Weather for the day… 40° and very scattered clouds and other nice cool day for a walkabout. Also, air quality today is a rather pleasant 13 on the index.
Podcast for the day John Heilman, Helen Highwater podcast an episode with Kara Swisher
Instagram post for the day, not a post I made during my walk as is usual. But a year oddly compressed (from previous 2022 posts) into the last quarter of it. "Enough of Covid and bad times. 2023? Bring it on!" (No! Really, I'm kidding, please, 2023 take it fucking easy on US!) Covered is the Sausage Fest 2022 (annual rock BBQ in Port Orchard at Jack Moriarity's dad's house, cartoonist Pat Moriarity). It was a Kiss tribute and memorial for the late Patrick Haggerty of Lavender Country
Yeah, I know it’s been a while since my last, "Walkabout Thought". But I've been enjoying the Christmas season. TV is a wasteland if not for the streaming channels. I took a break, but I’m still working on my companion book to my film, "Pvt. Ravel‘s Bolero". And I just submitted to Bob Zimmerman who is doing an Oral History of Tower Records, that he really needs to include our friend, Mark. Although Mark managed Tower Video stores, he and I both worked at Records, which is where we met. He was there for a while when I started next-door at Tower Posters, when I started college in 1980 after separating from the Air Force. Mark's a great guy, who would never ask for the recognition, and much like me, believe it or not, prefers not to get recognition. Though we both enjoy it when it happens. Might as well, right? My fault was in trying to work in a field now, in entertainment, where you really need to promote yourself. Which took me a good 10 years to get used to doing, though I still kind of despise it. As I’ve always said since my first tiny, brush with fame at Western Washington University, "Give me Fortune, you can keep the fame." Fame, is a pain. Unless you're narcissistically leaning. That's not a bad thing, only if you take it to the extremes.
Instagram post for the day, not a post I made during my walk as is usual. But a year oddly compressed (from previous 2022 posts) into the last quarter of it. "Enough of Covid and bad times. 2023? Bring it on!" (No! Really, I'm kidding, please, 2023 take it fucking easy on US!) Covered is the Sausage Fest 2022 (annual rock BBQ in Port Orchard at Jack Moriarity's dad's house, cartoonist Pat Moriarity). It was a Kiss tribute and memorial for the late Patrick Haggerty of Lavender Country
Yeah, I know it’s been a while since my last, "Walkabout Thought". But I've been enjoying the Christmas season. TV is a wasteland if not for the streaming channels. I took a break, but I’m still working on my companion book to my film, "Pvt. Ravel‘s Bolero". And I just submitted to Bob Zimmerman who is doing an Oral History of Tower Records, that he really needs to include our friend, Mark. Although Mark managed Tower Video stores, he and I both worked at Records, which is where we met. He was there for a while when I started next-door at Tower Posters, when I started college in 1980 after separating from the Air Force. Mark's a great guy, who would never ask for the recognition, and much like me, believe it or not, prefers not to get recognition. Though we both enjoy it when it happens. Might as well, right? My fault was in trying to work in a field now, in entertainment, where you really need to promote yourself. Which took me a good 10 years to get used to doing, though I still kind of despise it. As I’ve always said since my first tiny, brush with fame at Western Washington University, "Give me Fortune, you can keep the fame." Fame, is a pain. Unless you're narcissistically leaning. That's not a bad thing, only if you take it to the extremes.
So, I queried him about getting a piece done for our old friend:
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"Hi, just wondering if some piece of history will show up about my old roommate, Mark. You know him, right? I thought if I laid it out, it might make sense, him being a part of the history.
"We lived up on Queen Anne at the end, when he managed Mercer St Tower Video and I was a supervisor. I was supposed to be asst mgr but the new manager of Tacoma video wouldn't let me go for a while (I guess because she knew I knew how to run the store better than she did, at least someone said that). I finally got her to let me move to Seattle when I began living in my car behind the store, because I was paying for an apt in Seattle with Mark, but living in Tacoma. By time she let me go, he had a new asst mgr.
