Today was Aviah's birthday, and we went to science central and then had a picnic at Franke Park. There were quite a few bees that would constantly buzzing around our table. I don't mind bees and was fine to leave them alone. The bees began to get on the nerves of Aviah and Smith, and to be honest Andie was terrified so I was trying to catch a bee in my empty water bottle. Rach managed to get a bee and I asked for the bottle. Once I had it I commenced to shake it violently till the bee was deceased.
I was overcome with a great sense of remorse. It was honestly very hard for me for about 10 minutes, wondering why I didn't stop myself and wishing I could take it back. Jaret mentioned that we must have been raised by the same parents because we have the same strong sense of guilt. The more I thought about it I realized that when I swat a fly, or even if I had smacked a bee against the table I would have been fine with it. Something about the violent shaking made it worse. I guess I pictured myself dying trapped in a bottle and shaken until the impact had killed me. I'm sorry bee, I still regret my decision.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Metamorphosis
I was at the mall the other day because I wanted some Panda Express. I walked in and didn't know if it was such a good idea. I was in a mood that some of you will probably understand where you feel very socially awkward and the thought of being around people is hard, and the thought of running into someone you know is akin to purgatory for someone like George W. Bush. I wished I had sunglasses and my iPod so I could have tuned the world out and pretended that I was alone in the mall. But then again, Panda Express sounded very good. I ordered and looked for a table that would isolate me the most, I chose one next to a plant stand and some empty tables. The only person sitting close to me was an elderly woman who was situated as such:
The woman was not eating, just sitting there with her hands folded under her chin and a worried look on her face. I wondered if she was in a mood similar to mine and concerned by the fact that I sat down in a position where we were half-facing each other. As I was in the mood I was in I ignored her and pulled out my book. I glanced up at here from time to time trying to figure out if she was concerned, waiting, lonely, in pain, or some other thing. I don't know. I finished my meal and took one more look at the woman. To my surprise it was no longer a woman sitting there but a man of similar age and in the exact pose and facial expression that the woman had held. I had not seen the woman gather her things and leave or seen the man put his things down and sit. The table was clearly in my peripheral vision and this fact seemed very odd to me. It created in me one of those feelings that something is not right, but you can not point out what it might be, some would call this eerie, myself included. I wanted to leave badly, and did.
I figure they were long lost lovers who had decided to meet at the mall (as it has a carousel and is obviously very romantic) only they didn't specify eastern or central time and thus missed the chance to live the rest of their natural lives in the happiness that comes from true love (bull shit). It would suck to be old, also the plants weren't cacti as the drawing might suggest.
The woman was not eating, just sitting there with her hands folded under her chin and a worried look on her face. I wondered if she was in a mood similar to mine and concerned by the fact that I sat down in a position where we were half-facing each other. As I was in the mood I was in I ignored her and pulled out my book. I glanced up at here from time to time trying to figure out if she was concerned, waiting, lonely, in pain, or some other thing. I don't know. I finished my meal and took one more look at the woman. To my surprise it was no longer a woman sitting there but a man of similar age and in the exact pose and facial expression that the woman had held. I had not seen the woman gather her things and leave or seen the man put his things down and sit. The table was clearly in my peripheral vision and this fact seemed very odd to me. It created in me one of those feelings that something is not right, but you can not point out what it might be, some would call this eerie, myself included. I wanted to leave badly, and did.
I figure they were long lost lovers who had decided to meet at the mall (as it has a carousel and is obviously very romantic) only they didn't specify eastern or central time and thus missed the chance to live the rest of their natural lives in the happiness that comes from true love (bull shit). It would suck to be old, also the plants weren't cacti as the drawing might suggest.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Airlines Lie
I forgot to mention one interesting fact about my trip. After getting into Seattle my luggage did not come out onto the belt. I went to the luggage desk and asked. Their reply.... "Oh yeah, we have that. It came in last night."
I have no idea.
I have no idea.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
All Good Things Must End: Part Five
The kids were 6 and 11, or somewhere close to those numbers. The younger one a boy, the older a girl. As we took off I could tell that the boy was a little bit nervous, and he said that this was his first time flying alone...rookie. I asked the girl if she was nervous and she answered a confident "no", and mentioned how tough she was. They were playing with really cool transformer toys and I was a little bit jealous. As the flight continued the girl told me more about how tough she is by letting me know that she regularly beats up other 4th graders, even the boys. I told her that it wasn't very nice, and she said that it was in fact nice. Oh.
They also had brand new crayons and colored pencils and a transformers coloring book. The girl had a way of shifting rapidly from somewhat of a brat to very sweet. She asked if i would like her to color a picture for me, and she did a very nice job on the charger from the movie. As she turned the page over to color the more complacted transformer on the back she did get a little lazy. After coloring a few parts she looked at me and said she was only going to make a gray mark on the parts that were gray (the whole thing)...after making dashes all over the page, she decided that maybe the spots could be rust? Sure lazy kid, just give it to me. I'll scan the page in and post it later.
