The Daily (W)Rite November WK 4

The Daily (W)Rite

wk o4

Sunday

 

I just had to laugh and get a picture of this sign on The Earth's front door. What is "The Earth" you may ask, and I might answer your question with  something like: "The Earth is one of those health food stores with lots of exotic vitamins, "organically" grown food (I think), a bakery, hot "organically" grown coffee (probably not), and,oh, yeah, it's also a restaurant of some kind. It must be sort of like my mom's kitchen . . . if you cut out all the bad things mother use to put in our food to make it taste . . . good."{smile}

Okay, I'm taking a break from my wicked thoughts to concentrate on the earthquake I'm experiencing . . . Phew! Glad that's over. I'm telling you, I have experienced more earthquakes in the three years I've been back in Oklahoma than I ever experienced in the twenty-five years I lived in L.A. Okay, the quakes are taking a break. Back to my original story:

Forget what I said above about The Earth being sort of pretentious. I was just trying to be funny. It's actually a very nice, homey sort of breakfast/lunch place, and the food IS really great. But as I said above, I did have a good laugh at the door sign:{heart}Please, NO SMOKING W/in 100 feet of The Earth {heart}

I admit it. I was confused for a second. Was the sign talking about The Earth restaurant/organic grocery store, or did the sign pertain to THE Earth! If it was the former they were talking about, I can understand the concern and have no qualms about abiding by the owner's wishes. However, if they meant (and remember this is a nature loving, free Willie, type of place so this isn't that big a stretch) the latter . . .  well, I have a few question about that.

1. Do you mean if I want to smoke I have to hover 100 feet OFF the ground to do it?
2. Or do you mean by "THE Earth," you meant that also includes THE Earth's breathable atmosphere?
3. Are you saying that the only place I can smoke (in your opinion) is in outer space?{heart}

I don't smoke anymore. But I did find this sign a bit funny and a bit pompous. I know, how bad smoking is for the smoker AND the nonsmoker. However, it's not against the law to buy cigarettes, why should it be against the law to "smoke 'em if you got 'em"?{heart}

 

 

 

 

The Daily (W)Rite November WK 3

The Daily (W)Rite wk o3

Sunday, 3:o2 AM

As is usual for David and I, we went to 2nd Friday Art Walk in Norman, Oklahoma. Wasn't sure we would make it because of how cold it was. Being old seems to not mix well with freezing weather. As a matter of geriatric fact, the hot Oklahoma summer ain't our best friend either. Anyway, we were able to spend a few hours on Main St. looking at the art. I took a few pics of some paintings and what not in the main gallery. I got a pretty neat one of David and an unusual art piece on display. I posted it on the Book of Face and here, of course.

When we walked in the first person we ran into was this woman who I had an obsession with back in the day. She came up to David and started talking, saying something like, "Why do we keep bumping into each other? It makes Woodie very uncomfortable." I rolled my eyes and told David I was going "over there." I don't know why I can't forget shit that happened a long time ago. I just have always carried  grudges for longer than is necessary. I mean, I don't have feelings for this woman anymore . . . I think. I guess I just don't like her. I know. Not very good for my karma to just not like somebody. I am working on that fault in my "character." {SMILE}

I love taking pictures at night. It's challenging to get shots without using a flash. But I think I figured out how to do it. First you gotta get the settings on the camera just right, the shutter and ISO speeds. Then you have to make sure that when you're shooting outside on the dark streets that you wait for the subject to come into the pools of light created by the street lamps and/or the light spilling out of the shop window. This one, on the left, is one of the best shots I got on Friday night. There's another one I shot that uses the darkness even more that this one, and that is the tricky part. It's not just lighting that you have to be aware of. You need to use the darkness too, 

to create some ambiance. Hee! Yeah, I like that word, "ambiance." It is, however, somewhat too fancy for me to be using. This one (again, on the left) IS my favorite shot of the night. It was a real lucky shot. I did do some editing to it, but that's also a part of the fun, working with an editing program to fix the little problems that develop when shooting in lowlight. After a half hour of walking around on Main St., my hands started to ache from the cold. I could tell by David's breathing that he too was ready to call it a night. So, we did.

12:30 PM

The first snow of the season arrived early this morning. No fanfare, no blast of artic air to signal its arrival just a thin coat of white greeting me when I finally woke up and raised the blinds. It was a surprise. A pleasant surprise. I may have actually smiled when I saw it. Not that I love snow or the cold weather that accompanies it. I don't like the cold at all. It was just-- I woke up in such a sad state of depression . . .and then to open the blinds and having that little bit of white staring at me
. . . for a moment, a very brief  moment. . . I felt . . . happy? Well, let's not get carried away. I wouldn't know "happy" even if it came up and bite me on the nose! Let's just say I didn't feel quite as depressed as I normally am when I first get up, when I crawl out of sleep and into this uncomfortable reality. I may have smiled a bit but nothing more.

