flying embers


Coming back to work late Monday afternoon after a dentist appointment, I suddenly had to see how it would feel in Ladera Ranch. (I'd met the place a few months before and been compelled by the contrast between the harshness of its environment, and the paradisical hype.) I took Antonio Parkway, but once I was there was led north by the smoke.

Antonio ends at sort of a deadend, at Avenida de las Flores. At least 100 people who felt the same as me had gathered there to park, get out and look at the afternoon flames.

Everyone had their cellphones aimed at the fire. They were taking pictures of it. It occurred to me this might be something Everyone Has Done For Thousands Of Years. I wanted to, too, but had no camera or cellphone around.

For some reason the porn star vibe of today's cool people seemed especially pronounced there, and touchingly inadequate.

...the deeply mixed and fallible indeterminacy of motivation that has and always will characterize the fundamental state of human affairs...




That's a line in a poem by James Kelly, who read it at Our Little Open Mic today.


I thought it was kinda cool.

I learned something from this explanation of Beat couched in an explanation of "neo-Beat".

I've never been able to explain the whole Beat thing, myself. Maybe even to believe it was an actual something, with borders enough for an explanation.

I appreciate this guy's effort. But if there really is such a thing as beat, I think "neo" is premature. I'd wager a lot of folks are just, still, fucking beat.

Okayyyyy...


I'M HERE, NOW!