Very Odd

Well, I'm back. Alex and I had a good time in Philadelphia. We met up with Cindi - a woman I met at the Myrtle Beach show in March - and her friend, Matt. I'll post setlists and reviews of the two shows when I get a chance.

For now, I wanted to relate two things that happened on the trip that were somewhat out of the ordinary.

We got into the city around 9:30 on Monday night and after driving by the Tower City Theatre and seeing "Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - SOLD OUT" outside, we set about finding a place to stay. We ended up at the Summit Inn Hotel and were greeted by a mildly effeminate Andy Dick (of NewsRadio fame) look-a-like.

Andy instructed me to fill in a registration form. One of the spaces was for the make and model of the vehicle, and although I realized later that I didn't need to fill that portion in, I wrote down Alex's Dodge Intrepid license number. I thought nothing of that until 5:45 the next morning, when we were awakened in our hotel room by the blaringly loud ring of the phone. I answered it and was informed that our car was blocking someone in and we needed to move it immediately. I tried to confirm that it was indeed our car and was told it was. I wasn't sure how that was possible.

When Alex and I arrived in the lobby, we were met by a short man in coveralls telling us that we were blocking his truck in. We went out the front door, walked a short way to the car, looked around, and looked quizzically back toward the entrance. The man was holding the door open to the lobby and shouting in, "it's not their car!"

Then he came toward us, motioning for us to follow him to the side of the hotel to see where someone else's Dodge was blocking his truck in. He continued to beckon us as we stood completely still by the car (I was looking at my watch). He finally ascertained that we were not going to follow him and again came toward us, saying,

"LOOK - they blocked me right in! I know what my driver's gonna say: FUCK IT! That's what he's going to say - FUCK IT! That's what he'll say alright!"

Meanwhile, Oz and I had started walking back to the hotel with the guy yammering behind us all the way. I leaned slightly toward Alex while the guy was still talking and said, "well, I know what I'm about to say..."

So that was Tuesday morning. It took me about an hour to get back to sleep. I kept thinking what the front desk guy was going to have to do, since no one else really fills in their vehicle information when they check in and I had only done so because I wasn't sure that I didn't have to do so. Would they call everyone in the place and ask them what kind of car they drove? I was more amused than pissed off, but I'm sure other people might not feel the same way.
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On Wednesday night after the second show, we were waiting at the corner on the left side of the venue in hopes that Robert's vehicle would drive by us or perhaps stop and take us all to some fantastic place. Okay, well I knew that wasn't going to happen. I don't really know what we were doing there.

Anyway, our little group of four was approached by what looked to be a short, staggering troll. As it turned out, that was pretty much correct. One may also add the adjective 'drunken' to the description. The troll spoke to Cindi for a bit in terse unintelligible sentences before coming close to me. She (the troll) looked up at me and said something I failed to understand. She repeated, "can I kick you in the knee?"

I was not positive that I was hearing her right so I made an effort to confirm what she had said.

Me: "Can you kick me in the knee - is that what you're asking?"
Troll: "Yeah. Can I?"
Me: "Um.... Sure. Why not...."

At this point, the troll raised her right leg and struck a glancing blow to my shin with her foot.

Me: "You missed. Any particular reason you wanted to do that?"

The troll appeared not to hear me. Cindi asked why she would do something like that.

Troll: "Because he's hot and good-looking and taller than me."

Mystery solved.

As far as the hot and good-looking part, I did mention that she was intoxicated, didn't I?

Father's Day

Well, I spent 12-6 working at Sears. I saw Rebecca Ball with her brother today. Michael bought a Sony mp3 player. She was, and continues to be, a very nice person to me. Rebecca greeted me with a hug and what seemed to be sincere interest in how I'm doing.

After that little incident with the Ant/Grasshopper Affirmative Action email in 2003 or 2004, she and Chelsy both emailed me and were extremely supportive. That was a big surprise. I always liked Rebecca - I wrote her a horribly long love letter in 6th grade. She was very compassionate in the way that she crushed my eleven year old dreams though. Anyway, she looks great and I believe she's getting married soon or perhaps already is. I don't know. Nice to see her.

I also saw Steve Anderson, who was a great friend to me growing up. I used to get off the bus at my grandparents' house after school until I was 13 or so, first because both my parents worked and later because most of my friends lived around that area (Drew Erlandson, John Matteo, Steve). Steve lived just up the road and was friends with a few of the guys I always considered to be assholes. He always stuck up for me and was just a good guy all around. He's had kind of a tough time in life to a certain extent and always handled himself very well. It was good to see him.

I'll be going to my grandparents' after I get out of work and then over to Ozzie's to plan our trip to Philly.

Movie

Batman Begins was excellent. I went to see it with Matt and Thom last night. My only (slight) complaint is with the Batmobile, which in this film is a converted military vehicle - somewhat reminiscent of an oblate Hummer - painted black, of course. However, it was definitely "action-packed" as they like to say.

I'll restrain myself from making any further comment, just in case other people are going to see it.

Madness

I watched The Forgotten last night. I was supposed to meet Randy and Laura at The Watermark in Mayville to watch a little two-piece band, but when I got there I did not see either of their vehicles. I went inside and didn't see them there either. By the time I got back through Lakewood, I was too late to catch the 9:45 showing of Batman Begins.

I'm pretty sure it was only last year that I started going to movies by myself. Actually, never mind - it was 2003 when I got back from Colorado. At first it was just as bad as going to eat at a restaurant alone. I don't mean the actual act of watching the movie. I mean buying the ticket with a bunch of couples around. Oh well, I guess. Why shouldn't I be able to watch a movie just because no one will go with me? I went to a lot of them last summer.

