75 mph + Drought + Benicia + Bowling

Happy Late Night from Northridge, my Darling,

I got back a few hours ago, and really fast too, just 5 hours and 12 minutes as noted in my FB post. I was averaging about 75 mph the whole way, which as I'm sure you have seen, is about the speed people drive nowdays when they are out on a highway in the middle of nowhere. In fact, a lot of the time the average speed is 80, and I myself topped out at 85 a few times. Didn't wanna go any faster than that, lest Smokey emerge from behind a signpost and lay an expensive ticket on me.

But it was a good drive, and a little cooler (mid-90s) than on the way up, thank goodness. Central California just goes on forever, and I must say that - having now traversed it twice in the past few days - I am really aware of what the drought has done to our State. There are of course enormous plots of farmland, with trees and vines and other crops stretching for what looks like miles in all directions. The land in the Central Valley is flat, unlike the entire California coastline and eastern desert region. So in the past, it was known as The Produce Capital Of America, and it was said that the Central Valley grew enough fruit and vegetables to feed all of America.

But now, much of it - at least from what I saw - is so dried up that it, too, looks like a desert. The low rolling hills off to the west are uniformly tan colored, with not a single tree or shrub in place - not one! - and it looks like some Giant draped a huge section of beige colored carpet over the landscape. In some places it looks like you are driving on Mars or The Moon.

Our state is almost completely dried up.

I pledge never to root against El Nino again.

And I may have already mentioned it, but seeing all of this has given me huge new respect for the farmers, not only in California but all over the country. Without them, we wouldn't be here.

Anyhow, that was my drive, and I will add also that California is not exactly what our general image may represent. California is big; the size of Italy, and most of it - probably 75 to 80 percent of the land (and maybe even more than that) is entirely empty. All of our popular and well known culture comes from our three major metropolitan coastal areas of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. 33 miliion people packed in, along the coast, most of them in three cities (and almost half in the greater LA area), and in the rest of the state..........almost nothing.

I will do more road trips in the future, because I wanna see stuff.

Today before I came back home, I took one more tour of Downtown Benicia, and I saw a lot of historic older buildings from early California, got some good pix too. It's a beautiful town with a unique landscape and atmosphere, and I am glad I got to stay there.

After that, I drove back to Concord to David's place so we could engage in one of our favorite pastimes of years ago : Bowling. When we were kids, junior high age, we were both on the same team in a bowling league. I loved bowling as a young teen, and as I write, my one remaining bowling trophy stands on a shelf about 18 inches from my right hand. All of us Northridge Kids used to bowl at Matador Bowl, which still stands and was named for the CSUN mascot....this was in 1971 through 1972.

Before rock music, bowling was huge.

So today, this afternoon, I met David at his place, and we went to Clayton Valley Lanes a few miles from his apartment. My first couple attempts to roll the ball down the lane were kind of lame, because I had not bowled in, I am guessing, at least 25 years.

But pretty soon I got back a little bit of form. I threw a few strikes and spares. I even won the first game, and David is a regular bowler.

But then he began to warm up, and he beat me the next two games.

I averaged about 120 per game, which is about what I figured I would do.

My all time high game is 218, thrown when I was 12. I guess my average back then was about 145.

It was a blast, and while David was getting something to eat at the snack bar, I had a moment of Deja Vu, sitting at the bowling lane all by myself. I was noticing the wooden ball racks, how they were angled in a zig-zag, and I noticed where the counter was located in relation, and I just basically noticed how the place was laid out, and I thought, "I know this place - I've been here before". When David came back, I mentioned it to him, and he said I was probably right - that we had bowled there on one of my first trips up to visit, in 1976 or '77.

So I recognized a place from 40 years ago, and it was a bowling alley.

Then I drove home a little while later.

It was a great trip.  ////

See you in the morning, SB. I will be on Usual Sunday Schedule.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Local Touring + Mega Dinner Party featuring Big Time Family Reunion

Happy Super Duper Late Night, my Darling,

I am back in Benicia after a full day exploring with David and attending a dinner party tonight at his sister Debbie's house. In the early afternoon we went to two different parks in the area of Concord and Walnut Creek. The first one was a nature park/arboretum that had some nice trails as well as a botanical garden, and the second one was devoted to desert plants, all kinds of cacti and succulents. It was hot out, and I remarked to the lady at the visitor center that "It's just as hot here as it is back in the San Fernando Valley, if you know where that is".

She said she did know, and said "oh, that's a coincidence because there was a lady here a few minutes ago who was from Calabasas".

I figured it was probably Kim Kardashian, some kind of connection relating to the Six Degrees of Grimsley.

Later I found a trail of my own, while David was taking a break from the heat. A mile away was the Concord Canal, the city's water supply, and it had a pathway running alongside it through a woodsy area, and I followed it for another half mile or so. Even if I am travelling, I will of course look for a trail at some point........  :)

We also took a driving tour of the downtown section of Concord, and then stopped in at a huge record store called Rasputin's, which is similar in size and selection to Amoeba Records in Hollywood. While we were there, David bought the new Jeff Beck cd.

Then we headed about 30 miles south to his sister's house. We got there at 7pm and stayed till almost Midnight. It was an amazing party, because everyone from the family was present. I was not expecting that, and so it was quite a surprise to see David's younger brothers, who I knew starting in 1970 to 1976, when one was an infant and the other was six. His Mom was there as well, who all of us neighborhood kids knew, and so were other relatives I had not met previously. It was quite a party, with lots of great food and many different conversations, and once again it's that Time Thing, SB, where 36 years can go by between seeing close friends, and the time can seem both extremely long, and also just like yesterday, because the "conversation" (the feel of the friendship) carries on like it was just yesterday.

It was a great day, and another Mega Night, and we are doing a Whirlwind Tour so far.

Tomorrow we will go bowling, to celebrate another tradition of a sport we loved as kids, when we bowled in local children's leagues. That will be the only thing on the agenda, cause I am gonna drive back at around 4pm, but it will be a blast as the whole trip has been so far.  :)

I saw a post of yours before I left, via Josh Napert, and I don't know if it related to me or not, but the words were pretty specific, so I will guess that it did.

And so I've gotta tell you that those words, and that sentiment, were very beautiful.

I will see you in the morn.  I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

San Francisco + Take Me Out To The Ballgame + Temperature Extremes = Legendary (plus You Are Big League Now)

Happy Late Night from Benicia, Sweet Baby!,

I am back from today's trip into the City of San Francisco, that began mid-afternoon and culminated at AT&T Park where David and I watched tonight's game between the Washington Nationals and the Giants. More on that in a moment, but first I want to once again congratulate you on your video. Now, I need to add a disclaimer because I was only able to see about 30 seconds worth; then a message popped that read "sorry, your browser does not support this format", which must refer to the 360. I guess means that my Chromebook is wimpy, but I already knew that. Anyhow - doggonnit! :(  So now I guess I will have to wait and try it out back at Northridge Library, which I will do when I get back.

But the 30 seconds I did see just looked amazing, and again - I just can't overstate this - your work has become high-level professional in just the year and a half you've been doing it, since you graduated from school.

So, SB........do ya think you chose the right profession, or what?  :)

"Life Is Magic".  (I think I'd better trademark that phrase asap).

Well, today's trip was a good one, and also legendary in that over the last two days, since my voyage began, I have dealt with not one but two temperature extremes. I met David at his apartment (and I am already good at my directions after two tries and only one minor flub), and he drove us from there to the nearby BART Station. The acronym stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit, which is part elevated train and part subway. They've had their system in place since the 1970s, 20 years before L.A. got it's subway, and I first rode BART when I used to come up here every year from 1976 to 1980.

So we took BART from Concord to The Embarcadero in Downtown San Francisco, about 25 miles away. One thing that is kind of cool is that you go underneath the ocean floor of the San Francisco Bay for a brief part of the trip. You don't really notice it, other than that you are descending a bit and your ears can feel some minor pressure, but I still think it's neat in the same way I think it's neat when I walk many of my trails near sandstone boulders, because then I am also walking on what was once the bottom of the ocean.

So it is a "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" trip, and if you've never heard that phrase, you can Google it.

The Embarcadero is a waterfront district in SF, and it's skyline - looking in one direction - is somewhat similar to downtown Los Angeles, i.e. a mixture of older buildings and modern skyscrapers. In the opposite direction, though, lies the water of the Bay, and some beautiful views. We got down there about 3pm and just walked around. I took some pictures here and there, of the Bay Bridge and other landmarks. Hopefully I got some good ones. About a mile and a half down, we got to the ballpark, an absolutely gorgeous new stadium that combines old-style brick architexture (spelled that way because I like to) and old-style ballpark ambience, combined with tons of modern day amenities like a wide variety of food choices and a baseball themed play area for kids.

We went into the stadium right when they began letting people in, at 5:15, so we could watch batting practice and just enjoy the atmosphere. Our seats were awesome. Today they were celebrating Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and before the game began they had about 100 motorcycle cops ringing the outfield, on their bikes with lights flashing. Several police chiefs from Northern California agencies were there. It was a big deal, and I thought it was a good thing in light of recent troubles. It was done in a friendly and respectful manner and there was a lot of well-deserved applause.

Well, I mentioned that I've experienced temperature extremes over the past two days, and I am not kidding! Yesterday, the drive up here was duly mentioned, with it's long distance extreme heat averaging 109 and topping out at 113.

And by the time the ballgame started, it was getting mighty chilly in AT&T stadium. I had worn a long sleeve shirt, but it was making little difference. There is an old (and ironic) saying that "the coldest Winter you will ever spend is a Summer in San Francisco". That may not be strictly true, as certain midwesterners can testify haha, but it's darn close to truth.

