Michael Joe Armijo's Blog, page 80

One In Every Port

“I used to think that you were me and I was worried at what I had done to you. But now I know that you are not me. What is in my head is not in yours. You are somebody else, somebody I don’t know, and I worry for you because you are launched on a journey I know nothing of.”

-V. S. Naipaul
HALF A LIFE

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 29, 1987
Monday

Marta drove me to the bus terminal after work. She works in the CSO (Customer Service Office) at Pac Bell Directory. She’s pretty nice.

Johnny met me at my bus stop.

Stacey, my roommate, was home. She ran into Johnny this morning.

Johnny and I ate dinner at the SIZZLER.
He made a nonchalant rude comment: “It seems like you strive to have one in every port.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“Well, there’s Greg Johnsson writing you from Chicago; Jim in L.A., Mike Thoennes and all.”
It was as if he’d rummaged through some old letters of mine while I was at work (or maybe a diary entry or two). Could it be? It was kind of upsetting. He knew I was disturbed by it. Needless to say, Johnny left rather abruptly. It was just as well. It was a relief actually.

I went to my mom’s house.

I went to the gym.

I returned home and called Rachelle Davies. It was kind of late.
She asked, “Could you call me tomorrow?”

But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begins.
-Mitch Albom
FOR ONE MORE DAY

Hamburgers and Witches

"I see men running around trying to put their dicks into everything, trying to make something happen... but it's WOMEN who are the source... the only power. Nature, birth, rebirth. Cliche? Cliche... sure... but true."
-Daryl Van Horne

-as heard in the 1987 film
THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK



Twenty-five years ago today:

June 28, 1987
Sunday

After the long “uh and huh-huh” lecture I gave Johnny this morning, we went to Sausalito to that HAMBURGERS joint.

I took a much needed nap at home after the outing.  I needed my space.

We also saw THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK movie at THE GRAND LAKE THEATER.

That sums up our weekend.  I had to be at work in the morning but Johnny was going to hang-out.

"I think... no, I am positive... that you are the most unattractive man I have ever met in my entire life. You know, in the short time we've been together, you have demonstrated EVERY loathsome characteristic of the male personality and even discovered a few new ones. You are physically repulsive, intellectually retarded, you're morally reprehensible, vulgar, insensitive, selfish, and stupid, you have no taste, a lousy sense of humor and you smell. You're not even interesting enough to make me sick."
-Alexandra Medford
-as heard in the 1987 film THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK

A Daydream

"Oh, ‘DAYDREAM BELIEVER’. It’s a great song. I don’t care what anyone says.

It’s O.K. to like ‘DAYDREAM BELIEVER’. There’s nothing wrong with a guilty pleasure from time to time"
-JOHNNY DEPP
Vanity Fair Jan 2011 INTERVIEW

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 27, 1987
Saturday

I felt like I was in a daydream. The bird sounds, the chirps, etc. were really something to hear from the tent on this morning in the woods. I could suddenly hear the faint sounds of people. Children began running and one gal was crying for her mama. It reminded me of my niece, Ashley. I dreamt a raccoon came near our tent and took a shit near my face because there was a fictitious hole in the tent (in my dream).

I’m hungry for a good breakfast. We shall see. One feels even more hungry when one wakes up outside.

In the middle of the night I thought I heard footsteps and eerie sounds. It could have been people but it could have also been a wild animal standing right next to the text. Worst of all, the sound of a man snoring so loud was heard from another tent.

Johnny and I decided against BIG SURE since it was about three or four hours away. We made bacon and eggs. It smelled so good outside. We hiked a trail or two. We took pictures via the beautiful trees. We took a train near Mt. Herman. There were some strange folks on that train.

We dropped in to the town of Los Gatos at ate dinner at THE GOOD EARTH. Memories of my time there in 1982 with George Jones flashed in my mind. Johnny seemed rather quiet most of the time. I imagine he was collecting his thoughts.  I can only guess.  I'm sure he was hoping for MORE over this weekend.

I had Johnny sign my House Book once we returned to Alameda. The images he chose to paste on his pages were interesting. It said something about him.

I telephoned Lottie. I was thinking of her at the moment.

Johnny tee’d me off when he said, “The irony of that fact that Dick was the last to sleep over.”
He was referring to his roommate.
I also got Johnny on the defensive when I said, “You say the phrase ‘uh huh huh’ too much. Can’t you think of something else in place of those words?”

I met a man once who did a lot of mountain climbing. I asked him which was harder, ascending or descending. He said without a doubt descending because ascending one is so focused on reaching the top, you avoided mistakes.
-Mitch Albom
FOR ONE MORE DAY

Roasted Marshmallows

THE NEW YORK TIMES—“If you read this newspaper every day for a year, you’ll have the vocabulary of a Ph.D. and you will know more than any college graduate. I guarantee you.”

-Abraham Verghese
CUTTING FOR STONE

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 26, 1987
Friday

Eileen met me for lunch in The City. I work a suit to accent my professional flare. She was in an addidas tank-top and shorts. We really matched together so nicely. Outrageous! We ate at a place called LITTLE JOE’s. She liked the outfit I got for her at Foxmoor. I treated her to lunch (what a rip).

