Adieu !

I believe it is time for me to bid farewell and to say & type no more thus vanish beneath the underbrush of a quiet moonlit night ....... In other words - I'm gonna lay low for a bit. Blogging is fun but I need to finish my DAG GUM book I started writing two years ago ...

SATURDAY MORNING RANT ......

Pissy, Pissy Pissy !!

Yup, that's my morning thus far. Maybe if I stop and think (hard as it may seem) for a moment perhaps I can uncover the impetus of my sour mood. Hmmmmm, Let see, is it;

Because I didn't run this morning?
The surf sucked and I really wanted to paddle out ?
I have no motivation to study for the stupid LEED exam (don't get me started on this one!)
I'm out of spray cheese and Dr.Pepper (DP = Nectar of the Gods)
I'm surrounded by folks who are spoon-fed their values & intelligence from PR firms & TV
My contact lenses are dried out !
My motorcycle is STILL in the shop (could have one custom made by now!!)
Stone Soup was a bit dull this morning (a comic strip in the LA Times)
I often feel I reside in a society of Veruca Salt's
EVERYBODY STOP TALKING ALL AT ONCE ! (thank you)
I don't wanna study today ... I just wanna lounge around in my underpants & eat snacky foods
Sometimes our actions re-confirm my sick notion that people are simply Darwinism-In-Reverse !
Someone left a mere strip of tissue when it was my turn for the toilet

OR

perhaps I'm just being an ASS ...... No worries, I'll build a bridge and get over it soon enough. In the meantime, does anyone have a pacifer and warm milk ? CHEERS !

Poli Pop

Seems that folks in these parts yesterday (3/5) were really caught up with the Prop 8 issue because of the hearings with the California Supreme Court and it appears the court is on the periphery of upholding the initiative considering that it achieved the required 52% of the votes last November. Seems everyone I encountered yesterday had a strong opinion on the issue. Some were very vocal. Some of the opinions I heard had merit and seemed lucid enough while some were up on their soap box pontificating to any available ear. Candidly, I loathe when folks start in with their half-informed rants when I didn't ask for their opinion in the first place. Anyway, I was continually asked what my position was and where I stand on it. I declined each time I was asked as I didn’t see it necessary to engage in some sort of debate, not to mention they would quickly lose ground with me thanks to years spent on my college Forensics Team. Truthfully, I'd just like to see the end of the media blitz surrounding this issue. So, instead of answering anyone I decided to write my view here since my entries usually go unread. I'm in favor of Prop 8. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Aside from pro-creation, I believe this is it was always intended to be, however I do not harbor any ill feelings towards any person(s) who earnestly wish for a reversal of Prop 8.

There was much debate over inalienable rights in regards to its specific definition towards a specific application. It was pleasing to hear the justices speaking in unison that these inalienable rights are afforded to all citizens through a democratic process in which we the people have the right to govern ourselves though our party affiliation and government leaders we appoint through the voting process. It seems to me that one of the greatest inalienable rights is our right to vote. If Prop 8 is reversed my view would remain the same however I would accept it, without regret, as part of our democratic process.

I sincerely hope this matter concludes soon because it seems both sides of the initiative have fervently spent and continue to spend a considerable amount of money & resources on this issue. Seems to me that that we should apply the same amount of attention on aiding homeless & hungry children, battered women and children and a host of other humanitarian issues where real assistance & resources are greatly needed.

I hope that this is not construed as hateful because I am not. Candidly, I am saddened and very embarrassed by some folks who parade under the guise of ‘Christianity’ and conduct themselves in mean and disrespectful ways towards opponents of Prop 8. ALL folks should be treated with much love, kindness and respect regardless of their views because I don’t recall reading any passages in scripture where Jesus was disparaging towards sinners He encountered.

In the end, though I agree with the Prop 8 initiative I cannot condone the radical things I heard yesterday from a few ‘conservatives' that I unfortunately encountered. With one particular group of folks that I know, they found it necessary to press me for some validation and input but the only response I could muster was “I don’t know about you folks but I recall reading a passage of scripture when Jesus said to the religious leaders of his time; ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone’ Needless to say, a hush fell over this pious group and faces suddenly became somber. It amazes me how the name of Jesus will either cause a storm or calm a storm.

So, I merely smiled, wished them well and went humbly about my day. Gezz, I'm forever a dork.

Painting .....

Standing and deeply gazing at the heavens above,
I noticed a deep and darkened sky peppered with
motionless clouds scattered all about.

First, a radiant orange from the rising sun
aureoles the high-above cumulus clouds.
Then, the vast cerulean sky is revealed.
Staring at the majesty unfolding before me, I gleefully
watched the hand of God, painting beautiful and lasting strokes.
I noticed that my heart beating faster than usual.