Mother Love Bone, Jeff on right
Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam was there at Seattle Video (he was playing in Green River then, later Mother Love Bone). When he decided to leave one day, he told me, "I want to finally get serious about music. I don't know if I'll make it or not, but I'm going to give it a serious try." I took over his job as media buyer (blank VHS & cables, peripherals). I told him that day, "Of anyone at these stores here who I think could make it, I believe you could do it." He looked down for a minute, then said, "Thanks, I really appreciate that." He was the nicest guy. And I was never so right about anyone in my life. I see that in one other guy now... Jack Moriarity. And I told him so, too this year.
Mark opened the 38th St. Tacoma Tower Video replacing the old Posters Store where I first worked when I started college, and after separating from the USAF. I'd gone to apply at Records one day, nervously talking to some woman next door in front of Posters. She helped me relax and we talked. Then offered me a job at Posters. I said I wanted to work at Records. She asked me, "So do you want a job, or hope to get a job?" She seemed nice, so I took it.
I ended up later moving next door to Records where Marked managed the cassette section and I worked under him. We got to be friends. I worked under managers Kevin and Tony and then one other for a short time. After getting my AA degree, I left for Western Washington U. in Bellingham, for a while. I got my degree in psych, minored in writing/screenwriting. Though I retired eventually from IT work in 2015, I'm now published, producing my own films, founded an annual film festival with a friend (Gorst Underground Film Festival with Kelly Hughes), and now setting up a new streaming movie network. I have won awards with my films, as with my new WWI antiwar, filmic poem/ documentary "Pvt. Ravel's Bolero". As I was about to graduate, Mark said if I ever needed a job, come on back, as he was opening a new video store. So I ended up returning to Tower and joined the new Tacoma Video store. It was weird working in the same space as Posters. So many memories. Eventually we moved to run the Seattle Mercer St Tower Video.
I mention all this because Mark used to open new stores with Russ Solomon (Washington DC store, story comes to mind), and he has some interesting stories about all that. He'd return home from these trips and share some interesting stories in our apartment, as we sat having drinks and talking. Which was why I thought maybe, he should be a part of a history too? Maybe not. I just thought I should mention it. No need to mention me whatsoever, I just wanted to give you some context of my relationship here. Anyway. Love your stories. Cheers!
-------------Now, back to...whatever this is...
I'll include below a text my oldest son sent me today, below. And a link to my youngest son's new coverage and rather glossy local magazine article about them and their spouse's, pretty damn amazing drag performance art team and costume makers.
Here’s something I can address. Kara on the podcast is talking about the Joe Rogan incident regarding his using a certain N-word. I went to Lincoln High School in Tacoma, a graduate of 1973. A school that I believed at the time was half Black. I looked up the numbers recently and it appears it was more like a third Black. Located on 37th and G St. I lived south of there around 50th and Park Avenue. But a lot of these kids, Black and White were from downtown Tacoma. The Highland Hills area, though I don’t know if the school district went that far. But it was an area as a kid, I was warned to stay away from because of race riots. Largely a Black community. Where any of the Black kids I had interactions with, interpersonal ones, not just seeing them in the hallways, I had good relationships with. So typical, the "asshole" you get to know, turns out not to be one. I was not raised racist, although my stepfather was. My mother wouldn’t put up with it. She was very accepting and a little nuts. I see two versions of my mom, the one I loved as a kid who was funny and crazy and loved us intensely, but very fairly. She’d stand up for you unless she thought you were wrong. And the mom I knew as an adult with drug and mental/emotional problems. When her friend's two sons came out as gay? She was right there, standing up for them, and would even go party with them. One of owned part of Tugs gay bar in Seattle. And she go there and party sometimes with her girlfriend who she knew since they lived across from one another in an apartment building in the late 40s, both with their first kids. My older brother and her girl friend's daughter, who's younger brother would one day own part of that bar. Not the same with my stepdad. So anyway, to the point... Joe Rogan used to use the N-word on his radio show, radio or streaming, or whatever, until he finally got "woke" about it. Look "woke" is not a bad word." Wokeism" however Includes the extremist and ridiculous. But anyone who says it woke is bad, or stupid, or whatever is like saying "I’m not racist" when you probably are. While some have may say something racist, and yet maybe they aren’t racist. Binary thinking can easily get one into trouble. Still, a lot of the anti-woke types are indeed fucking racist and ignorant, and too trivial for their own good.
