RIP Big Man

This post is a month or two late, but I wasn't sure where this photo was. About 10 years ago a I started getting into Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I ended up seeing them in concert about 3-4 times over several years. I remember being in awe of Clarence 'the Big Man' Clemons. He seemed to have a larger than life stature. He was the epitome of cool. He always dressed cool and had the swagger to go with it. At the shows everyone loved him. His solos were great and he always got the biggest applause. I never expected to meet him, but there he was a few years ago at a Grammy Event that I was volunteering at. I was a bit surprised that he wasn't significantly taller than me, but he was definitely larger than me. We didn't chat or anything, but he was incredibly nice and obliging. I was very impressed at how cordial and friendly he was. He was one of the few rock stars that I have met in person and he a far nicer person than I would have imagined. In mourning his passing many are thinking of the loss of a great musician, but I mourn the loss of a great person.

The latest

After having dinner with our homies the other night I thought I should post periodic updates on the blog of the latest movies, music, and books that I'm into . There was a point that I would post brief reviews of things I had read or watched, but I haven't done that in a while. So thanks to our friends (shout out to the Bel-town Crew!) for the inspiration for this post.

Books

-Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - After reading (and posting) about Gaiman's Sandman series I picked this series of short stories on a whim. Fair warning several stories in this collection are quite sexually graphic. However, what I liked most about it was that Gaiman tells adult versions of childhood fairytales. These are fairytales without happy endings or told with a darker twist. The stories were short and very fulfilling so it made for good reading when I was constantly picking up and putting the book down.

-A Murder of Quality by John Le Carre - Growing up I heard a lot about John Le Carre from my parents and recently I saw a preview for the film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which reintroduced him in my mind. This was the first and smallest John Le Carre book I found so I started with it. Unlike the bulk of his writing, which is spy novels this was a murder mystery. It was very interesting and flowed well. The plot was simple and straightforward, but that allowed me to focus on Le Carre's writing style. The style is methodical and detailed, which also allows the suspense to build as one feels they are there.

-The Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole who Infiltrated the CIA by Joby Warrick - I heard about this on the radio and it's the next book on the horizon. The title is pretty self explanatory, but the book is apparently exhaustively researched and tells the story in greater detail than the CIA report of the event that left 7 agents dead.

Movies

-Whip It - We just saw this last night and it was a good movie. It was a standard feel good lighthearted movie with a happy ending about a girl, Ellen Page, who gets into roller derbies.

-Black Swan - This is the ballet movie with all the press from last year. The plot was very strange and the movie was a bit slow. Natalie Portman, however, killed it with her performance. I love Natalie Portman and this is one of her best performances that I can recall.

-Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest - A documentary about the legendary hip hop band. From what I hear it is good for non hip hoppers as it has a good humanistic angle also. The soundtrack is a throwback to the 'golden era' of hip hop so I'm excited for this.

-Harry Potter - The last Harry Potter was the best in my opinion. Well that is the last two. This movie felt incomplete and I think that is because it was. It together with the first part was one movie that had to be split at some point, but that aside the two movies together are the best of the series. They are both dark and intense serving as the perfect final showdown.

Music

-Thievery Corporation - I'm excited to see this duo in concert again. I don't know how to explain them. They span a wide variety of genres: dub, acid jazz, Indian Classical, hip hop, Middle Eastern, etc. They have a rotating group of singers and musicians on stage with them as they perform with a lounge groove.

-The California Honeydrops - My old coworker heard this group at a bar and said they were good. I have to look into them, but I'm sold when I saw that they are into R&B, gospel, New Orleans jazz, and blues.

-Esperanza Spalding - The first jazz musician to win a best new artist Grammy. I listened to some of her stuff when she got her Grammy last year and I'm intrigued. She is coming to town and tickets are 20 dollars, which is enough to get me in the door.

Silence is golden

While on the road last week something that was definitely absent from my life was silence.  One might think that spending several days in a small town by one's self would provide ample opportunities for silence, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.  At my job site I was surrounded by heavy machinery and industrial equipment constantly running.  During the drive to and from work I without fail had the air conditioner on high almost the whole way.  Once I returned to the hotel I had the air conditioner on the entire night, because if I turned it off for any amount of time the heat would slowly creep back into the room.  In the end the only place with quiet was when I returned home to all the usual distractions of daily life.  

