December 3, 2004

• FRIDAY FIVE

  1. Choose one person on your friends list to switch locations with for one month. Who is the friend, where do they live and why did you choose that location?
  A few years ago I reconnected with a friend I made in my 20′s as we crossed paths in Bloomington, Indiana when I was on my way to Russia and she on her way to California. Today she lives in the Bay Area (Emeryville to be exact on the Berkeley side of the bay) and is a successful painter. You can see her and her work here. We spent time together in New York City and the Haight-Ashbury before we lost track. I haven’t been back to that place in my life for 35 years and would love to revisit many places that hold intense memories. A month would be the perfect amount of time to do that at my leisure. Also, my son’s dad lives in San Francisco and I’d like to meet his new mate and her family as it seems to be a long-term relationship. (He and I never actually lived together but have remained friends all these years.) He was also a part of that time for me, the ’60′s.’
  2. Provide two bits of trivia about your town.
  Well, Portland is the only city in the U.S with an extinct volcano within city limits (Mt. Tabor). And more Asian elephants have been born at the Portland zoo than any other zoo in North America.
  3. I come to your town for a visit–what three places do you take me to during my visit?
  First we’d have coffee at Powell’s Books, a gigantic warehouse of books that you could get lost in with winding passages up and down and all around, plus a great coffee room with windows on the street. Then we’d go to the Japanese Garden, which is the best anywhere outside of Japan I’ve heard. This would be in June when the Japanese irises are in bloom and you would have to be a calm spiritual person who could really take the time to drift slowly from one beautiful spot to another along the enchanting little paths. Finally, we’d go for lunch to Nicholas Restaurant, a tiny Lebanese hole-in-the-wall on the inner east side with great service, fantastic food at a great price, and music that makes you want to get up and dance if only you weren’t enjoying the food so much.
  4. You are handed a camera, what are four places you take pictures of in your town?
  First the Japanese Garden (again), especially the sand pattern gardens and the giant orange fish. Then the Oregon Zoo where you never can tell which creatures will be making drama. Then the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens (during blooming season) to see the thousands of wild birds who live safely there swallowed up in the blooms. Then Saturday Market for just plain people madness.
  5. Revisit Question #1 – what are five places you visit while you’re in your switched location?
  I only want to see the places that were so meaningful to me one last time: the Haight-Ashbury, Marin County, North Beach,City Lights Bookstore, the Berkeley campus.
  

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  Deep Thought: “Normally I’m not one to believe in little green men from Mars. But one night, as I was driving home from a party, I caught something in my headlights I still can’t explain. It had weird, catlike eyes and only stood about a foot tall. It was covered with grayish fur, and walked on all fours, like a cat. It had a tail, which if I had to describe in terms of something here on Earth was, in a way, like a cat’s. Also, it was carrying a ray gun in its mouth. It was either a ray gun or a mouse.”
  Today I am grateful for: Being able to order DSL which will hopefully speed up the time I spend here
  Guess the Movie: “An essential characteristic of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero, and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When he wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic that Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S”, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses, the business suit, that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak, he’s unsure of himself… he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race. Sort of like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plympton.” Answer: Kill Bill, Vol. II, 2004. Winner: tikhead.
  U.S. Soldiers Seek Asylum in Canada
  by Marty Logan
  MONTREAL – Canadian leaders, not the country’s refugee system, should decide the fate of soldiers who have deserted the U.S. military to apply for asylum in their northern neighbor, according to a support group.
  One of those soldiers, Jeremy Hinzman, will go before Canada’s refugee board Monday for a hearing on whether he qualifies for asylum. The adjudicator who will decide the case has already announced he will not consider the argument that Hinzman did not have to serve because the U.S.-led war on Iraq was illegal. (Rest of article here.)
  End of Day: 9:06 pm
  + = Made a little headway trying to figure out what’s wrong with my camcorder today.
  - = After the first attempt where the guy would have gladly ripped me off for the $120+ flat fee to fix any camcorder and it turned out all I needed to do was recharge the battery.

  • 10:45 am
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