At the bus stop, the early morning traffic is rushing
to and fro; a painful reminder that I make my home
in a big city, far from rural & peaceful settings.

The line to board the 6am bus had grown considerably.
They pay no mind to the joyous handy work of God.
IPods, Blackberry's and cell phones have once again
seized a wonderful piece of time; I look again and none
in line seem to notice or seem to care about this unfolding.

Thank you, for I indeed was watching,
feeling and enjoying the sheer goodness
of your every-day blessing.

3am Drunken Bumper Cars

It was an A-typical event occurring on an otherwise typical morning for me. Honestly, I thought about taking the morning off from my customary 3am run however when I rose 2:15 I was wide awake so I figured why not.

I dressed and stepped outside to my truck and noticed it was unseasonably mild. I left my house driving towards the beach and came to the intersection of Center & Grand. As I looked to the left up Grand Avenue I noticed a fast-approaching vehicle traveling west bound. There was considerable distance still between us so I made my turn onto Grand and merged into the left lane. As I peered in my rear view mirror I noticed that vehicle went right through the intersection that I just left which has a 4-way stop. The vehicle came quickly upon the passenger side of me and came awfully close. At first I was scared then it infuriated me that this bastard almost hit me. As it raced by me I noticed it was traveling between 45-50, in a 30-mile hour zone, and remained in the right lane. As the vehicle approached the top of the hill just past the Church I noticed that it was quickly coming upon a parked vehicle. It swerved and clipped the tail of it. I knew something was wrong so I reached for my cell to report this to the police when suddenly I saw it looked as though it was going to plow directly into the back of another parked truck when at the last moment it swerved but still hit the parked truck hard.

He stopped for a moment then proceeded to leave. That's when I came quickly behind him flashing my high-beams in hopes that the vehicle would slow down thus give me a chance to get the license plate number. The driver made a right turn on Eucalyptus without stopping at the stop sign and pulled over. A man approximately in his mid-30's stepped out and came towards my car which by then I was on the phone with the police. His slurred words were "Yeah, shit, I fucked-up". He started to head back to his SUV when I got out and moved aggressively towards him and shouted "Don't even think about getting back into your car. The Police will be here any second and I have your license plate number so you can't escape jerk-off". The Police arrived within 3-minutes and at that moment I thought Shit, what if this ass had a gun and wanted to eliminate me just to avoid being arrested for drunk driving and hit-and-run? Four patrol cars arrived and surrounded both of our vechicles. Shortly after I told them what happened, two cars went up the street to inspect the vehicle's that were hit. The police took the driver off to the side and then began to administer a sobriety test on him. The police took my information, thanked me and said I could go. I looked back at the driver and it looked as though he was about to be handcuffed.

After I concluded my run and was driving home past the area where all this occurred, I again thought, what if this guy had a gun? I could have been killed. While this was a possibility my natural instinct was not one of fear but one of duty. As a citizen of my town I believe it was my duty to report this and help law enforcement in this situation for the betterment & safety of the community where I reside. Who knows what may have happened if I simply let him go figuring he didn't hit me so what do I care and besides, I don't want to get involved. He could have killed himself or worse, killed an innocent person. I especially felt I had to after the horrible accident that occurred early Wednesday morning (1/28) when a police officer going to work was killed in a head-on accident when a 21-year old was traveling the wrong way on the 10-Freeway.

To think that this episode occurred in less of a 5-minute span left me pondering that at any given moment, life can change that easily and that quickly.

Summer of 06'; Fishing at Lake Piru

The aroma of coffee filled the house and at 2am there is no finer scent. I had just pulled the clothes out of the dryer to warm me up a bit before stepping out into the early morning chill. I jumped into my car and headed out to rendezvous with "Suds" and Kevin in the parking lot at work as Suds declared days before that “ We’re Going Fishing ”

Suds and Kev are no strangers when it comes to handling a rod so to them this could be another simple outing to not only enjoy the art of fishing but perhaps temporarily escape the trappings of work or anything else over-occupying their minds. For me however, this was Christmas morning at the age of five just waiting to open presents. Oh I had fished before but it was in a time when I was more interested in my building career and roaming the streets with drinking buddies who believed the most sorrowful words were 'last call' so the essence and beauty of fishing was not yet understood.