The evolution of field work

While making my not too long, but often quiet journey to my site I reflected on how similar this experience is compared to trips my dad would make to a site in Tonopah, Nevada. There are many similarities: long drives, hot weather, long days, and many nights in hotels. There is one major difference: connectivity. The world has changed so much since the early 80s and it is when I’m in a remote location that I appreciate the change the most. Today I have a GPS to navigate me to my hotel and site. Today I have a cell phone to talk to people as I drive. Today I have a satellite radio system to listen if I lose the terrestrial radio signal. Today I have my laptop and wireless adapter to bring my office with me wherever I go. Today I have a digital camera to instantly show coworkers what the work looks like and they can mark up my photos with changes that we can do the next day. Today I have video chat (though I haven’t used it) to talk with the HyWy if I wanted. If anything my trip is a lot more cushy than my dad’s. I certainly have a newfound respect for his trips to Tonopah, Nevada.

A return "home"

At some point during or after my travels to Arizona it occurred to me that I had returned to the state of my birth for the first time since leaving (not counting layovers in an airport). This isn’t exactly the homecoming I envisioned, but it’ll do for now. I don’t know how many people reading my blog understand what Arizona is like, but I’ll try to paint a picture based on my limited view. Arizona has a very unique natural beauty. It has the desert landscape that the southwest is known for, but at the same time it also had some water areas that are equally beautiful. The town that I’m staying in reminds me of Daytona Beach or Panama City (both in Florida) in that it primarily survives on the vacationing public. I’ve seen license plates from as far away as Mississippi. There are a lot of over tanned large people wearing tank tops and flip flops. That might seem a bit judgmental or even stereotypical, but that is what I see. One thing I find ironic is when I go into a bar it is hard to find something other than ‘domestic’ or ‘all American’ beers. Coming from the Bay Area I love my microbrews and local beer. The beers of choice out here are Miller, Coors, and Budweiser. I wonder if everyone who talks about only drinking a ‘good old American’ beer realizes that all three of those brands are now owned by two multinational conglomerates that also own a whole host of other very recognizable brands. Another thing I noticed out here and I was very excited to see was an actual roadrunner. Yes I was definitely thinking about Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons. Needless to say the roadrunner in reality is a very underwhelming little bird, but he did move quite fast as he skittered across the road. Just as I lost track of him I noticed that he even had the little tuft of feathers sticking up like in the cartoons. So my brief and limited view of Arizona.

The end of an era

As we prepare to go to see the final Harry Potter film today I can't help but think back on 'pre Harry Potter' days.  I remember the first time I heard about Harry Potter was around when the first movie came out.  Being in my final year of college I wasn't connected enough to the demographic that Harry Potter was directed toward to have been aware of the books prior to that.  A friend was well aware of the movie and as such I got sucked into the world.  I don't remember when I first started reading the series, but I remember reading the first several books in rapid succession as they were all available in paperback.  Over the next ten years we (the audience) have had the remarkable opportunity to literally watch as the actors and characters grow up in front of our eyes.  I don't think anything on this scale has ever occurred in cinematic history where literally millions of people have been present to follow this change.  There is an entire generation of Harry Potter children who were probably in elementary school when the first book came out and are now in college, but this defines their childhood.  During my childhood the closest thing to this was Star Wars, but even that spanned only a few years and the actors were all adults.  Recently an article I read pointed out that unlike many series the Harry Potter series will stand the test of time, because it exists in it's own world and as a result is constrained by dating itself with fashion or gadgetry of the moment.  I look forward to the day when I might be able to read the Harry Potter series to someone in the next generation of fans. 

