A new adventure

A NEW ADVENTURE

Some of you have traveled with me on my little trips to here and there. A few have even told me that they enjoyed the journey. I’m inviting you to go on another kind of journey with me. This one has an unknown destination. For those of you who require a happy ending, this may not be for you. I’m writing this mostly for myself but if you want to tag along you are welcome. If not, that’s OK too. We all have choices, don’t we?

We have all had that phone call that changes everything. It may be good news, but more likely it is not. We have to sit down and digest the news and think about how the cosmic lottery called life has just dealt us a bad hand. This happened to me last week. The phone call came from my doctor. Here’s a hint: when your doctor tells you about a “mass” he’s not talking about a catholic ceremony. Yup, that’s it. Let’s all say it together “cancer” - what John Wayne called “The big C”. Well, that ruined my whole day! Damn!

I think our first inclination is to keep that news to yourself. I thought about that for about five minutes. I read somewhere a suggestion to keep a journal. I think that’s a good idea. But being the self-centered attention-seeking person I am, I thought “Hey! I’ll do a blog!”. And so I will.

A few ground rules first: I do not feel sorry for myself. It is what it is. I will not accept any sympathy from anyone. Period. Support - sure. Empathy even. No sympathy. please. Next: I have friends who are into alternate forms of medicine. I respect that. Please respect my choices and do not suggest any miracle cures for me. I trust my physician with my life. Next: I am the same cynical sarcastic socialist atheist I was before, so please don’t lay any religious stuff on me. I respect your beliefs but don’t share them. Please respect mine (I do have them). Thanks.

I have friends that I have known for a long time. I have friends I’ve never met. You are all my friends and I value your friendship. Some of you will not want to go to places this blog may take you. I understand that. I will put a link to this blog on Facebook for my virtual friends. You can click on it or not. Today IS the first day of the rest of my life. And yours. Enjoy it. I will.

My September 11 Story

It was a beautiful fall day on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula - not a cloud in the sky. My Sheltie companion Charlie and I were walking in a small park in a small town called Sister Bay. A man approached us across the parking lot and told me he had been watching TV in his motel room. He thought it was a movie about a burning skyscraper, like “The Towering Inferno” when an airplane hit the building next to it and he realized it was not a movie. The date was September 11, 2001 - the day everything changed.

I had left home the previous day on my way to a computer convention in Des Moines. Charlie and I would be spending a couple days with my cousin Bryan. We had come through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and had spent the previous night sleeping in my van in a campground. I had planned to ignore the news for a couple days and just relax and enjoy the journey. It would prove to be difficult.

As I walked back to the van that morning, my brain was filled with many conflicting thoughts. Would the convention still be held? Should I turn around and head back home? What will happen now? I decided to continue my journey and just take one day at a time. I did not turn on the radio. I stopped once for gas and saw many people watching TV inside the store. I did glance at it and saw the buildings burning. I paid for my fuel and left. On the way I noticed long lines at some gas stations. I looked at the prices to see if they were cheap but they were not. It took a while before I realized people were starting to hoard.

 I stopped for the night at a campground just before the Iowa border and the man at the office said “Well the World Trade Center is gone”. After getting to my campsite I finally took a look at TV and saw that plane hit that tower over and over again. That was enough for me and I went to bed.

The convention was canceled because nobody could fly. I did spend a couple days at Bryan’s house before heading back home. On the way back I saw many towns flying flags. My parents generation had Pearl Harbor and December 7 to remember. We have the World Trade Center and September 11. My hope is that future generations will not have a date like this to remember.

ON THE TRIP

I’ve been home for a while now and have had time to reflect on my latest journey. I’ve been asked why I didn’t stay away longer. Two reasons: (1) money and (b) my roommates. I do not live alone. My daily companions are Sadie, a canine and Twiggy, a feline. They are my friends and my responsibility. My thanks to sister Carolyn for keeping Sadie and to my neighbor and friend Joan for looking in on Twiggy. Also, I can eat so many restaurant meals and stay in so many motels, no matter how nice before I start to think about my own bed and my place in the woods and a grilled cheese sandwich at my table.