The game was off to a great start, meaning the Nationals were beating the Giants (hey, I'm a Dodger fan), but in the stands, David and I were experiencing knocking knees and shivering ribs.

I'm telling you it was c-c-c-cold, Sweet Baby.

We both got hot coffees to warm up, but by the 6th inning, David asked if we could call it quits, and I agreed. I could have made it the rest of the game, but he was the host, and I mean it was cold.

Besides, the Nationals' pitcher had Giant hitters well in check, and it was pretty clear it was gonna stay that way. So we headed out of the park, and walked somewhat rapidly the mile and a half down the waterfront back to The Embarcadero BART station, and from there took the train back to Concord, where it was at least 20 degrees warmer, and probably more. And from David's place, I drove back here to Benicia, 12 miles away.

When I got back I Googled "Temperature at AT&T Park", just for the heck of it. And lo and behold, tonight's temps came up, for the park itself, and an hour by hour timetable. And for 7pm it read 51 degrees. With the wind chill added from a steady breeze, I'd guess it was about 45 degrees there. Many folks were wearing jackets with hoods, and had blankets draped over their laps. David and I only had our thin long sleeved shirts. We had expected it to be a bit on the cool side........

But it was about 45 degrees..........on July 28.  :)

The Old Saying held true tonight, but we had an awesome time overall : A) Because it was Another Legendary Trip, and for me personally I went from several hours of enduring a 109 degree blast furnace yesterday to near-hypothermia tonight (making it double-legendary), and B) we got to see the waterfront, and to spend a lot of time at the ballpark anyway, because we got there early.

So overall, it was a great day, and a day to remember for sure.

Tomorrow, David is gonna show me a nature park in Concord, and then we will be having dinner at his sister's house, with the extended family. That should prove to be legendary as well.

And that's Today's Report from Northern California, SB.

I Love You and will see you in the morning. You "knocked it out of the park" with your video!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

I'm Here! + A Legendary Drive + A Cool Reunion + Great Photo and 360 Video

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby!,

I have computer access and so I am writing tonight from Northern California. My first trip up here since 1980. I know I already mentioned that, but it kind of blows my mind, haha. The drive up here was mega (though not in any of the ways that term ordinarily conjures up), and I am already classifying it as Legendary. It was a drive only I could have pulled off, and I told my sister, who had initially wanted to come with me, that she would not have made it. Here's why.

It was hot today in the Valley as I prepared to leave, about 100 degrees at Noon. I had my rental car, a newer model Ford Focus, and I kept an eye on the digital dashboard temperature gauge as I left the greater Los Angeles area and headed out of what is called The Grapevine, a mountain pass about 50 miles north of the Valley. I also kept an eye on the engine's temperature, via the radiator gauge, which is a habit I've always had from driving older cars in Valley heat. When you pass through The Grapevine, on Interstate 5, you ascend some moderate grades until you reach an elevation of about 4100 feet.

At this time, the outside temperature gauge read 102, and the engine/radiator needle was at the halfway point, which is normal. I was running the air conditioner to keep cool.

Until I saw this sign, posted by Caltrans, an Official Agency (meaning I took it very seriously). It said, "Turn Off Air Conditioning To Avoid Overheating". I thought, "okay, I'd better do that". I was going up a medium steep grade, in an unfamiliar car, and while it was a newer car, that made no difference in my mind. I once had a nice BMW 320i that was fairly new, a stylin' car and highly engineered, and it overheated on me big time once when I drove it to Las Vegas. So I didn't wanna take any chances with the unfamiliar rental, especially in lieu of the Official Caltrans Warning Sign : "Turn Off Air Conditioning".

So I did. I am a Heat Monger after all. I go on Steep Hikes, for cryin' out loud, in 100 degree heat.

I rolled the window down, but just a quarter of the way, cause I did not wanna get blasted by a Blast Wave Of Ultra Hot Air. On Interstate 5, everybody is going 75 to 80, and now that I was driving a newer car, I could see why. It is easy to go fast in these cars, because they accelerate and handle so well.

By the time I got to the Lancaster/Palmdale area, 60 miles out of the Valley, the outside temp had climbed to 106.

And by the time I got to Bakersfield, it was steady at 109.

SB, the heat crested near a town called Buttonwillow, where the digital thermometer read 113.

Good Lordy Moses, Ad. Turn the freakin' AC on.

But I still didn't. Not to be macho, or weird or stupid, but just because I didn't wanna take any chances in an unfamiliar car. And I was already pushing the engine anyhow, doing 75-80mph like everyone else.

I thought, "hmmmm.....good thing I am used to this".

And I drove that way for four hours. I had my bottles of Smart Water, and in the long run it wasn't too bad. In fact, sitting in a cramped position was worse than the heat. But, I didn't wanna stop. I wanted to get up here as fast as I could, and I would have made it in five and a half hours had I not hit some major traffic near the finish, and had I not gotten temporarily lost on surface streets heading to my friend's house. And I did turn the AC up full blast for the last 75 miles, when I could see I was gonna make it.  :)

It was a trip to see my friend David, because I haven't seen him since 1984 (!), but it was also super cool because we were such close friends as teenagers that the conversation basically picked up where it left off. This is the guy who - when I was 15 and he was 13 - well, we played hooky from school and rode our bikes to Alice Cooper's house in Laurel Canyon, about 18 miles away. David is also the guy who, like me, was at College Records every single day after school, and all day in Summer, from Fall 1973 to Fall 1976.

That was when his family moved up here, and he's been here ever since.

So we had a nice, if quick, catch-up tonight, and tomorrow we will go to San Francisco and check out the city and have the whole afternoon to look around. After that, we are gonna go to a ballgame at the stadium where the Giants play. I will of course be rooting against them (silently).

Well, my Darling, before I left this morning, I saw your pic of The White Noise concert. That is simply an amazing shot. You mentioned the light, and I think that it makes the photo look like a painting, the way it starts on the outskirts of the crowd circle and gets brighter in tone. It looks like sunlight, and it came out painterly.

I also saw the preview for the Versus Me 360, and I have just gotta say :

I don't know exactly what the collaboration was, and I've mentioned this before, because you originally listed yourself as co-producer. But Sweet Baby - if you are the main creator behind that video - from what the preview shows - then you have just proven yourself ready for the Big Time.

I already knew that from a few years ago, of course, but now everyone knows it.

It's a mindblower how things work out, SB. :)

That is all for tonight. I will write tomorrow night after I get back from the baseball game, and it should be at about the usual time.

I will look for the 360 video in the morning. Your photo today was incredible.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Trip + New Alcest + Democratic Convention + "One Step Beyond" + Sad About Walker Ranch

Happy Late Night, my Darling,

Well, this is it. I leave for my trip tomorrow at noon. I quadruple-checked everything, and I think I've remembered to bring anything I might need (things like phone charger) and stuff I use everyday, like my Supergreens powder. All my clothes and other stuff is in a few bags in my apartment, all ready to go. I don't know if modern cars have cd players anymore, but if my rental has one, I will bring some music to listen to.

Speaking of music, I'm sure you saw the Alcest album announcement. The release is coming up fast, September 30th, which if I'm not mistaken is also the release date for the new Opeth.

Pretty cool, eh?

And speaking of music again, I saw many of your posts today, for upcoming concerts. It looks like a lot of festivals are coming up, and I guess the post with the photo of an open green space with a fence around it is also a concert site, for Sonic Boom? If I recall correctly, you were at last year's Sonic Boom (initials SB!) with Versus Me. So there is no doubt you will be there again.  :)

I watched some of the Democratic Convention tonight, including Bill Clinton's speech. He's almost 70 now, but he's still got it - I thought he knocked it out of the park. Of course, corporate CNN just continues to hype Trump; he is the media's chosen candidate. I know I have mostly abstained from talking politics on FB and my blog, but Trump is - by far - the worst and most dangerous candidate we have ever had in the U.S. He makes George W. Bush look like George McGovern, and it is 1000% imperative that he is defeated in November, because CNN continues to champion him, and talk about how he is ahead in the polls.

Who needs Fox News when you've got CNN doing the same job?

Well, that's all the politics out of me for tonight. Go Hillary - "I'm With Her".

Tonight I watched another great episode of "One Step Beyond", about a married couple on their way home from a party. They argue, and when they get home the man storms out and drives off and parks on a hillside miles away, to think and have a smoke. It is a rainy night and the hillside collapses. He is trapped under his car at the bottom of the cliff.

But his wife is telepathic. She starts getting signals that he is in trouble. Later, she can hear his voice. She contacts the Sheriff, who humors her........until she is able to pinpoint her husband's location.

Of course, John Newland the Host is around at the end to say "I Told You So" - telepathy is real, in other words.....

Man, what a great show.

Lastly, if you saw my post earlier about the fire, you know I got mixed news about two of my favorite places. Placerita Canyon is okay, but Walker Ranch got torched.

I was just there a month ago, and I blogged about it on June 24th or 25th. Somewhere around there, I am too tired to check the exact date now, but I think it's one of those two.

I was just there, a month ago, and I went on all the trails, just a short way on each. But now, the report is that the Waterfall Trail is destroyed, and so is the Los Pinetos. Normally, I don't go on those trails, I just stay on the main Canyon Trail between Placerita and Walker. But when I went in June I went on the Waterfall (which has no water) and also on the Los Pinetos, which goes way up high on a mountain.

Now those trails are destroyed, apparently.

I want to go there as soon as I can, because the place has spiritual meaning to me.

Just check my photos, and what I have written in the past, and you'll see how I feel about Walker Ranch.

Spirit is everything; you can feel when you are in the presence of it.

So I have to see what has happened to Walker.