In the presence of life

Yesterday a group of friends and ourselves had the opportunity to bear witness to an acquaintance's final moments.  This person is someone whom we have carpooled with numerous times to Wednesday nights and as a result of the two hour roundtrip journey have spent a significant amount of time with.  She is nearing the end of a fight with cancer.  As we discussed going I told the HyWy that I was somewhat nervous and scared having not been in the presence of a person in this position, but at the same time I acknowledged that whether I was scared was irrelevant we were going to provide peace and comfort for someone as they prepared to transition.  I was incredibly moved by the entire experience during which this person was asleep the entire time and we listened to her spiritual friend explain what she was going through.  I realized how incredibly humbling it is to be in one's presence at that moment in their life as they are sharing (consciously or unconsciously) the final moments of an entire lifetime with our little group.  To see someone so physically weakened, but (from what I'm told) mentally very strong and cognizant means to me that she is aware that people are seeing her at her most vulnerable.  I don't know if everyone would be willing to be seen in their most vulnerable moments, but I realized that the benefits of being surrounded by good people outweigh the discomfort at them seeing you in that moment.  I know for certain that we will find ourselves in this position again in our lifetime and I hope it is not anytime soon, but I take comfort in the fact that I learned a lot about life and that will help me the next time around.

Even bugs want shade

It’s 5AM and I drag myself out of bed to go to work.  My morning ritual is considerably shorter since I don’t shower.  What’s the point? In less than 4 hours I will be sweating so much that the shower will be but a distant memory.  As I smear myself with sunscreen I develop a new appreciation for those that work in extreme locations.  I’m only on my second day of work in the blistering Arizona desert heat and I can’t imagine how people do this on a daily basis.  The ‘cold’ spell that is coming through means the temperature is 100F at a minimum.  As I drive to work I think this is the first time in my life that I’ve relished the morning hours.  The 5AM to 11AM (maybe noon) time is the best part of the day.  The afternoon is the absolute worst.  My job is to wait until someone has a question or needs me.  So if my day is uneventful that means no one had problems or questions, which in a sense is a good thing.  For my sanity it’s a bad thing.  Extreme temperatures combined with nothing to do give someone a lot of time to just think.  Yesterday as we grabbed a moment’s rest in the shade I noticed the crickets scatter as we walked over.  Then after we had sat down they slowly inched their way back until they were just out of the sunlight.  Out here even the bugs look for shade. 

My 'gay' socks

I’m sitting in at the restaurant bar in complete exhaustion after my first day on site.  It’s been 12 hours, I feel disgusting, and I’m barely awake.  I’d love a beer, but I’m so exhausted the thought isn’t very exciting.  All I want is my food to come, to go take a shower, and to go to bed.  The bar has a constant flow of regulars and the barmaid banters jovially with each.  She keeps an eye on me and periodically directs conversation my way to make sure I’m still awake.  Leaving the bar is a group of four people: two husbands and two wives.  One of the husbands tells the barmaid that his daughter was mocking his dark socks pulled halfway up his shins with his dark sneakers.  He proceeds to tell the barmaid that he was instructed to roll/push them down and that is how they should be worn.  Upon doing this we are treated to the farmer tan caused by spending the whole day outside with socks pulled up.  The barmaid intervenes and points out that since he’s worn them all day pulled up they should be pulled up.  His wife notices me and asks my opinion observing that I seem like someone who “knows how to dress”.  Bear in mind that I’m wearing jeans, work boots, and a grey long sleeve shirt.  The husband asks whether he should be wearing “gay socks that come to my ankles and have little balls on the back of them”.  In a fit of embarrassment the wife begins to chastise the husband out of fear of having offended the outsider, myself.  I can’t keep myself from laughing at the situation and I agree that he should wear ankle socks.  The husband keeps referring to them as “gay socks” and the wife continues apologizing while saying “ not that there is anything wrong with it.”  I’m certainly not in the Bay Area anymore and it’s hysterical. 

