Tag: politics

Legacy Writing 365:275

While I was in graduate school and throughout my twenties, I had a lot of different jobs, sometimes two or three at a time, to pay the bills, keep food on the table, and pay for books and tuition. There was a point when my income was so low that I was even on food stamps for a brief time–because, you know, I’m in that forty-seven percent of people always looking for a handout.

Shockingly, working at a convenience store wasn’t the worst job I ever had, though it was certainly a low-paying one. I did it all one summer, and in spite of the fact that in a one-week period, (1) my apartment was broken into and I lost most of my jewelry and an old stereo, among other things; (2) the guy I was dating who was also employed by that store for the summer was robbed at work at gunpoint; and (3) my purse containing both his and my paychecks and income tax refund checks was stolen when I was on my way to the bank to make a deposit, the customers made that job a constant source of entertainment. The regulars gave me plenty of stories to share with my friends and later to weave into fictitious plots and characters. In fact, even when summer was over and I was back in school, I kept working the early Sunday morning shift for several months because I wanted to.

I missed my regulars when I left. I still remember a lot of them fondly, especially the elderly lady with the white poodle who always reminded me a little of the lonely woman Jimmy Stewart watched in Rear Window. I hope my replacement took good care of her.

ARRRR

Yes, it’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day again. Here are some bonus buttons to celebrate, along with a scurvy tale of my own.

For dog lovers.
For T Rex fans.
For artists.
For princesses.
For crafters.
For math geeks.
For fellow descendants of Celts.
Pirates: the real thing.

Today I shared an experience with many others across the country who’ve blogged about it over the past few years. I ran into adherents of a particular political philosophy who were demonstrating outside the post office. I won’t name their affiliation because I wish not to bring Googlers here. But as I walked in and out of the post office, they managed to insult me, a gentleman who was also leaving as I was, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and Holocaust survivors. Though their behavior makes me want to condemn them to walk the plank, I know it’s good that we have the freedom to speak out in the U.S., even if the way we use that freedom is counterproductive to winning friends and influencing people. They make no apologies for their incivility; I make none for reacting with courteous indifference.

Legacy Writing 365:251

Whenever I used to visit my parents’ house during holidays, or even just hang out there for a few hours, sooner or later I’d always go to the bookshelf where the Doonesbury books were. I’m sure my brother probably did the same, and maybe my nephew Daniel, too. My mother bought the larger editions, which I couldn’t afford, but I frequently found the smaller books used and snapped them up.

I still have them with my other humor books in the guest room. Doonesbury characters have always felt like my real friends through the years, and much the way I relish seeing politics through Jon Stewart’s humor now, I’ve long depended on Gary Trudeau to make me laugh and shake my head over the fascinating animal that is politics, as well as that other animal, pop culture. I don’t buy the books anymore, because I can read Doonesbury online–though I’ve missed entire years of strips. Tom frequently sends me links to ones he knows I’ll love.

As for my mother’s books, they were rehomed in Tim’s apartment. So I can still go over, pull one from the shelf, and think back to all those enjoyable hours of curling up on one of my parents’ comfy chairs to read and then telling Mother which particular stories were making me laugh the most.

It’s fun to be an unapologetic liberal who can laugh at the vagaries of politics, no matter what the viewpoint.

they wanted to go to work

In a shooting at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a man pulled a Glock 19 9mm pistol from his holster in a meeting with a supervisor who was terminating his employment. In a struggle for the gun, the supervisor was critically injured and another employee was killed. The perpetrator then went into other areas of the facility to target additional employees before turning the weapon on himself.

Not including the gunman, those killed were:

• Keith Basinski (50 years old), a UPS driver there for a delivery who was killed in his van
• Jacob Beneke (34)
• Rami Cooks (62)
• Ronald Edberg (58)
• Reuven Rahamim (61)
• Eric Rivers (42), died in the hospital the following day due to his wounds

The two injured were John Souter and Battites Wesley.

they wanted to go to temple

On August 5, 2012, the following people died in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, after a shooting at a Sikh temple. They were:

• Satwant Singh Kaleka (65 years old)
• Paramjit Kaur (41)
• Prakash Singh (39)
• Ranjit Singh (49)
• Sita Singh (41)
• Suveg Singh (84)

In addition, three people, including a police officer, were wounded. One of the victims, Baba Punjab Singh, became the seventh fatality when he died on March 2, 2020, seven years after being shot in the head at the temple.

