in traditional Thai garments greets us in an anteroom decorated with Buddhist prints, originals on silk, I think, and leads us into […]
March 1, 2009
Finding Food
One thing I’ve learned about driving into the Los Angeles basin is to stop and go to the bathroom first. There is a Jack-In-the Box at Valencia that serves this purpose. The men’s restroom is in the process of being cleaned by one of the male staff. He works around me while I use the […]
March 1, 2009
Driving South
Thursday morning, and we are rolling on our way to Pasadena and then on to the Rotary International meeting in Anaheim. The fifty miles from home to Stockton, California take longer than usual. We pause on this morning’s drive while a farmer reloads a dozen or so bales of hay back onto his trailer. What […]
March 1, 2009
Vatican Library Online
I imagine a conversation with a modern Jesus. He is saying, “I’m tired of serving fish. Teach them to fish…remember when I said that? Like, man, no one wants to learn how to fish, anymore. Everyone wants frozen filets.” February 22. Dense fog conceals the valley, but in the foothills the grass has turned emerald […]
March 1, 2009
Fuzzy Weather
California is nearly first in offering the “unlimited refill” policy at all of the fast food places. In Texas, I have to go back to the counter and purchase a refill for thirty nine cents. It’s not the money so much as the time and effort. But, I forget, they’re more energetic back in Texas. […]
March 1, 2009
Bank Job
I scribble in cramped, hard-to-decipher notes: I’m writing this in the parking lot outside the optometrist’s office near Sutter Creek on February 18. We’re on our way back from the post office and I’ve been asking Lydia why there are so many lawyers, bankers, and insurance professionals in Rotary Clubs. She says it’s because they […]
March 1, 2009
Brazos Night
Down on the Brazos, brown Brazos Laugh! – and feel the mud between your toes. Where last week’s flood rippled, an empty can And an engine hood lie rusting in the sand. Next week or next year, these parts will move downriver, the piece of broken china, the half burned milk carton, the used Band-Aid, […]
March 1, 2009
Boudin Balls
For years I’ve recommended stopping in Holliers in Sulfur, Louisianna. Spend less than two dollars and eat two good boudin balls. These are hot and spicy. They’ve rebuilt after their fire, but can still be found at the sign of the concrete pig north from exit 20. Now, I’d have to say that although Holliers […]
February 28, 2009
Bamboo Cage
Lavender jazz sparkles ice hot. Passion is a lame camel spitting acid juice from fat lips. In my field of dreams a green ox grazes On purple rows of yellow corn. A temple bell tangles with a warbler. Dipping my blueberry Poptart in last night’s martini, I enjoy a malleable feast. The blue-eyed olive I […]
February 28, 2009
Silent Radio
Lately afflicted with dross static cling, I have begun listening to Silent Radio. Elongated early morning hours are spent tuning across bands, catching voice blips broadcast from WDOA in New Orleans, WWAR in Los Angeles, and KLAN from Montgomery. An enlightened driver listens to Silent Radio. Along my way to Reno I pass a jogger […]
February 28, 2009
Puzzle Pieces
Oklahoma, 1952. At first the tassels of corn did not stir, the stalks did not rustle, the bees did not bustle. of water there was none to fuss of. Then Kansas moved where the wild winds blew, settled where the wild winds slowed. There was a lot of Kansas falling in the yard. There was […]
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March 5, 2009
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