The kids then started to ask me if I had seen movies...
"Pirates 3?"
-no
"Fantastic Four?"
-no
"Epic Movie?"
-sadly yes
And then they start to quote some sexual jokes from the movie and something about balls, and not the kind you play sports with.
(insert nervous and somewhat skeptical laughter from brett)
"Something else?"
-no
"Another something else?"
-nope
Then came the shocker...
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre?"
-um, no...wasn't that a little scary for you guys?
"Nope, remember...I'm tough."
(That is not a direct quote)
So these kids watch a lot of movies, and my they grow up fast these days.
As we came in for the landing as much as she tried to hide it I could tell that this was in fact one part of the flight that did frighten the young girl. I tried to ask her questions to keep her mind off her imminent death, and the plane landed safely. They waved a sweet goodbye to me as we left the plane.
There is something of a story in trying to find Messmann's apartment, but it's mainly about a cab driver who didn't know his way around (seems that should be part of the job), and finally getting to sleep in a bed (futon actually) knowing that I was finally really in Seattle (Renton actually).
The End.
They also had brand new crayons and colored pencils and a transformers coloring book. The girl had a way of shifting rapidly from somewhat of a brat to very sweet. She asked if i would like her to color a picture for me, and she did a very nice job on the charger from the movie. As she turned the page over to color the more complacted transformer on the back she did get a little lazy. After coloring a few parts she looked at me and said she was only going to make a gray mark on the parts that were gray (the whole thing)...after making dashes all over the page, she decided that maybe the spots could be rust? Sure lazy kid, just give it to me. I'll scan the page in and post it later.
The kids then started to ask me if I had seen movies...
"Pirates 3?"
-no
"Fantastic Four?"
-no
"Epic Movie?"
-sadly yes
And then they start to quote some sexual jokes from the movie and something about balls, and not the kind you play sports with.
(insert nervous and somewhat skeptical laughter from brett)
"Something else?"
-no
"Another something else?"
-nope
Then came the shocker...
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre?"
-um, no...wasn't that a little scary for you guys?
"Nope, remember...I'm tough."
(That is not a direct quote)
So these kids watch a lot of movies, and my they grow up fast these days.
As we came in for the landing as much as she tried to hide it I could tell that this was in fact one part of the flight that did frighten the young girl. I tried to ask her questions to keep her mind off her imminent death, and the plane landed safely. They waved a sweet goodbye to me as we left the plane.
There is something of a story in trying to find Messmann's apartment, but it's mainly about a cab driver who didn't know his way around (seems that should be part of the job), and finally getting to sleep in a bed (futon actually) knowing that I was finally really in Seattle (Renton actually).
The End.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Islamic Jews Just Can't Get Ahead in Berkeley: Part Four
So it was a night in Denver. I've always enjoyed grocery shopping in the middle of the night because the night culture is so interesting. It used to be a dream of mine to make a documentary about all those who shop at 3 am...find out who they are, what they do, and why they shop so such hours. The middle of the night at an airport is a different think, there is a sense of frustration and desperation in everyone; people frustrated at not being home, missing meetings, and the thought of sleeping on Herman miller. In aimlessly walking around i ran into a man who had sat near me on the flight. He was on hunt for some food and asked me to join, since I had nothing else to do and was hungry I went along. I also figured that someone to talk to would be nice. We wandered to the only open bar/restaurant in the place...Mesa Verde or something. I got chicken, he got buffalo. Yes, buffalo.
It turns out he leads a much more interesting life than I. He was a law student from California who used to be a contractor (i think). He was also a Jew, and his name was Avi. I learned that he was travelling across the country with a friend and his wife. The plan was that his wife fly home from Chicago while he and his friend drive back. Somewhere along the journey the two friends had a falling out and his friend stranded him in Chicago with a note that he had bought a plane ticket for Avi. Avi, being a proud man descended from Abraham refused to take the blood ticket and bought his own. (He was also skeptical that the ticket even existed.) That is how he ended up on our doomed flight to Denver.
A note on his wife: She is Islamic from Iran which according to him makes it very hard for them to travel in the middle east. When going to Islamic countries they don't like him entering, such as Egypt, he was held in customs for a few days (i think that was how long). When going to Israel and Jewish nations they are skeptical of her. Also, he met this woman while on a scuba diving trip in Fiji when she got caught in a current and he saved her life. When I asked if he uses this as bargaining rights in arguments he said absolutely, but it's beginning to wear thin.