What I am considering for next year is renting a place for a month or so, probably in Florida. I’d take Sadie with me but I’m not sure what to do with Twiggy. Cats do not travel well and I’m not sure she would be happy anywhere but right here. The jury is still out on Sadie as far as travel is concerned. We have take a couple day trips with mixed results. She’s still quite young and may prove to be a good traveling companion. Time will tell. We may do a trip to the Upper Peninsula later this spring to see how it goes.

But I digress, as I always do. The trip was for the express purpose to do the Road Scholar program in Fernadina Beach which was five days. I spent another five days on the road, coming and going. As you should know by now, I don’t like freeways and sprawl and much prefer the back roads and old highways. William Least Heat-Moon called them “Blue Highways” in his wonderful book of the same name. It’s sort of a later-day “Travels with Charley” but without Charley. They are called blue highways because that is the color of secondary roads on the map.

In recent years I have flown to some destinations but I find the experience unsatisfactory. Being stuffed into an aluminum tube with a hundred other people after being treated like sheep and examined for contraband is not really my idea of having a good time. I’m funny that way. Besides, I think the journey is part of the total experience. I like to see the subtle changes in the climate and topography along the way. To see mountains loom in the distance from your windshield is to anticipate an adventure. I’m curious to see what is around the next curve and over the next hill.

I’ve been going south in the spring for many years. I like the climate and I like the people. There really is such a thing as southern hospitality. I think that have done a better job in preserving their culture and history than we in the north have. I especially like places that preserve some of the old south. I also think they have done a better job of integration than we have. I lived in the segregated south briefly back in the 50s. To go into a small town cafe and see blacks and whites together still gives me a thrill, knowing how conditions used to be.

There are still places, even in Florida that still are not overrun with tourists and condos and theme parks. I hate all that crap. I will not tell you where they are because I want to keep them a secret but you can find them if you look hard enough. Places where there are mom-and-pop cafes and motels and two-lane highways and a quiet dignity and charm that is uniquely southern. Those are the places I seek before they too disappear under the Walmarts and malls and fast food joints. That’s why I travel south. That and the spring weather. But don’t ask me to go there in summer!

Okefenokee Swamp

Yesterday to we took a bus up to the Okefenokee Swamp where we had a boat ride back into one of the areas of the huge park, which is the size of Rhode Island. We also took a walk on a 3/4 mile boardwalk back to an observation tower.

This morning I'll be checking out of my very nice room and it's back on the road, headed north. I'll be traveling the back roads of Georgia today, looking for more old buildings and stuff.

Today we took a trolley ride to a boat ride. The boat ride was around the island, which is surrounded by wilderness, mostly salt marshes and little island called hammocks. After the boat ride we had a nice lunch at the Harborside Grill. We got the afternoon off and I took a well-deserved nap. Tonight's dinner is a cookout at the hotel but I have a hankering for seafood so I think I'll skip the cookout and walk down to Slider's on the beach, which is about a block away. I hear they have real good margaritas.

HOLD THE FORT!

Today we took a trolley ride around the island and to the historic district. We had lunch at a local cafe and had time for a little shopping in the town. After lunch we visited a Civil War era fort and were given a guided tour by a reinactor who was very entertaining. Tomorrow we take a boat ride around the island and get a free afternoon. I plan to drink.

FANCY DIGS

After staying at cheap motels on the way down here, I was very surprised when I opened the door to my hotel room here at Marriot Residence Inn on Amelia Island. I don't normally comment on lodgings but I'll have to make an exception in this case. Simply put, this place is awesome! I might not ever go home except for the dog and cat I left behind.

Also you will notice that I'm using a different blog. This is one I had before on Blogger. I'm hoping it will work better with FB. Bear with me as I experiment.....

SUMMER OF LOVE

Much has been made in the media about this being the 40th anniversary of the so-called “summer of love” in San Francisco in 1967. This is my recollection of that time.

First, a little background: I was 24 years old. My first marriage had ended in 1965. I returned to my home town of Lansing, Michigan and got a job at Oldsmobile division of General Motors. (Lansing was also the home town of Oldsmobile, which has now gone the way of Packard and Studebaker and Nash. But I digresss….)