The snow is still falling. Again, not raging in any way, just falling, drifting, swirling gently to the ground, and onto the slanted roof that covers the front porch of my apartment building. Those snowflakes that are unfortunate enough to land in street are instantly disintegrated, reincarnated into water, into a mishmash of rain puddles. I feel sorry for them, I truly do. Very little time on this Earth did they have before they changed into something lesser than a snowflake. Don't get me wrong. I love rain. Many of my favorite days are rainy days. But let's face the harsh truth. There's something regal, refined, elegant about snow. Whereas rain? More working class, rain is. Yes, rain is sturdier, more utilitarian, more earthly than heavenly. Rain is something you make love in . . . snow you snuggle up with (and perhaps gently kiss) the one you love as you both watch it fall majestically to the ground. Yes, rain is useful, and snow is pretty to look at. I play my blues albums when it rains. But when it snows . . . a Christmas carol seems more appropriate.

Wednesday, November 19, 2o14

In October I went to Walgreens Pharmacy and received my annual flu shot. Early November had my first appointment with my new primary doctor, Shelby Lucas, MHS, PA-C, for an old person checkup and she talked me into getting a pneumonia shot, and a week later I came down with this horrible head cold! :aid me out really hard. Been in bed for the last two days! I am finally getting over it, but it surely hammered away at my sinuses, and I was coughing all night. When I was able to sleep for twenty minutes or so I would continue to cough in my dreams! It was a mess. I've always taken wellness for granted . . . until I catch something, or break an arm, or just feel lethargic . . . walking around like one of those three-toed sloths.

I'm looking for something to inspire me to write. Yes, lately I've been NOT creative. I found this book "on-the-line" that piqued my interest, About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang by Adam Frank. I mentioned to David that I was interested in finding About Time . . . and one week later he hands me a copy of it. He got "on-the-line" and bought it for me. He does that a lot. Anyway, I just started reading it today, and already it's inspiring me. Time! Lots of poetry to be written about time.







 

The Daily (W)Rite November WK 2

 

 

Sunday, 2:o5 PM

You know, I'm thinking that I procrastinate on the writing "everyday" because I'm afraid that I won't write something worth the readers time. Damn! I break my own rule! Artists shouldn't spend much time worrying about whether people are going to appreciate their work! They showed be singularly focused on the work right here in the fingertips and not the frigging outcome! The work will be whatever it will be and people will judge it based on whoever is viewing it at any given time! Sorry, I just watched Interstellar this weekend and a got all this Quantum Theory mumbo-jumbo freefalling through my brain cells . . .  or are they STRINGS of consciousness? Hee!

Went out the other night and took a few "night shots" around The Corner. That's one up there above. I love taking candid pictures of people as we walk or drive around Norman Town. Is that creepy? I don't feel creepy doing it . . .well, no more creepy than I usually feel. I don't like asking someone if I can take their picture because then you get this forced smile and stiff pose. Not all the time, though.

Sometimes you just need to say, Give me some "TUDE" and you get all kinds of crazy, wonderful stuff like this shot to your left (no, your other LEFT! Hee!) that I took up in Tulsa during their First Friday Art Walk.

Let's be honest. When folks are just walking around town they usually have that Zombie/noncommittal look on the face as if they weren't really present, as if the mind had left their bodies and their bodies are functioning on autopilot. People! When you are walking down the street, be present . . .  IN your body! Explore the world of sidewalks and trees and store fronts and weird, little old men snapping pictures of you! Get off your cellphone, take the iPod ( or whatever that damn thing is) out of your ears and HEAR the world you are presently in! Smell it, taste it on your breath . . . just be in it!

Okay, enough of my sermonizing for today. maybe I'll write a little more later on. I hope I do, and I hope you do too! {SMILE}

Tuesday, November 11, 2o14

Well, both my Marine Corps birthday and Veterans Day snuck up on me. Fortunately, my Facebook friends were on point and made sure I "woke up" to both occasions. Particularly, the Marine Corps Facebook page gave me the heads up on its birthday celebration!

I believe it's important to remember certain things especially those events that have had a hand in shaping your life. Whether it is for the better or not, being in the Marine Corps and going to Vietnam has a lot to do with who I am as a person and an artist.

So, David showed me a website last night that had all the restaurants in Norman town that offered "FREE MEALS FOR VETERANS." "You want to go?" David asked. My response, "HELL YEAH!" Because there were so many local eateries that were offering free food to vets, I thought it would be a great idea if we hit as many as we could! I mean, just start eating at every location until . . . well, until we couldn't eat no more. But on second thought . . . that would sort of be like cheating, you know?

