Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas San Diego, Ca. March 2012
Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas at Luche Libre Taco Shop in San Diego, March 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
The Direct Hit
The shelling seemed to last forever
Round after round fired from the Destroyer
"Dude, we have been waiting here for hours!"
"Chill the fcuk out Santos, he'll be here soon"
Oil covered the forward deck and soon so did flames
The screams of men trapped behind a turret filled his ears
"This sucks Cedric, you didn't say we would have to wait."
"Can't you shut up for awhile? And stop being all stupid."
The oily smoke seemed to roll down the ship
He pulled the thin white cotton shirt up to cover his face
"There he is! Right over there! He better have good shit!
"Christ Santos, your junky ass will take whatever he's got."
The ship began to heel to port, the hull had been breached
It wouldn't be long before it keeled over
"Hey man, where you been? We've been waiting for hours!"
"It's only fifteen after. You got money?"
The torpedo had targeted her boiler room, and hit home
The room was flooded and all power had been knocked out
"Yeah man, here, it's all there, count it, count it."
"You got $23.00, enough for a couple of bags."
Oil slicks spread out in every direction around the ship
In seconds it looked as if the sea was on fire
"Couple of bags? Man, that should get at least three!"
"You don't want to buy? Fine, see ya."
The heat was suffocating, he knew it would only be minutes
Until the flames or the ocean took him
"No, no, man, it's all good, c'mon, don't clown like that!"
"Here, now get the fcuk away from me."
He drew one last agonizing breath and let himself slip
Over the side of the ship into the liquid inferno
"Oh shiiittt Cedric...this is that good Mexican stuff...
I'm already feeling it take me far, far way..."
Round after round fired from the Destroyer
"Dude, we have been waiting here for hours!"
"Chill the fcuk out Santos, he'll be here soon"
Oil covered the forward deck and soon so did flames
The screams of men trapped behind a turret filled his ears
"This sucks Cedric, you didn't say we would have to wait."
"Can't you shut up for awhile? And stop being all stupid."
The oily smoke seemed to roll down the ship
He pulled the thin white cotton shirt up to cover his face
"There he is! Right over there! He better have good shit!
"Christ Santos, your junky ass will take whatever he's got."
The ship began to heel to port, the hull had been breached
It wouldn't be long before it keeled over
"Hey man, where you been? We've been waiting for hours!"
"It's only fifteen after. You got money?"
The torpedo had targeted her boiler room, and hit home
The room was flooded and all power had been knocked out
"Yeah man, here, it's all there, count it, count it."
"You got $23.00, enough for a couple of bags."
Oil slicks spread out in every direction around the ship
In seconds it looked as if the sea was on fire
"Couple of bags? Man, that should get at least three!"
"You don't want to buy? Fine, see ya."
The heat was suffocating, he knew it would only be minutes
Until the flames or the ocean took him
"No, no, man, it's all good, c'mon, don't clown like that!"
"Here, now get the fcuk away from me."
He drew one last agonizing breath and let himself slip
Over the side of the ship into the liquid inferno
"Oh shiiittt Cedric...this is that good Mexican stuff...
I'm already feeling it take me far, far way..."
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Saturday, May 26, 2018
A Quaint Display Of Furious Enthusiasm
You live long enough you get to see people celebrate just about everything, from birthdays and Bat Mitzvahs to graduations or being granted parole.
Just about anything can be cause for celebration, and there are people out there who carry out their celebrations with maximum zeal.
Take for example the guy I met the other night at the bar where MJM and I were watching game 5 of the Warriors/Rockets playoffs. He had just moved in with his girlfriend and was at the bar to celebrate that fact.
He told MM & I they had rented a nice one bedroom place at the large apartment complex across the street and he had just unloaded the last box out of his truck.
His girlfriend wasn't at the bar with him, he explained, because she had to work.
But he didn't, so he had decided to walk over to the bar and have a few drinks to mark, as he said countless times in the few hours we were there, his "final ascent into adulthood!"
A phrase that made me wince a wee bit every time he said it - or more accurately, shouted it.
