Showing posts with label san jose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label san jose. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Bobbie Gentry's Courtyard And Mine
Bobbie Gentry's beautiful song Courtyard (from her 1968 LP, The Delta Sweete) provides the audio for this video of my lovely home in the Silicon Valley, California - with its courtyard. I bought the home on August 28, 2001, sold it on July 26, 2013 and left it forever on August 10, 2013.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Lucy and the Retro Lawnchair
I bought a fabulous retro lawn chair at a garage sale, schlepped it home, dragged it out of the car, set it up in the backyard, went inside to make a mint julep and came back out to find - I still had to use the rickety old wood bench.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Coda to This Episode
A less shocking thing about this episode is that I remained objective and did not write that he was an overweight Cau-cau-cau-caucasion man that shared his environment with his seemingly Eastern European wife and a ten year old girl.
A more shocking thing about this episode is that I always thought I was straight acting - you know, no one could tell unless I told them. Go know.
A more shocking thing about this episode is that I always thought I was straight acting - you know, no one could tell unless I told them. Go know.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I'm A Faggot
I have lived on the east end of a small one lane street in San Jose, CA for ten years. There is a house on the west end of the street in which a man, a woman and a child live with a dog. I've seen the man outside maybe 20 times in ten years and he nor I have ever attempted a meet and greet although I am friendly with his next-door neighbor (as he seems to be), a neighbor across the street and more households as you might walk closer to the east end of the street. Now I know why.
I took Max out for a walk (as I have done twice a day since I bought the house) and walked by this man's home. Max peed on his lawn. I continued walking and was at the corner (almost three houses away) waiting for Max to pee again when I heard someone yelling.
"You forgot something here."
I didn't know if the sentence was meant for me so I turned to see what was happening. The man in this house had (seemingly as I had not actually witnessed this) passed me driving home, and stopped his car in the middle of the street in front of his house after he saw me walk away with Max. When I turned he was getting out of the car and walking to his lawn.
"Huh?" I replied.
He crouched a little and looked around the lawn.
"I said you forgot..."
He seemingly realized that there was nothing there.
"Never mind."
When I realized what had just happened I yelled back (as I was almost three houses away).
"I am your neighbor why would you think I would not pick up after my dog on your lawn?"
I wanted to continue imploringly but all I could do was pull a bag out of my pocket. "I have bags."
"You know, fuck you." said the man.
"What?"
"I said I'm sorry but fuck you for getting excited."
"That's nice language to be yelling on this street."
"Faggot."
"Asshole."
I turned and walked.
I'd like to file this episode away with a quote from Anne Frank. Unfortunately, with the negative discourse that only grows deeper with each passing day, the intolerance of people towards people, the fear-mongering of those seemingly in charge, and the animosity of difference I'm not sure I still believe it.
I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.
I took Max out for a walk (as I have done twice a day since I bought the house) and walked by this man's home. Max peed on his lawn. I continued walking and was at the corner (almost three houses away) waiting for Max to pee again when I heard someone yelling.
"You forgot something here."
I didn't know if the sentence was meant for me so I turned to see what was happening. The man in this house had (seemingly as I had not actually witnessed this) passed me driving home, and stopped his car in the middle of the street in front of his house after he saw me walk away with Max. When I turned he was getting out of the car and walking to his lawn.
"Huh?" I replied.
He crouched a little and looked around the lawn.
"I said you forgot..."
He seemingly realized that there was nothing there.
"Never mind."
When I realized what had just happened I yelled back (as I was almost three houses away).
"I am your neighbor why would you think I would not pick up after my dog on your lawn?"
I wanted to continue imploringly but all I could do was pull a bag out of my pocket. "I have bags."
"You know, fuck you." said the man.
"What?"
"I said I'm sorry but fuck you for getting excited."
"That's nice language to be yelling on this street."
"Faggot."
"Asshole."
I turned and walked.
I'd like to file this episode away with a quote from Anne Frank. Unfortunately, with the negative discourse that only grows deeper with each passing day, the intolerance of people towards people, the fear-mongering of those seemingly in charge, and the animosity of difference I'm not sure I still believe it.
I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
Go west on Route 66, take a few pictures and turn right.
Goodbye, Porpoise Spit!
Since that right turn, I've been driving around San Jose, California in my leased-for-Denver Toyota Tundra, a big honkin' truck with Colorado plates. It was never my intention to drive this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates in California which is why it was leased rather than bought. But here I am driving this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates on little Bailey Avenue with its one little driving lane and its one little parking lane. I'm the California cowboy.
GeorJet with whom I share an insurance plan.
We're pinned.
Walk proudly into Fry's (my least favorite store in the Bay Area) with my new moniker to return the Bluetooth ear phone I had bought to adhere to California's Hands Free Cellphone Law. As a technical writer I am applauded for my electronic acuity but the attempt to connect these two pieces of electronicity was so frustrating that the frustration soon eclipsed my desire to speak on the telephone while driving. So I am returning the earphone and calling from the side of the road (as others sociopathically flaunt their own law-breaking activities).
Excellent 1945 B-movie still playing in Barstow, CA in 2008
Watch it online here for free.
I had to give my telephone number to the sales clerk at Fry's to get my money back for the ear phone. After she punched it in the register, she spews names from the database.
Eduardo Caldez. Is that you?
No.
Nancy Miranda.
No but her name comes up when I use my telephone number at Safeway also.