After dinner we went to make sure our luggage had in fact been transferred (more on this next post) and then made our way back to the mesa to have a drink or two before we tried to sleep. I learned that he had six cars that he worked on or owned, and these were not clunker cars, maybe Jews really are all rich. I'm not racist, i promise...that was a joke. Or was it? Well, the most interesting story was perhaps his visit to a whore house in Mexico.
It was on another scuba trip and the instructor and he were the only single one's, the instructor could get to be a little much and all the others on the trip gave Avi $20 each to take him to a whore house to "settle him down" (it's for each to assume how he became "a little much"). They got into a cab, he said he had just the thing (hold your hand as an "L" when reading that wielands) and drove to town. Avi began to get nervous when the cabbie drove through town and out into the night. Ten minutes past town and he knew a mugging and desertion were eminent. However, the cab driver proved to be honest and dropped them off at "Pink". The instructor picked his girl and took the cab back to the hotel, although i have a feeling it was a motel. Avi was not forced to waste a few hours at Pink, being forced to turn down numerous Mexican girls with not too numerous teeth. He eventually found a new cab back to the hotel and drank by himself on the beach waiting for the room to be not so vulgarly occupied. When the whore came out, she offered him a go 'round. No thanks, honored though... He kept the money though, so at least he was paid for the experience. That is the end of my story regarding Avi.
I found a semi-dark, quiet place to sleep. It was looking out the windows of the terminal, in front of me was the main hall of Denver airport, the Glowing pseudo-mountain range of fabric and light. For a second I thought this might not be so bad. Then I woke up 40 minutes later sore and freezing. I slept on and off for a few hours and walked to a place farther from the windows, upstairs. I slept better...which is not say very much at all. I woke up early, got a cup of coffee and a double espresso, and waited once again.
When I boarded the plane, i was asked by the flight attendant to play uncle for a few hours for two kids traveling alone; sure, I mean the kids looked sweet.
End of Part Four.
It turns out he leads a much more interesting life than I. He was a law student from California who used to be a contractor (i think). He was also a Jew, and his name was Avi. I learned that he was travelling across the country with a friend and his wife. The plan was that his wife fly home from Chicago while he and his friend drive back. Somewhere along the journey the two friends had a falling out and his friend stranded him in Chicago with a note that he had bought a plane ticket for Avi. Avi, being a proud man descended from Abraham refused to take the blood ticket and bought his own. (He was also skeptical that the ticket even existed.) That is how he ended up on our doomed flight to Denver.
A note on his wife: She is Islamic from Iran which according to him makes it very hard for them to travel in the middle east. When going to Islamic countries they don't like him entering, such as Egypt, he was held in customs for a few days (i think that was how long). When going to Israel and Jewish nations they are skeptical of her. Also, he met this woman while on a scuba diving trip in Fiji when she got caught in a current and he saved her life. When I asked if he uses this as bargaining rights in arguments he said absolutely, but it's beginning to wear thin.
After dinner we went to make sure our luggage had in fact been transferred (more on this next post) and then made our way back to the mesa to have a drink or two before we tried to sleep. I learned that he had six cars that he worked on or owned, and these were not clunker cars, maybe Jews really are all rich. I'm not racist, i promise...that was a joke. Or was it? Well, the most interesting story was perhaps his visit to a whore house in Mexico.
It was on another scuba trip and the instructor and he were the only single one's, the instructor could get to be a little much and all the others on the trip gave Avi $20 each to take him to a whore house to "settle him down" (it's for each to assume how he became "a little much"). They got into a cab, he said he had just the thing (hold your hand as an "L" when reading that wielands) and drove to town. Avi began to get nervous when the cabbie drove through town and out into the night. Ten minutes past town and he knew a mugging and desertion were eminent. However, the cab driver proved to be honest and dropped them off at "Pink". The instructor picked his girl and took the cab back to the hotel, although i have a feeling it was a motel. Avi was not forced to waste a few hours at Pink, being forced to turn down numerous Mexican girls with not too numerous teeth. He eventually found a new cab back to the hotel and drank by himself on the beach waiting for the room to be not so vulgarly occupied. When the whore came out, she offered him a go 'round. No thanks, honored though... He kept the money though, so at least he was paid for the experience. That is the end of my story regarding Avi.
I found a semi-dark, quiet place to sleep. It was looking out the windows of the terminal, in front of me was the main hall of Denver airport, the Glowing pseudo-mountain range of fabric and light. For a second I thought this might not be so bad. Then I woke up 40 minutes later sore and freezing. I slept on and off for a few hours and walked to a place farther from the windows, upstairs. I slept better...which is not say very much at all. I woke up early, got a cup of coffee and a double espresso, and waited once again.
When I boarded the plane, i was asked by the flight attendant to play uncle for a few hours for two kids traveling alone; sure, I mean the kids looked sweet.
End of Part Four.
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