Entries this day: Today gin_in_Bordeaux jason zzzzz

Today

4:21pm CDT Saturday 18 August 2001

Slept in today, after being out until 2-something this morning. I was quite surprised when I realized what time it was when I left Dude's house. We only watched Usual Suspects, and talked computer stuff. then Bang it was 2am.

The first waking task was to switch my KTRU shift with my DJ partner Donna. She was supposed to DJ tonight, but I realized that I can't DJ next week because we're going to see "Ruthless." (And I'm excited to report that Laura will quite possibly attend!) I'm thankful that Donna was able to switch with me.

(I'll be on KTRU tonight!) 91.7 in Houston or www.ktru.org online.)

Then I visited Microcenter and purchased a hub so we can run all three comptuers on the cable modem at once, but for some reason, only 1 computer can have the "signal" at a time. The DHCP request fails for the other computers. I'm not sure what is up with that. Is the cable modem blocking the subsequent requests?

I also bought a couple coaxial accessories so now we can watch Futurama and Simpsons on Fox while surfing. Very nice.

Now I'm about to go ride my bike maybe or possibly go skate. Then drop by a barbecue party thing and then KTRU at 7pm. Then ultimate at 10:30pm at UH.

Then tomorrow I gotta clean up the house before Wende gets back.

gin in Bordeaux

My friend Gin made it to Bordeaux!

    From:  gin
 Subject:  Bordeaux....THE SOUTH!
    Date:  Sat, 18 Aug 2001 10:44:33 


Hey babes, yep, another addition of mes-amis street.
If anyone is really bored of getting these messages,
let me know, just a small note, no hard feelings,
these are just little thoughts about the journey, for
myself as well- kind of my journal. Historically i
have not been the most open person to share my
thoughts how they occur, but i aspire to be an open
book, my secrets are not that special. So Walla!
France is helping me out in that department, I had a
very fine 12 course dinner last night that must have
lasted for 4 hours after I attended the band practice
of my podiatrist (who invited me to stay at her and
her hubbies place after an office visit to check my
poor poor feet). We talked about sex and positions and
god, well, not so much about god but oh god! I thought
the french must start in jr. high in sex education
class to learn about love and pleasure and all that
good stuff the rest of the world blushes about. NO!
The dinner table!!! And when half of the day is spent
at the table, no wonder they know so much! I will
probably walk through Condom, France sometime soon,and
unfortunately they do not make condoms there anymore
or i would send ya'll a souvenir, the french condoms
are superior! 
There are some nice differences between the french
life and the american life. I really enjoy sitting at
the table and talking about everything, and enjoying
one dish at a time with such gusto that even the
ordinary seems extraordinary. Last night and many
other times we have spent hours singing at the table!
I am trying to incorporate some french songs into my
repertoire, so far just spanish, english, german and
ron taught me some really cool songs in dutch
including; "The garbage pile age", "I'm so glad... my
nose in the front and not on the side", "the big
mushroom song", "sesame street" in dutch and several
others of his own composition and other typical dutch
songs. I can always use a fresh tune! 
Other differences are that they don't have shower
curtains! Nope, you shower and if the water sprays all
over the room, you just don't have enough control. A
dear friend of mine who i would like to share a story
about later sent me an e-mail asking if it was true
that after the french go to the toilet if "they blow
the shit out of their ass"? Well, i have never
personally witnessed a french person do this, but i
know from my own family tradition that it is a good
idea, and it is a special pleasure i am sure
originated in france. In fact, i would advise anyone
to save up for a bidet, it is all all round tool that
i have seen used more to wash clothes in (in france)
than for hinney cleaning, so go ahead and take out the
sink if there is not enough room in the bathroom, it
also doubles as a fountain. One thing that is nicer in
the states, aside from the shower curtain thing is
nice hugs. Just kisses on the cheek here, and one hug
from a french guy immigrating to australia. Hug your
friends, and hug them for me too please. 
   That brings me to dreaming, i have had some intense
dreams and one that woke me up several nights ago was
about a girl i used to go to church with. She is all
grown up now and she and her brother even came to a
party and ate some of the road-kill rabbit i cooked up
a couple of years ago. When i was about 10 years old
(and she was 3) her 16 year old sister was killed by a
drunk driver. Maby it was my age, or Shannon's (the
girl who was killed) profound beauty,or her laugh, or
her joy and talents and potential or the realization
of how delicate and precious life is... but her death
changed my life. I guess i decided to profit from
life, and see and do it my way, just incase someone
plows through me later today. It is more than that
though, maby even not about the way i live, but the
way i want to live for those that can't because of
economic or physical conditions. I would like to take
a moment here to recognize those that have left us
because of fatal accidents, suicide, war, famine,
disease and the like. I know from personal experience
that sometimes the true resolve to live comes when you
are starring death in the face, and sometimes that is
too late. Cheers to the spirits around and within us
and to Shannons would-be 36th summer!!! I hope i am
living up to the inspirations that have motivated me. 

