Quick recommendation...finally dialed up a show that I've been told was a classic for years. Freaks and Geeks...one season, 18 episodes on Netflix. I don't usually laugh out loud when watching stuff by myself, but do to this show every episode. From 2000, it depicts high school life in 1980. First show by most of these actors that have gone on to great things, is Judd Apatow's first thing and hits on so many nerves accurately from my school days. Freaking brilliant and am sad I have only two episodes left. I am probably late to this party, but please do yourself a favor and search this out.
Over the summer, I started making a list of movies that the kids need to see. Godfathers, Animal House, etc. If you are so inclined, shoot me a list of your top 5 that every young person needs to view as I am constantly updating. Will share in a future post.
In the Taiwan Today file, a quick driving note for this week. I have been able to figure out why the locals do most of the dickish moves that they do here (still don't approve, but get their motivation), but one thing is still perplexing me, and that is the use of turn signals. I understand that when they are in motion on the road, that they don't use their blinkers to indicate a lane change (until they are 1/2 way into the next lane) is because the people behind them will speed up to cut off their lane change if they know they are going to make it in advance.
The part I don't get is the situation where they are the first one at a red light in the far left lane that can go both straight or make a left turn. They are sitting at the light with no blinker on, so one would assume that they are going forward. As soon as the light turns green, the left turn blinker goes on and they just sit there. Why? WHY! This happens all the time so it is a thing that they are trained to do. They are obviously aware of their blinker and the function it is intended to serve. I like to think of myself as having an empathetic streak that attempts to understand others motives, but this one has eluded me to date and frosts my ass to no end.
Came across this article about Taiwan's Strawberry Generation. Likened to the Millennials, these are people born after 1980 and are called "strawberries" by older generations as they are considered soft and bruise easily. I like the metaphor, but if you read the article, these kids are chastised for not being "manufacturers" while preferring to open coffee shops and trendy boutiques. That shit takes a lot of effort and while that may not be as substantive as the older folks like, having a town with cool places to visit and hang out is a sign of a society that has progressed. Resist the urge to make blanket judgements on the youth that they are the worst, cause you were just that in your day. And screw you old man.
As mentioned, went on my annual rock pilgrimage late November. This year was a trip to the Pacific Northwest to see the greatest band of all time (to me), Yo La Tengo, play four shows in five nights in Eugene, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Most people that I tell this to cannot understand why I would do this nor do they know who Yo La Tengo are. Even my rock and roll buddies think I'm a bit nuts, but they aren't secluded on a desert isle. Only one guy, and old Deadhead, really understood and was jealous. Not sure I can explain it well, but think about the thing you like to do the most and it is like that.
It is a long ass flight or two from TW to Seattle and notice that every time I get on a plane that I become ravenous. Always bring along snacks, which I eat immediately, but then devour the airplane food no matter how awful and then start eyeing the stuff my seat mate isn't eating and wonder how I can snag their chicken ala king. This is not a new thing either. On the way home from Paris after our honeymoon, I had finished whatever dinner it was and saw that Betty had barely started her chicken entrée. She is at the window seat and I look over and say, "That's Iceland down there". As she is searching the seas from 36,000 feet for a glimpse of Iceland, I stab her chicken and down it is less time it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop. As Peyton Manning might say, Stolen airplane chicken parm you taste so good. I did look up to see if I was the only one this happens to and found this.
8. Bingeing on plane food. Of course you should eat when you're hungry — whether you're on a plane or elsewhere. But polish off all the inflight food just because you're bored, and you'll enjoy it less than you would on the ground: Dry cabin air and low air pressure can reduce your ability to perceive salty and sweet tastes by 15 to 30 percent — which can make foods taste worse when you eat it in the air, according to a German study. All the noise from the airplane engine doesn't help either, according to a Cornell University study that confirms the obvious: Environmental distractions can affect your sense of taste. Some airlines compensate for the ambiance by serving saltier foods, so you could end easily end up overdoing it on sodium.
One of life's biggest pet peeves to me is "out of it" people in public situations, but the coma's that people get into at the airport are the worst. The TSA's don't make it easy on you as they are always changing the rules (shoes on/shoes off, my belt sets this machine off but not the last 4, computers in the tray, leave them in the bag), but carrying the bottle of water through is always a no no, yet see someone get stopped (and holding up the rest of us) every single time. And I think that there is some type of hallucinogenic strobe effect in the departure signs that causes epileptic seizures in many. I plead with you to live your life in 360 degrees.
Having a few days in Washington and Oregon allows one to sample the many fine recreational marijuana dispensaries. Not a huge secret that yours truly enjoys that vice and would choose it over booze any day. What is unexpected is the fantastic customer service you receive in them. Everyone is so happy and friendly and are more than willing to offer suggestions. The lady behind the counter asked what I was looking for and I said to her, "something that won't put me into a coma". She came back with four suggestions, describing each and telling me which one is her favorite. It was even on sale. Tell me the last time you had a pleasant shopkeeper engage you when buying a six pack of Coors Light.
