Small Town Iowa - Know Your Enemy

Just a day or two removed from our trip to Iowa for the holidays. A good trip, cold, but family was nice. And I didn't get in any awkward conversations about religion or politics with the in-laws. I played nice. Wanted to get over to Chi-town to see some of gang, but unfortunately it was not to be. Weather, health and time conspired to prevent it.

I got quite a bit of reading done, Hitch 22 by Christoper Hitchens (review soon to come) and Zero History by William Gibson.

 I went walking around town just about every day. Osceola is not so different from where I grew up (Red Oak) or any other small Midwestern town. The small town checklist? Less than 5,000 people, little industry, a ridiculously large Wal-Mart, Indian gaming, decaying but interesting old buildings:

Largely white populations (Osceola 95.73%), a sinking economy with little hope for the future. Deprived of a longtime enemy,

they are forced to look for new ones. But, instead of looking at that Wal-Mart or casino on the edge of town ... those things that emasculate the community and render it generic and dependent ... they look elsewhere. Iowa, at once encouraging because of the law to allow gay marriages, at the next moment discouraging because of the drive to repeal the judges that made it happen.

And small town Iowan looks at immigrants. You don't have to go far to hear the phrase "damn Mexicans". (I didn't have to leave the house). It's too bad, but perhaps destined to happen. Osceola is named for the Seminole of the same name,

. Osceola was captured under a truce flag and died soon after,

To quote BSG, "All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again."

"From a certain point of view our real enemy, the true troublemaker, is inside." -- Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama quotes (Dalai Lama, b.1935)

Thanks

My father broached the subject slyly enough, saying "Did the elections come out the way you would like?" I said yes, figuring I had to be honest. He replied that he was scared of what the next 4 years would have been like if McCain had been elected with the prospect of extending what the last 8 had been like. I made a comment on how scary Palin was and he agreed with me. To my shock, and without him actually saying it, I came to the realization that my folks had voted for Obama. Hallelujah!

Then we went on to discuss something else not related to politics. Those couple of sentences were probably the longest political discussion that we ever had. My parents just did not talk politics when I was growing up. It wasn't that they didn't care. They always voted. But when you are struggling to make ends meet, the nuances of foreign policy or trickle-down economics just don't matter that much.

I know you shouldn't make assumptions about people. But with your folks, you figure you have 'em pegged well enough to at least predict who they would vote for.

I'm pretty sure that my parents voted for Reagan once, but I'm not positive. My father is a veteran of the Air Force and the Vietnam War. He's been active in the VFW. His social circle has always been farmers and mechanics, not professors and artists. My parents always have liked to live out in the country with a minimum of interaction by the government. If not Republican, they at least leaned libertarian, though I know for a fact that they would have no idea what that term means.

But my parents also taught us to respect people regardless of their race or their economic station in life. It would irritate some of my parents' friends because they would rub elbows with the people on the "wrong side of the tracks" just as easily as they would the mayor. Those people on the other side of the tracks had more in common with us and I'm sure my folks preferred their company. They rightly saw that we had more in common with the poor black or Hispanic person than we did with the rich white guy at the top of the hill.

The modern Republican party has successfully fooled a large portion of poor whites that they have more in common with oil barons and trust-fund babies than with the hard-working people working next door that might just happen to be a different color. Thankfully, and maybe I should have know this all along, my parents saw through this and made the right choice. Maybe the apple didn't fall as far from the tree as I had thought.

"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength." -- Maya Angelou

Magic Man, Griffith Observatory

Thanks to Michelle's show biz uncle, whom we were staying with in LA, we got to meet John Gaughan for a private tour this morning at his workshop. Who is John Gaughan ... you may ask? Well, he's one of the most sought out manufacturers of illusions for world famous magicians, including David Blaine, Criss Angel, David Copperfield, Doug Henning and has worked with other performers such as the Doors and Alice Cooper in the past.

We drove up to a nondescript warehouse in LA, near Griffith Park, and were welcomed at the front door by Gaughan himself. He introduced us to his two birds (the ones mentioned in the Wikipedia article), one of which is 85 years old. John is very affable and very willing to answer any questions we had. He showed us a collector's room that he has that some of the most valuable and rare magician memorabilia in the world, including pieces once owned by Houdini, Harry Kellar and others, original posters from magicians dating back to the early 1800's, and full-size automatons that have been displayed in museums around the world. I'm afraid to even speculate the value of the items in that room. They are one of a kind pieces. We're talking in the millions of dollars.

Here's a great article on John from the New York Times:

Magicians Ask: What’s Up His Sleeve?

He created the trick wheelchair used by Gary Sinise in Forrest Gump, that helped to hide his legs.

Michelle's uncle, Marty Price, knows John because the show he works on, Numb3rs, is having an upcoming episode dealing with a magician and they filmed at John's workshop. I believe the episode airs November 14th. Check it out and you'll see where we were. Fascinating stuff.