She looks at me.
Robert Prince.
No but your closer. He's an old roommate.
michael teger.
That looks right but it should be capitalized.
I said this jokingly but she clicked one more forward.
Michael Teger?
There you go.
Feline Conservation Center Rosamond, CA
with brilliant end-of-clip commentary...simply brilliant.
On the list of things I will miss in Denver is the Denver Public Library. This library system is Blockbuster and Netflix in one. You go online, reserve what you want, and it is transferred to your local branch. I would then pick them up and drop them off on one of my walks with Max. The only DVD I recall them not having was the 7 disc box set of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz. And I'm not being high-falutin'.
Now I go to the San Jose Public Library. When I try to reserve something online I can't. After searching the site I found this answer to a Frequently Asked Question:
Online or in branch. So I either search the online, see which branch has the DVD, drive to that branch and hope that, in the time it takes to drive, it was not checked out by another member of the public OR just go to my branch and hope for the best. Sure they have the 7 disc box set of Rainer Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz in rotation but who has the energy? Thanks Governor Schwarzenegger.
Be it ever so humble
Further down the list, we had a 2900 square foot house, three printers, and a dishwasher in Denver. In San Jose we have 900 square feet, three printers in boxes sitting in the carriage house (and I'm not being high-falutin' - it's a carriage house) and are considering the purchase of a portable dishwasher because it's really hard to go back to using your hands. I now feel that one of the last vestiges of uncivilized behavior is washing dishes by hand. And I am being high-falutin'!
There's no place like home
I think the infamous season-ending episode of the 1980s drama Dallas illustrated it best when, it turns out, Bobby Ewing woke up and discovered that he had dreamt everything that had happened during the year. I feel that sensation as I walk Max around our San Jose neighborhood again and think of Denver. Who knew the Dallas writers were on the cutting edge of clinical psychology?
I won't be the California cowboy much longer. I have to register the big honkin' truck in California come January. After that I'll be just another California resident driving a gas guzzler to his home in San Jose. What a feeling.
Goodbye, Porpoise Spit!
Since that right turn, I've been driving around San Jose, California in my leased-for-Denver Toyota Tundra, a big honkin' truck with Colorado plates. It was never my intention to drive this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates in California which is why it was leased rather than bought. But here I am driving this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates on little Bailey Avenue with its one little driving lane and its one little parking lane. I'm the California cowboy.
GeorJet with whom I share an insurance plan.
We're pinned.
Walk proudly into Fry's (my least favorite store in the Bay Area) with my new moniker to return the Bluetooth ear phone I had bought to adhere to California's Hands Free Cellphone Law. As a technical writer I am applauded for my electronic acuity but the attempt to connect these two pieces of electronicity was so frustrating that the frustration soon eclipsed my desire to speak on the telephone while driving. So I am returning the earphone and calling from the side of the road (as others sociopathically flaunt their own law-breaking activities).
Excellent 1945 B-movie still playing in Barstow, CA in 2008
Watch it online here for free.
I had to give my telephone number to the sales clerk at Fry's to get my money back for the ear phone. After she punched it in the register, she spews names from the database.
Eduardo Caldez. Is that you?
No.
Nancy Miranda.
No but her name comes up when I use my telephone number at Safeway also.
She looks at me.
Robert Prince.
No but your closer. He's an old roommate.
michael teger.
That looks right but it should be capitalized.
I said this jokingly but she clicked one more forward.
Michael Teger?
There you go.
Feline Conservation Center Rosamond, CA
with brilliant end-of-clip commentary...simply brilliant.
On the list of things I will miss in Denver is the Denver Public Library. This library system is Blockbuster and Netflix in one. You go online, reserve what you want, and it is transferred to your local branch. I would then pick them up and drop them off on one of my walks with Max. The only DVD I recall them not having was the 7 disc box set of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz. And I'm not being high-falutin'.
Now I go to the San Jose Public Library. When I try to reserve something online I can't. After searching the site I found this answer to a Frequently Asked Question:
Due to staffing budget cuts, Library staff are not able to search for and hold entertainment videos (DVD, VHS or VCD) or music CDs for you.
Online or in branch. So I either search the online, see which branch has the DVD, drive to that branch and hope that, in the time it takes to drive, it was not checked out by another member of the public OR just go to my branch and hope for the best. Sure they have the 7 disc box set of Rainer Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz in rotation but who has the energy? Thanks Governor Schwarzenegger.
Be it ever so humble
Further down the list, we had a 2900 square foot house, three printers, and a dishwasher in Denver. In San Jose we have 900 square feet, three printers in boxes sitting in the carriage house (and I'm not being high-falutin' - it's a carriage house) and are considering the purchase of a portable dishwasher because it's really hard to go back to using your hands. I now feel that one of the last vestiges of uncivilized behavior is washing dishes by hand. And I am being high-falutin'!
There's no place like home
I think the infamous season-ending episode of the 1980s drama Dallas illustrated it best when, it turns out, Bobby Ewing woke up and discovered that he had dreamt everything that had happened during the year. I feel that sensation as I walk Max around our San Jose neighborhood again and think of Denver. Who knew the Dallas writers were on the cutting edge of clinical psychology?
I won't be the California cowboy much longer. I have to register the big honkin' truck in California come January. After that I'll be just another California resident driving a gas guzzler to his home in San Jose. What a feeling.
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