Getting to my story...I can only remember using the N-word once. And probably a good introduction, that a lot of white people should’ve gone through. I was never around Black kids or families, or people growing up. In junior high we had one Black kid. Nice guy. Cut to the 10th grade, starting is a Sophomore at Lincoln high school, and suddenly Black people where everywhere. It was culture shock. But it wasn't about them per se. It was about learning to navigate high school and a new group of people from basically another culture. And at that time in 1970 Black people with attitude seemed to be everywhere. They had a good reason to be pissed off. I just didn’t understand it. What are you pissed off about? Why are you pissed off at me? I didn’t do anything to you! I was 14! What the hell did I know? There were random run-ins with the occasional black guy who was posturing for his friends, mostly. But high school was scary at first. Regardless. Anyway, further back, the summer before seventh grade. I had gone to Summer camp at Camp Don Bosco, which was a Catholic summer camp for a week or two. It was run by priests, and those who were working toward being a priest. I saw and experienced as a kid absolutely no Bad experiences from any priest, or all through my life. I was shocked about all the child abuse in the Catholic Church when I got older. It just wasn't my experience. Abuse, yes, sexual, no. I could tell you stories about the Sisters at Holy Rosary school... I went to eighth grade at a Catholic school. Long story there. I was raised by an old-school Slovak Catholic mother and church, where I was eventually head altarboy. I spent years after studying Catholicism, Christianity, and other religions, trying to find what I felt was the truth. I ended up an agnostic and then an atheist and settled on my own style of Buddhism. So that summer, before seventh grade, my parents were broke and didn’t have money for my Catholic summer camp. I was heartbroken. Which was funny because that first week of that first summer camp I thought I would die or something. Missing home. I would say the camp was like a Cadillac of summer camps. Well in my experience. We didn’t polo ponies. But I got sent instead that final summer of my summer camp experiences, to I think it was a YMCA inner-city summer camp. Yeah with some of those kids I’d latter go to high school with, probably. Some of them were white trash kids, I saw some of those as criminals in the making. Though the counselors were good people I’ll give them that. We were in a circle one day in the middle of camp playing with a ball. Passing it around. I almost caught it and then did as another kid went for it. A Black kid. So this black kid came over to me, and for no reason, grabbed it from me and really had no right to do. It pissed me off. It was wrong. I felt slighted. Having had no experience with a black kid before, I thought quickly, in a split second... what’s the worst thing I could call this kid? Yeah, it was that word. And it had the desired effect. He almost dropped the ball in shock. You could see it in his face. He put the ball under his left arm, walked up to me and punched me in the face. Knocking me down. I think he hit me several times. And I was the one that got sent to my cabin. I was pissed. I said, but he hit ME, he took the ball!" They said, "But you provoked it." HE provoked it in taking the ball, grabbing it, ripping it out of my hands (HE really WAS in the wrong). They said, "We don't talk that way here." OK, that seemed, I guess, justified. Apparently that was a worse word than I'd realized. I still didn’t understand. I would eventually get it, but not until a year or two later. But I pretty much learned at that moment, that’s not a word you say to Black people. So when I got to high school, I actually got along good with everybody in it. Except for a few run ends with guys who were just posturing or being assholes, and I won’t go into that. I'll just leave it at, I went to school armed for a while, but not with a gun. Probably like a lot of kids, with a knife or two, or at least something. But I never had a need for any of them. I just needed to feel more secure. A sharp "comfort blanket". The one kid that actually jumped me in high school, was a white kid. And I almost killed him. It took a security guard to pull us apart. But a lot of kids didn’t realize, especially in that eighth grade Catholic class full of white kids and one black girl, if I remember correctly. I had started fighting tournaments in karate in fifth grade. Our sensei was the guy who put on the biggest tournament in the area and first or second biggest on the West Coast beginning in 1966 and so on. Sensei Steve Armstrong. He eventually because head of Isshinryu Karate as a red belt. After Tatsuo Shimabuku died. Ironic that the most fights I had in K-12 was in Catholic eighth grade class. By time I got to high school after that I had a reputation of "don’t fuck with this kid". Something the kids from 8th grade spread by those who went to to public school as I had. Some went to preparatory school. Mom asked if I wanted to go. To what? An all boys school? Hell no. So about half the kids who would have messed with me in high school, didn’t and most of the other half were Black and didn’t know me. I can think of two times where more than one black kid picked me up and threw me up against the wall. Once was these two tall basketball player looking guys, who just wanted some firecrackers they heard I had... that whole story resolved in a pretty entertaining way (long story). The other time was in gym class locker room when five Black kids came in because one thought I had flipped him off across the cafeteria, which scared the crap out of me, and all the other white guys in the locker room, who not only all moved away, but left me alone there. I convinced the kid that I liked him, I had no reason to flipped him off, and I wouldn't have. And I I said he knew me that I didn't bother anybody, which was true. I could see him become confused and then he recounted. Good old Tyler… The lesson here? Well, there’s certain words we should leave to that culture to abuse.