 

Safety is our number 1 priority

The site I’m working at is a natural gas compressor station just in California across the Colorado River from Arizona.  One third of the natural gas demands for the ENTIRE state of California flow through this station.  To say this is a critical location is putting it mildly.  The safety precautions that one takes when working around natural gas are quite interesting.  For example when trenches need to be dug for pipelines on site no mechanical equipment can be used.  Yes you read that correctly.  No front loaders, no dozers, nothing.  All the digging is done by hand.  Not just done by hand, but using only shovels.  They can’t even use a pickaxe if the going gets tough. The reason being the danger of hitting an existing line.  The crew I’m with dug several hundred feet of trench that way over a 3 month span.  On the opposite end of the spectrum natural gas crews routinely WELD on a gas line that is in operation, which is called hot tapping.  This is based on the idea that in order for fire to exist three things must be in place: fuel, an ignition source, and a spark.  With two of three there is no fire.  For example, you can create sparks all day in air and you get no fire.  Conversely you can run a gas burner all you want, but without the spark you don’t get the fire.  So what the welders do is weld on the line as long as there is no gas escaping.  This is difficult to imagine, but a spark in a line full of gas will not cause an explosion.  Sometimes safety comes in an unexpected way. 

 

Sin City

As I walk to claim my bags my two of my five senses are assaulted. There are enormous monitors everywhere flashing ads for shows, there are flashing lights coming from the slot machines, there are sirens and whistles blowing to announce winners, and then there are the usual airport announcements. I can’t help but wonder in amazement that there must be such a market for gambling that there are slot machines in the baggage claim and rental car center. I rarely spend more than a half hour in both locations and my only concern is getting out of there. Yet here are devices that are specifically designed to keep you there.

Las Vegas is an interesting town. Every time I visit I am perplexed by its existence. It truly is a giant playground.

When I rent my car I check the radio and hear nothing, but that is expected as the rental car center is underground. Once I hit the freeway I’m dismayed to find out that in a city full of noise at all hours I’ve found the silence in the one place I don’t want it: my car. My speakers are not working or not connected properly. Alas it’s 7pm and all I want to do is get to the hotel. I think of all my friends who upon hearing of my solo travels encouraged me to keep an iPod with me to play music. What does one do in this situation? With iPhones I’m sure everyone has their music on their cell phone so they would likely just listen that way. Pandora won’t work out in the middle of nowhere. I’m lucky if I have a cell phone signal. Once again I’m left alone with my thoughts, which are broken up as I call friends and family. The drive back should be more quiet as it will be too early to call anyone. There is definitely something enjoyable about hitting an open road that is not an interstate and just driving.

To get to my job site I have to drive a stretch of Route 66. I’ve never done this before and I didn’t expect my first time would come in this way. Route 66 is synonymous with road trips and music. After driving down from Vegas with no radio this is one moment I miss some rock and roll. The road is quite bumpy and rough. It runs almost parallel to the interstate in this area. One of the days on my way from the site I will stop and imagine what it was like 50 or 60 years ago when the route was in its heyday.

Reflections on Idaho

After almost a month of being back I just emailed out my photos from my Idaho trip. I sent the link pretty quickly so I couldn't figure out who to send it to...what I'm saying is if you want to see them holla at me.

The last month has given me ample time to reflect on why I took the trip and what I thought of Idaho. There have been many questions about why Idaho and I think the best answer I have is that with the exception to Montana I have been to every state around Idaho (Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah) and they were all beautiful so it stood to reason that the same would be true for Idaho. Idaho was nothing short of amazing. Outside of extreme sports people most people don't make a conscious decision to visit Idaho and as a result it was very 'empty'. Often I would drive on roads for an hour or two and not see anyone. After a hike one morning I had lunch overlooking an enormous valley, which I think probably looks exactly the same as it did 150 years ago when the pioneers came through. I loved the solitude and tranquility of being out on the road.

More than anything I was amazed at how much I enjoyed traveling on my own. There was much discussion and concern (by my mom) about what I was going to do on my own. The truth is that I wasn't really on my own. I had plenty of company at night when I would get back from my travels and go out to eat with my hosts. I loved the freedom of being out on my own. The first chance I got when driving from Boise to Twin Falls to make a random choice and take a local farm road I jumped on it. It's not that when traveling with the HyWy I can't make random choices as much as we make them together. It's hard to explain to others that have never done it.

By the time the trip ended I was ready to come home and 'rejoin' society, but not before deciding that I want to take this type of a trip every year. Perhaps next year I will go somewhere even more random like North Dakota:).