After the perpetrator was shot in the hip by a police officer, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Legacy Writing 365:217

Tom and I were just trying to remember our introduction to Barnaby’s cafe. I doubt either of us ate there before we moved into Montrose, because I don’t remember going there with Steve R/ Jeff/John/Tim R. So our most likely first time there was 1997. I know we were already regulars by the time I met Rhonda online late that year, because it was one of those things we bonded over in our chat room. Just about all the locals love Barnaby’s. I’m betting it was James who took me there first. In those days, there was only one location, the original on Fairview. Next door in the same building is Baby Barnaby’s which absolutely can’t be beat if you wake up early enough to have breakfast there. James, Steve V, and I used to go there frequently.

In time, the River Oaks Barnaby’s opened, then the one on West Gray. There’s another in Houston, but it’s outside the ‘hood, so I’ve never been there. Barnaby’s is our go-to place for takeout for us and visiting family and friends, and it’s also the place I go with my suburban friends and out-of-town guests. Which location we choose depends on how many of us there are, time of day, etc., because the restaurants’ sizes vary. But one thing has always been true. Whether I’ve been there with straight friends or gay, male or female, off-beat or buttoned-down, with or without kids, we’ve always been treated with the same courtesy. I like keeping my dollars local, and I like knowing my friends will be respected not only as patrons but as people.

Jim treated Tom and me to lunch there on Wednesday. Tim wasn’t able to go, because he was battling a virus and allergies off and on during the week–and really, with the amount of intolerant and hurtful comments he had to see online last week, I think chicken was the last thing he wanted. Jim, on the other hand, had a grilled chicken sandwich because he knew it came without sides of indifference or malice (neither of those is as tasty as Barnaby’s fries!).

This should make Puterbaugh feel a little nostalgic.

Legacy Writing 365:214

The first time all four of the Timothy James Beck writers met as a group in the same place was in Houston in the spring of 2001. Tim actually visited for a month during that time, and Timmy and Jim came for a week of it. Besides getting to sign books at Crossroads (now closed) and visiting our friend Steve V at Detering Books (now closed), we got a ton of work done. Restaurants visited included Baba Yega and Niko Nikos (both still open! It’s shocking.). (ETA in 2022: Baba Yega now closed.) We also got professional publicity shots taken (my hair was crap), and did our own photo sessions in several local spots.

One of these included the Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza. This is one of those polarizing public art installations. Some people find it inspiring and uplifting, others think it’s just bad art. No judgment here. All I can say is that it brought out the whimsical side of the guys that day.

On Jim’s visit this year, we went to visit that other polarizing public art source, David Adickes’ Sculpturworx.


Standing next to President Obama, Jim makes the “Bill Clinton thumbs up sign.”


Tim, Jim, and Tom overlooked by President Clinton.

they wanted to see a movie

Twelve people died at a movie theater shooting in Aurora Colorado on July 20, 2012. Ten died at the scene, and two died later at a hospital. The victims were:

Jonathan Blunk, 26
Alexander J. Boik, 18
Jesse Childress, 29
Gordon Cowden, 51
Jessica Ghawi (aka Jessica Redfield)
John Larimer, 27
Matt McQuinn, 27
Micayla Medek, 23
Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6 (Her mother Ashley was pregnant, was shot in the chest, miscarried a week after the attack, and was left a paraplegic.)
Alex Sullivan, 27
Alexander C. Teves, 24
Rebecca Wingo, 32

After rigging his apartment with homemade explosives and incendiary devices, the perpetrator went to the theater, bought a ticket, and then left the theater via an emergency exit, propping open the door. At his vehicle, he dressed in tactical clothing and retrieved his weapons. He then returned to the theater through the exit door and set off tear gas grenades then shot into the audience with multiple firearms. Eighty-two casualties were reported. Seventy were hit by bullets. The tear gas grenades irritated four people’s eyes, and eight additional people suffered non-gunshot injuries when trying to escape the theater.

Weapons used: Seventy-six shots were fired from a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, 65 shots were fired from a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, which eventually malfunctioned, and five shots were fired from a .40-caliber Glock 22 Gen4 handgun. He shot first to the back of the room, and then toward people in the aisles. A bullet passed through the wall and hit three people in an adjacent theater screening the same film.