First night was in Eugene and was a great show. Small college town and small venue. Stood right at the front of the stage (as I did every night), and if I needed to go to the bathroom or head outside to partake, could come back and my spot would still be waiting for me. All that for $18. I am going to write my love letter to the band in the New Year so will save the show details for another time.
Spent the night in Eugene then headed in the morning up to Portland. Some friends from Taipei just moved there, so arranged to have lunch with them. Great couple that have kids the same age as ours and were one of the families that we went to Palau with last Chinese New year. The husband is an American that moved to Taiwan 25 or so years ago, married a local girl and had three kids here, so the rest of the family had never lived in the States. They decided it was time to start anew, and as they had family there, Portland was the destination. We went to their going away party last June, and what we didn't know at the time but learned later, the wife was diagnosed with breast cancer the night before the party and a week before they were to get on the plane for good. Having lunch with them that day, heard the full story that they had already quit their jobs, shipped their stuff and so the decision to go was set when they got the news, but that the wife had to stay back (with family) to get treatment as they had no US health insurance. She had just arrived in Portland a couple weeks before we hooked up and hearing their story, like signing up for Obamacare, applying for green cards, was like it was cut right out of the front pages. The wife is doing well with her treatment and they seem really happy. It was funny as we were walking around their neighborhood and we would come to an intersection, they were still clinging to the curb, afraid the cars would run them down. People are almost too deferential to pedestrians in the PNW these days and it was cute to watch how they are adapting to the new cultural nuances. As we were walking back to their place after lunch, stopping into cute stores and such, the wife grabs my arm and says how much she loves it there. After all the horrible crap that she went through, and the massive life change, I was kind of worried about them, but that she was so delighted with her current state of affairs made me smile.
Portland is such a neat city these days. You can still get around anywhere on the roads in about 15 minutes as they aren't as plagued by overcrowding and massive construction projects that Seattle now has. And each neighborhood has its own quirkiness, trendy restaurant next to a pot shop, next to a thrift store next to a dress boutique. Really fun and very real. If I had a choice, think it would be my number one choice as the place to live in the States.
Went to the show that night with an old friend named Malibu (she used to own a Chevy Malibu and so earned the nickname Malibu Kathy). She was a regular at Bumbershoot for years (along with another buddy named Howie) and we shared some funny stories. One Bumber, Yo La Tengo was playing an afternoon show, and this was a couple weeks after some fertilized eggs were implanted in the Boss in an IVF procedure, and this was the day that we were going to find out if it took. Not only was I worried about that news, but what if it was not successful? Would I miss out on the Yo La Tengo show? Fortunately, we got the call that baby boy was brewing away nicely and so we were able to go to the show with smiles on our faces.
Another time, we (Howie, Malibu and I) took a day off of Bumbering and decided to drive to Mt Rainer. At some point we stopped for a snack and Howie was looking at the Bumber line-up and said "John Wesley Harding". I responded, "Tiffany Amber Theissen". What then happened for the next 8-10 hours was us trying to come up with famous people that go by three names. We'd drive in silence and every few minutes, someone would throw out a name and we would cackle with laughter. Some of the more hilarious ones...Boutros Boutros Ghalli, Juan Antonio Samaranch, and Keisha Knight Pulliam. It became obvious that this game could not end until we reached 100 and finally hit that mark around 9pm that night. Malibu kept the log and present it here for posterity.
- David Allen Greer
- Jessie Collin Young
- John Wesley Harding
- Tiffany Amber Thiessen
- George Washington Carver
- Billy Joe Hobert
- Billy Bob Thorton
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Billy Joe McCallister
- David Lee Roth
- Anna Nicole Smith
- Mark Paul Gosslar
- Paul Michael Glasier
- John Paul Boureley
- David Hyde Pierce
- David Ogden Stiers
- Charles Emmerson Winchester
- Keenan Ivory Wayens
- Jean Luc Picard
- Haley Joel Osmitt
- Alexander Grahm Bell
- Rodney Allen Rippy
- Johan Sebastian Bach
- Mary Tyler Moore
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Kathy Lee Gifford
- Sally Jessie Raphael
- Meredith Baxter Birney
- Edgar Allen Poe
- John Wayne Bobbit
- John Wayne Gasey
- Mary Joe Pierce
- Lee Harvey Oswald
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- James Earl Jones
- John Quincy Adams
- Stevie Ray Vaughn
- Kareem Abdul Jabar
- Sara Michelle Gellar
- Tammy Fay Baker
- Lin Sue Sheppard
- Jimmy Dale Gilmore
- Martin Luther King
- Neil Michael Haggerty
- James Earl Ray
- Mary Kate Olsen
- Philip Michael Thomas
- Julia Louis Dreyfus
- Lisa Marie Presley
- Gena Lee Rollins
- Jan Michael Vincent