Moving on...
So apparently people’s lives are so meaningless they have to cast themselves as heroes in their own mythic quest to achieve success in something. They make up myths and conspiracies, and self-radicalize. They go online and find others through synchronicity and zeitgeist, who have come up with similar conspiracies, and they feel joined and emboldened. They talk about it, and they rant and brag, and they create a loop or a spiral, and feed it energy until it drags them along with it. So that for maybe the first time in their lives, or in a very long time, they feel self-actualized. Yeah, not how you go about self-actualization.
The podcast today has a good discussion about media personalities and media companies and how they avoid responsibility for what they’re doing. Which also gets them back around to things like Twitter and their hands off, "Oh, we didn’t do it" approach.
I’ve got a little stock in Tesla, maybe sadly. I know it’s dropping like a rock so I shared an interesting meme today with Elon, and then said something like "Fuck you very much Elon" regarding Tesla. Like he’ll ever see it or comment on it. But he needs to quit playing with Twitter like it’s his own toy as he’s affecting all of us and get back to his job as CEO of Tesla. I do hope the board removes him soon because it’s surely headed that way.
By the way, I’ve known this since 2016 maybe, and it's becoming more apparent to everyone. It sucks seeing things ahead of time, before most other people. I’ve been going through that most of all my life. And yes, I can prove that. But as apparent as it is now, for most critically thinking people, and aside from them also including Trump and his lawyers, who have never admitted it publicly (but know), that...Trump is fucked.
The only question now is will DOJ and our government act appropriately? I would and have argued that appropriate punishment for Donald Trump would be capital punishment. And that’s about the only thing that’ll really work. Life sentences for his inner circle and others who need to lose their public office seats, forever. Including governors who supported him, etc.
I like that Kara on the podcast says there’s a whole "aggrievement economy" of people like Joe Rogan and Donald Trump, etc. who like finger-pointing and blaming others and shout out whistle calls of "cancel culture", etc. So their fans can all go, "Oh poor them", or something. Uh huh. Hundred million dollar contract, Joe Rogan. Whatever. Yeah, just listen to the podcast.
Joe Rogan, another one. When he was on "News Radio" I loved his dumb character and I liked him for a long time after that, because of that. Then I saw him on UFC and I thought, that was all pretty cool. Then he'd say some weird things once in a while, he got his podcast whenever that was, and I heard some other questionable things. Not a fan of that now. Never been a fan of the other big shock jock, Howard Stern. Never quite got it. Basically, not into that shock jock crap. Which is what and where Donald Trump belongs on an AM radio somewhere, just a' spewing and a' salivating. Dance fat old monkey, dance!
I like that Kara on the podcast says there’s a whole "aggrievement economy" of people like Joe Rogan and Donald Trump, etc. who like finger-pointing and blaming others and shout out whistle calls of "cancel culture", etc. So their fans can all go, "Oh poor them", or something. Uh huh. Hundred million dollar contract, Joe Rogan. Whatever. Yeah, just listen to the podcast.
Joe Rogan, another one. When he was on "News Radio" I loved his dumb character and I liked him for a long time after that, because of that. Then I saw him on UFC and I thought, that was all pretty cool. Then he'd say some weird things once in a while, he got his podcast whenever that was, and I heard some other questionable things. Not a fan of that now. Never been a fan of the other big shock jock, Howard Stern. Never quite got it. Basically, not into that shock jock crap. Which is what and where Donald Trump belongs on an AM radio somewhere, just a' spewing and a' salivating. Dance fat old monkey, dance!
