Yep, pretty much. Was driving home from work, long day, tired. Barely paying attention to surroundings, geez use your turn signal willya, that bike rider is going to get creamed, hey look at the pretty snow in that yard, when is that report due?, man I'm going to have to discipline [employee] again, WAIT A MINUTE SNOW??? <hangs a right>
This is the same city where I saw a wallaby in a neighbor's yard (hustled out of sight when I drove past the second time -- I think highly illegal, but that was a damn wallaby, I have no doubt), and a flock of parrots in a tree. Everyday life there was enough to get you thinking you were hallucinating.
<big grin>
I can so imagine that scene - both the LA scene itself and your doubletake on it, driving past and starting.
I somehow missed your earlier post here last month, Soz, but I know that one ... something will suddenly trigger some memory of some other place, and even as you're thinking what in heaven's name it was of exactly, the memory itself associatively triggers another one yet again and it becomes pretty tough to locate 'em exactly. There was that smell there too, there where there was this bend in the road - by that forest, wasn't there a little house there as well? No, darn it, that was somewhere else, some other year again altogether, and I cant put my finger on that one either! Like that.
I miss California weirdness. You see things out there and take little notice that here in the heartland would turn anybody's head. I miss San Francisco especially. Man with tits and prison tattoos? No big deal. Man with dog leashed to nipple rings? Call me if you see something interesting.
A few days ago now, but this was a funny bit here. Was driving up from the south side of town the day after a medium-sized March snow -- just a few inches, but, damn it, it's supposed to be spring now. So, I'm driving, and on the side of the road next the park on the southwest edge of Lake Monona is a snowman holding a sign that says, "THIS IS." Huh, thins I, what is that.
A bit more driving, then another snowman with a sign. "WHAT HAPPENS."
So now I'm on my lookout for the next one. Another 200 yards of road, and yet another sandwich-board snowman: "WHEN YOU."
Another bit of road, another snowman, another sign. "BELIEVE IN."
Now I'm perturbed. I'm very concerned that someone has been amusing me with what's going to turn out to be some sort of message from the religious types who feel the need to put up signs in public just to remind you that you and the rest of the world are on your way to hell. Not a rational expectation, perhaps, but here in the middle of the country these things are not uncommon at all.
So, I drive the next 200 yds, mouth set, looking leerily for the next sign. And a snowman does appear, though I can't quite make it out, and it's slow in coming as I find that I've slowed down to check out the snowman brigade. I'm getting closer now, squinting against the sun. I can make it out... "GROUNDHOGS."
"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU BELIEVE IN GROUNDHOGS."
F'ing brilliant.
Ha!!
Madison.
Sigh... still miss it, though I'm sure my memories of it are now all wrapped up in nostalgia and youth and those were the days and not actually that accurate.
Oh and speaking of the city confusion, I lived a block or two off of Washington (a major street) (DIFFERENT major streets) in three straight cities (DIFFERENT cities.)
Holland must be the only place where a boy will sit on the back of a bicycle and let the girl ride (not me)
...damn it, this isn't the whatmadeyousmiletoday thread...
I read in the news that the squatters barricaded the buslane saturday night (six arrested). Thats around the corner from here! And I missed it! Damn, I'm never gonna get to be in a good riot.
In fact, looks like the squatters are on the war path! I walk by the city hall every morning; today, cleaners had cordoned off the entry area and were busy with their high-pressure spouts. Looks like a paint bomb splattered across the windows and walls. Lessee what'll happen this afternoon when there'll be a symbolic "funeral" of the give-away shop...
you know that there's too little music in your life when you enthusiastically start humming along to ringtones.
Like important messages, farts disappear in large, messy offices.
Another moving one -- it takes a long time to decode the ambient etiquette level. Example: someone says "it's fine." You search for clues. Really fine? They'd say it's fine even if it really really wasn't fine? You come up short.
I wonder if anyone ever thought of strip-paintball yet. Ya know: whatever gets paintballed has to be taken off. Someone musta done it.
I think its too rough. As in, something protective is needed to prevent brusing/ injury (which takes the fun out of stripping, if it never actually gets to the skin-exposing stage...)
Hm. Got a point there. (I havent actually ever done paintball, so I wouldnt know.)
Couldnt they replace the ammunition with something more friendly, but still likely to hit?
The mythbusters guys did something with paintball, one guy shot at the other guy from something like 20 feet away, got him in the gut, shot guy was just wearing a shirt, (well, pants too, no other protection beyond shirt I mean) staggered around in pain for a while and then opened shirt to reveal a very vivid bruise.
I think the problem is getting whatever the pigment may be to the target -- paintball's made for going faaaaaaaar, but a nice game of like Holi-style splattering could work. :-)
Looked up the mythbusters thing, not quite right:
Quote:5) Pain Threshold
In a paintball standoff, the men were to each take one shot at the other, then take a step closer, and take another shot. This was to continue, until one man decided he couldn't take it anymore.
Jamie went first, and hit Adam just to the right of his bellybutton. Adam then hit Jamie in the thigh, and Jamie barely flinched. Jamie's next shot was in the same spot! Adam managed to hit Jamie in the cup. When Jamie shot off another bellybutton shot, Adam said he'd had enough.
Still, it looked pretty brutal.
(last night)
Sometimes I find myself, to my surprise, tense, hands shaking, and even more surprised, I figure out its because I'm realizing I'm happy, or lucky. Its OK now, way things are, really (right now, that is, this moment). Please let it stay that way.
I understand, nimh. I hope it does stay that way for you for a good, long time. Meanwhile, wring every last drop of joy out of these days.
hello from a crowded little hostel in vienna. there are dozens of american kids who seem to have been unleashed after years of captivity, or perhaps it's just the potent austrian beer. life is grand in the fair city of vienna, though adjusting after india is taking awhile. when will you come over, nimh? i shall venture to budapest soon. or or or, even better - i am going to have a party on 10 september in bratislava. my parents will be gone, so you could have a room for the weekend and explore the city. how grand would that be? you could bring anyone (well, one or two pieces) also. think about it!
Are there any others who think Vampyr 5010 is an odd name for a hoover?