After working on an assembly line for a year and a half, I was not fulfilled. This was not the career path I wanted. (In those days, one could easily quit a job and get another one). A friend had moved to San Francisco and was writing me letters, telling me how cool it was out there and inviting me to come and join the fun. I quit my job and packed my Triumph Spitfire, tying an ancient 9x9 canvas umbrella tent on the luggage rack, and drove west to find my future. It was May 1, 1967.

The trip took eight days, with stops at the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yellowstone and the meteor crater in Arizona. I moved in with my friend and her friend – the only one with a job. I had arrived.

I stayed in San Francisco for three months, looking for work. I didn’t find any. There were so many people pouring into the city and so few unskilled jobs. There wasn’t much call for an ex-autoworker. We lived on welfare peanut butter and cheese.

I spent quite a bit of time on Haight Street that summer. It was a zoo. Tourist busses were driving down the street with people taking pictures of the freaks. (“Freaks” was a positive term in those days). There were free concerts in Golden Gate Park. I saw Jimi Hendrix there one day, right after the Monterey Pop festival. There were lots of local bands that played free concerts. I saw Janis Joplin with Big Brother – the worst band I ever heard. Country Joe and the Fish played everywhere. Pot and acid were passed around like candy. It was a lot of fun.

All good things must come to an end however. I ran out of money. I couldn’t get a job. I had worn out my welcome with my roommates. I was homesick. The scene on Haight Street was turning ugly. Fights were breaking out. Hell’s Angels were showing up. The real hippies took to the hills. And – oh yes, they tried to draft me into the army! That was not the career path I wanted either and I managed to convince them they didn’t really want me either. (There was this place called Viet Nam…..).

Right when I was running out of options, I received a registered letter. I thought one of my creditors had finally found me. When I opened the envelope, there was a check from my mother and a note that said to use it for whatever I wanted. It paid for gas for the drive back to Michigan and to my career path as an autoworker for the next 30 years.

FILM FEST ‘07

The giant inflatable screen down at the Open Space has been deflated and put back in the truck. The Traverse City Film Festival is done for another year – its third. I worked the warehouse last year and only got to see one movie, so I took this year off so I could join the crowds at the screenings. I managed to see 5 movies at three of the five venues. Here’s a short synopsis of what I saw and my opinion on each.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE:

Kurt Vonnegut’s time-shifting novel comes to life in the 1972 production. I have seen this movie on TV, but never on the big screen. Vonnegut was in Dresden, Germany as a prisoner of war during the allied firebombing and the event becomes a central issue in the film. Some people find the non-linear timelines confusing, but I had no trouble following along. An anti-war black comedy, this film is a classic but not everyone’s cup of tea.

NO END IN SIGHT:

A searing indictment of the Bush administration’s bungling of the occupation of Iraq with interviews with former pentagon and state department personnel who were there during the planning stages. Many disagreed with the Bush/Chaney/Rumsfeld positions but were ignored or derided. A primer on how not to wage a war.

IN A LONELY PLACE:

A 1950 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart as a hard-bitten screen writer in Hollywood . A bit too melodramatic for my taste, nonetheless it’s always fun to watch Bogie work his magic and he’s true to form here.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON:

A British documentary about the American Apollo space program. Most of the men who went to the moon were interviewed and they had fascinating things to say, especially Collins, who was the only member of Apollo 11 who did not walk on the moon. These men are in their 70s and 80s now and their insights are very interesting. These are the very few people who have ever seen earth from another celestial body. Pretty special stuff…….

MIKE’S SURPRISE:

On the final night of the festival, founder Michael Moore always presents something special and nobody knows what it is until he shows it. This year it was some scenes that had to be removed from “Sicko” because of time restraints. (Michael believes that no movie should be over two hours). The clips he showed were entertaining and uplifting and his rapport with the audience was remarkable. He basically had a conversation with the crowd for three hours and showed some of his “home movies”.. He held 600 people in rapt attention with many bursts of enthusiastic applause and laughter. An unforgettable evening with a master storyteller.

Festivus

It's festival time in Northern Michigan. Traverse City just had the National Cherry Festival and next week hosts the Traverse City Film Festival for the third year. I worked as a manager last year but have taken this year off to see some films. I have tickets for 5 movies over two days next week. Check back for my reviews later.

