Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Hill-Dog
Although I am 100% for Mr. Obama...
This quote from HRC last night really hit home:
“The hits I’ve taken in life are nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country,” she said. “And I resolved at a very young age that I’d been blessed, and that I was called by my faith and by my upbringing to do what I could to give others the same opportunities and blessings that I took for granted.”
This quote from HRC last night really hit home:
“The hits I’ve taken in life are nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country,” she said. “And I resolved at a very young age that I’d been blessed, and that I was called by my faith and by my upbringing to do what I could to give others the same opportunities and blessings that I took for granted.”
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
My Neighbor
I live in a duplex, right in the middle of town. The person on the other side of the house is woman named Sue. She is some sort of nurse but holds no degree, she grew up in town, she is middle aged, smokes, and is very nice. I am pretty sure she is married to a man named Chuck. Sue used to invite me to go trolling for men at the local bar but then Chuck got out of prison so Sue has been laying low.
Chuck is an older cowboy. People tell me he used to own a huge ranch and have a bunch of cattle but he lost it in the 80's. My guess is that he drank it and gambled it away. He is missing a front tooth and chews tobacco and does not spit anything out. He is very polite. He shoveled my walk a bunch of times, he showed me how to fix the power when its overloaded, and always says hello and attempts to engage in small talk. I probably push his limits on this but whatever.
And my house only has one key. My landlord tried to make a copy but the key was so old they didn't have a mold. And the door is really old too so they can't just replace the handle. And the door automatically locks when I shut it. So I have one key. And I have locked myself out a few times. To get back into my house I have to knock on Sue + Chuck's door have them lead me through their house to the basement, turn the lights on, and then wait till I yell, "OK. I'm in." It is pretty embarrassing and has happened maybe 6 times since moving in in October.
Since Chuck doesn't work, or as he says, "Tries not to work." It works out. But I do have slight panic attacks that maybe they could go in their if they wanted. Whatever. I don't think they would and I think they would be unimpressed by my gear. They seem more into TV.
Ok. So the most recent case of me needing to go into my house through the basement was Saturday. I hadn't seen Sue around so I had two friends wait outside. It was just Chuck. He let me in, the house smelled like dog piss, and he sort of chuckled and said it was no big deal. I was pretty uncomfortable and said, "At least you're not scary."
Last night I was heading home around 8:15 from a different neighbor's house. And in front of my house was a drunk man, peeing. Totally gross. At first I thought it was Chuck. But then he introduced himself as Ron and told me about the cowboy dinner he had just had with Chuck. Ahhh. Ron is also missing a front tooth. Or maybe two. And then he invited me in for a drink. I, obviously, declined and went into my house. He then sort of followed me and was excited that I was Chuck's neighbor.
I was in my house taking my shoes off, getting ready to watch The Puffy Chair, when I hear a banging on the door. It was Ron. And he asked again if I wanted a drink and Chuck was there too, looking for Ron. I accepted and said, "Just one."
Highlights of my 1.5 hour convo with the two, washed up, toothless, middle aged cowboys:
Chuck is an older cowboy. People tell me he used to own a huge ranch and have a bunch of cattle but he lost it in the 80's. My guess is that he drank it and gambled it away. He is missing a front tooth and chews tobacco and does not spit anything out. He is very polite. He shoveled my walk a bunch of times, he showed me how to fix the power when its overloaded, and always says hello and attempts to engage in small talk. I probably push his limits on this but whatever.
And my house only has one key. My landlord tried to make a copy but the key was so old they didn't have a mold. And the door is really old too so they can't just replace the handle. And the door automatically locks when I shut it. So I have one key. And I have locked myself out a few times. To get back into my house I have to knock on Sue + Chuck's door have them lead me through their house to the basement, turn the lights on, and then wait till I yell, "OK. I'm in." It is pretty embarrassing and has happened maybe 6 times since moving in in October.
Since Chuck doesn't work, or as he says, "Tries not to work." It works out. But I do have slight panic attacks that maybe they could go in their if they wanted. Whatever. I don't think they would and I think they would be unimpressed by my gear. They seem more into TV.
Ok. So the most recent case of me needing to go into my house through the basement was Saturday. I hadn't seen Sue around so I had two friends wait outside. It was just Chuck. He let me in, the house smelled like dog piss, and he sort of chuckled and said it was no big deal. I was pretty uncomfortable and said, "At least you're not scary."
Last night I was heading home around 8:15 from a different neighbor's house. And in front of my house was a drunk man, peeing. Totally gross. At first I thought it was Chuck. But then he introduced himself as Ron and told me about the cowboy dinner he had just had with Chuck. Ahhh. Ron is also missing a front tooth. Or maybe two. And then he invited me in for a drink. I, obviously, declined and went into my house. He then sort of followed me and was excited that I was Chuck's neighbor.
I was in my house taking my shoes off, getting ready to watch The Puffy Chair, when I hear a banging on the door. It was Ron. And he asked again if I wanted a drink and Chuck was there too, looking for Ron. I accepted and said, "Just one."
Highlights of my 1.5 hour convo with the two, washed up, toothless, middle aged cowboys:
- being offered Franzia Merlot (pronounced merle-lot)
- being offered a vodka + collins mix
- being offered a sip of Chuck's vodka + collins mix
- hearing that Chuck and Sue were getting divorced
- being told to take the maytag because g-dammit Chuck was not going to move it again
- being told that Chuck liked it when I locked myself out
- being told to just come in the side door if no one was home, the door is always unlocked
- being told that Chuck didn't know what I meant when I said he wasn't scary. Then he made a "scary" face and suddenly it was Halloween.