I will Google, and check the status (open or closed to public) when I get back from San Francisco.

I will hopefully be able to write while I am up there. The house has Wi-Fi. I am notoriously low-tech, but if I can figure out how to access it - because I've never used Wi-Fi before - I will see you tomorrow night.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Getting Ready To Travel

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

I hope you had a nice day, and I am guessing that you are busy with various projects these days. Today I was busy myself, just with last minute details like making triple-sure all my directions are correct, and double checking my list of Stuff To Bring With Me, which turns out not to be much, haha. I'm only gonna be gone four days. I will bring my camera and take lots of pics, though.

It's weird when I think about my life. I have done next to no travelling as you know, and the last time I went to the San Francisco area was in Summer 1980. 36 years ago, almost 2/3 of my life ago. Jimmy Carter was President, and John Lennon was still alive.

I have no complaints about not having traveled, because my life has been fulfilling in so many other ways, so my observation is about my "amazement at the weirdness of it all" rather than being a regret. But because I haven't done even any major road trips in a while (last one was to Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc in 2004, with Dad), I just wanna make sure I don't screw it up, haha. I drive all over the place every day - but in my own familiar area. I guess what I wish is that - just for once - I had somebody to go with me. Everything I do is by myself, and I feel isolated.........sigh. It will be nice, however, to see my friends from the neighborhood once I get there. It was a legendary neighborhood, and they are legendary friends. The 1970s was an amazing time......  :)

This afternoon, I saw a humongous mushroom cloud of smoke from the fire, and it developed all of a sudden. But it was white smoke, so I figured, "Maybe they are smothering it and getting it under control". And I think that may be the case, as the smoke did not look nearly as bad this eve. The mushroom cloud dissipated within an hour. I am praying for Placerita and will go there after I return from SF, as long as they have opened the road by then. I have got to see the park, and Walker Ranch.

No movie or show tonight, but I did meet Grimsley for a mid-evening hike at Aliso at 8pm.

Also watched part of the first night of the Democratic Convention, and saw some great speeches, including Michelle Obama's.

Trump Is Toast, and I will be glad when he pops up out of the toaster in November and is finally done.

I am reading my Paul McCartney biography, and my OKC book (which looks to be a mindblower) and also Kent Bain's "Most Dangerous", which is  Guaranteed Mindblower.

All reading will temporarily cease for a few days after tomorrow, but as mentioned previously, I will try to write every night as always, if I can get an Internet connection.

That's all for tonight. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Love, Gratitude, Real Power, God, and The Great Spirit

Happy Late Sunday Night, my Darling,

I saw your post earlier in the evening, via your friend Dylan, and well, that's about a perfect sentiment I think, and I am glad you feel that way.  :) It makes me happy, and one thing I have noticed in my own life is that the daily acts of loving life, family, friends, career, etc. - and having gratitude for blessings - is it's own reward. Good vibes multiply upon themselves, and in my experience, it brings you closer to God.

The world is a pretty crazy place at the moment, but I was just thinking when I was at Santa Susana on Friday : all of the negative energy, people spewing over politics, all the craziness and violence and destruction all around the world........

Has almost no power.

Now, that is not to deny it's power to cause heartbreak and trauma.

But as a power for change? Or as a way of life? Forget it. Violence has no power to change anything. 

Whenever I am at Santa Susana, I always think of the Indians who lived in the area for 8000 years, which blows my mind. And I think of the traditional "Great Spirit" of the Indian people in general, their God. I also think of how they tried to live in harmony with nature, and to have gratitude for all they were given.

They could feel the power of the mountains and the rocks, and they created familiar footpaths, many of which are still there, to help make it their home, and they relied on The Great Spirit to provide for them....

That's Power.

A Mountain? That's power.

The Sky is power.

Noticing and Feeling these things gives that power to us.

Craziness and violence..........that's not power because it will never knock a mountain down. ////

I make these remarks because of your post, and I think it's beautiful that you feel that way. That feeling is like an engine, and the more you fuel it, the more powerful it will become. Life is to be loved. ///

We had a nice morning in church, and we got to belt it out with a well known anthem, "Shine Jesus Shine", which allows one to "sing lead" at full volume all the way through.

The rest of the day was just watching the fire on the news. It's one of the worst ever in this area. I remember just two days ago, seeing this minor puff of smoke when I was hiking at Santa Su. But now it's a monster.

Thankfully, it has not destroyed many homes. It has been mostly a wildfire. But tonight it is cresting the hills into the upper San Fernando Valley, way up top. The Valley itself is never threatened because there is too much concrete - too many streets and buildings. A suburban metropolis. But we are surrounded by mountains, and I worry about Placerita because as you know I absolutely love that place.

Talk about Feeling The Power of A Place. When I am there, I feel it 1000%.

It's like a silent conversation between the place, and you. And it transfers it's power to you. You get plugged in.

So a prayer for Placerita Canyon tonight, and Walker Ranch, two of my most favorite places.  :)

Tonight I did watch a film, "Labyrinth Of Lies", about a young German prosecutor in the early 1960s who came to prosecute former Nazis who had worked at Auschwitz. He had to climb a mountain of opposition to mount his case, but in the end it was successful. A tremendous, 5 Star movie.

That's all I know for tonight, Sweet Baby. See you in the morning.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Smoke Filled Sky + "One Step Beyond" + Scary Bridge

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

I guess you are busy this weekend, cause I don't see you on FB, but I hope you are having a blast with whatever you are doing.  :)

This morning when I woke up, the whole sky was covered in smoke. This fire in Santa Clarita, which I saw the beginning of when I was on my hike at Santa Su yesterday, became enormous, and has now burned 20,000 acres. The Sun was obscured by all the smoke, and the light had a weird pink tint to it all afternoon. Interestingly, the temperature, which had been forecast to be just as hot as yesterday, dropped about 20 degrees into the upper 80s. I think it was because of the Sun being buried by the smoke. Anyhow, I did not go on a hike, not a good day for it, and instead just hung out at home and read my new books on OKC and Paul McCartney. Also learned a new Beatles song, "It Won't Be Long".

This evening I watched another episode of "One Step Beyond". Man, what a great show! The episodes are short - 25 minutes - but they are concise, and pack a lot of story into each one. They also feature good settings (interiors were shot at MGM), and the direction and acting is first rate. Tonight's episode starred Clorox Bleachman (or Cloris Leachman, if you prefer) once again, whom we recently saw in the TV Movie "Dying Room Only". She is a great actress, who has been around forever, and she can do it all from comedy to drama to horror.

Tonight, she played a photographer - take note, SB - who, on assignment for a magazine, rents an old house in a village in France in order to capture the character of the people there. Unfortunately for her, the only thing she captures is.......a ghost, who just so happens to have lived in the house many years earlier. And he's not a very nice guy. John Newland, the host of the show, is on hand to wrap things up at the end - in his appropriately creepy but elegant way - and it would be interesting to know who started that tradition of hosting on the set : Newland, Rod Serling, or Alfred Hitchcock. That's a series I've gotta get next on DVD : "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".

Speaking of scary, I am Googling something regarding my upcoming trip, a bridge that crosses the water from the Concord area (where my friend lives) to Benicia, where I will be staying. I am trying to find out if it is lit up at night - and you'd be surprised at how dark many California freeways are - because my night vision is not so great. If it's a familiar road, no problem. But I will be crossing this bridge for the very first time, at night, over water. I admit to being a bit of a wimp, but I am still not thrilled with the idea.

Onward I forge, anyway.

See you in the morning, typical Sunday schedule.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Super Hot HIke + Fire + "Gun For A Coward" + Amnesia Is Tough

Happy Late Friday Night, my Darling,

I hope your weekend is off to a good start. I didn't see any posts today, so I'm guessing you must be either working on post-production for a project, or taking pix at a show. Today was ultra-hot here in the Valley : 107 degrees, and with only 15% humidity, so it felt like a blast furnace.

I, of course, took the opportunity to go on a Super Hot Hike. It was one of the hottest I've been on, perhaps second only to the 112 degree job at Mentryville Oil Field in 2014. That was the time when, on my way out, a park ranger drove up and asked me, "Is everything all right"?, like I was nuts.  :)

I like the heat, so it was perfect, and today was a good one too. I went to Santa Susana. This time, I stuck to trails at the southern end of the park, which I hadn't been on since I first discovered the place in 2013. These trails aren't as well maintained, and are narrow, so I had to stop at one point where a narrow trail ran parallel to a drop off. At those points I always turn around.

While I was there, I could see the beginnings of a brush fire out beyond the mountains of the north Valley. It looked to be coming from Santa Clarita, and as I continued to hike the cloud of smoke grew bigger and bigger. I was glad I hadn't driven out to Whitney Canyon or Placerita or one of the other trails in that area, as the fire was a pretty big one. We watched it on the news when I got back to Pearl's.

Tonight was a movie night, and I watched a classic Western shot in CinemaScope widescreen, called "Gun For A Coward". An interesting title that would have a lot more cultural weight in today's world, but in the world of the innocent 1950s was nothing to cause introspection or debate. Moral values were simple then.

The film once again starred Fred MacMurray, of whom I am on a bit of a kick, with the recently viewed "Pushover" and "Double Indemnity". In "Gun" he plays the oldest of three rancher brothers. The middle brother, played by "Matinee Idol Handsome" Jeffrey Hunter, is seen as soft-hearted by his siblings, the youngest played by the great Dean Stockwell of "Blue Velvet" fame. Hunter's character doesn't like confrontation, doesn't want to fight, and so in Western Movie terms, that makes him of Questionable Character. "Gun For A Coward" has all the classic Western elements needed to make it enjoyable, including a romantic interest (Janice Rule), a Humorous Cowhand Sidekick (Chill Wills), a Bar Room Shootout and a Cattle Stampede. It also has awesome color photography, shot at Vasquez Rocks and other locations in :

Santa Clarita.  :)

So it was the perfect movie for today.

