DRAGONS AND ROSES

A business partner left this Rhino with me when he left San Francisco to return to Thailand to live for the next six months with his girl friend . She is an attractive and seemingly competent young woman of thirty. Barney is one year younger than Kamaroh. I don't envy him anything; he is not near as cool as is Kamaroh. But, what I do envy is that he helped design and paid for her to build herself a nice Thai house on land she owned and he did this for cash. She bought materials and supervised construction while he spent his mandatory six months here in the States sending her money to build on and looking at the pictures she sent him of the progress. Now he is back there with her and her parents and daughter and they are moving out of some sort of livable substructure into their big new home. I always savor imagining how delightful it must be to have the means to express ones creativity full bore!

What does the Rhino and the Title to this piece have to do with anything I have written here. Probably it has nothing to do with it, they just seem to fit with how how I feel lately; dragons and roses are mostly always about when I am yearning for the lady who is the real life personification of my muse..

I have been focused on this rhino quite a bit since I discovered it in a box of Barney's things he left for me. And, I started thinking why could it not be my new totem. Why I have the two birds tattooed on my chest that happened when I was a young man in the Marine Corps I don't know. One person suggested that perhaps birds were my totem. I haven't thought about that in a long time; but given the changes I am, and have gone through in my life, and the toes my relatives believe I have stepped on along the way; as it stands, I am pretty sure the rhino is the time relevant totem for big-footed Kamaroh.

KAMAROH'S ROLLING SNIPPETS:NO ONE KNOWS KAY BOYLE EXCEPT INTELLECTUALS

(7)Today still raining this Sunday a.m.. Went downtown to La Primavera for menudo for breakfast with Johnny Flowers. That was very good. The pine tree at the side of the house sheds a lot and then on a rainy day such as today the seedy vegetation from it washes down the street and then seems to hang out in front of Ossie's house. Ossie is a senior Italian gentleman, and Johnny Flowers is also Italian and they are friends; so, out of respect, Johnny Flowers, who can be oblivious to mess sometimes, makes an effort to keep the seedy droppings from the massive tree cleaned up so as it doesn't flow down in front of Ossie's house. Anyhow, when we returned from breakfast, we were sweeping up that stuff from the sidewalk and out of the curb while he rain continued on; then Johnny Flowers left to get out of the rain as he actually did not have a coat on, just a heavy Carhartt shirt and so I finished sweeping up the mess in the rain--I didn't mind. I used to own green plant nurseries, I know about working outside in the rain.

The lady who lives in the house next door came outside and I spoke to her, "Hello Christine,. What's shaking?" "I'm doing Christmas shopping on line. It is that time of the year." "How about you, Kamaroh, what are you up to?" "Well me and Johnny Flowers were sweeping up some of the pine tree stuff," and I motioned in front of her house down towards Ossie's . I got to get back in the house soon and complete my contract with myself for today." "What is that," Christine asked, pulling closed the ends of her sweater sleeves that seemed very long for her arms so that they covered her hands. "Is that your sweater?" I asked. She giggled, "Yes." "Well," I continued. " I am getting a hand-picked Christmas card and a note together to send to the Special Collections Librarian at the University of Delaware with whom I have been friends with on a professional level for several years. I had a friend who was a famous authoress, Kay Boyle. They have some of letters and cards from her and copies of some of my manuscripts that Kay had edited and so we have established a friendship around that.

Actually, first I was a graduate, directed-writing student of Kay's and then eventually we became good friends." "Cool!" smiled Christine as her feet began to move towards her house and out of the now occurring drizzle. Christine must be in her forties and seems very independent and does all her own work around her house including the big ladder stuff; except a Portuguese maid comes once in awhile and cleans for her. She once told Ossie when he proposed to her, that she doesn't date men older than her father. She and I are always very nice to one another but each of us seems to know when to stop--probably her more than me.