Being close to Griffith Park, we spent the rest of the day at the Griffith Observatory. This is the one in many movie shots, most famously, Rebel Without a Cause, but also Terminator and Transformers:





I'd always wanted to go there but didn't take the time until today. The view is great up there, with clear views of the Hollywood sign:



... downtown:



... and the observatory itself:





There were a lot of cool space exhibits inside. The admission was free because it's a city park. Free educational and cultural exhibits -- a concept that seems to be understood in Europe, but is lost on the morons over here that would privatize everything. Learning cannot only be the domain of those who can afford it.

Overall, an outstanding day. Tomorrow, it's time for the trip back home to AZ.

The Strand

Perhaps biting off a bit more than we could chew, we started off early this morning intent on biking all the way from the house in Manhattan Beach to the Santa Monica Pier ... a distance of about 13 miles one way. I had hauled Alex's and my bikes out with us in the trunk and Michelle borrowed her aunt's new beach bike.

The bike path along the ocean is called The Strand and extends 22 miles total from north of Santa Monica south to Torrance. It's very scenic, going right along the beach, and passes through Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach and Santa Monica. The weather was great, with a lot of eye candy, and freaks galore.

On the way up, just the other side of Venice, we stopped for a bite to eat:


... continued on up to the pier in Santa Monica:


... walked the boardwalk in Venice (ground zero for freaky people):


... and checked out a few organic clothing shops that I had researched ahead of time, Natural High Lifestyle in Santa Monica, which was so-so (a little foofy and expensive), and Arbor in Venice, which was a lot better and where I picked up a t-shirt.

All-in-all, it was a worthy way of spending a Friday. Nobody got too tired and we all got over 25 miles of riding in. Pretty impressive for the little one especially.

Manhattan Beach

We're leaving Wednesday afternoon for a long weekend in Manhattan Beach. Might try to hit Griffith Park. Or maybe go to Cardiff by the Sea and see Michelle's cousin.

I researched organic clothing retailers in LA and located several in Santa Monica and Venice. I'm hoping to pick up some shoes and shirts.

Will probably post something on the blog each day.

Recharge

Sorry for the gap in posts. We were out of town this weekend camping with the folks at Cataract Lake near Williams, AZ. Had a great time and am now refreshed and ready to take on the free world.

Mr. Cheery

You know ... it's not all doom and gloom with me. Politics is only one of my interests, albeit a depressing one sometimes. But there are many things that inspire me:

Good music - I just watched the fantastic concert movie, Pearl Jam: Immagine in Cornice, tonight. It was shot at several dates in Italy in 2006. Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder continue to impress me by not selling out, by having something to say, and, above all, for making great music for over 15 years.

Friends - Those across town (E & J) who we don't see as often as we should because we are old, boring and busy. But when we do see them, it's as though no time has passed.
- And those across the planet who, with your blogs, make me think, make me laugh, and have helped me to find a voice. (Laura, CK, JA, Wunelle, SP, and yes, even you, Scott)

And above all else, family - Seeing life unfold through the prism of a 7 year old is a joy and a learning experience for me. Everything I do, work or personal, must ultimately pass the test of whether it makes my wife and son proud of me. Today was a great day for family. It was a busy, fun, Saturday. It started with a museum, continued with some good food and ended with a college football game. Check out some pics here or by clicking the picture:

Growing up

An eventful week for my little guy. First, some sweet lower level seats for the Arizona Cardinals first pre-season game last Thursday:


Then, today, his first day of 2nd grade:

"People like you and I, though mortal of course like everyone else, do not grow old no matter how long we live...[We] never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born -- Albert Einstein in a letter to Otto Juliusburger

Long Beach -- Day 2

Alex fell sick last night with the flu or something, so our plans of the zoo or aquarium were dashed (he's fine now). I decided to adventure out on my own today and catch a little California local flavor in Long Beach. I picked up the Metro Light Rail just a mile or so from where we are staying and it took me all the way to downtown Long Beach. It was cheap, fast and convenient. I don't know why people complain about mass transit. It's the wave of the future and you better get used to it. And besides, you don't get to have a crazy lady with Tourette's dropping f-bombs when you drive yourself to work.

I did get to spend some time at the used book store that Laura mentioned, Acres of Books. Varied selection and, as the name would indicate, a lot of books.


Great book store that unfortunately might not be around for much longer ... at least not at that location. I bought about a half dozen books and a t-shirt. The books included Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson (of Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash fame) and Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkein.

For a few more pics of Long Beach ...

Also, saw Iron Man last night. Loved it and will have a more extensive review on Sunday.

Manhattan Beach Day 1

On the Road

We're off to California for a long weekend at my wife's aunt's place in Manhattan Beach. We're either going to go to Griffith Park and the L.A. Zoo or we might head to the LBC and visit the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary.

Hopefully, I can mix in some used book shopping.

I'm taking the laptop, so I'll try and blog about our travels.

California Trip Highlights

All the sordid details of our trip to California:

Day 1-2 - Disneyland

Day 3 - Farmer's Market

Day 3-4 -Manhattan Beach

But, wait, if you act now, you will not only have to look at pictures of yours truly but you will also get recountings of near-encounters with no-name actors and a seemingly endless retelling of every single thing we ate. Most people would pay a lot of money for these things, but you, my loyal blog readers, get this for free. Lucky you.

