Just Observing

Just Observing

Hoo-boy! San Diego is in a state of disgrace with the tourists and people at conventions. Blasted storm moved in with rains and winds and intends to stay over the weekend. I'm not happy about it either. In fact, the locals are even more unhappy than the visitors. Not used to this shit. Badly spoiled, you understand. Low spots are flooded and we can't get where we want to go. Can't find our rain gear either...or our umbrellas (those of us who even own one).

Thank God for the hotel patio, covered, with heaters. Was a guy sitting out there at another table this morn, in a white shirt. Had his sleeves rolled up a bit and no tie. He's nowhere near a heater but is perfectly comfortable. We're there with jackets and sweatshirts with the heater practically on top of us. He was from Mississippi it turned out. Why he thought it was comfortable weather, I don't know. That State must be colder than I thought it was. Never been there, so I don't know.

Damn! The scanning screen just jumped up and began to do it's job. I sent it to the bottom of the screen. I'm being abused, here!

The nation is being abused by the crap going on in Congress, so guess I should get used to it. Except I won't, bullheaded as I am.

Ray Bradbury is gonna be in town this month. Quite a guy. We shared a table at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference some years ago. I made the mistake of asking him what he thought was the greatest sin...and he literally yelled, "Not using the talents God gave you!" :)) Won't do that again. He's easily excited and very passionate about various things. Could have heard him a couple of blocks down the street.

Never know what a writer might say. One of the more quiet, gentle guys was Charles Schultz, who drew the Peanuts cartoons. I have never heard him swear but once. He was talking about serving in the Army in WWII. Said he'd returned to visit. Said he'd walked into a little French village to see the place he recalled having a terrible battle in combat at. Then he said, "I was a machine gunner--" and his voice went dead cold and grim and he added, "--and I was damned good at it."

Nothing is more fascinating to humans than other humans.