- being told stories about Chuck's claustrophobia
- impressing both cowboys by telling them I could sleep a full night in a zipped up mummy sleeping bag
- getting accused of being a tree-hugger
- being told that Chuck pays for the water heater (his electric bill is double mine)
- being told that Chuck hears my boots in the morning and my guitar picking and singing in the evenings. (I apologized and promised to be quieter and he said, "No, thats your house and your business.)
- Watching both men put in multiple lippers and not spit
- after finishing my merle-lot getting a full glass to take home
Monday, February 18, 2008
Warner Canyon Photos
Here are some photos of Warner Canyon. The local ski hill. It is about 10 minutes from Lakeview and where I've been spending my weekends. These pictures are in no way spectacular but sort of give you an idea of what I see on daily basis. And sometimes off the back of the mountain you can see California's sweet jewel, Mt. Shasta. I also do ski patrol. Sick.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Small Town
Last night was Valentine's Day and I decided to go out. My favorite shop in town (the local butcher) was having a wine tasting from 2-6. It was wonderful, the wine was flowing, I didn't have to fake any wine discussions (I do not have a mature pallet and cannot pick out smokey, fruity, musky....), there was beer, and cheese, and being a butcher shop perfectly prepared meat. I also know most of the folks who work there because its where I spend about 35% of my monthly food stamps. By the end of the night one of the counter ladies was telling me about how she got in a bar fight on New Year's and was locked up in the county jail. yikes.
Each Valentine's Day the local movie theater prints out a full seating of tickets and gives them to the local shops in town to give away. This is supposed to increase traffic in the local shops. It is great because most folks in Lakeview go to a neighboring town 2+ hours away to resupply at Wal-mart or Costco every 4-6 weeks. It really gives everyone a chance to shop local and chat with folks they may not usually chat with. Also everyone loves freebies. The stores that give away the movie tickets also donate gifts for a raffle following the movie. And the movie is promoted as a "Sweetheart Movie."
This year the movie was P.S. I Love You. Being a huge fan of Ro-Cos (romantic comedies) I loved it. I had already seen it when I was in Vermont but it was pretty good and the Irishmen are damn hot... I loved knowing how miserable all the loggers and cowboys in tow were. It is truly a chick flick.
I headed to this movie after the wine tasting. The only other time I had seen so many people gathered in one place in Lakeview was during a football playoff game in November. It was chaos. No one knew what to do. Well maybe I didn't know what to do. Because it was free there were kids, high schoolers, parents on dates, and old folks- a total mix of ages and a true community gathering. The showing went well, the crowd laughed at most of the right places and some of the wrong (sex scenes.)
After the show was the raffle. An older gentleman who looked like a cowboy and probably owned the place went on stage to call out the winners. The prizes ranged from a $10 gift certificate from the local saloon to $30 to radio shack and a gift basket from the butchers. So, the town has a population of 2500. That is less then Wesleyan student body (2700) and more then Vinalhaven in the off-season (1400.) And it seemed that this man and his two assistants did not know a single person they pulled out of the box. I mean I am not sure if they all couldn't read or something but they had no idea who the people were until they came down front. It made me realize that I assumed everyone knows each other here. And I just can't get my head around the idea that this older gentleman, owner of the only movie theater in town, really had no idea who most of these people were.
Each Valentine's Day the local movie theater prints out a full seating of tickets and gives them to the local shops in town to give away. This is supposed to increase traffic in the local shops. It is great because most folks in Lakeview go to a neighboring town 2+ hours away to resupply at Wal-mart or Costco every 4-6 weeks. It really gives everyone a chance to shop local and chat with folks they may not usually chat with. Also everyone loves freebies. The stores that give away the movie tickets also donate gifts for a raffle following the movie. And the movie is promoted as a "Sweetheart Movie."
This year the movie was P.S. I Love You. Being a huge fan of Ro-Cos (romantic comedies) I loved it. I had already seen it when I was in Vermont but it was pretty good and the Irishmen are damn hot... I loved knowing how miserable all the loggers and cowboys in tow were. It is truly a chick flick.
I headed to this movie after the wine tasting. The only other time I had seen so many people gathered in one place in Lakeview was during a football playoff game in November. It was chaos. No one knew what to do. Well maybe I didn't know what to do. Because it was free there were kids, high schoolers, parents on dates, and old folks- a total mix of ages and a true community gathering. The showing went well, the crowd laughed at most of the right places and some of the wrong (sex scenes.)
After the show was the raffle. An older gentleman who looked like a cowboy and probably owned the place went on stage to call out the winners. The prizes ranged from a $10 gift certificate from the local saloon to $30 to radio shack and a gift basket from the butchers. So, the town has a population of 2500. That is less then Wesleyan student body (2700) and more then Vinalhaven in the off-season (1400.) And it seemed that this man and his two assistants did not know a single person they pulled out of the box. I mean I am not sure if they all couldn't read or something but they had no idea who the people were until they came down front. It made me realize that I assumed everyone knows each other here. And I just can't get my head around the idea that this older gentleman, owner of the only movie theater in town, really had no idea who most of these people were.
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