Truth be told, there was also a little envy in me whenever he repeated the phrase, too, as I can remember, somewhat, the first time I ever moved in with a woman. It did indeed make me feel as if I had climbed a few rungs up the ladder of adulthood.
Though, also truth be told, it didn't really make me feel like much of an adult.
This guy in the bar was far more enthusiastic about moving in with his girlfriend than I can remember being (I mean, sure, I was happy, but not buy-everybody-in-the-bar-multiple-shots happy).
He continually stated to everyone in earshot (which was everyone in the bar) that he was finally a "grown-ass man" and was going to be adulting the hell out of things now,
He must of bought 4 or 5 rounds of shots for the 12 or so of us that were in the area of the bar he had settled in, and with every shot he knocked back he seemed to get just a little happier, and a lot louder.
However...after the fourth or fifth round (I have no idea of the actual number, just guessing here), a young woman wearing a servers outfit from one of the local restaurants walked in and headed right over to the young celebrant.
Nothing she was saying to him could be overheard amidst the din of conversations and music that filled the bar, but I looked at MJM and he looked back at me and we both nodded in silent agreement that whatever it was probably wasn't good, as the guy stopped his celebrating right away, and when the girl turned round and started walking out, he followed right behind her after paying his tab, head down like a scolded dog.
"Now that," I said to MJM, "Is pretty much the reality of ascending into adulthood."
MJM nodded his head in agreement and we raised our glasses in a toast of commiseration.
Just about anything can be cause for celebration, and there are people out there who carry out their celebrations with maximum zeal.
Take for example the guy I met the other night at the bar where MJM and I were watching game 5 of the Warriors/Rockets playoffs. He had just moved in with his girlfriend and was at the bar to celebrate that fact.
He told MM & I they had rented a nice one bedroom place at the large apartment complex across the street and he had just unloaded the last box out of his truck.
His girlfriend wasn't at the bar with him, he explained, because she had to work.
But he didn't, so he had decided to walk over to the bar and have a few drinks to mark, as he said countless times in the few hours we were there, his "final ascent into adulthood!"
A phrase that made me wince a wee bit every time he said it - or more accurately, shouted it.
Truth be told, there was also a little envy in me whenever he repeated the phrase, too, as I can remember, somewhat, the first time I ever moved in with a woman. It did indeed make me feel as if I had climbed a few rungs up the ladder of adulthood.
Though, also truth be told, it didn't really make me feel like much of an adult.
This guy in the bar was far more enthusiastic about moving in with his girlfriend than I can remember being (I mean, sure, I was happy, but not buy-everybody-in-the-bar-multiple-shots happy).
He continually stated to everyone in earshot (which was everyone in the bar) that he was finally a "grown-ass man" and was going to be adulting the hell out of things now,
He must of bought 4 or 5 rounds of shots for the 12 or so of us that were in the area of the bar he had settled in, and with every shot he knocked back he seemed to get just a little happier, and a lot louder.
However...after the fourth or fifth round (I have no idea of the actual number, just guessing here), a young woman wearing a servers outfit from one of the local restaurants walked in and headed right over to the young celebrant.
Nothing she was saying to him could be overheard amidst the din of conversations and music that filled the bar, but I looked at MJM and he looked back at me and we both nodded in silent agreement that whatever it was probably wasn't good, as the guy stopped his celebrating right away, and when the girl turned round and started walking out, he followed right behind her after paying his tab, head down like a scolded dog.
"Now that," I said to MJM, "Is pretty much the reality of ascending into adulthood."
MJM nodded his head in agreement and we raised our glasses in a toast of commiseration.
Friday, May 25, 2018
A Delicate Touch Of Good Ol' Fascism
There is fascism afoot in the world we live in, and it now comes sugar-coated and guaranteed to cure what ails you...but, just like good ol' classic fascism, it's all about being what the world needs...whether the world likes it or not.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Monday, May 21, 2018
Worrisome Sounds Heard While Alone In The Dark
Listening in the dark
Is in itself a worrisome thing
Noises made by an old house
Under siege by the wind
Or being lashed at by the rain
Can send icy chills up ones spine
Like tiny beasts scurrying across the moor
The door creaking open when
You're absolutely sure you shut it
Caused by the settling of the floor
Murmurs and whispers that may or may not
Be a light breeze brushing over leaves
Or the flapping of a night bird's wings
It can be an awful long wait
Alone there in the dark
Listening
While trying to fall back asleep
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Why Oh Why Is There Still Such A Thing As A Royal Wedding?
