You would think by now...

I would be used to all of this. I am spending today doing some more packing and loading up the van. Unfortunately I am not very energetic, and the fact that it is drizzling at this time isn't helping. For some reason I have a big ball of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. Its not as if I'm new to this. I just blame it on the insecurity of old age.

Other than that I'd like to thank Sally for dinner last nite. Thats not her real name, but seeing as tho she is the strawberry girl it wasn't too far to go from strawberries growing in her mouth to Strawberry Fields to Sally Fields. She also goes by Guided, Miss Guided, but actually she's alright.

So here I am again! "Cats on a tin roof, dogs in a pile. Nothing left to do but smile smile smile" 520 miles from here to Ice Harbor Brewing, Kennewick WA. Stay tuned.

Right now I cant read so well please dont send me more letters no, not unless you send then from Desolation Row

Direct from another bar of chocolate.
Guys save this one for you aniv. or
hearts day...you all owe me for this
hang on...I'll tell you about the time
I got lost in my parents kitchen while
tripping on LSD at some other time.
Man I'm glad I'm leaving this town.
Nothing against the Mormons, but
every time I see a notice in the paper
of something going down at the LDS
temple I get all dyslexic.

OK, here it is. Wait, I'll be back. I lost it
between here and the kitchen. All of
fifteen feet. Alright, here it is

A Magic Moment I Remember

A magic moment I remember
I raised my eyes and you were there
A fleeting vision, the quintessence
Of all thats beautiful and rare

I pray to mute despair and anger
To vain pursuits the world esteems
Long did I near your soothing accents
Long did your features haunt my dreams

Time passed. A rebel storm-blast scattered
The reveries that once were mine
And I forgot your soothing accents
Your features gracefully divine

In dark days of enforced retirement
I gazed upon grey skies above
With no ideals to inspire me,
No one to cry for, live for, love

Then came a moment of renaissance,
I looked up-you are there again
A fleeting vision, the quintessence
Of all that's beautiful and rare

Alex Pushkin


So while typing that Bob was playing on the DVD "Dignity", reminded me of the last time I saw Dusty (see one of my first posts) Not the only Oregonian I was thinking of however.

And yes, I did get lost in my parents kitchen

Just a little something from me to you as I'm knockin on heavens door.

The Cop that picked up a hitch hiker

It was the last leg of a long trip. That morning was the the longest part of. It started in So Cal when my friends dropped me off at the on ramp on their way to work. I had a car but no license so why not let some one else use it. Whenever they would drop me off I would put a dime in my wallet and say "I'll call you when I get back"....

It took me only three days to get from Van Nuys to Milwaukee, but the early morning hitch from Hammond IN to Milwaukee was a trip in itself. It was the only time I had to threaten to stick someone who picked me up, and I had to walk thru a swamp behind a Illinois highway patrol/toll center. A few miles north of the Fib city, I got a ride from Milwaukees biggest hallucinogenics dealer. He dropped me off in West Allis and I did a lot of walking after that.

I was at an on ramp not two miles from where my brother lives today, the Wisconsin Ave ramp. I was beat, and even tho I was only a hand full of miles from my parents house I sat and tried to hitch a ride. Cars came and went. Then one came and stopped, Milwaukee County Sheriff. The lady officer came up to me and asked for my ID. There had been reports of someone walking on the interstate. I explained to her that it wasn't me because I was way too tired. She took my ID and walked back to her cruiser. In my head I was thinking "I hitch 2500 miles to see my family only to end up in jail?" You see, when I left WI I had a little unfinished business...Well at this point I look up at the squad car. She reached back to unlock the rear door and signaled for me to get in.

Un freakin real! I grabbed my back pack and stepped in. She turned and said to me " the sheriffs dept is not a taxi service so don't tell anyone. Where is it you're going?" I told her and she dropped me off about a half mile from my parents house. Of course when I got there no one was home.

Speaking of acid...

TWO WEEKS

Thats right, two weeks and I'm on my way to yet another time and another place. Thats all I have to say for now, other than check out this website www.iceharbor.com

Just an after thought, tho I've known it all along, I finally REALIZED that my van has no rear view mirror. Coincidence?