Johnny Flowers and I were latter talking about Kay Boyle and I said, "Yes," that I wanted to keep in contact with the Special Collections of the University of Delaware Library touch with the source of folks researching her because I said, mostly joking, maybe someday they would make a movie about Kay Boyle and I might get called in. "Why would they make a movies about Kay Boyle, " he snorted? "No knows about Kay Boyle except intellectuals? Although they just made a movies about Juia Childs but then everyone Julia Childs! Kay Boyle was just an academic novelist." "She was more than that, she was a political activist." I said. " She and Joan Baez and Joan Baez's mom were all cronies and hung out at protests together." "We don't care about Joan Baez," Johnny Flowers snorted. "Well, I do, " I said. "She is just one year younger than I am and at one time owned a half interest in some large orchards in Brentwood and I always found that to be an interesting investment on her part."

(1)I have concluded that it is unfortunate that Osama bin Laden is an al-Quaida monster mind instead of being a member of the coalition trying to find him because he is obviously smarter than they are.

(2)Gavin Newsom was a hero of mine for about a minute a few years ago; and, then, one night during a parade he was walking along the edge of the route & when he got to where I was standing, he shook hands with people his own age on either side of me and kept walking.

(3) Reportedly, when Gavin returned to San Francisco after ending his pursuit of the Governor's chair, he was in absentia most of the time and apparently in a pouty miff; folks were concerned about his withdrawal and the consensus seemed to be that he should just "get over it" and move on to running TheCity. One of his issues was, as I read about it, that the press had given him a bad shake during his now defunct gubernatorial campaign and so! his aim was to avoid all press and therefore provide reporters with nothing to bad shake him about. Well, I got bored with reading repeatedly about it.

So, I put reading the Chronicle down for awhile and now that I have picked it up again, it sounds as though Gavin has stopped sulking about his stopped ambition, and has got back to work running TheCity . (That is not a typing error; if MicroSoft is now run together; then what is more appropriate than that to run together than TheCity, correct?) I read that a lot of new happenings are happening with the SF Muni and that reportedly Gavin has resurfaced and is at the helm of it all. Great!, I'm thinking, then, wouldn't it be cool, now, if the new 311 number the Muni Drivers give you today when you don't know how in the world to get where you want to go, is the freshly accessible Gavin's personal new ...11 number! Maybe he can be governor....

(4) Qualified by the fact that Muirsville is located in the San Francisco East Bay Area and not the central states, by our standards, it has been really cold here. From my rear deck I am able to see snow on Mt. Muir and her siblings; therefore, today when I go to TheCity today for lunch at Vietnam II on Larkin at the corner of Ellis, then I will stop at Kaplan's on Market Street and attempt to acquire some gloves--if anyone in the Bay Area has a reasonable selection of men's gloves, it will be Kaplan's.

(5) I found gloves at Kaplan's--lots of them, however everything God gave Kamaroh is big, from his feet upward and there were none that were large enough to fit all the way down to fit down to the joints of my fingers at the palms and so I bought a pair of fingerless gloves and and a second pair of fingerless gloves that convert into mittens. Any man who owns a pickup ought to shop at Kaplans, it is Bay Area urban macho and has leather coats and P jackets that are manufactured in the USA. They are pricey but I own two and but wish I had 5 more. Nothing feels better, especially these days than to wear a good coat and know that you look prosperous.
The ladies notice a man who wears a sports coat in the summer and a good leather coat in the winter, Kamaroh can attest to that: "You look nice today; You looked handsome at the Ribbon Cutting; I like that jacket (one of the two I have that have all the USMC stuff on them)!" I have finally figgured it out that handsome actually means style because I was thinking this morning, can there actually be anything such as a handsome naked man!
(6) This morning for breakfast I ground and brewed myself French Roast Coffee; then I put a big slice of the fresh Sweet French bread I bought at the Upscale Mart yesterday which I spread with sweet unsalted butter and homeade guacamole--isn't it cool that I can enjoy a repast like that without supervision; frequently I feel down because I don't have Ms. San Francisco China Town 1981 to share my repasts with ... but probably not this quiet rainy Saturday am in my favorite city in the East Bay, Muirsvillle, CA.