But where to go for lunch and get the best "free" deal we could. David had his heart set on attacking Zoe's Kitchen . . . but we couldn't find it! What to do? David got on his cell phone while he was driving. He dialed the number to Red Robin's (Yum!) and tried to hand me the phone. "What the hell you want me to do with that?" "Talk to the person at RR's and ask what they are giving the vets to eat!" "Don't hand me that damn phone! You know I don't know how to use it." With a sigh, David pressed send and talked to RR's. Nope, no good. All Red Robin's (Yum!) was offering was one kind of burger! What the hell, man? One kind of burger?! What? Am I in Russia? Much better was the selection at Applebee's. Four different meals you could choose from! David got a steak and I got some shrimp!

The cool thing was that there were so many vets at Applebee's, and most of them were old (like me and David)Vietnam guys. There was, however, one really old, old guy who I'm guessing was WWII, and there was at least one guy who looked more like an Iraq vet. The manager, the wait-people were all very nice to us and . . . hell, it was just a fun thing, you know? But more than that, it was time to say thanks to the men and women who sacrificed a lot for their country.

I don't usually put poetry on this blog. However, I did write this poem about my Vietnam experience that seems appropriate:

My Cream Colored Psychedelic Flashback

tumble dried in memories

flashing back to
acid coated tracers
tracking jungle-booted steps
across a stoned-hinge reality...

                                                *"It's getting near dawn..."

Cream's psychedelic shadow

crackling over a portable radio...
blue stained skies draped
in a white cloud cloaks...
rumbling thunder spouting
black diesel smoke...

                                              "When lights close their tired eyes..."

faces green with camouflage,

burnt suntan brown beneath
flak jackets, stale breath
and bubblegum...
way, way back
when we were young,
dumb and full of
deadly dreams...

                                              "I'll soon be with you my love..."

rolling along Highway Nine

adrenaline rush bouncing
up and down my fragile spine
in the bed of a Marine green 12X...
Big Daddy G behind me
with his salty slight of hand
magically fires-up his dovetailed joint
against a sandpaper wind...
suck it down, brother, pass it around...
hitting on heaven in my cupped hand
and... it's one small toke for man,
two giant tokes for mankind and...
suddenly...

                                              "To give you my dawn surprise..."

48 hours earlier

stranded at LAX,
tongue-tied to each other,
my fingers tangled deep
in your blond hair,
the soft flesh of your arms
surrounds me...
a second skin...
never wanting to let go...
your kiss tattooed
upon my lips,
your gentle whisper
in my ear,
"I love you... forever...!"

                                              "I'll be with you darling soon..."

lock and load!

click, click, click!
every swinging Rickie pops
a fresh clip into his M-16,
feeling lean, feeling mean...
the sun drilling tiny holes
through the top of my helmet,
the dust thicker
as the convoy slithers
out of Saigon
like a metal python...

                                              " I'll be with you when the stars start falling..."

as the city gives way

the jungle green and dark
blossoms before us like
an open wound...
the convoy picks up speed
didi mauing like a mother...
lush rice paddies,
napalm skittish mama sans
knee high in mud
nothing but a black pajama blur...
old grunts in ratty utilities,
head tripping glances
over their shoulders
listening with their dead eyes
scrutinizing every tree,
every movement, every sound...
and all us gung-ho
bastard sons of John Wayne,
all us boot camp Jolly Green Giants...
gearing up for war...
ho, ho, ho! rock and roll
screaming in my head, that
pounding rhythm frees my soul
as we disappear into a cold,
gray-hearted darkness...

                                              "I've been waiting so long..."

13 months after...I

waltz out of the jungle...

                                              " I've been waiting so long..."

back in the world

dragging a sea bag of dying
thought behind me...

                                               "I've been waiting so long..."

back at the airport

where I left her,
listening...
to the suffocated echo
of those last words
she ever said to me,
"I love you... forever...!"

                                              "To be where I'm going..."

knowing all the time...

I'll never see her...
never hear her...
say those words...
again...

                                              "In the sunshine of your love.”

                          

 

 

*Sunshine of Your Love

written by Jack Bruce, Pete Brown, and Eric Clapton

Wednesday, November 12, 2o14

It's getting even colder outside. The temperature dropping like a meteor. It's 2:16 AM and I can't sleep. Got a doctor's appointment at 9 AM which means I have to be up by 7:30 AM to call David on the phone and wake him up so he can drive me  there. It's going to be one of those long, slow, cold days tomorrow. But I've been told if you can't go to sleep you might as well do something until you can close your eyes. I don't know who said that.

