Here’s my third attempt at a BLOTT today. I woke up so angry (collapse of civilization, etc.) that the first BLOTT was basically a long, tedious screed / scream into the void / etc. The second BLOTT has merit, but will take a lot of research (well, what passes as research at WLBOTT). It will look into Pablo Casals and how he coped with fascism.
But then the rains fell. First a gentle rain, then a downpour with thunder and lightening.
Then, while taking Sally the Intern to her paying job, I heard Harry Chapin’s Taxi.
Taxi
Harry Chapin
It was raining hard in 'Frisco
I needed one more fare to make my night
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down
She got in at the light
Oh, where you going to, my lady blue
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain
She just looked out the window
She said, Sixteen Parkside Lane
Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before
But she said, I'm sure you're mistaken
And she didn't say anything more
It took a while, but she looked in the mirror
And she glanced at the license for my name
A smile seemed to come to her slowly
It was a sad smile, just the same
And she said, How are you Harry
I said, How are you Sue
Through the too many miles
And the too little smiles
I still remember you
It was somewhere in a fairy tale
I used to take her home in my car
We learned about love in the back of a Dodge
The lesson hadn't gone too far
You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off to find the sky
Oh, I've got something inside me
To drive a princess blind
There's a wild man, wizard
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind
Oh, I've got something inside me
Not what my life's about
'Cause I've been letting my outside tide me
Over 'til my time, runs out
(Baby's so high that she's skying)
(Yes, she's flying, afraid to fall)
(I'll tell you why baby's crying)
('Cause she's dying, aren't we all)
There was not much more for us to talk about
Whatever we had once was gone
So I turned my cab into the driveway
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns
And she said, we must get together
But I knew it'd never be arranged
And she handed me twenty dollars
For a two fifty fare
She said, Harry, keep the change
Well, another man might have been angry
And another man might have been hurt
But another man never would've let her go
I stashed the bill in my shirt
And she walked away in silence
It's strange, how you never know
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for
Such a long, long time ago
You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off for the sky
And here, she's acting happy
Inside her handsome home
And me, I'm flying in my taxi
Taking tips, and getting stoned
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned
Harry and Sue
Later
Elder G knows of this song also.
Yes, I’m familiar with the song “Taxi” by Harry Chapin. It’s a narrative song that tells the story of a taxi driver who picks up a fare and realizes it’s his old flame from years ago. The song explores themes of lost dreams and the passage of time. The taxi driver and his fare, once lovers with big ambitions, have taken different paths in life, and the encounter brings a mix of nostalgia and melancholy.
Elder G
16 Parkside Lane
She just looked out the window
She said, Sixteen Parkside Lane
Google couldn’t find a Parkside Lane in San Francisco, but there is a Parkside neighborhood.
The Parkside is a neighborhood in the western part of San Francisco, California. It is located in the southern part of the Avenues south of Quintara and north of Sloat Boulevard.
The “park” of Parkside was not Golden Gate Park, but rather the stand of trees and plants around Laguna Puerca (now called Pine Lake, and often called “Mud Lake” or “Crawdad Lake” by old-timers) west of Sigmund Stern Grove.
Parkside Elementary School (located at 25th Avenue and Vicente Street) was closed in 1975 and torn down in 2004. In its place today stands Dianne Feinstein Elementary School at the Parkside Campus. Parkside Library is located at 22nd Avenue and Taraval.
Wikipedia
A Home for Sue?
Since Sue probably wasn’t living in the Parkside neighborhood of San Francisco, we wanted to explore some of the more exclusive areas in San Francisco. To take this to it’s illogical extreme, we decided to find the most expensive house in S. F. that is currently on the market.
We posed a few questions to the realtor, but haven’t heard back nyet.
Since we want to be prepared for our tour this afternoon, we had an imaginary conversation with the realtor.
Q & A with the S.F. Realtor:
Q: A place this swanky, I’ll probably be inviting over a lot of my republican friends. Is the house gaudy enough to entertain Mr. tRump?
A: I will let you decide:
Q: It’s pretty gaudy, but I’m not sure it’s gaudy enough. Is there a way to enhance the guadyness?
A: We have a gaudy enhancement package that begins at $7.2M.
Q: What if I gotta go?
A: There are six and a half places to go, not counting the kitchen sinks and potted plants.
Q: I’m not sure I understand how to use the fixtures. Could we have a demonstration?
A: Of course.
Q: I’d like to give my guests the illusion that I’m pious. What have you got for me?
A: We can offer you access to the interior decorators who have worked with some of the biggest names in televangelism.
Here we have the “Blessed Boudoir” and the “Faithful Freedom Fortress.”
Q: What if I have a “special” friend over who doesn’t share my love of humility?
A: Not a problem. We have a special plan called “Piety Plus” that respects the greed of your visitor while allowing you to maintain the illusion of piety.