So while typing that...

...I heard some motorcycles pull up out front. Then I hear a voice, "How long has this van been here?" At this point I thought it best to step outside. Its the cops. The shakes set in. It doesn't matter how long you've lived clean, or if you've always lived a clean life, cops can shake you up.
"Whats up?"
"Is this your van?"
"Yeah"
"How long has it been here?"
"Today or since I moved here?"
"Today"
"Noonish"
They hopped on their bikes and took off. I figure there must have been a hit and run, because one of the boys was looking at mt left front fender.

Didn't I tell you this is a sad ass town? Apparently there is more than one van like mine here. Actually my van is just like Bob, Bob Bitchin. "How you feelin Bob?" "Bitchin"

Next up, the time a cop gave me a ride...while hitching!

More Topanga Carma

Another part of the hitch hikers etiquette is the actual what comes around goes around philosophy, tho not in the merry-go-round of life sense. If you've been picked up hitch hiking you inevitably wind up picking up a hitcher. Again going thru Topanga Canyon, this time starting out at PCH, there was a guy standing on the side of the road thumbing. I was standing at the bottom of a shallow ravine talking to him when he raises his arms waving at a passing pick up. "Come on, I know these people." We hopped in the bed of the truck and were off. The couple up front had some wine, and as often was the case back then, I had some weed. We pulled on to a fire road and went into the canyon aways and partied for a while. They then dropped me off in the valley at that was the end of it.

That was the end of it until I bought my station wagon. (Talk about a vehicle that could tell a lot of stories) So I was headed some where for some reason, and as I turn onto the on ramp I see someone hitching. Instinctively I pulled over. This guy hops in, hey how ya doin, and all the other congeniality's. After getting on the freeway I looked over at the guy. "Hey aren't you..."
Sure enough, he was the guy from Topanga Canyon. What are the odds of that?

And now, more little know facts from Cliff Claven

"Hey Nahmie, did you that there really is a code of the road?"
"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me all about it Cliff."
"Yeah. One rule to the hitch hikers code of ethics is not to snake rides from other hitchers. Doing so can lead to rides in bad carma. Ya get it Nahmie, karma, carma?"

That really is true. No snaking rides. Sometimes you can get to an on ramp, or other good spot to hitch only to find some one already there. The rule, as in any other part of life, is to wait your turn.
I must confess there was a time when I got to a ramp and saw a guy further up. I waited a while, but it just didn't seem like he was going to get a ride fast. So I went to the base of the ramp and quickly got a ride. Up the coast a way I got picked up by this crazy couple in a VW bus. On the other hand, one time I got to the center of Topanga Canyon, headed for the beach, and there stood a couple. So I sat and waited, and waited. Finally! So there I was standing at the intersection of Old Topanga rd and Topanga Canyon hwy. Up to the stop sign pulls a Ferrari. Something inside said "no freakin way, this guys gonna give me a ride". No sooner had I thought that when I saw the guy waving me over. We went no less than 60 all the way to PCH. I just kept staring at the pony on the floor mat. Not the slightest hint of any skid rounding the curves. He gave me the entire history of the car. 1972 Dino 246 GT.....

We get to PCH and he drops me off. As I was walking up up to the beach I passed the guy and his girlfriend I heard him say to her "thats a '72 Dino". I couldn't help but tell him he just dropped me off after having picked me up right after they had gotten their ride.

Not THAT is carma!

How I came to know the great instigator

Half way thru a Chimay Grand Reserve I find myself chuckling for what would seem to be no apparent reason. But picture a six foot, 200 pound man in a diaper sitting at a bar, throwing a tantrum. Due to the size you know it wasn't me, and it wasn't the instigator either. Now I had worked with the GI for a couple of months , but as anyone who has worked with me knows, I take a job to make money not friends. But lets back up a bit.

It was a day in September. A day I'll always remember. I believe it was a Sunday, possibly Monday, or one of the five other days. Just another day at work longing for a beer. I made mention of that to my boss Matt. About an hour later he comes up to me and says "you really gonna go out for a beer? Let me know where you're goin?" Well Matt was your typical bud light drinker and had no idea what he was getting himself into. We both took off early and met up at Flag brew. Not sure what I suggested for him, something light in body but heavy in alcohol. Maybe the Buba. After a few rounds we headed around the corner to the Wineloft. I got him started on some Belgian Tripels and then for a nite cap we had two magnums of the Chimay Grand Reserve. Even before this ol' Matt was in fine form.