In french "fairy tale" is "conte de fee" . 

For those of you that have no idea why i am doing this
pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella in Galicia
Spain, or better yet cannot imagine it and think i am
crazy...join the club, for over a thouand years people
have walked this pilgrimage and everyone has thought
they were nuts!!! YEA!  its a tradition.  Well, 10
years ago i was recruited by a college in the south on
a full volleyball scholarship, as a setter no less! 
This was my dream that carried me through high school.
 Thanks Coach!!!  Well, like money in the bank, i blew
it, and with no regrets came to Europe with an
exchange program that the college i was attending
arranged.  I came with 800.00 dollars and a back pack
full of some artsy things i had made so sell just
incase.  I told a person or two i would probably not
be back anytime soon.  I had years of adventures,
eventually fell in love in spain, lived in a very
small traditional village in the country that after 6
months of not really undrestanding the special dialect
and the special country ways, drove me somewhat crazy,
so i left and went to Galicia where there is an
amazingly long Celtic history.  On the rainy night in
the fall when i arrived in Santiago de Compostella i
met a girl, a college student and she gave me the key
to her dorm room and said she would be gone for a
month or so.  I hung out in that crusty town, in the
central plaza- the "puta plaza de Quintana", i watched
stinky, dirty pilgrims pour into that plaza by the
hundreds, and i knew they were banannas, i would never
do such a thing!!!  The look in their eyes, right
there at the finish line, walking form Rome,
Jerusliem, France, the Pyrenees...  was unforgetable. 
 I realized i was not crazy, that not only could i
freshly understand spanish, i could understand
portuguese, and gallego, the very special dialect from
galicia!!!  Something had clicked inside my head and
the fish form the "hitchikers guide to the galaxy" had
slipped into my ear. I had even learned spanish humor
living in that small spanish village with the artists
and comedans and actors, musicians and elderly. One
day from over 150 meters away i saw a young man and a
young woman and their child walking into the plaza.  I
invited them for a beer.  They stayed with me in the
dorm room for a week or so and when they were leaving
to "go to the mountains" i asked if i could join them.
  We made it through galicia, esturias, the Basque
country and into the Pyrenees.  There i found some
people where i could stay and work and take care of
their kids and stuff for a warm place to sleep and
food.  Eventually i started walking around those
amazing mountains and taking long trips into the high
mountains to the boxwood forests and to the peaks of
the mountains, staying in the pastors houses, open all
year for the passing sheep pastors with food and
firewood.    After a few months of nomad mountain
living the people that lived the closest to the really
big mountains offered me a house. A spring, a
fireplace, blankets, a chair, a table, a new roof and
a solid door and a matress to sleep on.  The best part
was the bedroom upstairs, the whole southern wall was
replaced with plexiglass, and the mountains on the
opposing slope in Spain are snow capped all year long.
 The mountain people assured me that with their help i
would make it through the winter.  It is hard even now
to imagine such a gift, but it is true.  I ended up
not staying the winter because i could not bring
myself to chop down a tree for firewood, and i was out
of money and knew i could find work in switzerland.
Before i left, my good friend looked at me and in
english said, "what else could you possibly ever want
in Switzerland...higher mountains?"  That has echoed
in my head thousands of times.  I am going back to
those mountains, with a wood gathering tool i have
brought with me from the Landcon jungle, i don't think
i will have to chop any trees down, at least not any
live ones.  Another cabin has been offered to me, and
my options are much greater that i can  imagine.    