First question I was asked at work this morning was, "Did you get up to watch the royal wedding?"
My answer, of course, was, "No, why the hell would I? There was a revolution in this country 240 or so years ago that made it so I wouldn't have to deal with any of that crap."
I received a glare and a scowl in return, and some gibberish about how I should at least be able to appreciate the beauty of the pageantry, and how ground-breaking the marriage was due to the princess-to-be being an American of mixed race, etc, etc.
The obsession of the media in this country, one of the first countries in the history of this planet that rejected the concept of an aristocratic class and all the monarchy horse pucky that goes with it, with the royal family of the U.K. is beyond belief.
Did not any of those reporters or editors pay attention in their seventh grade history classes?
The founders of this country (with the help of French, Spanish & Dutch allies) fought a war specifically to break free from the irrational, illogical, insipid, and unjust idea that certain individuals had a divine, hereditary right to rule over others.
The men who fought to dissolve the hold the British monarchy had on the Colonies were well-educated, intelligent men. They no doubt knew their history, had studied what was known of other peoples who had broken free from the tyrannical rule of a monarchy - they knew that the people of Athens had been able to eliminate the aristocrats that had ruled them about 2,800 years ago, and that the Romans had been able to do the same for a brief period (during the years of the Roman Republic, though there was still a Roman aristocratic class).
And they most certainly were very aware that England itself had once done so, when Oliver Cromwell and the English Parliament ended monarchical rule from 1649 to 1660 (when the re-establishment of the monarchy was contingent on more power in the hands of the Parliament).
With that knowledge they undertook, at the risk of their very lives, the monumental task of breaking free from the shackles of what was then the most powerful country in the world.
To do that, they drafted a document that not only outlined their gripes, but spelled out clearly (well, in the language of the time), exactly what they were going to do about it.
The Declaration of Independence was basically the anti-monarchism fuse.
The American revolution resulted not just in a change of governments, it resulted in a change of attitude in the minds of the common people.
And that scarred the holy hell out of the various aristocratic families that controlled the countries of Europe and the colonies that they had established around the world.
Time proved their fears to be well-founded, as ordinary people in countries such as France saw what the American colonists were able to do and said, "Hey, on peut le faire aussi!"
In the middle of the 18th century, nearly every country on this planet was ruled by monarchs of some sort or another. Sure, there were parliaments in a number of countries, but all of those were controlled by landed gentry - the aristocratic class.
Even the soon to be dissolved Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, at the time the largest country in Europe, which boasted a legislature that had the power to keep the monarchy in check - still had a monarch - and the legislature was still composed entirely of landed nobility (side note: just before the third partitioning of the commonwealth, a much-to-late reform effort was undertaken and on May 3rd, 1791, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth enacted the second codified constitution in modern world history - the first being the U.S. Constitution.
In 1914 there were 22 Monarchies in Europe, and only 4 Republics.
Today there are 32 Republics in Europe and only 12 Monarchies.
Still have a ways to go.
My answer, of course, was, "No, why the hell would I? There was a revolution in this country 240 or so years ago that made it so I wouldn't have to deal with any of that crap."
I received a glare and a scowl in return, and some gibberish about how I should at least be able to appreciate the beauty of the pageantry, and how ground-breaking the marriage was due to the princess-to-be being an American of mixed race, etc, etc.
The obsession of the media in this country, one of the first countries in the history of this planet that rejected the concept of an aristocratic class and all the monarchy horse pucky that goes with it, with the royal family of the U.K. is beyond belief.
Did not any of those reporters or editors pay attention in their seventh grade history classes?
The founders of this country (with the help of French, Spanish & Dutch allies) fought a war specifically to break free from the irrational, illogical, insipid, and unjust idea that certain individuals had a divine, hereditary right to rule over others.