Going to California ...

"Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.
Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.
The sea was red and the sky was grey,
Wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today ..." -- Led Zeppelin

Just kidding, not making a "new start". Just going to Cali for a long weekend. Disneyland Thursday, Manhattan Beach through Sunday. Hoping to go to the Farmer's Market Friday and maybe Griffith Park to get my James Dean swerve on.

I'll have internet access all weekend and will be blogging often.

On the Road

Some long overdue picture updates on my excursion blog, On The Road, showing what we've been up to the last few months.

Happy 6th Birthday Alex!

The little guy turned 6 today. We're so proud of you sweetheart!


Click to see more pics

Plus more recent goings-on at my On The Road blog:

Spring Training

Fountain Hills Great Fair

VNSA Book Sale

Here are the highlights of the books that I picked up at this year's VNSA Used Book Sale -- 50 years of selling gobs of used books to benefit local charities (AZ Friends of Foster Children, Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa Country, and Toby House:

Sci-Fi

The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter
Half-Life by Hal Clement
Deus Irae by Philip K. Dick and Roger Zelazny
Schild's Ladder by Greg Egan
(The Lathe of Heaven, The Dispossessed, The Wind's Twelve Quarters) & The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Science Non-Fiction

Dinosaur in a Haystack
The Mismeasure of Man
Questioning the Millenium
Wonderful Life
all by Stephen Jay Gould
From Lucy to Languange by Donald Johanson and Blake Edgar
Abusing Science - The Case Against Creationism by Philip Kitcher
The Demon-Haunted World - Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
Comet by Carl Sagan and Anne Druyan

Political

An Hour Before Daylight
Keeping Faith
Turning Point
all by Jimmy Carter
Boy Genius (Karl Rove) by Lou Dubose

Misc

Twilight of the Idols - The Anti-Christ by Nietzsche
The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell
Silent Bob Speaks - The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith
also, several books on oriental rugs, art, and a textbook on film

Duchess

I was all set to write a post on how good a time we had at the big VNSA Used Book Sale that we go to each year. But that was before we came home from the sale to find our pug, Duchess, listless and laboring to breathe. We rushed her to the vet, but looking in her eyes on the way, it was like a light had been switched off. Even before we got to the animal hospital, I think we both knew it was too late. The vet said it was most likely some kind of autoimmune disorder that finally just hit some threshold that sent her over the edge. We'll never know. Whatever had happened was not reversible and we had to have her put down. She couldn't breathe on her own any more and had lapsed into a coma.

I can hardly even write about it. But I just wanted to say something about what she meant to us. She was our "baby" before we had Alex. Her time with us spanned over half our marriage and the entire life of our son.



We took her on vacations or would have friends and family watch her. We never boarded her even when we went on vacation because were afraid of what she would think. We had adopted her from the Arizona Humane Society and we thought it might bring back memories if we put her in a kennel. Silly, I know. But she was people to us.




She got along great with other dogs (that's her best friend, Tasia) and with kids. We weren't sure how she'd react when we had Alex but she was nothing but loving and protecting from the very beginning. They were best buds and have always gotten along great.

It's obviously not on the level of a relative or close friend dying. But after having Duchess for 7 years, it's damn close. When a pet gets up to 10 years or so, you know that their days are numbered but it still comes as a shock. And usually there is a gradual deterioration. This was sudden. We're not sure what happened. Last night she was normal ... today, this.

I'll miss the way such a small dog could take up half the bed and steal all the covers. I'll miss the way she worked so hard to train us over the years. She would go and stare at her food bowl at 8:00 and 5:00 every day until you fed her. She was like clockwork. I'll miss the way she greeted us when we would get home each day with the kind of unconditional love that you could only dream of from most humans.

I can't even think about getting another dog at this point. I'm sure we will, but right now the pain is too acute.

Bodyworlds

We were lucky enough to check out the Bodyworlds 3 exhibit at the Arizona Science Center last night. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's a traveling exhibition of real bodies that have been preserved through the process of Plastination. They are posed in creative and artistic poses and show various parts of the body. It's very cool and educational and despite how some newscasters portrayed it, it didn't gross me out at all. It prompted a lot of questions by Alex and I think it was a great learning experience for him.

Seeing real organs and muscles outside the confines of a flat textbook and seeing cross-sections of diseased organs allows a person to visualize much easier the effects of smoking and drinking.

Religious or not, what do you think about the sanctity of the human body after death? Is it desecration? The people whose bodies were preserved knowingly donated them for the very purpose. When I told my mom that we had went, I got a funny (odd) response. She's not religious at all and considers herself an agnostic/atheist but she said that she probably couldn't go to a show like that because she just gets an odd feeling around dead bodies. Almost like she senses an aura or force. She's probably just nutty (and I would know) but is there any truth to that? Could there be a presence unique to a person that isn't necessarily tied to religion? I don't think so, but what do I know?

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will." -- Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club)

Glendale Chocolate Affaire

Our annual trek to the Glendale Chocolate Affaire.

Glendale Glitters

Hijinks with the family at Glendale Glitters (no relation to Gary Glitter).