Thursday, November 13, 2o14

Well, I did get three hours of sleep before I had to go to the doctor's office yesterday for my "checkup." You know, I have no qualms about going to the doctors when I'm sick. But going to the doctors for a routine examination . . . I don't know . . . makes me suspicious? I mean every movie I have ever seen where a guy goes to the doctor's for a health evaluation always winds up with some exotic disease and 6 months to live. So, that kind of visit worries me more than going to the doctors with the flue or something. AND after you take all the "routine" tests (EKG, Chest x-ray, lung power test {where you have to blow into a tube real hard and if you don't do it right some damn computer gizmo makes you do it over and over}, and TWO tubes of blood for analyzing I don't know what) you gotta wait at least another week to find out if you're gonna die!  What the hell? Why can't they have a damn lab there at the doctor's office?

   
 I finally talked David into going to The Diner for breakfast. He doesn't like to go there. The smell of eggs makes him sick to his stomach. So, I ordered a patty melt and fries instead of breakfast . . .  and an ice tea. We ran into an old friend of ours there, Stephen Overfield, and we asked him to come sit at our booth and finish is breakfast. He happily did so. Stephen is a real gregarious type, he really likes to talk and smile and laugh. He likes talking baseball, which I don't have much interest in. In fact, I don't talk much sports at all mainly cause I don't know much about any of it.

But Stephen knows just  about everything about baseball, statistics, scores, history, who played on this team or that team. He just got back from a trip to Ireland and told us all about that too. That I was interested in. I've always wanted to go to Ireland. And if my lab reports don't have me dead in six months, I might just take a tip over there . . . to Ireland.

12:38 PM
Well, must have gotten plenty of sleep early this glorious morning! Been awhile since I've naturally woke up at 8 AM! Yeah, I have gotten up early in the day when I really, really needed to do so . . .  but up at eight because my body had enough sleep and decided it wanted to play with my mind? Unheard of in modern times {SMILE}.

As I said, Yesterday I talked David into going to The Diner on Main St. for breakfast. The Diner is my favorite place to eat breakfast. Old fashioned little place filled with the lively sound of plates clattering, the mumble of conversations between business folk . . . cowboys and cowboy hats mingling with hipster types, policemen, grandparents with their grandchildren . . . a regular UN The Diner is. And the smells? Bacon and hash browns cooking on an open grill . . . eggs over easy in a separate, small frying pan . . . and coffee! Warm and dark  in a white porcelain cup. Breakfast at The Diner. A wonderful way to wake up in the morning.

 

The Daily (W)Rite November WK 1

Sunday

Happy Halloween! yeah, I know, I'm late, but I did have a good time on Halloween, my favorite time of the year. Not much Trick or Treat going on in my neighborhood, but there were a lot of high school and college kids dressed up and out on the Corner! AND . . .there was . . . Rocky! Yep, god old
Rocky Horror Picture Show was showing at the old Sooner Theatre! LOTS of crazy dressed people of all ages there. A lot of them dressed for Rocky and a lot, a lot dressed up for Halloween! It was a Time Warping blast!
David had never been before and I had gone a few times but not many. This one is held at the Sooner every Halloween. I remember when it played every weekend Saturday nights) at midnight at the old Satellite Theater at the Stubbeman Village in



Norman Town.  Anyway, there were tons of people there! I was so excited. I grabbed my camera up and just started shooting everybody! Unfortunately, a lot of them didn't come out very well because it was too dark in the movie theatre and I refuse to use a flash. But a few really came out rather good and the ones that didn't I was able to play with a little on the photo editing site so the night wasn't a waste. I saw an older couple, maybe in their sixties, and I asked myself, "What the hell are those old people doing here?!" Then I realized, painfully so, that they were no older than me. I laughed. I'm such an idiot sometimes.

Like I said, it was a great time. We danced The Time Warp, threw rice at Brad and Janet during the wedding scene, sang There's a Light and waved glow sticks in the air . . . much fun.

Monday, November o4, 2o14
A rainy night in Norman town. I should say, a rainy morning in Norman Town because it's 1:30 AM. I should be going to bed pretty soon. I need to get up and go vote in the morning which is sort of laughable because Oklahoma is a locked up red state, and there's no way in hell that we are going to change that. Seems like a waste of time to go out and vote Liberal when the majority of voters in OK are so dam right wing.

My depression seems to level out a bit when it rains. Not sure why that is. For some weird ass reason I find a steady, hard rain rather comforting. Life seems less oppressive when it rains. That gentle sound of raindrops dripping off the eaves, rain banging against the windowpane, Nature's lullaby.