We piled the gear into KT’s Explorer and headed West on the 210. With coffee in hand and idle conversation to pass the time, we were going fishing. This part of the trip had a signature similar to that of surfing trips I've taken; early morning starts, fresh coffee, gear loaded and best of all, friends to experience it with. After about two-hours on the road, we reached Piru. The earliest hints of dawn began to show as we drove along the meandering hill-side road which leads to the lake. As planned, we reached the entrance gate at precisely 5am. These gents made it clear; cannot be late for fishing. I firmly believe this to be a byword to any devoted fisherman as well as the entire fishing community. All the arrangements were made in advance so by 5:20am, we were on the boat motoring towards the first hole. When we arrived, dawn was in full bloom and the horizon was painted with vibrant colors of red, pink and a subtle orange to further enhance the background of a gorgeous azure sky. The scent of dawn was intoxicating with its fresh air, the water and surrounding trees. Nature commenced with her day-breaking salutations with the signing of birds, cows mooing, coyotes giving out a few last howls and best of all, a light breeze rustling through the branches and leaves of the shoreline timbers.

KT had a good set-up for me, one that would suit any beginning fisherman. Gosh, I can’t believe that I actually called myself a fisherman. Well, I had a fishing license, a rod in hand ready to cast however I just don’t feel that I deserve to be included into this sacred fraternity, not yet anyway. Dues need to be paid. As Suds and KT were finishing their set-up, I cast first and I must admit it was a pretty good cast. My line drifted slightly beneath a bush that provided sufficient shade from the fast rising sun. While my line lay dormant in this hole, I soon learned that fishing is a matter of patience. The time between my cast and the first nibble on my line was therapeutic. No cell phones, no e-mails, no meetings, no conference calls, no impossible decisions to make. Trivial pursuits have no place or value in this arena and though I recognize my own infancy to the art of fishing, I would be nothing but annoyed by anyone disgracing this piece of time on the water by conducting some sort of business with such menacing devices. Square pegs still don’t fit into round holes no matter how hard one tries.

Within a span of three hours, we hit many holes and had a string of good catches. Nothing too rewarding in terms of size but quantity was plentiful. It wasn’t until mid-morning that I hit a good stride. It seems that within minutes after I cast my line I was hooking onto some good small mouth bass. I admit that a few times I got entangled with the bottom and KT had to cut the line and re-thread my rod. Growing pains. My catch of the day came after one of my better casts which for me was about 10-yards. I sat patiently after I cast and began to feel the mid-morning heat of summer when suddenly I felt a heavy tug on my line. “Dam, I tangled my line to the bottom again !” I shouted from the bow. Suds who was at the stern yelled back “The hell you did, look !” Simultaneous to the sound of my reel spinning freely, I saw the fish breach the surface and a battled ensued. Quickly, KT and Suds shouted to reel it in and pull up on the rod gingerly and don’t jerk it. It was a good size bass and it put up a good fight. I let out some line to give it room for more chase thus extending our engagement. Nothing mattered at this point. All my troubles, my worries, my fears were all but gone in a span that seemed like a life time but was really just a few joyous minutes. I must have worn an ear-to-ear grin because the inside of me was over-flowing with joy. I haven’t felt this much excitement in quite a long time.

I ended the chase by firmly reeling it in. As I stood on the boat looking over my catch on a clear blue warm sunny day, suddenly I had an epiphany. It wasn’t the fish that was truly baited and hooked but it was I. Nature baited me with her unmatched beauty wrapped with wonderful sense of unyielding meekness and finally hooked me with the knowledge that I can commune with her whenever I wish. She holds no grudges and casts no judgments upon anyone. She is blind to our frailties and short-comings.

Although my ruminations of this fishing trip may not have had the same impact on Suds and KT as it did with me, I can honestly say that there are not too many days that go bye that I wish I were back out on the water. The art of fishing requires patience and patience builds character. It seems that fishing will do me a lot of good over the long haul of life. Am I hooked ? In spades; hook, line and sinker !

Raking Leaves

The road ahead is unbent and
I'm steering full-straight however,
My mind is ever weaving, meandering
through a labyrinth of troubled thoughts.

Inside of me it's raining; tear drops that are
laced with unknown worries and fears.
My optics seem hazy with gray skies & no clearing
But when I step outside all is clear and blue.

After a moments shiver and a trick of thought
I commence my day with the usual false projection
that I am content in my duty and dwelling place.

What has seared my mind into such despair?
What is it about the country that beckons me?
Is it its sense of ease and tranquility?
Is it its slower and more manageable pace?
I don’t pretend to think that country life
is not absent of its own hardships but

For now, I find solace in day-dreaming of when
I will leave; Leave this big city and all of its
burdens far behind in exchange for new beginnings

As I once did long ago on a Vermont farm, I hope
to spend the better part of my day under the
warming country sun simply raking leaves;
Quietly and peacefully ...... raking leaves.