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In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... |
Saturday, September 9, 2000
One year ago: Catching Up
Three years ago: A Most Vehement Flame
I'd asked Jack to come down here this weekend, because I had a wedding to go to this afternoon. When I spoke to him on the phone this morning, he told me to go and see if I could get my car started at all, after the jump start I needed last night. If possible, it was even deader today!
I was all dressed and ready for the wedding, when the phone rang around one o'clock. Jack was in Everett, and traffic was bad. He'd be late picking me up. Could I take the bus, and meet him at the park where the wedding was to take place? That seemed like the best plan, so I gave him quick verbal directions, specified which picnic shelter to look for, and dashed out the door.
* * * * * * * *
Of course, I saw the bus I needed pulling out while I was still a few blocks away, darn it! I sat down to wait. I might be late but there was no helping it. I amused myself by listening to the conversation going on among the six homeless men who had adopted the bus shelter next to my bench as their personal gazebo. I hadn't brought a book with me (one shouldn't read at a wedding, I think).
I glanced up and saw my brother K---- leaving the grocery store. I called to him, and had to call several times before he got close enough to recognize me. Understandable, since he wasn't expecting to see me sitting there, and wasn't wearing the glasses that he needs. He sat down for a few minutes and filled me in on what he's been doing. They've lowered his rent since his medical classification has been changed, so he's no longer in danger of being evicted. But he doesn't have enough money to pay me back what I loaned him, until he starts working again, supposedly in November.
The bus arrived not too long after he left. It was game day at the University of Washington, and the route I was on went by the stadium, so that slowed things down. I'd thought the bus I was on was one that continued on across the city, but it wasn't, to my consternation. Fortunately the bus I needed to change to (and I wasn't the only one makeing that mistake) was right behind us, so when we pulled up to a stop, we all jumped out and dashed to the other bus.
On the bus, I was listening to another passenger tell a man, a stranger to him, all about his tough week, how he'd been fired, then walked out of his former workplace to find his car had been towed away for being driven with expired tabs. Apparently the cop had been watching at his home, to see if the car would be driven. So any little problems I was having are put in perspective. I'll miss hearing stuff like this now that I'll be back to driving myself to work.
* * * * * * * *
I got off the bus at Stone Way, and walked north to Woodland Park. I was tickled, while passing the soccer fields, to see these parents watching their kids play, but not getting out of their cars! They'd honk if there was a particularly good play. Sheesh! if you are watching the game, at least walk up to the field, people!
I strode up the path, through the woods, and around the corner. I spotted a big stone wall, two stories tall, with a crowd in front. I'd just missed the ceremony. Oh, well. Caroline was in a long cream-colored tunic and skirt. Yasha was in a suit! He said later that it was the first time he'd worn one in his memory. There was no sign of Jack yet. Nick was there, and Jayson and XE with daughter Mae.
We wandered over to the picnic shelter for the reception. We chatted and listened to the gaelic band. Finally I saw Jack -- he'd had trouble finding the place. But he was there, which relieved me. There was a nice selection of food - spreads and breads, fresh fruit, cheese. Tasty!
The only people Jack had met before were Nick (once, briefly), and Scott Scidmore whom we know from Vanguard. Yasha knows me from Cacophony, and Scott through early BBS days, while Scott and I know each other through science fiction fandom. Seattle is really a small town in that way.
Whe the reception was just getting started, the wind had been so gusty that the vases of flowers kept toppling over on the tables, but that died down. Jack and Nick wandered over and tried out the horseshoe pit, since someone had brought some horseshoes. Jayson and I gave Yasha and Caroline a quick waltz lesson, since they wanted to do a traditional "first dance." Funny how these atavistic impulses come out, even though they don't dance at all any other time!
Even though I missed the ceremony, I was glad I was able to see Yasha and Caroline. He's such a rare person! He's got a real spirit of humor that I always enjoy. See: Put the Hank back in Thanksgiving, Ballard Walking Tour, Ask Socks.
After we had some delicious lemon wedding cake, we left, giving Nick a ride home to the U-district and dodging traffic that might have been leaving the stadium. Jack and I were both tired, and a bit queasy, so we rested for about an hour.
* * * * * * * *
When I'd been riding the bus to the wedding, I noticed that the Guild 45th theater was playing -- This Is Spinal Tap! When I asked Jack about it, he said he was willing to see it. Somehow he'd missed it when it was first out, in the early eighties. So we planned to drive back over to Wallingford, park, and get something to eat.
We were surprised to see that it was "Taste of Wallingford" day or something. All the restaurants in the district were selling little servings of this or that for two dollars or so. After we bought our tickets, we grabbed slices of "My Brothers Pizza" which were ok, and split a bowl of Irish Whiskey Chili being sold by an Irish pub. Jack thought a pint of Guiness would go well with the chili, so we stepped inside.
As we were making our way to the bar, I heard someone calling Jack's name. A former coworker of his, from MSN days in 95 or 96, was waiting to meet someone and show off his burning man pictures. We chatted with him while Jack drank his beer, but we didn't have time to talk for long -- the movie started soon!
I do have a preference about the two Guild 45th theaters -- the one with the stadium-style seating is much better. But you don't have a choice, really, since you need to go to the one with the movie you've picked to see. The "other" theater is older, and the floor is mostly flat. We got seats in the middle. I was pleased when the folks who entered the row in front of us offered to move over a few seats, so I wouldn't be blocked.
The movie was great, of course! This re-release is in honor of a DVD coming out. It's been a while since I watched it, though I'm sure I knew someone with a video of it during the 80s. So many lines and bits have become a part of common speech: "it goes to eleven," "there's a fine line between clever and stupid." It was interesting to see how many people had bit parts, that are now big stars. Jack laughed uproariously, as did I.
It was only nine o'clock when we got home, so we had some quiet time reading in the living room. Jack had picked up the Sharpe's Waterloo novel I bought some weeks ago, but soon remembered why he didn't like the previous entries in the series that he'd read before. "Too predictable!" By this he didn't mean that he knew who would win the battle, but that each plot element was so obvious to him, that he knew how each little thing would work out at the end of the book. I think I probably sensed this too, but it didn't bother me as much as it did him.
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