Tomorrow promises to be another scorcher, and my sister will not be coming over, so maybe I will try for another hike. If I do, it will be my last one until next week, as I have church on Sunday and then have to start getting ready for my trip up north. I don't know what the computer hookup situation will be like at the house I'll be staying at, but I'll bring Chromebook 2 just in case. It would be super cool if I could continue to write every night as usual while I am up there, so fingers are crossed.

I will continue also with my exploration of 1989, and questions I have, like "who fed my dog for twelve days", "did my parents wonder or know where I was at various times", "how and when did I do everyday things like eat, sleep, shower, etc"? "How much was I at home, and how much away"?

I've got a thousand questions like that, for I don't understand how I could go through the stress and shock that I did, and be taken to the places I was taken, and have seen the sights I saw, and in the middle of these activities, be back at my house sometimes in the interim, "dropped off", as it were.

How did I fend for myself in those interludes? And did anyone wonder about me?

I have no idea. And so I will continue to explore these, and other myriad questions, in a CSI fashion.

That's all for tonight. I will see you in the morning, SB.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Great Collection Of Pix + Mrs. Renfro's Ghost Pepper Salsa + Haircut + "1989" and 1998, when I began writing on the Internet

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

I hope you had a nice day. I like the pix you have been posting on your professional FB page, and I was also looking at your Instagram photos. You have quite a collection of great shots on both websites, photos with all kinds of different "looks", and you also have an identifiable style, or "overall look". One of your stylistic traits is great color lines and patterns. Also, capturing all angles of a show.

I say what I've always said : just keep shooting (and posting). Everything will grow from that.  :)

Today was Thursday, meaning a trip to the hair salon for Pearl, and this time I went along to get my hair cut too. This time I had the stylist cut it a fair bit shorter than it has been, just because it's Summer, and also my hair - when longer - is increasingly breaking at the ends and drying out. Probably the shampoo I am using, and also that I am out in the sun a lot, and just that I never had that long, shiny hair quality to begin with.

It's not super short, just medium short, and actually........I look kind of cute, if I do say so myself.  :)

Well anyway, I bought a jar of Mrs. Renfro's Ghost Pepper Salsa the other day and tonight I am trying it out. I may have mentioned Mrs. Renfro before (you can Google her), and you may have heard of the Ghost Pepper, supposedly the hottest pepper on Earth. At any rate, I can and will testify that this salsa is the hottest I have ever tried. I only got through about 4 chips worth before I had to take a break, but that was a perfect amount for this stuff. It's mega hot, but also has great flavor. The hotness has a weird "pinch" to it, a sharp smokiness. It hits you in the sinuses, like Chinese Mustard, but also back a little further, in your brain....

No hike today, what with the hair appointments, but I did do all my miles, and it was Super Hot, and the Pokemon Hunters were out in force as usual. Thursday nights in Summer are also Outdoor Movie Nights at CSUN, and the lawn in front of the Oviatt was jam packed with people.

I am starting two new books I got from Northridge Libe. One is "Paul McCartney : The Life", a new bio by Phillip Norman, the same guy who wrote the John Lennon bio I just finished. The other book is called "Others Unknown", and is about the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. This book, written in 1998 by McVeigh's lawyer, purports to shed new light on that case. We'll see. My life being what it is, I have always trusted my gut reaction to such monstrous events, and when that one happened, I didn't buy the "official story" either, just as I do not for most any major case.

And mostly, I really am a Detective. That's what I should have been, because I love solving crimes, and mysteries. And........I really really don't like Bad Guys.

I will continue with more CSI-style scrutinized tidbits about 1989 tomorrow, but for tonight I will note that I have been on the Internet since early 1998, almost twenty years ago now, and when I first got online, and figured out how to use search engines, I found my way to an official X-Files board. It was the first place I ever wrote about what had happened to me. My memories had only recently begun to become clear to me, after struggling with their enormity and being confused by their disjointedness since 1993. But now that I had the brand new Internet, I had a forum, and so I wrote about an issue that seemed perfectly clear to me.

I wrote in 1998, over and over again, about Military Technology, and even more specifically about what I perceived as a "split" or a schism in the US Military, with one side being patriotic and the other bent on a coup, or overthrow. The specifics are very complicated, and I am sorry to bore you with this stuff to begin with, but the reason I wrote about a schism in the military was because of what I had witnessed during the 12 days of What Happened In Northridge. I saw military going after military, and again, the scenario is too complex to describe here. It is more completely described in my book.

In football, there are "scrimmages", in which a single team "plays against itself" - offense against defense, in order to simulate a game, and get ready for the season, to play against other teams.

In the military, there are "drills" which simulate actual warfare, and from what I've read, these drills are eerily close to the real thing. On 9/11, many drills and simulations were actually taking place that very morning, as documented in Webster Griffin Tarpley's magisterial book (a must read, I think).

What I witnessed, in a helicopter and at a site and event I call "The Wilbur Wash", was scary beyond belief. It was supernatural, to be honest. It was not all-out-war, not hardly, but I saw the use of supernatural technology between military and military. We saw a helicopter shot down. Sounds crazy, I know.

But it's true.

And so in 1998, when I discovered the Internet, I was obsessed with writing about what I had seen. And I wanted to drive home the point that our supposed unity as a country was not all it seemed. And more shockingly, I believed there was a dangerous and hidden element in our military that was equipped with what you might call Supernatural Technology, and that a secret war was being waged behind the scenes.

I wrote about this extensively on the X-Files site in 1998. And then in 2001, 9/11 happened.

And I knew right away, as I was watching it, that this was the same thing. A secret war. ///

That's all for tonight, SB. Remember, it's just me telling my story, so nothing to worry about. :)

I just think that, America being what it is now, that it is important to tell the truth, if you have something to tell.

And I do.

See you in the morn.  I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)

O'Melveny HIke + Coyote + "One Step Beyond" + 1989 & The Car Ride

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

I hope you had a nice day, and I'll bet you were doing something involved with your work in one way or another. I saw a post about an upcoming record release show with Versus Me. Will the 360 Video be timed to release with the record, or is it coming out sooner? I guess I will find out soon enough!  :)

I finally went on a hike today, at O'Melveny Park. The temp was close to 100 degrees, and I just couldn't pass it up. Plus, my sha-na-na-na knees! knees! (can't resist that one) were feeling pretty well healed up, so I even went about halfway up the slope on the main trail. Nothing major, but enough to get back into it again, after a couple weeks of taking it easy. On my way out of the park, as I passed the large main lawn, which is where I saw the deer family last month, this time I saw a lone figure trot steadily across the lawn toward the water trough. It was far enough away to make identification difficult, but I could tell it was a wild creature. I had thought it was a bobcat.

When I got to the parking lot five minutes later, a guy coming in said, "Watch out, a coyote just ran through here a minute ago". Okay, so that's what it was.

My third coyote sighting of the Summer. The guy said it looked in bad shape, mangy, fur mostly gone. I feel sorry for these poor critters as our drought goes on for years. Sure, at the park there is a trough of water, but the animals have to come out of their environment to get to it. All the old creeks, like Aliso or Bee Canyon have long since dried up. The guy also told me he'd had a bobcat follow him out of the main trail once. That is one thing I have been grateful for, in all my hikes : that I've never seen a bobcat, or worse, a Mountain Lion. Mostly I think they only come out at night, and they stay far from the main trail areas in all the places I go to. But with the water shortage, the poor guys are coming out of the woodwork. The guy in the parking lot told me he saw a bear once, way back in the canyon, much further back than I would ever go.

It made me think of how much wildlife must be out there, in the mountains that surround Los Angeles. They have a world of their own that we mostly don't know about. I have been fortunate to see only the friendly creatures, bunnies and deer (who are less afraid of Humans than are the predators), and today my third coyote. I feel sorry for those guys most of all, because no one seems to like them, and they seem so lonesome.

Tonight I watched another episode of "One Step Beyond". A newlywed couple is about to go on their honeymoon, and the bride (another bride, just like last night), starts having dreams about being immersed in dark, cold water. It turns out that her husband has booked them a room on the Titanic. These shows, which feature spooky introductions by creator John Newland, are really well done. They get under your skin and stay there.

So of course I love 'em.  :)

Well, tonight's tidbit about 1989 concerns again the ride in the car, this time heading south on Reseda Boulevard, toward the intersection of Roscoe. One cool thing in this day and age is that you can Google Map that intersection and get "street view", and actually see the section of street that I'm talking about. Also, I realise that all this stuff I'm writing about is just in snippets, out of context and missing all the main information, but that's the way it's got to be this time. I wrote the full story ten years ago, don't wanna do it again, and I am doing these snippets and tidbits now mainly to help me to arrange certain minutia in my mind. Remember that I am a CSI Investigator. Because I am a lone investigator, it has taken me years to realise certain things, or to think about practical concerns, such as : who fed my dog for the 12 days this thing was happening?

There are dozens of other questions, and that's what happens when your memory is taken away from you.

When it comes back, it is the traumatic parts which return first, because they contain the most emotion, and therefore the strongest memorial connection. All of our best remembered memories are emotion-based.

That's why we don't remember an ordinary every day visit to the supermarket in, say, February 1998.

So, when one recovers from amnesia, it is the most shocking and startling things that come back first. I will have more to say on this later.

For tonight, I want to talk about one of the strongest memories that initially came back to me, in 1997. When a memory has a fixed location placement, it can really help you in recovering from amnesia, because when you pass a certain location, if you have already begun to recover your memory, and thus have some of the puzzle pieces in place, then in passing that location, you can basically relive the experience emotionally and replay it in your mind, to a fairly exact reproduction.