Yesterday I attended a bluegrass festival at the Springfield Recreation Area near Fife Lake, about 20 miles south of here. The admittance was free as were the refreshments. (Donations were suggested). Quite a change from the $25-$35 that most festivals charge. I caught up with old friend Lyle Birchman, who plays harp with Bluegrass Revival, a gospel group. It was great to see and hear him again. The show was stolen by a bluegrass band from these parts called Detour. If you like bluegrass, check this band out! They can flat-out play! I bought their CD and it's very good.

I'm hoping to take in at least one more music fest this summer. This area is really hot with concerts and festivals and there's nothing like parking a lawn chair in the shade and listening to some pickin' and singin' to feed your soul.

I'm catsitting this week for some friends who are travelling. George is a nice cat and he loves company - especially when he knows I'm there to feed him.

the sting

After weeks of relative laziness, I decided to do some work in the yard this morning. As I was moving a burning barrel that I have not used for a long time, I became aware that it was now being used as a home for hornets. Or maybe they were wasps. I didn't spend much time studying them as they were attacking me, stinging my head, hands and arms. I haven't counted, but I estimate they got me about 15 times. I reacted the same as they do in the cartoons, running and slapping myself wildly, losing my glasses in the process. It probably would be funny to watch, but my sense of humor was out of order at the time.

I got to the house and put ice on the stings (they burned) and went back to look for my glasses. (Once again, this might have been humorous - a blind man looking for his glasses.) I found them without stepping on them and beat another hasty retreat to the porch where I nursed my wounds with more ice. In a short time I developed a major headache and my body itched literally from head to foot. I sat and waited to see what other strange symptoms might develop before calling 911, but fortunately there were none and I have survived.

I will wait until after dark to exact my revenge with a can of wasp killer. I generally believe in live and let live, but this is war!

......and no more yard work!

back from the dead

I'm BAAAAACK! I just burned out on politics and the so-called "war" that I had nothing left to say on the subjects. I've found if you have nothing to say, don't say anything. So I took some time off. Nobody wants to read my rants anyway, so why bother.

So I've made a decision. I'm going to start this blog again, but with much less emphasis on politics and more on other stuff, like my life in general - kind of an online journal. Once again, nobody will much care but I don't care if they don't care - so there!

Last weekend I traveled to Detroit to see the Tigers play in Comerica Park. I used to get down to old Tiger Stadium back in the 80s but have never seen the new ballpark. The Tigers had just returned from the Twin Cities where they swept the Twins and were leading the American Central division. They hosted the KC Royals who live in the basement. So how did the game come out? The Royals stomped the Tigers 10-2. How embarrassing! Kenny Rogers pitched batting practice for KC and the Tigers couldn't hit their pitching. Oh well, it was fun anyway. I stayed at the Marriott in the Renaissance Center. It was a good trip.

I stopped on the way back to visit some family and that was good also. I stayed a night with my sister Carolyn and her man Ed and took them and other sister Marilyn and Skip out to breakfast on Sunday morning before returning home and picking up the dogs from the vets. Both dogs were groomed and they look and smell a lot better!

The summer has been good. I've not really done much, just stayed around home and hung out. I've decided not to return to my library job in September. I like being retired. I'll still do the occasional computer job, but I'm not looking for any more work. I'll be 65 this year and it's time to sit back and enjoy the rest of my life.

POLITICS OF DIVISION

There are those among us who would divide us: black against white, young against old, Christian against Muslim, straight against gay, red state against blue state Republican against Democrat. National security, unemployment, poverty, injustice, energy independence, environmental issues and economic solvency are but a few of the problems we face in the 21st century. As long as we fight against each other, we waste valuable time and energy that should be applied to working on solutions that would benefit us all. Never before has the old saying “United we stand, divided we fall” be more applicable.

When we are united in a cause we can prevail, be it a revolution, a world war, a space race or a civil rights movement. Together we can do anything. Let’s all stop and take a step back from our entrenched positions to consider the other guy. It’s not always a case of one side being right and the other side being wrong. Politics is the art of compromise. Screaming at each other is not communicating. In the words of Bob Dylan “Everyone’s talking but nobody’s listening”. Let’s all talk a little less and listen a little more. It starts with you and me and how we treat our neighbors. Wage peace.