The men who fought to dissolve the hold the British monarchy had on the Colonies were well-educated, intelligent men. They no doubt knew their history, had studied what was known of other peoples who had broken free from the tyrannical rule of a monarchy - they knew that the people of Athens had been able to eliminate the aristocrats that had ruled them about 2,800 years ago, and that the Romans had been able to do the same for a brief period (during the years of the Roman Republic, though there was still a Roman aristocratic class).
And they most certainly were very aware that England itself had once done so, when Oliver Cromwell and the English Parliament ended monarchical rule from 1649 to 1660 (when the re-establishment of the monarchy was contingent on more power in the hands of the Parliament).
With that knowledge they undertook, at the risk of their very lives, the monumental task of breaking free from the shackles of what was then the most powerful country in the world.
To do that, they drafted a document that not only outlined their gripes, but spelled out clearly (well, in the language of the time), exactly what they were going to do about it.
The Declaration of Independence was basically the anti-monarchism fuse.
The American revolution resulted not just in a change of governments, it resulted in a change of attitude in the minds of the common people.
And that scarred the holy hell out of the various aristocratic families that controlled the countries of Europe and the colonies that they had established around the world.
Time proved their fears to be well-founded, as ordinary people in countries such as France saw what the American colonists were able to do and said, "Hey, on peut le faire aussi!"
In the middle of the 18th century, nearly every country on this planet was ruled by monarchs of some sort or another. Sure, there were parliaments in a number of countries, but all of those were controlled by landed gentry - the aristocratic class.
Even the soon to be dissolved Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, at the time the largest country in Europe, which boasted a legislature that had the power to keep the monarchy in check - still had a monarch - and the legislature was still composed entirely of landed nobility (side note: just before the third partitioning of the commonwealth, a much-to-late reform effort was undertaken and on May 3rd, 1791, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth enacted the second codified constitution in modern world history - the first being the U.S. Constitution.
In 1914 there were 22 Monarchies in Europe, and only 4 Republics.
Today there are 32 Republics in Europe and only 12 Monarchies.
Still have a ways to go.
Friday, May 18, 2018
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Monday, May 14, 2018
A Conversation With A Fallen Man Of God Part II
The slouching man who had asked if I believed in God straightened up a little and turned to look at me directly. In a much quieter voice he then asked me, "So, just what is your idea of God like?"
I sat and pondered that for a few sips of my drink. I looked at the man and thought to myself, "Cripes on a cracker, this guy is going to be a pest."
"It would be easier for me to tell you what I don't think God is, and much quicker, too. In my opinion God is not some temperamental, bearded old man sitting on a throne of gold selectively awarding wins to whichever team has the most faithful players, or deciding that New Zealand needs another earthquake because there are not enough people in that country attending church services."
His face had a surprisingly attentive look on it as I said that, so I decided to keep on talking.
"In my view, God is not even an entity. God doesn't exist as a thing, especially not as a thing that resembles a human, male or female."
"Oh?," The no longer slouching man said. "What is God then? The Force like in Star Wars?'
"No, nothing like that. I find the whole idea that there is a force out there in the cosmos that can be harnessed in such a way that a person will be able to disregard the laws of physics or control the thoughts of other people to be comical."
"The best way I can explain what my concept of God is would be to say that God is not a being or a force or anything that grants special favors or bestows divine rights to a select few. God is order, but not an enforced order. It's just the order of things, the order of the randomness of everything."
"That makes no sense to me. How can that possibly be God?" He shook his head a little when he said that.
"Look," I replied, "There are more things..." Then I caught myself. I wasn't going to start quoting Shakespeare to a guy in a bar.
"Okay, it doesn't make sense to you. Well, the idea that an old bearded guy made a virgin pregnant so she could give birth to a son who is essentially him, and then have that son/him become a preplanned sacrifice in order to make salvation possible for the sinning millions doesn't make sense to me. Let's call it a draw."
Then it was my turn to be surprised, for the no longer slouching man said, "Yeah, that story is pretty far-fetched to me as well, I just threw that out when we first started talking to see what your reaction would be."
My brow furrowed a bit when he said that, and I replied testily, "What the actual fcuk? Are you just some bored drunk? Man, get away from me."