I have been talking the last couple nights about the Feds, and how quickly they were on the scene of what should have required - at worst - a police response.

Now I'd like to mention what we saw, while driving in the car in which the attempt had been made to take me to Northridge Hospital. The sequence of the drive is something I made a strenuous effort to recreate in my memory, because it is crucial to how the larger scheme of things unfolded. I think that the drive to Northridge Hospital occurred right after I was released by the paramedic. At the hospital was when we were attacked by Howard Schaller, as previously described. The episode at the hospital took quite a bit of time, but eventually we left, and I believe the person who was looking after me - who had "taken custody" of me from the paramedic - decided to try and take me home. But when we got there, the person discovered there was no one at home - no parents or siblings - to watch out for me. I was not very coherant. So this person, being consciensious, decided it was not safe to leave me at home all by myself. And so we drove once again.

Back down Reseda Boulevard, going south.

From Nordhoff to Roscoe is one mile, not far, and - I will never forget this as long as I live, it is one of my strongest memories for almost 20 years now - as we approached the intersection of Reseda & Roscoe Boulevards (the location again of Northridge Hospital), the people in the car with me got very scared, even hysterical. The adrenaline would have been flowing in everyone except me, although I was fully aware of everything that was happening. I was just experiencing it inside myself.

As we got to within a couple hundred yards of the intersection, we could see there was a blockade there. A few police cars, squaring off the large intersection, with a wide opening in the middle. We were still in motion, and things happened very fast. Nerves were on high tension. The actress was driving the car, my helper was in the front passenger seat. I was in the back with a third person. The three people were talking, then yelling as we drove : "what is it?!

"Go around it"!

"Oh my God, just go around it"!

"Go!........Go"!

It was Freakin' Scary.

I wrote about this in depth in my book, because I never forgot about that part of our drive.

The actress made a manouver that not only stuck in my brain, strong enough to defeat amnesia, but it also stuck as a placement location.

So that when I drove past there, years later, I could literally re-experience the way she drove on the wrong side of the street to avoid that police blockade.

Normally, if police were blockading an intersection, a carload of people, if they were not criminals with something to hide, might be surprised by such a sight, coming upon it suddenly.

So what caused the panic in our car, followed by the instant evasive reaction of our driver, the famous actress?

We saw a helicopter landing in that intersection, in the large square in the middle that the police had blocked off.

We came upon it exactly as it was landing, and the noise of it's engine and it's lights and the "whump-whump-whump" of it's rotor was terrifying, so suddenly, and after all that had transpired beforehand.

Our driver had quick reflexes, and drove on the wrong side of the road, never stopping, and then entered the parking lot of a 7/11 on the northeast corner of Roscoe and Reseda (which you can Google Map and Street View). From that 7/11, our driver continued on, back to the original apartment building.

I have concluded that she made that her destination because A) she didn't know what else to do at that point, and B) because it was where the other two passengers, besides me, still had their cars parked.

So, that's a recreation of the Famous Car Ride, and again, the point is the Arrival Of The Federal Agents.

Here they were, landing in a helicopter at a blocked-off intersection, not two or maybe three hours after what had initially happened, which was an ordinary event.

So again we must ask why they were there. It looked like an emergency, but it couldn't have been so just as the result of Howard Schaller attacking us in the parking lot.

Could it have been a drill, as we read about the kind that happened on the day of 9/11?

I don't know. I think that some kind of surveillance must have been in place, for such an immediate response. I don't think it was a drill. It looked like an emergency of the most extreme kind.

But why?  ////////

That's all for tonight, SB. I know this stuff must be confusing, but writing it out helps me to work it out in my memory. I'll try to just do a little bit at a time.

See you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Warped Tour? + "One Step Beyond" + More Of What Happened

Happy Late Night, my Darling,

I hope you had a nice day. I saw your post late last night, via the guitarist from I Prevail, about being at the Warped Tour, and I thought that might mean you were there yourself, so I Googled the tour dates, and sure enough : July 19 Chicago and July 20 Minneapolis. So, did ya go? If you did, hooray, and if you didn't, hooray anyway because you are doing so much cool stuff already.  :) But if you did go, post some pix!

A Typical Tuesday for me, which means taking Pearl to Golden Agers and shopping in the afternoon. I bought another giant watermelon at the produce market. I have been pounding watermelon since Summer began, and the one I got today weighed close to 25 lbs. I like Summer fruit too, plums and peaches, nectarines. I never used to eat much fruit, but have become hooked in recent years......

No movie this eve, but I did watch an awesome episode of a TV show that most folks probably have never heard of. I had never heard of it myself until a few years ago when I saw a 3 episode dvd at the 99 Cent Store. The show was called "One Step Beyond", and it debuted in 1959, same year as "The Twilight Zone". "One Step Beyond" was also about the Supernatural, and obviously did not achieve the lasting fame and critical recognition of "TZ", but if the first episode (that I watched tonight) is any indication, it is a great series in it's own right. Wow!, it was Spooky Stuff, about a newlywed bride who becomes possessed by the spirit of a murdered woman, near the site of her death on a cliffside in Northern California.

Really well done - and shot partially at MGM Studios, hooray again! - and it starred Virginia Leith, about whom more in a moment. I was watching her, going I know I've seen that actress before, and she has a striking look, and an unusual low voice. I couldn't guess where I'd seen her by the end of the show, so I looked up the show on IMDB, and sure enough......

Virginia Leith, who starred as the Disembodied Head in The Petrie Dish in the classic film "The Brain That Wouldn't Die", one of the scariest movies ever made, with the gigantic potato-headed monster at the end. 

So that's where I recognised her from, and she was great in "One Step Beyond" as well. If the other episodes are as great as the first, this is gonna be one great series. I got the whole thing for ten bucks, 70 episodes on six dvds.  :)

Tonight's observation on What Happened In Northridge (from now on, simply referred to as What Happened, or 1989 for short) is once again about the curious and near immediate appearance of Federal agents on the scene of an ordinary disruption that under any normal circumstances would be handled by police.

I reported last night that I was made, or strongly urged, to sign what is called a "non-disclosure" form on the morning of September 2, 1989. I was coerced into doing so by two men whom I don't remember identifying themselves. This happened at the apartment building, sitting at a metal table by the pool. There was a friendly witness present, a person who had driven me to the hospital the night before (accompanied by two others), but we are not naming names this time around. I mention the witness because it offers corroboration, and because this witness was with me for much of the time on the evening of September 1st, and could possibly corroborate also the presence of Federal agents that night as well.

Here is what the deal is : I was taken to the hospital by this witness (and in the car were two other people, one a famous actress, which sounds weird but is true). The hospital was Northridge Hospital, the big one in our town, and also the closest one to the apartment building.

I am guessing that we left for the hospital no longer than two hours after the situation began, maybe less than that. I spent some time in the back of a paramedic's truck beforehand, which maybe accounted for an hour, maximum. And right after that, we went to the hospital. At the hospital, a seperate and extremely unusual situation developed in the parking lot, with a violent criminal named Howard Schaller, who also just so happened to be a man that I had worked with at Metrocolor from 1979 to 1981. He had been my shift boss, and also my drug connection. I had bought speed from him until 1982, and had not seen him for seven years until that night in the parking lot. On a side note, it took me years and years to understand what he was doing there, but by last year I came to the conclusion that the only way he could possibly have been there, was through some connection with my late friend Dave S. (whom I mention only because Dave is no longer with us and because the connection is important in the scheme of things).

Up to that point in the evening, the events had been scary, then they turned unusual, and then in the case of the presence of the actress, inexplicable. But by the time we got to the hospital, that was when we knew that something mighty strange was going on. When we were attacked in our car by Howard Schaller (also deceased now), we were blocked from making an exit.........by a police car. Yep, that is the way I remember it. The parking lot was dark. It was perhaps 10 or 11 at night. It was the Friday night of Labor Day weekend. But there was a cop car there in the parking lot, and almost no one else. That is the only car that stands out. And I remember that there was an officer present who more or less shrugged his shoulders at the people who were with me, who were hysterical. I was in shock, myself, though no less lucid. Just subdued and inside myself. And this lone policeman  - don't know if he was Sheriff, meaning County, or LAPD, meaning City, and it is important to note that jurisdiction is everything - well, he just stood there, like "sorry, but there's nothing I can do". And we had a madman, large and powerful, attacking our car.

The ordeal in the parking lot went on, and other things happened, including some possibly very strange things, and I mean very strange indeed. Strange sights.

But my point is, that we went to that hospital no later than two hours after the whole episode began, and it began as an ordinary episode, "ordinary" in the sense that it happens every day, multiple times, all over the globe. Just like someone robbing a store happens every day, all over the globe. And when these events happen, you normally see a police response, because somebody calls them. One would have expected a police response at the apartment building on the night of September 1st, 1989. But none came.

To have a lone police officer (from whatever organisation) at the hospital, who basically "stood down" while we were attacked, suggests a couple things. It suggests that it was known we would be going to the hospital, and known by at least one police agency. It also suggests, because the officer in question did not immediately do his duty (though Howard Schaller was later cuffed, if I remember correctly, and I am sure I do), that the officer - and by logic his entire department, LAPD or Sheriffs, were told to stand down. There is only one organisation who can do that, of course : The Feds.

The officer in question did ultimately cuff Howard Schaller, and to be fair, he may have been away from his car and away from the parking lot when the incident began, but the whole thing was so ultimately weird that we all knew, even in our terrified and shocked states, that something extremely unusual was underway, and that it involved us, and what had transpired earlier in the evening.