Anyway - so I was too late and ended up going to Blockbuster and renting a couple things. I got Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 3) just in case The Forgotten freaked me out too much; I would have something light to watch afterward. I tend to like to watch something funny after a horror/thriller. Really just thrillers, because I usually find horror movies distasteful and stupid.

I would recommend The Forgotten to anyone who can handle science fiction. Some people can't. I know Aaron hates it because it's just too weird for him. If it's not realistic, he tends to focus on the unreality of things rather than the underlying premise that is being explored, which of course is what science fiction is really about. Many people in my science fiction English class last semester were pretty hung up on whether or not the book was realistic. Apparently they forgot what kind of class they had enrolled in.

It's no secret that I can become pretty emotionally involved with movies and television if they are touching on things that I find relevant to my own life in some way. Ben once criticized me for essentially seeing my life as The Wonder Years played out in real life. So anyway - I think the reason why the movie last night and of course Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind hit me so hard is because of how attached I am to my memories.

You know - I always start these things or compose them in my head and they're much more complete than they end up being when I post them.

At work yesterday, I recorded Grosse Pointe Blank on the DVR because I've never seen it in its entirety and I love John Cusack movies. So I'm watching it and he tells Minnie Driver's character that he's had dreams about her roughly five nights per week for the last ten years. I don't need to tell you what that reminded me of and started me thinking whether that's going to happen to me. Of course after the movie last night I predictably had a dream about Destini. Many times I can't remember exactly what the dream consisted of, I'm only left with the knowledge that her presence in it was pervasive and complete. Surely, this is madness, is it not? Obsession?

I will reiterate that I have not seen her since late July 2004 and have not heard from her via email since December. That doesn't mean that I haven't emailed her. But I'm not getting responses anymore. Probably because she has moved on and now views me as pathetic and/or crazy. Of course I don't know what I'm really asking for, because knowing how incredibly jealous I am, there is little chance that, given a second chance at things, I would be able to erase enough of my bad memories to allow a positive relationship to proceed. So maybe that's what she knows and she's sparing us both the heartache that would accompany any attempted reunion. I don't know. All I know is that watching Curb Your Enthusiasm was not a big relief - the last episode I watched featured Larry's wife going to see a play that her friend Brad is performing in, and Larry's first reaction is to say go ahead and go, even if he doesn't feel good about it. Of course the thing is a comedy and everything developed in a humorous manner, but I was stuck in a memory of mine. It was after the break-up and Destini was leaving my house to see a band play. I was doing her laundry. She was supposedly going to see the band because her friend Melinda liked a guy that played with them. Of course the guy was the cokehead and within weeks I found out that was the guy who she was sleeping with. It's possible no one else will see my mental progression on that one. Nonetheless, it was there.

Maybe that's why I don't usually finish these things - because I seem much crazier after I write it out than when I'm stewing over it in my head.

Philadelphia Bound

On Monday, I'll depart for Philadelphia with Oz to catch two Robert Plant shows on June 21 & 22.

Trial

The Michael Jackson trial is over, and to rip off NewsRadio (read in stilted Captain Kirk voice): 'if what you're saying is true....then I still don't care...'

Second Place

is the first loser.

Trivia Champs

Tuesday at the Anchor Inn in Lakewood, Thom, Matt, Turck, and I competed in a trivia contest with perhaps twelve other teams. The questions were read by a professional trivia master (which is to say a busboy with a laptop). The battle consisted of three rounds, with each round comprised of questions worth more than the last. Our team, Bye Week, was victorious by five points. It was pretty exciting because we climbed from far back in the pack over the course of the three rounds and many of the leaders fell away in the final round.

Curiously, most of the questions seem to have been made up in 1997 or thereabouts. The queries ranged in subject matter from music to movies to politics.

Our prize was a whopping fifteen dollar tab at the bar, which we used on four beers and a shot of Jack Daniels for Thom and I. I expect that we'll be back next Tuesday in an effort to defend our title.

It's Been Over Two and a Half Years...

so why do I continue to dream about her on a semi-nightly basis and why is she so pervasive in my thoughts?

Last time I actually saw her was last July. Last time I had any communication with her was in December.



What the hell is wrong with me?

Laughing on the Inside

I went out last night to join Matt and Thom at the Cherry Lounge. We were later joined by Matt's friend Stephanie/Stefanie, who attended JCC when I did. We've met a few times. Anyway, I was told at one point that I appear to be laughing at my own internal joke much of the time.

Coupled with some other remarks that were made, I might be forgiven if I got the impression that she thinks I'm an arrogant prick. But hey, I'm sure that's not true.

Military Recruiters Encounter Opposition from Parents

This is definitely worth reading. Does everyone recall the recruiters in Fahrenheit 9/11?

Bush Opposes More Aid to Africa

If you asked most people in the United States what percentage of our Gross National Product goes to foreign aid, I'm sure you'd get quite a few inaccurate responses. If you asked how much our country gives in comparison to other rich nations, you'd probably get a few more wrong answers.

In reality, the United States of America gives less money proportionally than almost any industrialized nation to foreign aid, less than one percent of our GNP.

The article also touches on what the US has done since our country declared the Darfur situation in Sudan to be genocide. (Virtually nothing.)

Bob Herbert Editorial from NYT

Here's an editorial from Bob Herbert with parallels drawn in the Nixon and Bush administrations. A nice, concise piece.