Silver Firs, Washington

You can see the cougars looming in the trees;
Every single building here in Silver Firs
looks like the last one on a long road into the wilderness
a classic case of named-after-what-used-to-be-there

Yes, this now-suburban community hasn’t
Been the same since the applebees (with their tasty happy hours)
And the safeway (with their deals on flowers)
And the house after house set three trees in,
just enough green to obscure sattelite dishes,
Everyone here with their trucks and SUVs

Feeling cheated that they’ll never have to kill an Indian.
Or fight a sharecropper. Or make their own moonshine.
Which is why the stares are still hard and mean, even
On the way to Jr.’s soccer practice, suspicious glares
At those who smoke in front yards—it’ll set off the kerosene!
Best not talk too loud after dark, it’ll attract the bears
Just waiting there beyond the next condo,
They weren’t messing around
When they put the sign up
That said Dead End.

Wang, dang, sweet poontang.

I like to think that this blog can help further the cause of the great minds speaking today.

From the department of cultural realisations and differences--

Comes 7 Ways you Can Tell You're in Washington State!

7. You go back to a girl's apartment after a night of flirting and drinking, and that apartment is in Seattle.
6. You and your friend are going for a drive and your friend says "hey are those the Olympics?" and you say "Yes," because they are the Olympics, a Washington State mountain range.
5. Looking on a map you can accurately identify the borders to the area that you are in as the State/Province lines to Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia.
4. When you anger someone and they tell you to "go jump in Puget Sound" it is hyperbole simply because it is unlikely you will do so, rather than technically physically impossible.
3. You were legally allowed to vote for Washington State Governor and State Legislators.
2. You go to a refill station in your HYBRID and there's an ESPRESSO stand and the guy there (who has a BEARD) says "Hey, when I'm not working at the ORGANIC FOOD AND GRANOLA CO-OP, I'm in this really hip GRUNGE* BAND." And you're like "Wow, so AM I! Want to go HIKING and FISHING later? We can RECYCLE TOGETHER! I voted for OBAMA and DON'T LIKE SPORTS THAT MUCH!" and you write a gay-rights referendum together, and call it the TOTALLY GAY RIGHTS REFERENDUM because you still have a sense of humour about how liberal you are.
1. Whilst driving on the freeway you pass a sign that says "Welcome to Washington."


*sic

Bellingham Revisit Roundup

Remember that post when I said I'd post more about the Capitol Hill Block Party? I either pretended you were a woman and lied to you or I went up to Bellingham twice, Brielle went to New York and I hit up a wedding in Portland all while looking for jobs.

in other words, making jokes about David Yow's majestically grey-haired belly or the proliferation of various types of t-shirts at outdoor rock shows is so two weeks ago.

So. It's been a while now since USS Horsewhip's last official show but their memory lives on in my heart. And in the heart of the USS Horsewhip tribute band made up entirely of former members of USS Horsewhip entitled . . . sigh. . .USS Horsequit. Caught a ride up to Bellingham with James, Chris and Richy and caught their set in the basement of Jinx Art Space. HQ barrelled through a bunch of local classics that hadn't actually been heard for nearly half of the actual band's live sets ("Break Out the Make Out," "People At this Laundromat Need to Mind their Own Fucking Business") and closed with a cover of Nirvana's "Aneurysm" which they dedicated to me and Conan Neutron, of Mount Vicious, who are from Northern California and played next and were a lot of fun even if I didn't want the man's hairy sweaty chest in my face for a half an hour.

Saturday day a bunch of us --breathes in-- katandchrisandbeckie andandrewandjasmineandmarahand uhmeandanotherchrisandcjithinkthatsit went 1.) Rollerskating at the All Skate at Lynden Skateway. Beckie broke her knee falling down at the end of a Taylor Swift song. It is more funny than anything else. 2.) To Ferndale for delicious Bob's Burgers and Brew where the server sighed a lot but was still very nice and I had a burger with an egg on it and the server called Beckie a "powderface." Its funny when nice dadlike old men make cocaine references. 3.) To a park in Ferndale who's name I forgot. It was lovely. 4.) To Wood Coffee in Ferndale where Kat and Jasmine were supposed to play a show. The people there seemed to have no clue about running shows and completely ambivalent about the existence of this one. To that end Kat only played five songs-- two on guitar and two on accordion-- and Jasmine did a truncated set as well. We were all pretty tired though, so despite the killerness of the tunes the shortness of the set was probably okay.

Then a little later there was a housewarming party.

Crashed at Kat and Chris' place. Their cat did little to bother me. Ryan Johnson came up and we had a board game night that also included many beers. The profound look of despair on his face when he and partner J-cup had their turns at Celebrity. Sarah Baker and Kat were victorious in that bout, Chris and I taking a noble Second.

The next day I took a leisurely stroll around and caught a few buses home for $2. I could do more posting (maybe I will) about Bellingham and how its changed and is exactly the same and all that and the people I specifically saw and how great or weird or both it was, but really, its just nice that I have firm fast friendships there and can think fondly of it again.

Maybe we'll talk about Portland next. Or not.

Back at the 'rents

what’d they say to the dove in the cage
the first time they put the blanket over the bars
for the night, turned the light out
and went to bed?

Its not a bad life, food, water, mandatory sleeping hours.
Some never get enough of any,
And damned if I’m going to turn this
Into some sort of metaphor for peace or freedom.

Sometimes I get awakened by hammers
At eight in the morning, the deck my parents
have been waiting for for years finally
getting its nails in.
I think brief thoughts about dutch-protestant
work ethic and the value of patience
as I pull a pillow over my head
And wait until they’re done
To coffee and jobsearch, unshaven.

There are rot-blackened bananas hanging from
the fruithook and I think my sisters did not eat
all their oatmeal. This could be something about waste

But I predict banana bread.