"I apologize for the subterfuge, but when you walked in I saw immediately that you were an approachable person, and I have been yearning to have an intelligent conversation with someone ever since I left the monastery. I've asked a lot of people that question in the past 18 months, and I've had answers ranging from the conventional Christian to the almost militant atheist, but I've never had anyone tell me God is order."
The look on my face must have already conveyed what I was thinking, but I said it anyway. "You were a Monk?'
"Yes, yes I was, for almost 7 years. Benedictine to be exact. In New Mexico. Before that I was in the Coast Guard, and before that I went to the University of Massachusetts."
"Knock me over with a feather, I've never met a Monk before, or a former Monk for that matter. Why did you leave the order?"
"Lost my faith. The monastic life gives a man a lot of time to think without distraction, and all my thoughts lead me to doubt, and slowly those doubts became convictions."
I sat and pondered that for a few sips of my drink. I looked at the man and thought to myself, "Cripes on a cracker, this guy is going to be a pest."
"It would be easier for me to tell you what I don't think God is, and much quicker, too. In my opinion God is not some temperamental, bearded old man sitting on a throne of gold selectively awarding wins to whichever team has the most faithful players, or deciding that New Zealand needs another earthquake because there are not enough people in that country attending church services."
His face had a surprisingly attentive look on it as I said that, so I decided to keep on talking.
"In my view, God is not even an entity. God doesn't exist as a thing, especially not as a thing that resembles a human, male or female."
"Oh?," The no longer slouching man said. "What is God then? The Force like in Star Wars?'
"No, nothing like that. I find the whole idea that there is a force out there in the cosmos that can be harnessed in such a way that a person will be able to disregard the laws of physics or control the thoughts of other people to be comical."
"The best way I can explain what my concept of God is would be to say that God is not a being or a force or anything that grants special favors or bestows divine rights to a select few. God is order, but not an enforced order. It's just the order of things, the order of the randomness of everything."
"That makes no sense to me. How can that possibly be God?" He shook his head a little when he said that.
"Look," I replied, "There are more things..." Then I caught myself. I wasn't going to start quoting Shakespeare to a guy in a bar.
"Okay, it doesn't make sense to you. Well, the idea that an old bearded guy made a virgin pregnant so she could give birth to a son who is essentially him, and then have that son/him become a preplanned sacrifice in order to make salvation possible for the sinning millions doesn't make sense to me. Let's call it a draw."
Then it was my turn to be surprised, for the no longer slouching man said, "Yeah, that story is pretty far-fetched to me as well, I just threw that out when we first started talking to see what your reaction would be."
My brow furrowed a bit when he said that, and I replied testily, "What the actual fcuk? Are you just some bored drunk? Man, get away from me."
"I apologize for the subterfuge, but when you walked in I saw immediately that you were an approachable person, and I have been yearning to have an intelligent conversation with someone ever since I left the monastery. I've asked a lot of people that question in the past 18 months, and I've had answers ranging from the conventional Christian to the almost militant atheist, but I've never had anyone tell me God is order."
The look on my face must have already conveyed what I was thinking, but I said it anyway. "You were a Monk?'
"Yes, yes I was, for almost 7 years. Benedictine to be exact. In New Mexico. Before that I was in the Coast Guard, and before that I went to the University of Massachusetts."
"Knock me over with a feather, I've never met a Monk before, or a former Monk for that matter. Why did you leave the order?"
"Lost my faith. The monastic life gives a man a lot of time to think without distraction, and all my thoughts lead me to doubt, and slowly those doubts became convictions."
Saturday, May 12, 2018
A Conversation With A Fallen Man Of God, Part I
Just by the way he slouched on the bar stool after asking the question I knew there was no way in hell we would be having anything remotely close to a pleasant conversation.
"Do I believe in God?" I said, repeating the question back to him. "Do you mean a specific religion's interpretation of what God is, or do you mean do I believe in an interpretation of God I came up with on my own?"
"What?" He looked a little puzzled. "You know, God, like, the God most people who believe in God believe in."
Twirling the thin straw in my drink I tilted my head right in order to get a better look at the guy. "In my experience, that right there is a statement so full of holes you could use it as a salmon seine. Most everyone I know who professes a belief in God has a pretty unique, individual idea of what God is."