NOW IS THE TIME TO HARVEST POMEGRANATES

It seemed to me that I had Asiana placed way back to my rear burner--I saw a few clips of her on YouTube and one of them was a lyrical, kite-flying, piece that someone had dedicated to her and I suspect she is divorced and has returned to having men fall in love with her as she did when I met her; and, the YouTube clips turned my motors off for quite awhile. Then, yesterday I heard someone singing a song that I seldom hear but suddenly I remembered that Asiana had sang it at one of her concerts and my heart became warm and I began the deep glow inside with the stuff I feel when I think of her. I have said this earlier, but I will say it again, that if there is a next time, I will not do as I did when I met Asiana but that I will listen to my friends' advice and I will break and run away from myself.

There is a pomegranate tree in the garden behind the garage and this time of the year it is bursting with fruit that explodes with ripeness. I have passed some fruit out to Asian ladies I know, have a big bag full in the trunk of my car, and still they are bursting on the tree and the birds are feasting. It is my bond with nature and my strong need to be oriented with it that holds me together here in Muirsville and though not totally my love of a beautiful and unavailable women such as Asiana; but, you know, I've had it going both ways at the same time in the past and that has been when the wind blows hard here in Muirsville and when my life really rocks!

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

THANKSGIVING IN A MASCULINIST LIFE

Johnny Flowers bought a frozen turkey again this year because of price!
Each year that bugs me but he has an exacting patient mind when it comes to cooking projects and this being his 6th turkey, I was amazed and delighted when he carved it, that it turned out steaming moist, tasty, and just totally good. I had a really mellow Thanksgiving and I am blessed.

I hear folks wishing each other Happy Thanksgiving! just as they would wish each other a Happy Christmas and me and Kamaroh think that is inappropriate. If they can't recall the history of the holiday, I am tempted to prompt them to Wikapedia the event! Most certainly it is is a day hopefully of felicity and contentment with family, sure, but more aptly isn't it the day for celebrating the Provider's abundance and for gratitude and the time for putting *one's blessings on the table along with the Thanksgiving meal.

You may substitute this word for the other if you wish, I didn't as I am very cautious that I do not use the *G.. word just to add thunder, resonance, and echo to my thoughts. I am determined that there be two sets of footprints in the sand of this blog.

Deepak Chopra Hearts San Francisco

I struggle always to describe the way I feel about San Francisco and the reason that I am compelled always to find reasons why I must take day trips from Muirsville and visit her on a regular basis. The motivator of mine I once wrote about that I like the best is that I must go to the City to see how she is feeling and to check her pulse. It is much deeper than that for me but that is about all I am able to reach; that's about as lyrical as I can manage; I just don't know what more there is too freshly say about the lure and the charm of the city by the bay.... and that is the reason that I decided to write about what Deepok Chopra had recently to say about San Francisco when he was here.

...This is from a piece written by Ceilie Millner that I read the Sunday, Nov. 1, Chronicle in the Style section of the paper and is his responce, in Kamarohs parlance, when asked what his opinion of San Francisco is: Not too many cities have a soul. A city must have some rough edges in orde to have a soul and SF has one that is Bohemian, relaxed and friendly. It is a generous place and you can spot that by how it treats its homeless.

...It struck me, after I read the complete article that, given I know how difficult it is to articulate one's sentiments about her majesty San Francisco, Deepak Chopra has done a good job of saying how he felt about the The City and that I would like to write about it in my blog. He has written a new book called Reinventing The Body, Resurecting the Soul: How To Create A New You. I believe I will buy a copy if the seller of it will take Pay Pal.

THE ANNUAL PUMPKIN CARVIN' AT JOHNNY FLOWER'S

Since she moved out two years ago and now lives on her own with

her new husband--he's the younger guy with the long neck--Johnny Flower's daughter Graciella arrives on Halloween with pumpkins and decorations and does the front porch and then we all carve pumpkins.