After work I got home and showered. The Alameda Times Star boys came by to rip me off. I subscribed. It’s probably not as good as The New York Times.

Johnny arrived and we gathered our things and headed for K-Mart in San Leandro. I realized I’d only been to this K-Mart only once before. Johnny stopped at his VERSA-Teller machine and then we took off for Big Basin.

We drove through Big Basin, Saratoga via Highway 880, the Dumbarton Bridge, Highway 101, Highway 85, Highway 9 and Highway 236. Of course we took a few wrong turns here and there. The roads were so winding and curved.

We set up a tent. Actually, Johnny did most of the work. I handed him the pegs. I had never set up a tent before. We roasted marshmallows (my favorite part). We ate cheese and crackers. Then we hit-the-hay for the sleep we needed. The surface of the ground was so hard. I tossed and turned. I don’t think I like camping.

"I was always fascinated by people who are considered completely normal, because I find them the weirdest of all."
JOHNNY DEPP,
Vanity Fair Jan 2011 INTERVIEW

My Very Best-Friend

“Not only our actions but also our omissions become our destiny.”

-Heinrich Zimmer, THE KING AND THE CORPSE

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 25, 1987
Thursday

I didn’t forfeit the gym tonight. I went. I had to go.

I am finding it difficult to space the time to write in my journal now that I take the express bus to The City. I may switch to a weekly entry versus a daily one.

It was funny today. After work mom and I were going ‘gut-buster’ exercises together. She kept moving her body backwards and we laughed and laughed. That was so much fun.

My gym workout was fair.

Jeff called me from Hawaii. I wasn’t home when he called but he left a nice message on my answering recorder.

I gave Eileen a call. We confirmed our lunch date for tomorrow.

Mom and I went to Walgreen’s and decided to give PATUSCO’s another chance. It was a mistake, of course. The service was still very bad. They didn’t even wait on us for the longest time. So we left once again. I had to go back into the restaurant because I had left the car keys on the table. Oops. Mom and I had a good time though. We ended up going to SIZZLER again. That was fun. Mom is probably my very best-friend I’ve ever had in the whole world.

Every child should have a mother of such even temperament, her rare displeasure evidenced so gently that the effect was lasting. Thomas lived to please his mother and he was earnest in his pleasing. It was as if they both knew, thought they could not have known, that life was short, the moment fleeting.
-Abraham Verghese
CUTTING FOR STONE

It's All New To Me

“Another day in paradise” was his inevitable pronouncement when he settled his head on his pillow. Now I understood what that meant: the uneventful day was a precious gift.

-Abraham Verghese
CUTTING FOR STONE

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 24, 1987
Wednesday

Stephanie broke our lunch date for today. C’est la vie.

Julie Roth called me and postponed our lunch date. We will now meet next Tuesday. It’s just as well.

I felt fat today. I’ve been feeling that way for some reason. I am right to feel this way. I need to get more fit. I did go bicycling after work. I felt fat while I was pedaling to ‘Free Nelson Mandela’. I love that song.

Ma and I went to PATUSCO’s but they took forever to wait on us. We decided to leave and just ate at SIZZLER; whereby, Thelma, a fat, black waitress serviced us and she was just as bad.

I had told Mike Miller I’d give him a phone call about coming over to my place. However, it was getting rather late, so I didn’t. Oh well, I’ll make up for it. I know he needs to talk things out over his recent break-up.

Chris Cordellos called me.
“I’m going camping this weekend!”
“How fun,” Chris exclaimed.
“Yeah, I even bought marshmallows and some needed camping gear at Walgreen’s. It’s all new to me...this camping scene.”

I went to bed alone, went to bed with my thoughts—I felt older than my x years.
LIFE is full of signs. The trick is to know how to read them. Heuristics, a method for solving a problem for which no formula exists.
I’d developed my own heuristics, my mix of reason, intuition, facial appearance, and scent. These were things not in any book.
For a man who prided himself on “the three Ls: LOVING, LEARNING, and LEGACY,” he’d excelled in all three.
-Abraham Verghese
CUTTING FOR STONE

His So-Called Relationship

When you are happy you stay home.

But when you are miserable you travel a lot, stirring up clouds of dust.

Ego scenes hiding us from the fact of what we are: money, power, glory, fame, big house, big car, 100,000 acres, 4000 cows, 86 horses, purebred dogs, jewels, clothes, titles, big deals at your job, pedigreed friends, high-society, names in papers, eating too much, drinking too much.
-Michael J Armijo
PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENTS



Twenty-five years ago today:

June 23, 1987
Tuesday

I forfeited the gym visit tonight. I spent the evening with ma and pa. I had dinner with them and then simply went home to shower and get ready for bed.   It was a delight to be at home.

Mike Miller is back in town. He’s all depressed and disgruntled from the collapse of his so-called relationship with that gal.
“I was in love with her,” Mike said.
If you ask me, he’s much better off without her.

Johnny called again. We are going to Big Basin on Friday night. We’ll also go to Big Sur on Saturday night. I never go camping, so it should be fun.