SUPPORT THE TROOPS

I have a bumper sticker on my car that says "I support meaningless jingoistic cliches". It's my answer to all those "I support the troops" stickers and magnets I see on other vehicles. Have you ever seen one that says "I don't support the troops"? Of course not, because everyone supports them. What the support stickers are really saying is "I support the war". Well, I don't, but I do support the troops. In fact, I supported them to the extent that I was against sending them to Iraq in the first place. How much more supportive can you get?

I have an idea: let's send everyone with a "support the troops" sticker over to actually support the troops. Not necessarily combat (although it's not a bad idea), but in support jobs, like feeding them, doing their laundry, etc. This would save a lot of money that is now going to Halliburton, who is overcharging outrageous fees for this kind of work and give all those "supporters" something to actually do instead of putting those stupid signs on their cars. They could live in the same conditions that the troops do and get a good feeling for the situations that we are putting these young people in. It's oh so easy to say you support them - how about actually doing it?

The line forms on the right.....

WHAT THE.....???

I give up! It seems the more crap comes down the less anyone cares. I have nothing new to rant about - it's just more of the same. They used to call Reagan the Teflon President because nothing seeemed to stick to him. Even though I did not agree with his politics, he at least was somewhat charming and intelligent, unlike the slug now occupying the white house. What do these people have to do in order to get their asses handed to them? If Clinton had pulled half the stupid stunts Bush has he would have been lynched. Where is the outrage? Is the entire country on Prozac?

I may be more upset with the Democrats than with the GOP. It's the Dems job as the opposition party to call attention to this crap and to put forth some alternative ideas and stimulate some discussion. Where are they? Are they waiting for the GOP to self-destruct so they can just waltz in and take over? I don't think it works that way. Even some Republicans are openly disagreeing with the president due to his poll numbers being somewhat lower than bin Laden's. I can't name one Democrat that I would vote for in 2008 - can you?

In the meantime, the country continues to slide toward third-world status behind India and China. We are mired in the mess we have created in Iraq with no end in sight. The NSA and FBI are spying on us and our ports are not secure. The so-called "war on terror" is a disaster and we have abandoned the people of the Gulf Coast who desperately need our help. Yet the president and his lackeys assure us that everything is wonderful and we just need to "stay the course". I believe that was the order from the captain of the Titanic just before it hit the iceburg.

I keep thinking that maybe I'm overreacting, that maybe things are not so bad as they seem. Maybe I'm just a cranky old man who thinks the world is going to hell, like my grandfather was back when I was a kid. ( There may be some of that). Maybe it's always been this way and I just wasn't aware of it. Maybe it's because I was a young adult in the 60's when we thought we could change the world. Maybe I'm supposed to feel this way at this stage of life (It will make dying easier). Maybe I'm out of touch with reality. Maybe this too shall pass.

What the.....???

THE AWFUL TRUTH

I recently purchased the boxed set of “The Awful Truth” – the Michael Moore TV series from the Bravo cable network. Produced in 1999 and 2000, the 24 episodes are an example of what television can be in the hands of someone with creativity and originality. The fact that this series actually made it to anyone’s TV screen is miraculous, since he actually discusses serious political and social problems and gives his views on how that can be addressed. (Incidentally, all the issues covered in the series are still with us and more serious than ever). Moore infuses serious subjects with humor in order to make them more accessible, but make no mistake – this man is serious!

Among the subjects covered in this amazing series is homelessness, civil liberties, Iraq (before the invasion), racism, politics (of course), outsourcing, immigration, school shootings, NAFTA, agribusiness, corporate crime, health care (or lack thereof) and gay rights. Among my favorite episodes is Moore’s running a ficus plant for congress, the “voice box choir”, Crackers the Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken invades Disneyland, Moore gets ejected from corporate offices and the “Sodomobile” episode is worth the price of the set alone.

In my personal opinion, Michael Moore is in the company of Will Rogers and Mark Twain as a humorist who focuses our attention on the hypocrisy and corruption of our time. There are some who say Moore hates this country. I consider him a patriot of the first order. This is a great country, but we could be so much greater if we addressed the serious social problems we face. Moore points the way with humor.