Johnny Flowers is a tough city guy from Rochester New York but when his daughter arrives he mellows out and smiles a lot and goes right along with the activities. Me, I don't particulary like the interuption from my normal evening routine but my hunch is that it is probably healthy psychologically for me to do so and I go along with it to some extent. Anyhow, it is par for the course with Johnny Flowers: he has relentlessly intruded into my aloneness for all the past 15 years that we have been friends. My pumpkin looked pretty good for minimal effort. Graciella bought me a green one in Half Moon Bay but by the time Halloween arrived, it was orange as were the others.It was the only one with ears which probably has something to do with the fact that I wear hearing aids.

MUSING IN SAN JOSE

When Asiana got fired from her singing gig at Casino San Geranimo--her band was receiving $2,000 a night to entertain and then when the smoking ban took effect and business fell dramatically, the casino felt it could no longer afford her and suddenly she was gone and I did not have a clue where she was and I was tweaked. Finally, a security guard at the Casino whom I had helped with some of his communication issues, told me to try calling his marketing office, which I immediately did: joy! the marketing manager said Asiana was singing at the Bay 101 Club in San Jose.

LAST WEEK I was in San Jose on business and I stopped by the Bay 101 Club and relived poignant memories of nine years ago.

The area where Asiana sang, talked to me, and danced with me--and I was blissfully and naively happy with that not knowing then that she was at that moment taking permanent residence in a room in my soul that will apparently be topsy turvey and unfinished for the rest of my life--has been converted into an extension of the restaurant. Bay 101 did not have a cabaret license; I was told that as the result of these, largely Vietnamese dances, there were fights and trouble and some years ago the City Fathers shut the dances down.

SO WHEN I FOUND OUT where Asiana was singing I went to San Jose to see her. The first attempt was a total bust: I got horribly lost and she was not there but at a special gig in Santa Cruz; However, the next one was succesful--I walked into the room she was on stage singing, "How good it is to see you." Asiana had not seen me for three months. And, when she spotted me, she waved and blew kisses and man did I feel good. It felt as though I was in a movie.

ORACLE OPEN WORLD 2009

The heady days of Oracle Open World are finished for one more year. The recession did not stop Larry Elison from producing an awsome trade show. Kamaroh noticed th is year that there was a replica of his racing scull outdoors at the front of 4th and Howard. The real working racer is reportedly two basketball courts long. Three years ago they had the actual vessel in the North Hall Lobby of Moscone and the word is that it got hurt in theprocess of removing it from the depths and so that was last it will likely be seen in downtown San Francisco!

SAN FRANCISCO BY NIGHT

Sunday night, the 11th, Kamaroh went to the Herbst Theater to hear the San Francisco Korean Master Chorale with S.F. Korean orchestra. It was exciting music & nearly 1,000
attended. Kamaroh was invited by a female friend, entrepreneur Hunduk Kim. After the performance, as he walked down Van Ness to the Civic Center Bart Station, he was awed by the appearance of City Hall by night.

BETWEEN A MUSE AND A HARD PLACE

That an artist should have a muse is essential but I sometimes think I did just as well before I knew who she was because as my spiritual intimacy with her increased the more uneasy I felt. I wanted her to come and I wanted her to go. Granted I became very productive as the result of loving her, and the small book I wrote about my experience of meeting her, gained me my Master's Degree in Creative Writing. It always was for me lyrics, is she real or is she a spirit lady?; eventually as the tension got more and more discomforting, I reluctantly acquiesced that she was only my muse. Later, I arrived at the conclusion that she was never going to go away, that the turbulence in my soul would never come to rest; that she had become part of who I am, that God would probably never explain why, and that the trembles contained in my unseen tender side would always surface as the sound, the thought, and sensuous memories of Princess pass through my mind.

