February 29th, 2008 § 1
Phil: “Do you know what a 1249 is? Someone just wrote in fire-speak.”
Me: “Hum. Don’t know. One second.”
beep boop beep boop beep beep boop
Unsuspecting Junction City Fireman: “Junction City Fire”
Me: “Yeah, this is Andrew, from the paper. Quick question. What’s a 1249?”
Unsuspecting Junction City Fireman: “Dead Person.”
Me: “Dead person. Thanks. (To Phil) Dead person.”
Phil: OK, ‘deceased patient’ it is.
February 28th, 2008 § 0
March will be a very good month.
ellyn, Dan and four final issues.
Much more to come…
February 8th, 2008 § 4
On the old Netflix queue right now is season two of HBO’s Big Love. I got pretty instantly sucked in to the first season of the show, which follows the day-to-day life of a Polygamist family living in Sandy, Utah. It’s got Bill Paxton, Chloë Sevigny and the amazing Harry Dean Stanton as a corrupt “prophet” and lead antagonist to Paxton’s suburbanite wife collector.
Overall, the show is about interesting characters in interesting situations. It stays pretty apolitical about polygamy, with the creators setting out to make a show that would depict what it might be like for a modern-day polygamist. Turns out, it’s pretty rough.
Paxton has to deal with three wives, endless children, a crazy, cultish family and, of course, the Prophet, who has it out for Paxton something fierce.
By midway through the second season, though, I have actually found myself pulling for Paxton. Really, its a testament to how good the show is.
It paints a picture of polygamy I can understand, I can see how some buy into it, even though I don’t think it has very solid foundations. It’s a strange thing, though. And while you get close to Paxton and his family, the show does a good job of presenting the ego required to undertake something like having three wives — it’s critical of Paxton, and thus critical of polygamy.
Not for me, thank you. I’ll just watch.
Check out the following scene, in which Paxton’s third wife, Margene, “comes out” to a friend who Paxton happens to be courting to become his fourth wife.
February 6th, 2008 § 2
I have decided that a visit to the dentist office would be about the same if you just handed them your $80, listened to a lecture about flossing and then received a firm punch in the jaw by a biker named “Tiny.”
That’s pretty much what happened to me today.
February 2nd, 2008 § 2
Pam, the 1983 VW Westfalia, finally made it into the shop today. In preparation for a new paint job (She’s returning to her original cream, with a few dark brown detail stripes.), my dad and I removed her pop-top and pulled off all the exterior pieces (camper hookups, refrigerator vent, bumpers).
I have a new tent-top to go on, which will happen after the paint. Hopefully, the rain will hold off this week — driving into town with no roof will be interesting, for sure — and I can get it into the shop in Eugene to paint. Then, the new top can go on.
After that, it comes down to some engine work — she’s been overheating, or at least, the gage has said she has been. Also, the refrigerator needs some work.
Other than that, it’s only little stuff.
Only two months left until I hit the road!
There she is, bald as a newborn baby.
Under the luggage rack, there was about 20 years worth of rotting gunk. Eww. It slips in there through these drainage holes in the roof. I read on another VW blog about a guy who installed little mesh pieces in the holes to prevent the gunk. Seems like an easy fix.