July 10, 2005

Stops, The Third and Fourth, With Other Updates

Hello, kids!

Greetings from Needles, California. I just clicked through to the city's homepage and it would seem that we're in the "interstate highway fringe" area of the city, as I've not seen a posh golf course or expensive houses built on the river (however, I have seen a couple of seedy motels and a greasy spoon or two). I'm sure it's a positively lovely place overall though.

So, "stop, the fourth," is officially Needles, CA.

"Stop, the third" was Claremont, CA, about 30 miles east of Los Angeles as the crow flies (or as the former football player turned actor turned double murderer leads a slow chase). We were guests of Brennan Hester and his wonderful family.

They were terrific hosts, although my memory of the evening is a bit fuzzy due to the beverages we consumed from lunch to midnight. This is probably a good thing as we earlier visited Rhino Records, whereupon Brennan purchased this book and DVD set. Which we watched. More than once.

In a similar vein, or not, but just as creepy, Brennan's friend Dan turned us on to this way cool site for Jesus, dude. Let Ed Young "go outside the box to reach inside your heart." Marvel as Ed relates the Word of God to the youth of America in a language he thinks they can understands because he thinks it sounds like their own lingo when, in reality, it sounds exactly like someone's dad trying to be hip.

Recipe. For. Disaster.

Additionally, whilst watching CNN's coverage of the aftermath of the London bombings, we learned that the British apparently have some anatomical disorder called a "stiff upper lip." It must be true, as every newscaster in every report found a way to work it into the closing of their story. I mean, this was news to everyone right? 'Cause I know that the highly-qualified and professional news industry personalities in the United States wouldn't rely on cliched pick-me-up lines in lieu of something substantial and interesting.

Wait, would they*?

Brennan also provided me with a CD of unreleased Sextants songs that were to have been on their second album, an album which never quite materialized. If he doesn't object, maybe I'll post a couple here for your listening pleasure.

After departing Chateau Hester this morning, we drove into Los Angeles and met Jody from Naked Writing for lunch. After multiple phone calls to figure out just which turn we had fucked right up, we finally met up and sat down for our meal, the drink portion of which Jody ended up wearing as the waiter knocked a glass over into his lap. Whoops.

Jody was pretty much as I had expected based on getting to know him through his blog and various e-mails. He was taller, though, but then again when you're my height one gets used to other people being taller. However, that Emmanuel Lewis, I can still kick his ass any day of the week. Sadly, we didn't have much time for lunch as we had to get on the highway and Jody had to return to volunteering at a gay/lesbian film festival (he might not be aware of this, but that event is positively crawling with homersexurals).

And so, several hours later, here we are: Needles.

Now, let's step into the Wayback Machine and go back to a time before we were quickly disillusioned with the "gaudville" that is Las Vegas, but not so far back as our few hours spent in Green River, UT. Somewhere in between we stopped to have lunch with Rae of A Likely Story.

We met at a McDonald's with a play area, allowing Fiona to burn off some of her pent up energy, while the adults chatted and Rae tried to explain to me the all-powerful love of Jesus and why won't I just accept him into my heart of hearts, the one with the little Yahweh-shaped hole right about here (pointing at my chest)? I fired back with my usual barrage of awe-inspiring reason and she soon came to see the futility of religious belief and declared herself an atheist on the spot. Hooray!

Or perhaps we just talked about normal stuff, the kind of stuff that we all seem to avoid in the blogosphere because we might find out we like each other despite our differences. Rae too was much like I expected, but then a lot of swapped e-mails and an appearance on the Larry Elder show can help one form an opinion of another person. Well-spoken, intelligent, and an able conversationalist, she'll make a fine addition to the Evil Atheist Conspiracy once the mindwipe is complete.

We then went for ice cream and got back on the road.

Tomorrow we're aiming for the Grand Canyon, then through Flagstaff, over to Santa Fe, and up through Colorado back to our home.

And now you know the rest of the story**.

* We were also impressed at how CNN provided very serious and dark, music in the background of their London coverage, letting us know that we should feel serious and dark about the resultant carnage. It's rather like emotional subtitles. Thanks, CNN!

** Apologies to clinically insane radio personality Paul Harvey for stealing his line.