EDWARD "TEDDY" KENNEDY

Kamaroh never had much interest in--nor much respect for--Ted Kennedy. He did find Bobby Kennedy charismatic; and, Jack Kennedy was a bright star in the sky and an iconic figure for all. Of all the Kennedy's, Kamaroh found reading about Joe Kennedy of the most interest. May Joe's son ,"Teddy," rest in peace....

HEALSBURG CALIFORNIA GUITAR FESTIVAL HOSTS KAMAROH!

Kamaroh was invited to attend all three days at the bi-annual luthiers guitar festival in Sonoma County's wine country and one of the Muirsville area import auto dealers loaned him a new silver Audi with a sun roof and of course Kamaroh and American Express went to the festival and to the buffet at River Rock Casino and had a really centering excursion---

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: KAMAROH HERO FOR A WEEK!

Kamaroh has decided because of Arnold's unabashed willingness to listen to the council of good people; and, I am sure he does not wring his hands and whine, "Hey fellows, what do I do now?" ... I have decided to make him Kamaroh's Hero for the next week; or, perhaps even for the whole month of August.

HEATHER FONG & SARAH PALIN: NEW DAY POLITICOS!

Kamaroh has been for months touting Heather Fong as a candidate for Governor of California; far better her than Gavin Newsome who can be a .... head sometimes. There have been grumblings about her ever since she became San Francisco Chief of Police; especially, I believe, from her officers. I hear Newsome doesn't care for her much but actually what do I know, I am just a commuter/ spectator to what happens in The City--I just find it necessary to visit there from time to time in order to check its pulse. I expect, if you read his Chronicle column, Willie Brown is the more reliable source of information about what really is in San Francisco than me, Kamaroh. Anyhow, from yesterday's Chronicle, now that she is retiring, it appears that there is a ground swell of other folks who are starting to view Heather as I always have--today, I believe, is her last day. Chief Fong got hearty ovations, commendations, and sold-out crowds as she made her official social exit from office. Kamaroh has no comment to put forth regarding Sarah Palin except to assuredly say that it would be prudent to give that bright lady the benefit of a doubt. Because, what I, Kamaroh P. Jones, can tell you for sure is that times they are a changing and these two ladies, although their styles of accomplishment are not actually manly, they are to be certainly included in new groupings of rock star politicians.

USMC: No Fathers Day Cry Babys: & Sandra Bullock!

I have deleted the original post. Once I got into it I realized that it actually had short story form and that I would be better served by using it in another context. However, I am enthusiastic about "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, and Betty White. I have seen it twice and will go back again. It is a dual plot film; first, in your face is the comedic romance between Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock; then is the under-developed hostile energy between father and son (which never fails to get Kamarohs attention). And, lastly, but mostly, is the awsome setting of the Paxton family estate in Alaska. This movie has more dimension than you'ld likely relalize on first viewing. Also, as the result of his role as Joe Paxton in this movie, I may decide to put Craig T. Nelson on my Heroes List.

BILL CLINTON MAKES KAMAROH'S HERO LIST.

This is not an easy decision for Kamaroh to make being that he is a Republican and all. When I heard today first that Bill Clinton had flown to Pyongyang and then that he had successfully negotiated the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling I automatically knew that he should be on Kamaroh's List. Someone had to be the champion for these two women and this elder statesman honorably took on the mission and his willingness to do so is clearly heroic. Kamaroh also thought the pillorying of Clinton a bit unfair for his dalliance with Monica Levinsky. When the impeachment in 1998 and all the extent ions of that occupied the news, Kamaroh read a small article in the rear of a newspaper written about Hillary Clinton and it discussed the possibilities why any man married to her might be inclined to search for Monica. The topic of Hillary Clinton's marital receptiveness; or, conversely, her possible lack of it, traditionally, was never ever brought up by the media. Bill Clinton bore total blame for being diverted with Monica and I was extremely disappointed in him at that time for so doing. When Kamaroh first heard about Clinton's foray to Pyongyang North Korea this morning, he was intrigued by the gutsy geriatric compassion to it and by the humanistic purity of the task; but (factoring in the reality that by so doing Bill Clinton was actually giving Hillary Clinton a hand at the office and also that he was helping two employees of a news service that his vice president Al Gore co-founded) it was dampened some for Kamaroh! Anyhow, good job and welcome Bill Clinton to Kamaroh's Hero List!