"Well, the God I mean is our lord and savior, who sacrificed himself to save our wretched souls from eternal damnation." As he said this his voice went up a few decibels, as did a few eyebrows around the bar.
"Then you've lost me my friend, as that does not meet the description of God I carry with me."
His face seemed to tighten up instantly when I said that, and I thought for a moment that he was going to get up and find some other person to sit next to in the establishment.
No such luck.
"Do I believe in God?" I said, repeating the question back to him. "Do you mean a specific religion's interpretation of what God is, or do you mean do I believe in an interpretation of God I came up with on my own?"
"What?" He looked a little puzzled. "You know, God, like, the God most people who believe in God believe in."
Twirling the thin straw in my drink I tilted my head right in order to get a better look at the guy. "In my experience, that right there is a statement so full of holes you could use it as a salmon seine. Most everyone I know who professes a belief in God has a pretty unique, individual idea of what God is."
"Well, the God I mean is our lord and savior, who sacrificed himself to save our wretched souls from eternal damnation." As he said this his voice went up a few decibels, as did a few eyebrows around the bar.
"Then you've lost me my friend, as that does not meet the description of God I carry with me."
His face seemed to tighten up instantly when I said that, and I thought for a moment that he was going to get up and find some other person to sit next to in the establishment.
No such luck.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
There's A New Bar In Town, And It's Looking Pretty Nice
For two years plus there have been construction crews working on the long-vacant Liberty Bank building near the corner of Jewel & Wadsworth here in Lakewood.
For the past few months a banner has been hanging in the front of the building that proclaimed "Coming Soon" in two foot tall letters.
Well. soon has become now. The place has finally opened, under the moniker Hanger 101
It's obvious the minute you step in the door that the place is a labor of love. Here are a few pics of the place to back up that claim.
For the past few months a banner has been hanging in the front of the building that proclaimed "Coming Soon" in two foot tall letters.
Well. soon has become now. The place has finally opened, under the moniker Hanger 101
It's obvious the minute you step in the door that the place is a labor of love. Here are a few pics of the place to back up that claim.
Chose Your Poison...Very, Very Carefully
It's an old adage, but it bares repeating.
On one hand you may have what appears to be inconsolable grief or unbearable agony...on the other you may have numerous insufferable root canals or a lifetime of non-stop complaining about the lack of quality television...
Seriously, it almost always comes down to the lack of quality television.
Monday, May 7, 2018
The Past Is Dead, The Future Is Alive
He recently mentioned to me
That he had been reflecting on
The years that he had allowed to slip away
The years that he had imprudently thrown away
The years that he had
Squandered
Wasted
Forfeited without the slightest resistance
I listened to him attentively
And thought about the times
I had thought those very same thoughts
For life can be a crippling challenge
And it is easy to find solace in
The multitude of mind and mood altering substances
The multitude of responsibility and dignity distractions
The multitude of opportunities for
Intoxication
Inebriation
Shameless descents into abject misery
And I said to him
For whatever good it might possibly do
The past is dead, you're not
You're one of us - the lucky - your life starts today
That he had been reflecting on
The years that he had allowed to slip away
The years that he had imprudently thrown away
The years that he had
Squandered
Wasted
Forfeited without the slightest resistance
I listened to him attentively
And thought about the times
I had thought those very same thoughts
For life can be a crippling challenge
And it is easy to find solace in
The multitude of mind and mood altering substances
The multitude of responsibility and dignity distractions
The multitude of opportunities for
Intoxication
Inebriation
Shameless descents into abject misery
And I said to him
For whatever good it might possibly do
The past is dead, you're not
You're one of us - the lucky - your life starts today
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Friday, May 4, 2018
Summun Bukmun Umyun
When I was younger I didn't seem to be able to hear the well-intentioned advice I was given by some fairly smart people.
When I was younger I couldn't seem to comprehend the real nature of the world, couldn't seem to be able to grasp just how things actually worked.
When I was younger I wouldn't give opinions and ideas that were contrary to my own thoughts and imagination even a second glance.
Things have changed a bit. Just a tiny bit.
But that tiny bit has made all the difference.
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