So now my point goes back to the arrival of The Feds, and we see that they were there from the get go. 

From the Get Go.

The logical question a person might have would be, "who called them"?

The logical answer would be "nobody called them", because no one calls the FBI right off the bat to report a disturbance. People call the police.

Only, in this case, though the police were present, in the person of a single officer, they were on "stand down", meaning Do Not Interfere.

Therefore, if no one called The Feds, what were they doing there, immediately after the whole thing began?

///////

That is all we will explore tonight, but next we will revisit an unusual experience we had in the car on our way to the hospital : witnessing the landing of a helicopter at the intersection of Roscoe and Reseda Boulevards.

That's all for tonight, Sweet Baby. I will see you in the morn.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

P.S. I just now saw your post of your friend Morgin's photo. I must say I like the text in that one!  :):)
And it's always nice to see people finding love in this world today.....

Good Pix + "Double Indemnity" + What Happened

Happy Late Night, my Darling,

I hope your day was good and your week off to a good start. I liked your concert pix this morning. Nice dramatic lighting in both, and good color. You sure have a lot of bands now, and things are happening just as predicted : you are taking over your local music scene! I think it's great, of course, and it has been almost kind of automatic. It was your destiny to follow your dream in life, so I can only say again that it makes me happy even though I knew it would happen this way.  :)

No hike today. I am still protecting my knees until all traces of soreness are gone, because having had elbow tendonitis earlier in the year, I know it's best if you don't mess with it

But then, I still did my full five miles over the course of the day at CSUN, so I may be a Complete Dummy. But I just can't go without my walk, SB, and my knees really aren't very sore any more. And I wanted to see if the Pokemon Hunters would be out and about, and they were - in force! 

I see that they tend to wind up in one place, at certain points on campus, and then they mill about. But I like to find the stray ones who wander on the outskirts, away from the hivelike center. It makes the game seem more stretched out, and reminds me of Bicycle Hide & Seek, which we used to play on campus as 12 year olds.......(I have lived next to CSUN for 48 years now, which kind of blows my mind).  :)

Tonight's film was "Double Indemnity", and if you are laughing at me you have a right to, because - even though it is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and certainly one of the greatest Noirs, well....(ahem)....... I had never seen it.

"How in the world could you watch thousands of movies all these years and never see 'Double Indemnity"? - Me asking Self.

Self answers : "I dunno. It was just one of those movies that was maybe Too Classic, and so I subconsciously avoided it for that reason, like 'Gone With The Wind', which I have also never seen".

I was like that with "Citizen Kane" until a year and a half ago. I never watched it because it was Too Acclaimed. But then something triggered me to watch it, and....I succumbed to it's Tremendousness.

The same thing happened tonight, and I think what triggered me to finally watch "Double Indemnity" was seeing former "Richest Man in Hollywood" Fred MacMurray's performance in "Pushover", another great Noir I recently watched. I knew he had also starred in "Double" (along with Famous Northridger Barbara Stanwyck), and so I ordered it right away from Northridge Libe (most appropriately, I might add).

Well, again : What a script! What great, great b&w photography and lighting! What direction by Billy Wilder! What a movie, in total. Another great entry from the 1940s, when the much maligned Studio System was at it's peak.......

Finally, I have said I will be revisiting What Happened In Northridge next month, in a purely analytical way, and I think rather than "plan out" or overthink what I want to write - because the subject requires so much mental energy - that I will instead write what I feel, when I feel it, as the inspiration strikes me. I might just add a few sentences or paragraphs to otherwise normal everyday blogs, or I might go further and extemporize, if I have the energy and inspiration on a given night.

I want to approach it as an ultimate microscopic analysis, and so I need to look at it in slow motion.

Just for tonight, and very briefly, I will say that my first question - the first thing that intrigues me - was how fast Federal agents were involved. I have wondered, for a while now, if I triggered the events by going down to the apartment house that night - if it was an "out of the blue spontaneous happening" in other words, and then a "reaction" by the Feds, or if there was an element of planning perhaps on their part.

We know by now, in the crazy world we live in, that the Feds have all kinds of abilities, technological and otherwise. Every day seems to be a horrible circus.

And that's what it felt like in September 1989. Like one night, reality was turned upside down. I believe that the overall event - for me at least - lasted twelve days. And in retrospect, it feels like something would have eventually happened to me, regardless of the events that were unfolding at that time in my personal life, which were as much of my own making as of anyone else's. I was living an Ordinary Life, albeit with tribulations, and then one night an Ordinary Dispute very quickly - within I'd say two or three hours - involved Federal agents who never identified themselves (which is how you know they were Federal because theay can do whatever the hell they want to).

It is the rapid response that I am first concerned with.

An ordinary dispute between everyday people very rapidly brought on a Federal response, of men who never identified themselves - to me at least - and by the morning of September 2, 1989 - not twelve hours after the incident began - I was being coerced, while in a state of shock, into signing a Federal "non-disclosure" form (which can be Googled).

So the very first thing we see, is that Federal agents were on hand almost immediately, as if they had been ready to spring.

And so, I have wondered for a long time now : did I trigger the events that night, or was some experiment in place that I was herded into?

I think it's a little bit of both. I think that we were surveilled for much of 1989. To understand why, you have to open your mind very wide to understand the long-term history of hidden things, and to trust what your intuition tells you about life, the very important part your spirit has played.

For myself, I consider the possibility that something similar to 1989, and possibly far more mind blowing, may have occurred in my childhood. I think it is important - very much so - never to discount nagging intuitions about oneself, the things your Spirit is telling you about who you are and what has happened to you in your life. Remember that life is not strictly linear. There are states in between waking and sleep, and there are technologies, since WW2 at least, to infiltrate the mind in those Alpha States, and to cause a differentiation in a person's idea of reality.

My point is that Bad Guys can cause things to happen that seem like they never happened.

But your Spirit, which is far more powerful than any Bad Guy, knows that something indeed happened in your life, something that was hidden by the Bad Guys and their hypnotic technology.

For me, I obviously know this is what happened in 1989, and I am working on trying to discover what the agenda was. I also believe that something happened in my childhood, and have many details on that as well.

For others in this situation, I only say that it is a good thing to open your minds very wide, to accept and not reject what your Spirit is telling you. The Bad Guys, and their limited technology, have tried to negate a part of our reality by making it seem like it never happened.

I say our Spirit is stronger. And that is enough for tonight. All is said in Peace, of course, and in the hope of making the world a better place. ///

Okay, SB, so that's all for tonight. Most blogs will be regular blogs for the time being, but with Weird Stuff incorporated here and there until I have exhausted all of the questions I can think of.

See you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

360 Is Awesome + Singing Group + Dialectics + Gonna Write About It In August

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

I was excited to see your promo pic, via the Versus Me post, for your 360 Video. Looking at the pic, my original question was answered : I can see that "360" does indeed refer to a camera technology. Initially I wasn't sure if it was that or merely a brand name, like that of a production company. But anyhow : awesome! That is Big Time Stuff, SB, for you to shoot something like that, and my next question would be, "did you have to learn to work a special camera, or is it all done post-production on computer", or what?

I guess I will be able to figure it out when I see the video, and I am very much looking forward to it!

We had good singing in church this morn, albeit with our smallest "singing group" yet, only six members of choir were present. But we more than covered it, and as I've said, I don't mind a smaller group, cause then you get to "lead sing", so to speak. Fewer singers lead to increased roles for each, as opposed to, say, trillion member choirs like the Mormon Tabernacle, which, while spectacular, is made up of a multitude of anonymous voices. I like the "acapella group" style better......

Not much else today. I finished my John Lennon book this afternoon. Tonight I am reading "God, History and Dialectic Volume 3" by Dr. Joe Farrell, which is 100% fascinating (and I've been working on it, starting with Volume One, since about May). What blows me away is the idea of philosophers, and I don't mean the ancient Greeks so much as more recent ones, guys like Kant or Hegel from a couple hundred years ago, who sit there and think about the minutia of possibilities within what is called "dialectical thought". They want to break down what God is, which they admit is all but impossible, but they use dialectics, which is a relation of opposites, to try to do so anyway. And for these guys, "Thought" was their whole life, or their career at least. They were single-minded in trying to answer a small handful of unanswerable questions. That's what dialectics basically is, trying to define God, and what is mind blowing is how this quest has shaped modern history. I could go on about it, but I won't tonight as I am tired from getting up early.

I am also reading "Most Dangerous" by SK Bain (writing as Sherwood Kent), and this book is so prescient as to be almost a prediction of what is happening in our currently insane world. But Bain knows there are specific reasons for all the madness, and he provides ample evidence for his conclusions. The whole thing is astonishing, and it's also very important. Many who read a chapter or two might say, "oh c'mon......this is way too weird, and can't be possible". But those of us "in the know" of how weird things can get, can see that Bain is right on the money. I think in August, I might write a little about 1989, and What Happened In Northridge. August will be the tenth anniversary of when I wrote the first draft of my book, and this time around I think I want to look at some practical questions involving the "how did they do that" aspect of it all, meaning the big shots who pulled off whatever it was they pulled off. If I do write about it, and I probably will, it won't be anything like last time. When I wrote the book, in 2006 & 2007, I was literally "filled with the story", and it's emotion, which I had been living with for 13 years at the time. Now, ten more years have passed and the subject is a dispassionate one for me, though no less compelling. It is still something I think about every day of my life, because in a way, my life depends on it. I need to know what happened to me, because I need to know, "why me"?

At any rate, it is important for me to note that no names will be mentioned, except for possibly a few of the bad guys, but even then I will try to keep a focus on the logical procession of it all - i.e. how it came forth and became the Big and Weird Deal that it was. What I will not do is revisit any detailed descriptions from the book, or add unnecessary - at this point - emotion into the mix.