Thanks, Mike!

HERE WE GO AGAIN

It has started - the rush to disassociate with Jack Abramoff, the super-lobbyist. Suddenly, everyone in Washington, D.C. is getting a case of instant ethics. They will try to paint Abramoff as a rogue and a scoundrel and will swear they never met the man. They will talk about how the system needs reform and will introduce bills in both houses to "clean up the mess". And then after the smoke clears and the headlines go on to the next big thing, it will be business as usual.

This happens every 20 or 30 years when the corruption erupts from under the table to the streets of our capital. It will go on as long as power corrupts and money talks. Money IS power and you can't get one without the other. Want to get a message to your congressman or senator? Hire a lobbyist. Never mind that he or she is supposed to be representing us. Forget all that "For the people....." stuff. That's just for high school civics class. We know how it works, don't we?

So settle down in front of your TV and watch the circus. See politicians scramble to explain that golf trip to Bermuda or that new car. See them all on the Sunday talk shows playing the blame game and pointing fingers at each other. It would be funny if it were not so tragic.

Am I cynical? You bet. I've heard and seen it all before. If I live long enough I'll see it again. Excuse me - I think Im going to be sick........

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

I've started out the new year by joining the Green Party. This is not to reject my Democrat friends who are earnestly trying to reform their party. I wish them well. I just cannot see my way through all the bullshit that has accumulated over the decades of corruption and infighting. I have lost heart for the eternal struggle that is the Democratic Party.

Why Green? A simple answer, really. They do not take corporate money. Period. That alone is enough to support them, but there are many other reasons. I'll not bore you with the details, but if you are interested, see their web page at www.gp.org.

I have no illusions about the Greens becoming a force in national politics anytime soon. They are still working at the grassroots local level, which is where you have to start. I know some people blame them for taking votes away from Democrats in recent elections, but you must ask yourself why so many people have lost trust with the two major parties. Until we divorce big corporate money from elections, we'll have only rich people or whores as candidates and we deserve so much more than that.

However you decide to do it, join the fight to save our country from the Grinches of the world. It's a country worth saving. Your grandchildren will thank you for it.

Happy New Year

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Since when did the innocuous phrase "Happy Holidays" become an attack on Christians? How narrow-minded and self-absorbed to you have to be in order to take offense at that phrase? The last time I looked, there are multiple holidays this time of year: Christmas, New Years, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. Instead of listing a multiple choice, we just say "Happy Holidays".

I'm getting very tired of the so-called "Christian Right" whining about how they are being persecuted. When it comes to Christmas, let's not forget that the early Christians stole the holiday from the pagans in the first place. Shepards do not abide their flocks in December in the Holy Land. Jesus was probably born in the spring. Our observance of Christmas coincides with the winter solstice, which the pagans celebrate to this day (another holiday).

The pilgrims did not observe Christmas because they thought it too festive and they were very un-festive people, apparently. In fact, penalties were imposed for those who did observe the holiday. So much for "keeping Christ in Christmas". It's a cultural observance as well as a religious one. Our retail world depends on the season for a large part of its annual income. Santa is a secular icon who personifies the season of giving. One does not have to be Christian to observe Christmas.

If you are a Christian, you are free to worship as you please. Nobody is preventing you from your beliefs. We who are not Christians would appreciate the same respect.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

RICHARD PRYOR

I don't mean this to be an obituary column, but I can't let Richard Pryor's passing go without comment. They are calling him a comedian on the news, but he trancended that category. He was nothing short of brilliant and he changed the world of entertainment forever. His electric performances were part therapy, part exorcism of his personal demons. He demonstated the relationship of comedy to tragedy more than anyone since the Greeks. I can't think of anyone else who could take an embarrasing event in his life and make you laugh until you cried. He and I shared a birthday with Woody Allen and Bette Midler and I always felt that I knew him personally. His battle with MS has been lost, but I can always play "Richard Pryor on Sunset Strip" on my DVD player and he will live forever. Thanks, Richard for pointing out that we all are human and make mistakes, but if we can laugh at ourselves we can survive.