Make something beautiful of your life.
-Abraham Verghese
CUTTING FOR STONE

A Movie Star

Nothing is essentially wrong.

Never do anything you don’t have to do.
What you do with your mind is 4/7 of the story.
What you do with your body is 1/7 of the story.
What you do with your life (spirit) is 2/7 of the story.
Taking control of your inner life can cause little grief outside of you.
-Michael J Armijo
PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENTS

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 22, 1987
Monday

It was too hectic and much too busy at work today. There is so much to do!

I had lunch at CARL’S JR. with Freddie. Yuck! I hate fast-food joints!

Bob Russo of Ron Bygum’s Fabulous Faces and One Step Beyond called me. There’s a lot happening with his Yellow Pages Accounts. I’m trying to help with his delinquency. Bob calls and requests for me when he needs information.
Bob said, “You know, I’ll give you a free facial anytime.”
I thought, “I’ll have to make an appointment.”
He wanted to know what type of ad his competitor was placing. I wasn’t at liberty to give him any information. I might have given him a hint or two though. I feel ruthless.

I wore Jeff’s black suede and leather jacket to work today. It got some good head turns. People noticed. It’s a bad ass jacket.

I ate ‘din-din’ with ma and pa.
Mom said, “You look like a movie star in that jacket and shades.”
I laughed, “I guess the sunglasses do help.”
I went to the gym after dinner and bumped into Mark Gebhart. I also saw Jeanette Melcher.
Jeanette gave her usual flirtatious line: “Hello.”

I put gas in my car and bought some Diet-7UP. I drank a bit of it at ma and pa’s as I bought them some Dr. Pepper. I ate half a cantaloupe while there, too. I’m so hungry after the gym workouts.

I left and called Bob Russo of Fabulous Faces. That’s when I gave him a bit more insight about the Yellow Page Advertising scoop.

Johnny called me from L.A. We talked about camping out.
Johnny said, “Big Basin is booked.”
We talked about movies and Johnny said, “Maybe we can see NUNSENSE on Monday night.”
I agreed, “That sounds good!”

To transform our situation is also to transform our minds. To transform our minds is also to transform our situation, because the situation is mind, and mind is situation.
-THICH NHAT HANH
BEING PEACE

Suede and Leather

We are afraid of relationships.

Because of our fear of self-knowledge, we don’t want to face what we are.
We don’t want to find what’s deep within ourselves.
We don’t want to see our imperfections.
A relationship is threatening enough.
-Michael J Armijo
PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENTS

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 21, 1987
Sunday

I went for a wonderful Sunday morning jog. Afterward I drove over to ma and pa’s for breakfast.
“Happy Father’s Day Breakfast, Dad!”

I drove over to SFO (San Francisco Airport) to meet up with Jeff Sombat. He’s unbelievable. He bought me a t-shirt and loaned me his suede and leather jacket for two weeks. We each enjoyed a bottle of Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers during his hour layover. Then he took off on another jet bound for Hawaii.
PHOTO:  Jeff Sombat, 4th of July 1987, Hawaii
After the brief visit with Jeff I drove out to Contra Costa County to the Concord Sun Valley mall where Chris Cordellos was working. He cut my hair.

I bought a tie, a pair of socks and a black star sapphire ring at MACY’s. The ring was regularly $350 but I got it for only $279.

I liked my hair cut. I was Chris’ last appointment for the day, so we went to EL TORITO Grill to eat. Ugh! It was a tad filling.

I washed a load of clothes when I returned home to Alameda. Yes, domestic chores are a ‘must do’.

Ma and pa didn’t return home until 9:10PM. By then I was in bed. I missed out on the strawberry pie that Tony and Helen brought for dad on Father’s Day.

The major key to your better future is YOU.
-Michael J Armijo
PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENTS

It's No Big Deal

"Nobody knows much about women, not even Freud, not even women themselves. But it's like electricity: you don't have to know how it works to get a shock on the fingers."
- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Shadow of the Wind

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 20, 1987
Saturday

I went ahead and did my Saturday morning jog.

I telephoned Sue Miller after the run. We met at OLE’s WAFFLE SHOP on Park Street. We bought our usual LOTTO tickets but didn’t become millionaires today. Oh, it’s all for the fun of it really.

I took Ashley to Kennedy Park in Hayward, CA. I took a really cute picture of her.

I bought Eileen an outfit at Foxmoor. It just looked like something she’d wear.

Bonni, Chris and Eileen called me while I was in Hayward with Ashley. Bonni wasn’t at her dad’s house when I called her back.
I spoke to Chris briefly.
Chris said, “I’m stuck in Modesto. That’s why I didn’t come over last Thursday.”
“Oh, it’s no big deal,” I replied, thinking how nice of him to explain two days later.
He asked, “Can you come over to Concord on Sunday for a haircut?”
“I’ll see…maybe.”

I spent the evening with my parents.

It turns out that Eileen went out with Eva and her ‘gal’ friends. They were probably drinking unlimited wine coolers.

Water is “to live”; Wine is used to drown sorrows; Tea is drunk to avoid sleepiness.
-Laura C Martin
TEA: The Drink That Changed The World