I will just muse on how agents of the Federal Government, and perhaps of a shadow aspect of the Government at that, came to get involved in a minor situation between everyday people in the San Fernando Valley, and how that involvement developed very quickly, and then blew up over a period of about 12 days into one of The Biggest, Weirdest Events You Could Possibly Imagine.

But I won't write it that way. It will be written, intermittently in blogs here and there (or maybe all at once), in a more academic, analytical style, influenced by dialectics and the "breaking down" of thought and possibility.

Secret people used secret tricks on us for whatever their reasons were. In my case, they caused me to forget what happened. Now is a good time, ten years after the very emotional book, to briefly but semi-thoroughly revisit what happened, using pure analysis, with hopefully no harm done.

God will be the Judge of the real perpetrators, and one day soon this crazy era we are living in will come to an end.

God Bless in the meantime, and don't worry Sweet Baby, I will continue to write as always anyhow, and it won't be a big deal. Just a few blogs in August......

See you in the morning. 

I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo  :):)

(long live John Lennon) 

Great Pic Of Park, Driving Distance, Beatles, Dog Bites Man, Witch Hazel Cures It

Happy Late Saturday Night, my Darling,

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. That was a great picture you posted this morning, with awesome rock formations, but since you did not identify it specifically (but did say that it's a "rediscovery") , I am gonna guess that it's the park where you went with your Mom and brother a couple years ago when you went on a road trip. Not the place with the Sideways Trees, but another place - a state park perhaps.

Boy, you are a doing a lot of driving lately. As I recall, that place in the photo was quite a ways upstate. However, from what I know of Midwesterners (and maybe anyone besides Californians, or maybe just me in particular, haha) it's not a big deal to drive, like, 100 to 300 miles to do something. The guys at the KX board will talk about driving 300 miles to go to a concert. Here, to drive 50 miles is a big deal. And as I've speculated before, it's because of traffic and freeways and being in our cars so much of the time.

But that's why I am looking forward so much to my "later-in-the-year" trip to the Alabama Hills, because it's In The Middle Of Nowhere, and the drive is mostly through The Middle Of Nowhere. That's what I was saying in last night's blog, is that California is mostly open space. I chose Alabama Hills as my first destination because I love geological formations and I love Western movies, and The Hills are famous for both.

No hike today, and no shopping with my sister, just a regular workday. Work is more intensive nowdays, as previously noted, but I did have a chance to almost finish my John Lennon book this afternoon, and also to strum and sing "All My Loving", which to me is not only one of the Ten Greatest Beatles Songs but also the Ultimate Beatlemania Song : in old clips from the 1964 tours, when they would start that song, the screaming would just about drown it out. More than that, it just totally captures the Early Beatles Magic in every way.

I got a dog bite this evening, from the Kobedogger himself. He'd been staggering around, favoring his rear left leg. I suspected a culprit - a "sticker" or burr from a dried up weed bush in the side yard, because I'd pulled a couple of them out of his fur recently. So I checked his foot, and sure enough. He had two of 'em stuck in between his rubber foot pads (the things that dogs have on the bottom of their toes). Well, doggies don't like to stand still for anything uncomfortable, so I got some Vasilne to try and loosen the stickers, but I still had to do some pulling to remove them. And in the process, The 'Ster delivered a quick bite to my forearm. It did break the skin, and drew a little blood, but I quickly soaked it in Witch Hazel, which is the "duct tape" of home remedies.

Anything can be fixed with a little Witch Hazel. I've even used it on my sore knees. :)

So hopefully I won't get rabies. I've still got a pretty good red welt on my arm, but the size of it went down considerably.

Well, tomorrow morning is church and singing. Our anthem will be "In This Very Room", which is pretty easy to sing but with a few timing changes. I will be around early in the morn and then after choir practice as usual, about 1pm.

See you in the morning, Sweet Baby. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Baby Metal + Half Hike (Babying The Knees) + Hollywood Boulevard + Alabama Hills

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

Okay, I love it! - the Babymetal show at The Wiltern tonight. :) Now, I hadn't heard of Babymetal, but I'm assuming you must have formed a new metal band and you're already on tour; that's why your friend Katie went to the show tonight. Babymetal featuring Sweet Baby on keys, guitar and vocals.

Next time, gimme some advance notice so I can go :)  I'll take pix, too.........

I hope you had a blast at your show last night. It looked to me like a couple of your bands were there, and the short video clip showed a good sized crowd.

This afternoon I went on a "half hike" at O'Melveny, all the way through the park and down the trail until I got to the ascent, which is about 3/4 of a mile in. I don't wanna do anything to mess with my knees until all the soreness is gone, because I had some experience with tendonitis earlier in the year. It was in my elbow, from twisting a mop too hard, and tendonitis does not go away easily. So, just a "flat" hike today, no climbing, but at least I was Back Out There after about ten days of No Hikes. Plus, me and Grimsley took a walk down Hollywood Boulevard last night, waiting for JVR to go on, and we went all the way down to Hollywood and Highland : the premier tourist stop and home of the Academy Awards, etc, where you see all the Michael Jackson and Elvis impersonators, and Star Wars characters. Hollywood Central, in other words. That part of the boulevard is all lit up in streetlights and neon, but back at Hollywood and Western, closer to the club where JVR was playing, things are a tad more........dark.

At any rate, I Google Mapped it today, and our walk down Hollywood Boulevard was 2.5 miles, from the Harvard & Stone club to Hollywood and Highland Bl. It's like Ray Davies said, "you can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard", and we did, meaning the marble-tiled star shapes that are set into the sidewalk with gold embossed names of Movie Stars. That's the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and it's always fun to "name 'em off" as you walk along, "some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of" - lyrics again courtesy of Mr. Davies.

Hollywood Boulevard needs some fixing up, for certain, and you do see a lot of homeless people encamped at regular intervals, but if you look carefully at the edifices of the old buildings, and through windows into their interiors, you can still see flashes of the old Tinsletown Glamour from the Golden Era of the 20s through the 50s.

Now that I am about to drive up to the San Francisco area in a couple weeks, and leaving town for the first time in eons, I am already planning my next trip. It will be just a Day Trip, but I wanna drive up to the Alabama Hills in east/central California, in the High Desert. The "Hills" are the site of many Western Movies, famous and very unusual looking rock formations, way out in the middle of Nowhere, just like where Dad used to drive us (though he never drove us to the Alabama Hills).

California is a trip, because it is the size of a country like Italy, and yet it is basically populated around three metropolitan areas : San Diego, Los Angeles and The Bay Area (San Francisco/San Jose). Most of our 30 million people live in those areas.

But then there is the whole eastern part of the state : a desert. And so I wanna start doing a couple of Day Trips here and there, and Alabama Hills will be the first, maybe later this Summer or Fall.

That's all I know for tonight, my Darling.

See you in the morn. I Love You.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Back from JVR Birthday Show

Happy Late Night, my Darling,

I am getting a little later of a start tonight because Grimsley and I went to a club called Harvard & Stone in Hollywood to see your fellow Wisconsinite Jesika Von Rabbit play a birthday show, her birthday in this case. I see that you were at a concert as well, so that is awesome. :) I will post this now, just so you know I'm here, and then I'll come back and write more in the same blog.

Back in a few..........   :):)

I am back. You are probably asleep at this hour, and I don't have much to report anyway, today being just a regular workday.

Post some pics from the show if you get a chance.

See you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Got It + Pokemon + 1960s Fun + Shananananana Knees, Knees, + "Pushover"

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

Okay, now I think I get it, because of your friend Aaron's post containing the word "parents". Then also you posted the pic of the church in southern Illinois, so I am guessing a road trip of some kind is underway.....

Possibly incorporating Pokemon as well.

They were out in force tonight at CSUN, the most people I have seen yet. Most in groups of two or three, but also bigger groups of maybe a dozen, and also some people that were going solo. Wake me up before you go-go, SB.  :)

I mean, what is going on here? All of these people seem to be thoroughly into it, and it looks like fun, but what I don't understand is : did they know this was coming? Because they all came out of the woodwork simultaneously, and from what I can see, they all know how to play, even though this is a brand new game. 

I mean - isn't it? Or was it described online beforehand?

Oh Hell, I have no idea. But, as noted, it certainly looks like fun - like an old-fashioned scavenger hunt - and most importantly (and I think this part is great) it is getting young people outside , and walking around, enjoying the night (and maybe the day, too). Do they play this game during the day? 

Outdoor fun rules! Man......during the 60s, you couldn't keep us kids indoors. Of course, this was during the Baby Boom, so every street was packed with kids, and kids had a separate world of their own. All day was spent with other kids. We would play hide and seek till 9 at night in the Summer, or Kick The Can. All kinds of games. Scavenger Hunts were for teenagers, so I never got in on that, but the 1960s were all about kids and fun and being outdoors, and I haven't seen any of that in ages, so I am all for the new Pokemon game.

Just as long as it goes with reading books and general Brain Enrichment, of course. That's also what past generations were about : learning. That's what we did in the 60s. We were either Having A Blast or Learning Something. There wasn't much in between. And family was huge then, too. And friends.

Probably a lot like now, at least I hope it is.