At some point Scott, the great instigator, had come in with some friends to celebrate his birthday. He just sat back and enjoyed the show. For the encore, Matt in baby Huey form, grabs the two empty magnum bottles and starts pounding them on the bar. What a sight to behold. The only thing better was the look of bewilderment on Freaky Freddies (the bartender) face. A bit about Freddy. He is a Masshole and a FIB. For the unacquainted this means he lived in Massachusetts and Illinois. He started out as a cool bartender, and wound up as a flamboyant, prancing, arrogant puke. Mister liberal,will lie for a buck, says he is such and such. Wouldn't buy any vintage directly from me yet bought some of my stuff unwittingly from a local shop. He really is deserving of a tortuous death.

The following day at work Scott and I started talking beer, and the rest is a history of buffoonery and mayhem. Needless to say it was ALL instigated by Scott. I was just an innocent bystander. As for Matt, he did make it to work, albeit a couple hours late.

Speaking of strawberry patches

I am not sure if it is still there, but in 1987 there was a big strawberry field across the street from the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater parking lot. Dale and I discovered it one weekend while down to see the Dead. It was there first tour after Jerrys coma. The beginning of the end if you will. Not having tickets for the Saturday we sat behind the fence waiting for a miracle. It arrived in the guise of a security guard. As we started talking I lit up a joint and passed it thru the fence...we were in.

Things got pretty crazy that nite. Hundreds of people who didn't have tickets crashed the fence, and the chain link fell like dominoes. Helicopters were flying over trying to locate the people who were trying to sneak in thru Lion Country Safari. Yes!, they were walking amidst the wildlife. The acid that was floating around was called TV Screen due to the squiggly pattern going across the tabs. (So as I'm typing this the Beverly Hillbillies are on. In this episode they are looking to set Elly May up with Gary Grant. An acid dropper himself, he has admitted to tripping about 65 times) Oh yeah, so the acid...This guy next to us is deep into a TV Screen trip. He keeps saying over and over, "F 'n F, what the F? I'm trapped in a commercial". This went on for a good half an hour. I recently came across some people who are also stuck in a commercial. Now a days it seems as tho 50% of commercial are for some bodily dysfunction. There is one that is for bladder control and it shows the cars rolling down the road pulling trailers with port-a-potties on them. I guess with the potential side effects some took the rolling out house idea to heart.

Now you tell me who's on acid.

The Poll II

Well things have changed since last week. I found out that Bobfest was sold out. So I considered Falbos suggestion and looked into going to Europe. The dollar is so low I would lose twenty cents per. Thats alright tho, I'd rather go to live...and die there. I really don't want to be buried in this dirty American soil. There still are the two options of moving to the Tri-Cities in WA, or a thumb trip. I had initially voted for the Tom Thumb Travel Tour, but changed my vote to the move slot. Not sure why. Old age? Responsibility? In my head? I actually have a map set out of the route I would take would I hitch about. One month, 8 states, 3500 miles in a loop around the western states. Oddly enough, if I where to hitch the path I would like to take I would have been to most, if not all the places on the route. Where as if I were to move to Kennewick WA (home of Ice Harbor Brewery) I would be going to someplace I've never been before.

Either way, as I am accustomed to do, I have been going thru my stuff and dispensing with the unnecessary. Tho two months from now I'll be needing three extra turntables. Why I changed my vote to move to WA I am still not sure. I think what I'll do is apply for some jobs on line, and if I get no hits, hit the road.

Now that I think about it, I think I closed "The Poll" with the question "what would you do?" I know I don't know who all voted what, but I do know that some who voted for this or that aren't ones that I know of, or can imagine hitching here or there for any reason. So, just like america I said your vote counted, and in kind it seems as tho it doesn't. As a great man once said "awe struck, mouth open, its shoved down your throat, they call it a privilege but throw away your vote".