HERO CATCHATORE: CACCIATORE!

Roommate spotted the big chicken on the kitchen counter that I had bought at Safeway for 79 cents a pound, "You going-ta fry that chicken?" It wasn't actually a question, more a declaration of preference. Given my own choice, I always bake the chicken.

"No," I'm not; but you can!"I say to him.

"I'm not fryin' that!" he retorts and he turns away from me and flops unshowered on the living room couch.

Roommate is either the best human being on the planet or the acidic opposite of that! So, given the side of him presented to me right now, of course I'm not going to fry the chicken--anyhow,I don't really care that much about my fried chicken--the best fried chicken is some you buy from KF or that someone else makes, right! Anyhow, you don't really talk to alpha males with attitudes the way he did; anyhow not ones such as me, girl-friendless, on the edgy end of sixty, and on steroids. So, it was real certain that there would not be fried chicken! Then, I got the idea that what I do like, that I can make in the big electric skillet--all bachelors have electric skillets to make the evening meal in, correct--is chicken catchatore. I never have a recipe for it because I don't always know what I am going to have on hand to put into it. But, I do have my notes on how to prepare it and once I asses what I have on hand and what I can easily acquire, I make a plan from there:

Open a bottle of beer. I dust the chicken with Italian prepared breading mix, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and then brown it for a bit. While I am doing that I parboil separately green bell pepper, other red sweet Anaheim peppers, and sweet onion petals (this time they happened to be red) and maybe some celery. Then I pour off the oil that I browned the chicken in and put in a dollop of regular olive oil (not extra virgin), and a few cloves of garlic ,and some bay leave that I collected on Hero Trail; after that, I drain the parboiled vegetable into the mix. Last, I add hunks of fresh mushroom. Washed, cleaned, and chopped, Then I let the whole thing simmer for about 45 minutes while I make spaghetti, wash up the cooking dishes, and finish my beer.

DISAPROVAL HERO!

It is by Kamaroh's mind, tweaking a play on the old thumbs up or thumbs down signal: a working maverick, screwball, mouthball, and campassionate parent--all windows being open at the same time. I have a notion that in order to survive without shedding any of the trappings a man picks off the floor of his personality drawer when he gets up in the morning, and then puts back on without re-laundering, that he must have inside, at least by visualization as a manfiestation of self, a length of wire cable--mine being twisted and frayed in spots--in order to adhere to his hold on survival by defendance mode; despite the opinions of his relatives and other folks he cares about.

THE GREETER!

The first thing I saw outside my window when I woke up this morning is a huge camphor tree on the corner and green hills in the background and I am so grateful that I am alive in Muirsville, California today. The tree's presence relaxes and comforts me. Sometimes the sun presents its drowsy self through the puzzle of its branches thus bringing me nicely into the day. There is a dichotomy between my internal unrest and the search for relief from it that my soul demands, which meld themselves these mornings for me in Muirsville by the camphor tree's presence---

DEAR PAUL TUETAL, The Burden I Carry Is Heavy....

Again I had the urge to Email a celebrity; this time it was Paul Tuetel; so, again, I figured out that the best way to handle that was to make the contact right here!. Roommate and I were talking about Orange County Choppers and Paul Senior and his book that he recently published and we were both in accord that we coveted his man-toy possessions--property, a business, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and pygmy horses. I said that I liked the way he had apparently pulled himself up by the bootstraps. Roommate, constantly the one to challenge whatever I say, retorted "How do you know that! Maybe he was born rich!" I don't know that Paul Teutal wasn't born rich--I would guess from his muscle tone that he wasn't--but what Kamaroh does believe in with every minuscule part of his being is in the triumph of the common man; and, if Paul wasn't born rich, then more power being to him and his hard nosed success is my way of thinking about it.