Enough already, with the Dumbing Down Of America. Let's bring back the fun, and the togetherness, and the spirit of learning that I and my generation were so fortunate to grow up with.  :)

Speaking of being outside, and in my case hiking, I haven't been on any this week because of sore knees. I guess I overdid it with the five straight days of nine miles. It didn't hurt at the time, doggonnit. But once I settled down and got back to work a week ago today, my knees were a wee bit squishy, and hurting a little. So I've been going easy all week, still doing my daily miles, but no climbing or straining as required for hikes. Today, the knees were feeling better, so I will give them one more day of rest tomorrow and then perhaps try for a hike Friday. Maybe I will find a Pokemon in Santa Susana State Park, or in Rice Canyon.  :)

Tonight, another classic Film Noir : "Pushover", starring Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak. I have gotta say once again, "hooray for the era of great screenwriters", when so much could be done in a mere 90 minutes. In "Pushover", MacMurray plays a cop who is part of a stakeout on femme fatale Novak, who's boyfriend has robbed a bank and disappeared. In watching her, MacMurray falls for her and then plots with her to find the boyfriend and take the bank loot from him. This one is a five star classic, with endless plot and suspense - thank you, screenwriters! - and excellent b&w photography, featuring many great Hollywood and Los Angeles locations of the 50s. I will continue to search out more lesser known Film Noirs and other classics from the 40s and 50s, one of my favorite eras for movies.

That's all I know for tonight, my Darling. I hope you are having fun, wherever you are.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

What's Going On?

Hi Elizabeth,

Since you didn't post at all today, I'm guessing that it isn't because of Pokemon, or at least not entirely Pokemon, but that you are upset about something. If so, would you please tell me what it is? You really haven't posted much at all since around the 4th of July. Anyway, I'm all ears, so whatever is going on I hope you will communicate it, because as always when these things happen, it's not easy for me.

I don't know if I should keep writing, if you want me to keep writing, or what.

I am gonna post this now, just in case you are still awake, and if you are maybe you can post something just to acknowledge?

If I can think of anything else to write, I will come back in a few minutes and add it to this same blog.

Pokemon? Is it some kind of nationwide thing? + "Pride Of The Marines"

Hi Elizabeth,

Well, I don't know what is going on with all the Pokemon stuff, lol. I only saw one post from you today, of James' "Pokemon Van". It was funny, but I was wondering, "what's with all the Pokemon"? because yesterday you had two Pokemon posts. Maybe you posted other stuff today, too, but if so I didn't see it.

Anyhow, then this morning I saw a post from the Oviatt Library. I'm sure you remember The Oviatt, where I used to write from until June 2013 when I got my Chromebook. The Oviatt was posting about Pokemon, and now I was going, "ohhh, okay. It's some kind of national fad, like Hula Hoops or something".

I am not hip, you see.  :)

The last few nights at CSUN, I have seen something unusual. Normally when I go on my walk, the campus is more or less empty, even on school nights but especially in Summer. But ever since about Friday, I'd say, I have seen a lot of young people, students I assume, just walking along in groups of three or four. This would be between about 9 and 10 at night. I have wondered what the deal was. "What are we, UCLA now"?, with more of a Nightlife Scene, students enjoying the campus at night? I mean, we don't really have a "nightlife" type of neighborhood. And there have been no entertainment events on campus that I've been aware of.

But I've been seeing all these students, walking all up and down campus.

And then this Pokemon thing comes up, and you are posting about it, and then The Oviatt Library posts about it. And tonight, on my walk, the many groups of students all seem to be looking for something, or navigating something.

What is going on here? Is there some kind of National Live Action Pokemon Game taking place?

Now don't get me wrong, I have of course heard of Pokemon. My nephew was hooked to the gills as a small boy in the early 90s, and if I recall correctly, he had a card collection of Pokemon. But that's all I remember about it : collecting cards, and maybe action figures, little puff-ball type things.

But has it been turned into an outdoor game?

Anyhow, seeing all the students yet again tonight, I was thinking "aha! maybe I have figured it out", but you will have to tell me for sure if you feel like it.

Tonight I watched a classic movie from 1945 : "Pride Of The Marines" with John Garfield and Eleanor Parker, the story of a GI who is blinded during the battle of Guadalcanal, and how he deals with the aftermath. It had all the elements of war stories of that era : gung-ho patriotism, goofy camaraderie, sweet romance 1940s style, heavy fire battle scenes and tragic consequences. But this movie also had some extras : very realistic battle footage, showing the confusion of the Fog Of War, and also some great, unexpected political dialogue that is critical of the "feel good" rapture that surrounded the war. Soldiers then, like now, wondered if anybody gave a hoot about them when the fighting was over. Really an excellent movie.

Well, that's all I know, and I suppose I really don't know much, lol.

I hope your day was good.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Me, and Where I Stand (it's not too bad so don't worry) :)

Hi Elizabeth,

I was glad to see you back on FB today. Sorry I didn't write the past couple days, but as you know my daily existence is kind of repetitive to report on and it is easier for me to write when there is a "conversational" aspect to it.

I was a little confused by the first post of yours that I saw, just because of the overall circumstances. You had not posted much since about 4th of July, or even before that, and for the past few days not at all (at least not anything I could see), and then when I did see your post today, the text had a wording like "the more I work with you the less I like you". It had to do with a Sony camera product of one kind or another, but in the past, when our two-way conversation was ongoing and more direct than it is nowdays, that is the kind of textual comment you would have used if you were upset about something. So maybe you simply meant it about the Sony product, I don't know, but I just found it unusual that, after not posting much at all for a week, and nothing over the weekend, that that would be your first post. I was thinking, "what in the world did I do now"?, lol.

Anyhow, I saw a few other posts, including the one with the cute kitty, so I hope all is well. The thing is, is just that I have to really maintain an equlibrium nowdays. My job is much tougher than it was even a year ago, and I have to really make sure I stay on top of stuff. Also, as I mentioned a week or two ago, I am finding myself at 56 all of a sudden (it snuck up on me, haha), and everything I do, or nearly everything, I do by myself. I don't want my life to be this way forever, and it is scary to me that I could be 66 in ten years, which go by fast when you are this age, and that I could be getting close to 70 and still be all by myself.

That is not something I want to happen - it terrifies me to be honest - and because I have been around a lot of older people and disabled people, I have seen what happens to people who are all alone.

I don't mean to burden you with a lot of this stuff, but suffice it to say that I am at a point in my life where I really want to move forward, even if it's just a little bit forward.

I have two major things I want to happen in my life.

I want to get married, and I want to find out what happened to me in 1989.

Neither one has to happen immediately, but I am just hoping for some small increment of forward progress, because years go by fast at my age.

I certainly do not wanna be One Of The Boys my whole life, and the reason I "do my own thing" so much of the time is because I simply don't know anybody to go hiking with, or who likes the stuff I like.

The last thing in the world I wanna do these days is "shoot the s**t" with The Boys.

I want someone to go to the opera with, and to the museum, and to parks, and on road trips, and just all kinds of stuff. There is so much to do, and to talk about, so many interesting things.

All a person needs is someone like-minded.

Anyhow, I just say all of this because I have been writing to you now for many years, and while it is true that our online "conversation" is not as direct as it was, because you are focused on your work, and rightly so, I suppose I still want to know if you want me to write to you on a day to day basis. You know I love to write. But as it happened this weekend, the faucet can reduce to a drip or nothing at all if there is no conversation going on. I have written over 1000 blogs now, so it's not as if I'm slackin'......  :)

It's just, as always, that I'd rather know where I stand, and if I am just a guy on FB, that is okay too.

But at this point, because of the way things are with my job, and the fact that it is getting to be frustrating to do everything I do by myself, I am really hoping that something good will happen for me, so that I won't be alone anymore. I certainly want to continue to write, and I hope you want me to, but it's just harder when you disappear for days on end, and then I wonder what I am doing it for. That's why I didn't write for the past two days.

Anyhow, today was a good day, with good singing. I hope your day was good, too.

I will see you in the morning. I Love You.   xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Hope All Is Well + I Hate Violence/Pray For Peace + "Flaxy Martin"

Happy Late Night, my Darling,

I haven't seen you on FB for the past few days, so I hope everything is alright. Probably you are just working, but post if you can, and if you feel like it. I don't usually comment on the news, for many previously stated reasons, but I must say, and I am sure the whole country would agree, that I am so sick of this violence, and I hope it ends soon. As a reader of books by men like Dr. Farrell and Kent Bain, I am certain that there is an agenda behind events like what has happened today, and I shall not go into what I believe because it's way too long and involved, but all you'd need to do is read the same books and see what you think for yourself.

And who wants to concentrate on that stuff, I realise.

Anyhow, I believe in God and in Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit, and so I know that one day the violence will come to an end. I just hope it is soon. ///

My day was a typical Thursday with Pearl's hair salon appointment. No hikes. This eve, I did watch another movie, a neat little film noir also from the Warner Archive Collection, called "Flaxy Martin". The Ruthless Dame of the title will stop at nothing to get what she wants, which is money, and in her pursuit she double-crosses both her lawyer boyfriend and the mobster he protects. The writing once again demonstrates what can be done in the span of 90 minutes (86 to be exact), and this movie has a lot going on, all kinds of plot and plot twists. Virginia Mayo is great in the title role, as is Dorothy Malone as the "good girl" counterpart, but the real star of the show is Zachary Scott as the lawyer. All three actors were fairly big movie stars in the 40s, but somehow this film slipped through the cracks of Noirs That Are Well Remembered. Perhaps it was released as the second half of a double bill, I dunno. It isn't a B Picture, not that B Pictures can't be great.....

But hooray for my new discovery of the Warner Archive Collection.  :) The studios made a truckload of movies back in the 40s and 50s, because back then there were double features, and many movies would play a week or two and then be replaced, there was a bigger turnover than today, and tons and tons of Movie Stars, so a lot of lesser known features still haven't made it to dvd, but thanks to the efforts of those involved in film preservation, we are starting to see these films. And if you love older movies as much as I do, that is great news.

Again, I hope all is well.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)