Regarding my kids. I have one younger trans son and my first born older son. Both in their 30s now. I love my kids, dearly. When they were very young I used to say, "As long as they're healthy, happy, not dead or in prison, I'm happy." My job was to raise them to one day be adults, be critical thinkers and have a positive and productive outlook on life. I always accepted them for who they are or would be, as my mom was with us kids. We turned out pretty good. Mostly. My job was to teach them the basics in life, take their natural abilities and show them how to make the best of them and life. Not prejudge them or hate them for being themselves. I pity kids who have parents who do that. That's not loving your kids. That's loving your religion or you beliefs over your offspring and family. It's bizarre and cruel.
So... my eldest son texted me today regarding a long running discussion on, "God". The "Great Architect". I'll share that here. After my walk today he called and we talked more. Basically, we're on agreement with all this. Yes, I'm writing this now...later, at home.
First, my youngest's and spouse got a very cool write up in a local glossy mag, "Strait Up!" on their performance duo. They're amazing, helping others, they are very talented, creative and people are starting to notice. Whenever they perform they seem to be the top act there. I'd like to see them get more attention, nationally, or internationally. And they are, in their protected social media. But it's problematic, because of trouble makers who refuse to mind their own business and feel they need to insert their ugliness into the lives of others, doing them no harm.
Being a little circumspect here all because of right wingnuts, Christian nationalist types and anti-LGBTQ+ types. You may have heard of the troubles in our Olympic Peninsula & Port Townsend area because imported radical anti-American, anti non-binary types moved in to protest and intimidate. The issues with unconstitutional militia types up here are problematic and incidents you won't hear much about. But the intimidation here is ongoing. Stopping people in their cars or on the streets to harrass them, along with "soft" intimidation, and so on.
Americans are Americans. "Mind your own business." "Live and let live." "The pursuit of Happiness." Remember all that? America? Or are too many of these people too young having grown up during our 20+ years of wars and tribalism, Fox News, and attempts to insert toxic religious beliefs into our secularly intended government?
My kid
Now from my oldest son:
"Ok, bam. That's what I was looking for. This is my logic about atheism. The way they put this is perfect. The absence of evidence is not evidence if absence. I love it. Basically if I were Vulcan I would say this logic would disprove the accuracy of atheism. To be truly scientific We'd need proof that is unattainable."
See graphic he's referencing, below. From IFL Science:
My reply, while I'm walking:
"Yeah, it's a good way to put it. But my argument to you has always been that there isn't an absence of evidence ( in atheism) and it took me graduating from two colleges and getting a university degree before I fully understood and accepted what I came to believe. It required the interdisciplinary studies of humankind, archaeology and anthropology, psychology, and sociology, and when you put that all together, it becomes extremely clear that the concept of God in organized religion is bullshit and made up. And as we've discussed, the concept of other than God is where you get agnosticism. No one should use the term "God" and that's why the Freemasons don't. Unless you're referring to the organized religious "God". Because that who owns that word. So as we've discussed before, I would still argue, there is no "God". Because that refers to an organized religion and when people refer to anything else, it's a usually loosely used and essentially incorrect reference. Again, it's why the Freemasons used "Great Architect", which actually if you think about it makes more sense. Their "G" can be used by members as "God" if one is so disposed, or better as "Great Architect". Because if you seen all of Star Trek, you know very well and how easily an alien being could be seen as God or a Bic lighter in 1 million BC seen as magic and therefore you are God. And so that's why I refuse to use the word "God" and why atheism is actually correct. But not as you point out, for most people who are just guessing about it. Because for me in college, it took years of pre-college work surveying religions, talking to a lot of people and then getting into the hard-core studies and discussing with professors. Before I came to a Gestalt about it. The problem with organized religion is it has rules and those rules never cover everything and so people are harmed, abused, murdered, slaughtered, or genocided."
OK, and that's it for that, and for today!
Got in only 2 miles today because I was only going to do 3 and quickly realized I was wearing the wrong shoes. I had swapped out my sneakers for winter boots when the snow was here the other day and not thinking today, I put on the boots without thick socks and my toes are killing me now. So rather than get blisters, thought I'd replace them at home. Then do another 2 miles. But then I realized, 2 miles is good for today.
Cheers! Slainte!
Cheers! Slainte!
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