Derek D called and offered a co-pilot slot in a quick mission down to Grand Rapids yesterday morning. I quickly accepted. Always had good times down there growing up. Only a couple hours south, Grand Rapids was some of our first forays into these big things called, “cities.” The big time. Record-shopping, skateboarding, school-shopping, bands and trouble.

Got up real early. Of course, it snowed like 15 inches the night before. Big S was buried and the roads were slicker than snake snot. Fuck.

099. “Roof rack.”
100. “Mysterious woods.”
101. “Cul De Sac.”

I am gigantically spoiled in Portland. Not too much to debate there. The lack of snow in the winter and the lack of death heat in the summer has made me pretty meek when facing the Midwest’s unforgiving elements. I was scared to death this morning, piloting the roads down to Derek’s rustic spread in Beulah. Complete winter greenhorn.

102. “What the roads looked like there, and back.”

We shot down to the city, Derek got his wing worked on by some orthopaedic specialist, we hit up a Mediterranean place for lunch, bought a couple records, walked a couple blocks in the frigid cold and drove back. Just like that.

103. “Old stamps, old bricks.”
104. “Richmond Stamps.”
105. “We just might.”

When in Grand Rapids, find Division street downtown and buy a couple records at Vertigo records. Good shop, good people.

Got back home safely. Watched For Your Consideration with mom and dad. Laughed a bunch.

106. “Dad, Gary, considering.”

- - - -

Tales of Western Michigan intoxication: One time, higher than hell on a whippit, driving, I sat through a complete cycle of a downtown Grand Rapids stoplight. From red light, to green, to yellow and back to red. Cheap thrills. I was with classmates and fellow skaterats Cal Steinorth and Bill Roemer, on our way back from the first Lollapalooza down in Chicago. We were bummed that the Butthole Surfers played during the day. Anyway, a moment of silence is offered up to Bill, who lost his life in an unfortunate auto accident in Montana a decade ago.

For Bill: “…”

- - - -

From Wayne: Create yer own happiness.