Archives November 2005

There were 2 other things that struck me as odd in LA that I forgot to mention. First, many of the on ramps have traffic lights on them that cycle very quickly. The way it works is either one or two cars are supposed to go during each cycle. I suppose it is meant to manage traffic merging onto the already clogged highways.

Second, motorcycles make their own lanes out there. We were amazed as we saw bike after bike squeeze in between stopped cars, missing rearview mirrors by inches in some cases. We couldn’t believe this shit, how stupid and dangerous? Then we saw a CHiPS officer do the same thing! Haha I guess it is legal in California, go figure.

I rarely talk about music because I never have been a music nut. I rarely know the words to songs, much less the artist or song title. However there are a few groups that I consistently enjoy. Linkin Park is one. Their songs are miserable and powerful at the same time, their stuff will get me pumped up no matter what. I like the “things suck and I am pissed off about it” mood of their songs. Another big favorite of mine is Green Day. I really like their older stuff and the new stuff like Holiday or Wake me up when September Comes is equally good. My music likes are somewhat diverse, my main dislikes are country and rap/techno. Most anything else I will lend an ear to.

We had another 0-fer as far as trick or treaters goes but on the way home we noticed clusters of huge halloween hordes hitting designated areas because these have been identified as safe and/or alternatives. So instead of going door to door down the street, kids hit small, well lighted, densely populated areas where they can maximize their treat intake in the the minimum amount of time. We saw a huge church that was a designated area so kids didn’t even have to go out in the elements. Of course the kids aren’t allowed to trick or treat by themselves, it’s much too dangerous…

It’s amazing we survived all those Halloweens as kids walking up and down our dark road by ourselves during the 70’s. Well I guess one good part of the new sterile holiday is as a responsible, middle class homeowner I don’t have to worry about kids raiding my house either. Although kids don’t know what they are missing.

I clearly remember the one year I raided. The thrill of putting an M80 in a mailbox and running like mad as you heard the explosion behind you. I remember diving into a ditch as a vehicle with a deer spotlight was scanning the area looking for the vandals that were raising hell around the area. I remember my friend Pete yelling, “Close your eyes so they don’t see the reflection!” We wore dark clothes and stealthed across the neighborhood doing damage that didn’t go beyond the annoyance level. It was a thrill. Of course the 37 year old version of myself would be running down the 13 or 14 year old version of myself after he M80’d my mailbox. Amazing how perspective changes.