crazy, they call me
Months ago, when I lacked taste, I listened to NPR and NPR podcasts on a regular basis. Nowadays I can't be arsed listening to anything unless I'm running errands.
This American Life had a story about urban kids in a special school where the faculty taught the kids to avoid conflict, and talk out their issues. While a class was returning on a trail from a field trip, some guy in a hurry knocked aside some kids. One of the kids said, "You could say 'excuse me'" or something to that effect.
Asshole menaced the kid, one of the teachers came forward to defuse the situation, whereupon the guy revealed he was an undercover cop.
Typical New York bullshit. Cop does the equivalent of calling an orbital strike on a rural village best known for its tomatoes. No surprise the cop's made of teflon, while the teacher and students get a world of red tape, harassment, and legal woes.
During my evening walk on the boards in Seaside, the story came back to me. All of a sudden I was there. I did, and enjoyed, terrible things no sane person ever contemplates. Kinda shit George "Rest & Relaxation" Martin wouldn't do to his Game of Thrones 'darlings'.
So I sat down, read my Russian-pirated copy of Icehenge, and cooled off.
Maybe the strong police presence on the boards triggered that awful scene in my head. No fewer than sixteen cops, hanging out in packs of four or threading through the crush on their bikes.
An aside, Icehenge is good so far. One can see the rough foundation of KSR's Mars Trilogy. I only acquired the book in honor of New Horizons buzzing planet Pluto.
This American Life had a story about urban kids in a special school where the faculty taught the kids to avoid conflict, and talk out their issues. While a class was returning on a trail from a field trip, some guy in a hurry knocked aside some kids. One of the kids said, "You could say 'excuse me'" or something to that effect.
Asshole menaced the kid, one of the teachers came forward to defuse the situation, whereupon the guy revealed he was an undercover cop.
Typical New York bullshit. Cop does the equivalent of calling an orbital strike on a rural village best known for its tomatoes. No surprise the cop's made of teflon, while the teacher and students get a world of red tape, harassment, and legal woes.
During my evening walk on the boards in Seaside, the story came back to me. All of a sudden I was there. I did, and enjoyed, terrible things no sane person ever contemplates. Kinda shit George "Rest & Relaxation" Martin wouldn't do to his Game of Thrones 'darlings'.
So I sat down, read my Russian-pirated copy of Icehenge, and cooled off.
Maybe the strong police presence on the boards triggered that awful scene in my head. No fewer than sixteen cops, hanging out in packs of four or threading through the crush on their bikes.
An aside, Icehenge is good so far. One can see the rough foundation of KSR's Mars Trilogy. I only acquired the book in honor of New Horizons buzzing planet Pluto.