pour some nuclear on that beauty
i love Boston.
i guess it's no real revelation since i've always felt this way for most of my life. i used to sit at work in Little Rock, Arkansas and confess to people in the file room that i wanted to live there one day. i probably wore everyone out by my talk of living here and about how different everything was. i remember a girl from Trinidad i used to talk to. Michelle would always go on & on about New York City and said she imagined Boston to be much the same way. i've since been to NY and it's definitely not. Boston is Boston and uniquely it's own thing.
today, to avoid my landlord coming into my messy bedroom and putting insulation on my windows, i decided to mimic yesterday's events and go back to the Esplanade. it was a lot less crowded now that it was Sunday. so i sat there and read my new book i've started: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. the sun beating down on my face and the water lapping at the rocks below me, it felt incredible.
i came home tonight blissfully happy to be here and to have had a whole day of relaxation. i called my mom to talk to her a bit about it, since the weather has been unusually warm for October. "this time last year," i started in with my mom. "it was snowing!" and she started telling me how 2008 has been the record breaking year for coldest temperatures all around. "how can they think that global warming doesn't exist when you see crazy polarities like that!" i retorted.
that's when the argument between her & i began. tourists loomed in and out behind me and the sun was setting and here i was, the quiet little gay boy sitting on the rocks with my book in my lap suddenly SCREAMING and raging on the phone with my mother out of nowhere. "global warming doesn't exist" my mom said. "and Al Gore is making a million off of the lie he's feeding America."
i blew up. "how can you say it doesn't exist?! i've shown you scientific evidence that the polar ice caps are melting! are you crazy?!"
my mom was undeterred. "i was watching on National Geographic and they indicated the reason Antarctica has been experiencing so many ice cracks is due to the earthquakes that has been going on there. it's nothing to do with the myth of Global Warming."
"there you go..." i continued. "i find it fascinating that the Republican party is the first to say that Global Warming doesn't exist and their party is being funded by the huge oil companies who are fucking up our planet! keep continuing to swallow the Republican agenda."
"this has nothing to do with the Republican agenda!"
"how you can say that?!" i was on a rage at this point. "follow the money line! this has EVERYTHING to do with the Republican agenda!"
and my mom was off. "what we need to do is go into Alaska and check those untapped oil resources. so we aren't dependent on the Arab oil companies."
wtf?! "what does untapped oil have to do with Republicans being funded by the Exon corporation?"
"we don't need to be dependent on oil companies! we should try nuclear."
"NUCLEAR?! are you fucking kidding me?! the earth is in bad enough shape and you want to try nuclear?! i'm talking about scientific fact and you're waiting for the magic 8 ball of Jesus to come rescue you."
then my mom starts in with her Christian jargon about what God has in store of her and how she's trusted and followed her heavenly father.
"i just hope, Mom. that when you talk to God about all of this oil crisis, he doesn't say to you 'Outlook Not So Good'".
my mom tried to change the subject but the beauty around me and my book in my lap were gone to my anger. the person sitting behind me trying to take in the sunset probably thought i was crazy. i told my mom that i couldn't speak anymore because i couldn't deal with it. her excuse whenever i bring up the Republican party is to 'agree to disagree' but shit like that doesn't work with me. especially when nuclear waste will be dumping on MY planet i live on.
"i hope you really enjoy Sarah Palin!" i screamed at her. "i hope you fucking get her and she protects your oil problem just like you want it!"
to this, we both hung up. i was left alone in the dark with the waters below me and the silence of the city. it also made me enjoy Boston even more because i wouldn't have to wake up to my mother's voice tomorrow, either. it would be a whole new day.
(and another chapter of my book.)
i guess it's no real revelation since i've always felt this way for most of my life. i used to sit at work in Little Rock, Arkansas and confess to people in the file room that i wanted to live there one day. i probably wore everyone out by my talk of living here and about how different everything was. i remember a girl from Trinidad i used to talk to. Michelle would always go on & on about New York City and said she imagined Boston to be much the same way. i've since been to NY and it's definitely not. Boston is Boston and uniquely it's own thing.
today, to avoid my landlord coming into my messy bedroom and putting insulation on my windows, i decided to mimic yesterday's events and go back to the Esplanade. it was a lot less crowded now that it was Sunday. so i sat there and read my new book i've started: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. the sun beating down on my face and the water lapping at the rocks below me, it felt incredible.
i came home tonight blissfully happy to be here and to have had a whole day of relaxation. i called my mom to talk to her a bit about it, since the weather has been unusually warm for October. "this time last year," i started in with my mom. "it was snowing!" and she started telling me how 2008 has been the record breaking year for coldest temperatures all around. "how can they think that global warming doesn't exist when you see crazy polarities like that!" i retorted.
that's when the argument between her & i began. tourists loomed in and out behind me and the sun was setting and here i was, the quiet little gay boy sitting on the rocks with my book in my lap suddenly SCREAMING and raging on the phone with my mother out of nowhere. "global warming doesn't exist" my mom said. "and Al Gore is making a million off of the lie he's feeding America."
i blew up. "how can you say it doesn't exist?! i've shown you scientific evidence that the polar ice caps are melting! are you crazy?!"
my mom was undeterred. "i was watching on National Geographic and they indicated the reason Antarctica has been experiencing so many ice cracks is due to the earthquakes that has been going on there. it's nothing to do with the myth of Global Warming."
"there you go..." i continued. "i find it fascinating that the Republican party is the first to say that Global Warming doesn't exist and their party is being funded by the huge oil companies who are fucking up our planet! keep continuing to swallow the Republican agenda."
"this has nothing to do with the Republican agenda!"
"how you can say that?!" i was on a rage at this point. "follow the money line! this has EVERYTHING to do with the Republican agenda!"
and my mom was off. "what we need to do is go into Alaska and check those untapped oil resources. so we aren't dependent on the Arab oil companies."
wtf?! "what does untapped oil have to do with Republicans being funded by the Exon corporation?"
"we don't need to be dependent on oil companies! we should try nuclear."
"NUCLEAR?! are you fucking kidding me?! the earth is in bad enough shape and you want to try nuclear?! i'm talking about scientific fact and you're waiting for the magic 8 ball of Jesus to come rescue you."
then my mom starts in with her Christian jargon about what God has in store of her and how she's trusted and followed her heavenly father.
"i just hope, Mom. that when you talk to God about all of this oil crisis, he doesn't say to you 'Outlook Not So Good'".
my mom tried to change the subject but the beauty around me and my book in my lap were gone to my anger. the person sitting behind me trying to take in the sunset probably thought i was crazy. i told my mom that i couldn't speak anymore because i couldn't deal with it. her excuse whenever i bring up the Republican party is to 'agree to disagree' but shit like that doesn't work with me. especially when nuclear waste will be dumping on MY planet i live on.
"i hope you really enjoy Sarah Palin!" i screamed at her. "i hope you fucking get her and she protects your oil problem just like you want it!"
to this, we both hung up. i was left alone in the dark with the waters below me and the silence of the city. it also made me enjoy Boston even more because i wouldn't have to wake up to my mother's voice tomorrow, either. it would be a whole new day.
(and another chapter of my book.)