- Arancha Sanchez Vicario
- John Claude Keeley
- Courtney Thorne Smith
- Ricky Lee Jones
- John Wilkes Booth
- Jon Bennett Ramsey
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- John Phillips Sousa
- John Lee Hooker
- Jimmy Dale Gilmore
- Harry Dean Stanton
- Neil Patrick Harris
- Francis Ford Coppala
- Mary Kay Place
- Mary Kay Letourno
- John Paul Jones
- Cathy Lee Crosby
- Michael Anthony Hall
- Catherine Zeta Jones
- Hans Christian Anderson
- Mary Lou Retton
- Kisha Knight Pullam
- Harry Dean Anderson
- Lou Diamond Phillips
- Edward James Almos
- Jackie Joiner Kersey
- Cindy Lee Barryhill
- Jean Paul Sarte
- Mark David Chapman
- Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Mary Stuart Masterson
- Laura Flynn Boyle
- Juan Antonio Samarache
- George Bernard Shaw
- Jose Maria Olazabel
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Olivia Newton John
- John Ford Coley
- Jerry Jeff Walker
- Robert Lewis Stevenson
- John Paul Getty
- Henry David Thoreau
- Ralph Waldo Emmerson
- Jean Luc Ponte
- Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Charles Nelson Reily
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Carol Bayer Sager
- Daniel Day Lewis
- Jamie Lynn Stiegler
- Billy Jean King
- Brian Austin Green
- Mary Joe Fernandez
- June Carter Cash
- Phillip Seymore Hoffman
- Melissa Sue Anderson
- Joyce Carol Oates
- Soleil Moon Frye
Anyhoo, Malibu brought a friend along to the show, an old boyfriend that works for the forestry service and has winters off, he was going to house sit her cats as she was going on vacation the next day. Lorenzo seemed like a decent guy and we sat at the bar for a while before the show...he liked a shot of Hornitos and a Hefewiezen. At one point, he went to the bathroom and she told me how nice a guy Lorenzo was, but that sometimes he drinks too much. Smash cut to three songs into the show and I am sitting between he and Malibu. I should mention that this tour was an acoustic one, so it is pretty calm and quiet when the band is playing. He was sitting peacefully, but the show must not have been what he was expecting, and he leans forward and yells, "Hey Red (Malibu has red hair), we gotta go!" We try to get him to talk quieter, and everyone in a 10 row radius has now turned to look at us, and he yells again, "Red, now...we gotta go!"
She takes him home but is able to get back for the start of the second set (another reason to love Portland). We grab a fantastic meal of Cajun food at some hole in the wall under a freeway overpass and I crash on an air mattress on her floor.
The next morning, I get up and am looking for my pants to put on after a shower, and cannot find them anywhere. I know I folded them up nice and put them with my gear, and have no idea what's up. Check everywhere, even go out to the car, and then Lorenzo comes out of the room he's staying in holding up my pants and says, "are these yours" Good times. Bizzare, but still.
Seattle is next and obviously, there are many people to see there but only had time for a few and stayed with friends in Madison Park. I miss Fall in colder climates...the smells, the colors, being chilly, but the one thing that is kinda similar here is the sound of crunching leaves under foot as you walk around. Not exactly the same as the trees are evergreen in Taiwan, but if you close your eyes, the crunching sound of walking on dead cockroaches can transport you to Fall in New England.
The Seattle show was great of course. We are standing there right before they go on, and my buddy Don says that the crowd is quite homogeneous. Look around, and the place is filled with 45-55 year old white dudes and the women that got dragged along with them. No sooner are the words out of his mouth, but a couple of younger girls walk up to stand next to us. One of them is an early twenty year old black female little person. Kinda blew my friends racial profiling of the crowd out of the water. Her friend was plus size and we got to chatting. We called her Griselda (after a much loved/loathed song Yo La Tengo frequently covers). She smelled like toast. Not exactlylike a fresh piece of toast, but more like the tray of burnt toast droppings that collects at the bottom of a toaster that you forget to clean for months.
Vancouver was another great time. The buddy that was going to come out that night had to work, so went solo. Sat next to a couple of neat fellas and we talked music and movies and such...one of the guys after the show went up to the roadies and got me the set list. So nice. We went out for some 1AM Chinese food (they don't call it Hongcouver for nothing) that was better than any food I've had here in 3.5 years.
Soon, it was time to fly back to reality. I know you shouldn't do this for many reasons, but I usually grab a window seat, take a couple of Zanax and slide off into oblivion for as long as possible. Usually, your seatmate is happy to oblige and leave you be, but this time, the older lady wants to chat. Fell for the oldest trick in the book, she asked me where I was going and made the mistake of returning the inquiry. She led off with this..."Well, it hasn't been a good day so far. My cat died this morning."
That's it for now. Won't be back until a couple weeks into the new year as we head out on Thursday for our winter break trip. This year, we are going to Spain and Morocco. Will save the details for the travelogue, but is shaping up to be a great time.
Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