   The short story i would like to share about my
friend who asked if it was true that the french "blow
the shit out of their ass" is:   This amazing
character happened to be my kind of "boyfriend" when i
left to come to europe the first time.  I am not much
of a "boyfriend" keeper seeing as i prefer total
liberty for myself and others.  Anyway, cheers to him
for answering all of my collect calls and talking with
me for as long as we could continue, without being
rushed and with a heart of christaline support.  There
is nothing like a friend in the world, especially when
you are stuck out and unable to understand one word of
what people are saying.  Like the Mexicans say  "Dios
te vendiga!" compa!!!  I will never forget that
kindness, and i hope to return the kindness someday,
somewhere.  Cheers as well to your heavinly Melody!

I hope you are well, the air is clean enough in your
neighborhood to take deep breaths and feel the love as
it rushes in. Thank you for joining me on my journey,
not for one moment do i ever feel alone with ya'll in
my heart and in my mind.

    I am off directly to the mountains, hopefully the
shortest route, even though i might feel lost most of
the route in bliss, i am already there.  And the
sweetness of the south settles in one step at a
time.....      Ultreia,   terrapin gin     

jason

4:32pm CDT Saturday 18 August 2001

Oh, also Jason called me today, while he was bored bored bored on his first PI case. Watching some woman's activities if she left her house - with whom and where did she go. But for four hours he sat and nothing happened.

zzzzz

5:14am CDT Sunday 19 August 2001

So tired.

KTRU was great fun.

A CD case in playlist had the wrong CD in it. So when I played it, it was the wrong song. I noticed and switched it and played the right song.

A different CD had the wrong CD review in it. So I gave the wrong song name over the air. (this is not an "issue;" I do it all the time, but this time I had an excuse.)

A guy called and wondered what the fuck we were playing classical music all day for. He was listening to the wrong station.

Hugged Super-Cute Erin when she came in.

- - - -

Played 4 on 4 ultimate. 1 game, then played 3 on 3, using a 1/2 width field. (long and skinny)

Then we (Kat, Tony, me, Will, Mike M) played disc golf. There are T-buildings in the middle of the field between Melcher and the power plant. Tony got the next hole (bird by engineering) *almost* in par. He missed an easy putt at the end.

When we were next to The Satellite, I peered inside - the whole place is gutted. Everything that was not concrete was destroyed by Allison's flood. Arcade games, pool tables, all the sheetrock, all the couches and wide screen TV, all the offices, all the cafeteria, all the rest. I almost cried.

(And I have not gone to see the UC underground.. but all its shit was presumably destroyed too, and that had bowling lanes, and a lot more offices, including my beloved SPB. Oh shit, and the SPB TV station. Fuckin-A.

The grate was open beside Farrish Hall. I climbed down the ladder and went in the room under the building. There was an open access to the tunnels. I did not venture inside because peeps were waiting to play golf.

By the end of the game, I was so tired that my score began to suck. fortunately I was too tired to keep track. (At the beginning of the game, I got the 4th hole (3 legged thing behind the UC) in par. Totally incredible!)

Drove home; turned the car off and slept in the garage from 3:37am to 5:10am.

Still have to take a shower. It's 5:23 am now.