Venice Revisited
Sadly, all my tentative plans for last night fell through. I guess that's why they're called 'tentative.' I got a severe case of cabin fever, grabbed my keys and the new CD I had burned, jumped in the car, and went ...west. To Venice.
Leaving Hollywood and L.A., driving south to I10, I came to the realization that L.A. is really a shithole. The roads are shit and full of potholes that you can't avoid and you always feel a tad guilty for your car putting it through such abuse every day/night; the neighborhoods are poor, people are poor, the streets are dirty and smell like piss and exhaust...
But it's better than any yuppieville. I'd rather live in a shithole that I've come to love than a place like North Dallas, squeaky-clean, full of those damn pod people, and bereft of any character whatsoever. L.A. is alive.
On to Venice.
I hadn't been there since S was here helping me move in October and we went out together and she bought some rap CD from a guy dressed in a cheesy white suit hawking his music... I love Venice. I ended up in this parking lot at about 1 a.m. with the 'locals' under a waning orange moon surrounded by that delicious salty ocean smell...and the occasional piss smell. There are a lot of 'locals' on Venice Beach...
I wonder about those people (here I go again.) I stood out there in the sand, aways a bit from the parking lot, and I could see the waves breaking, and I could see these forms out there...I think they were people, groups of them maybe, or by themselves with small tents or pitched blankets.... You know when you can't really trust your eyes to actually see or comprehend what's really there. Was it movement? Is it anything or anybody at all, really? I didn't want to walk all the way out there to the water's edge because it didn't feel safe.
It reminded me of a line from my book when the main character is out there on the very same beach walking around at night, and another character comes out there and sees her and says, "Do you think maybe it's not safe out here?"
So on my way out I gave the two homeless gatekeepers of the parking lot some cash after they asked and one told me I was welcome back anytime....yeah right - it's nice to have your permission because I obviously needed it?
Then I drove home. Came to the conclusion that this is indeed the strangest period of my life so far. Hoping for improvement...on what, exactly? I don't even know.
That was my Saturday night.
Leaving Hollywood and L.A., driving south to I10, I came to the realization that L.A. is really a shithole. The roads are shit and full of potholes that you can't avoid and you always feel a tad guilty for your car putting it through such abuse every day/night; the neighborhoods are poor, people are poor, the streets are dirty and smell like piss and exhaust...
But it's better than any yuppieville. I'd rather live in a shithole that I've come to love than a place like North Dallas, squeaky-clean, full of those damn pod people, and bereft of any character whatsoever. L.A. is alive.
On to Venice.
I hadn't been there since S was here helping me move in October and we went out together and she bought some rap CD from a guy dressed in a cheesy white suit hawking his music... I love Venice. I ended up in this parking lot at about 1 a.m. with the 'locals' under a waning orange moon surrounded by that delicious salty ocean smell...and the occasional piss smell. There are a lot of 'locals' on Venice Beach...
I wonder about those people (here I go again.) I stood out there in the sand, aways a bit from the parking lot, and I could see the waves breaking, and I could see these forms out there...I think they were people, groups of them maybe, or by themselves with small tents or pitched blankets.... You know when you can't really trust your eyes to actually see or comprehend what's really there. Was it movement? Is it anything or anybody at all, really? I didn't want to walk all the way out there to the water's edge because it didn't feel safe.
It reminded me of a line from my book when the main character is out there on the very same beach walking around at night, and another character comes out there and sees her and says, "Do you think maybe it's not safe out here?"
So on my way out I gave the two homeless gatekeepers of the parking lot some cash after they asked and one told me I was welcome back anytime....yeah right - it's nice to have your permission because I obviously needed it?
Then I drove home. Came to the conclusion that this is indeed the strangest period of my life so far. Hoping for improvement...on what, exactly? I don't even know.
That was my Saturday night.
2 Comments:
I wish I had spent my Saturday night visiting Venice Beach on a whim. *Sigh*
I'm so sick of the mid-west I could puke. Love the pod people comment... I can relate!
Take care,
Sublime
Oh yeah, the pod people. Damn crying shame that they're taking over the world...
Post a Comment
<< Home