Always I have been piqued by the Teutals' direct, in-your-face, confrontal style; I actually admire it and think it a strong, alpha male, male approach to relating to one's lads--forget the pouty stuff I see going on. Anyhow, where I meant to go with all this is that Kamaroh has been watching the recent Chopper episodes in which there is a split between Paul Senior and Paul Jr. and it hits close to home for me and I was able to value Senior's pain; and so, Paul Tuetal Senior, since I am a better lyricist than fabricator this is what I came up with: Lord, this burden I carry in my heart is heavy, and Lord the burden it ain't my my sins and it aint my brother; it is my son. #

USMC:SWIMMING WITH DEATH,

(THIS IS MEANT AS AN ADDENDUM TO MY POST: "USMC: Swimming With Sharks! ")

I met up with a friend, Tom, at Moonbucks Coffee Palace the other morning. He's a former Marine also; younger, more solidly employed, and far more gung ho than me. I told him my story about meeting up with the upitty former Marine at the supermarket; and then he related a story similiar to mine about an experience he had with a Marine motorcycle group member in Sacramento . He totally understood my indignance and he understood where I was coming from. I said to him that I know I am out of touch with what is going on for new Marines and that I had the notion that maybe they were becoming elietists and that I didn't really know what they were thinking about? His response was, "Killing...." He paused for a moment as on that note as my eyes locked in on his in exclamation. What! He continued on by saying he had observed in the fellows newly back was that killing was a subject they talked about extensively. #

CHESLEY B. "Sully" SULENBERGER

My heroes are mostly go fast individuals; I haven't a clue what kind of vehicles Captain Sulenberger has in his garages at his home in Black Hawk; but, for sure, his history as an USAF F4 Phanton II fighter plane pilot qualifies him to run in the air with Larry & David Ellison and some others; probably not Chuck Yeager. However, I am not going to put him on Kamaroh's hero list. Clearly what he did was clear headed; he was able to sidestep his emotions and extract from his brain what he needed to do when he realized that this incident was, indeed, the real deal--"...controlled and professional." What bothers Kamaroh about him is that he doesn't appear to be a man Kamaroh would encounter and befriend at the YMCA ; he doesn't have the bodily connection that is clearly evident with all Kamaroh's Heroes. His is a cool story but, as Roomate says, what is not factured into the story is (beside the protectioion offered by God) his good luck; Rooomate says that he kept the nose of the plane up as any pilot in the world would have attempted to do but had a second wave or a big gust of wind appeared, or anything, it could have gone much differently! Because, I as well as all foks need heroes--especially we men--if I ever see him in pulic I will give him my world famous 'two thumbs up sign'; and, I will yell enthusiastically, "Hey, Skully!" and with that familiarity, to my mind, I am complimenting him ... but hey! Chesley B. Sullenberger just doesn't make Kamaroh's list.

DEAR WILLIE BROWN, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU!

The former mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown, now writes a column for the San Francisco Chronicle called Willie's World. Now Willie Lewis Brown is not particularly a hero of mine but I in my opinion he is cooler than Gavin Newsome. The point I am attempting to get through to with all this is that I read his column sometimes and although his attempt at writing can be is kind of stiff, he can be witty, he has a large warehouse of truisms and he talks about interesting things that are going on in San Francisco that I wouldn't know about in any other way. Well, the otherday I noticed at the bottom of his column is his Email address and an invitation to contact him with questions. Right away it entered my mind to ask him a late bloomer question; I'm the guy who just got his Master's Degree from San Francisco State University in Creative Writing on my 69th birthday, right! And, the question rocks out somewhat like this: a few years ago, probably when I was 60, I got the notion to ask the VA for a fertility test. Well, the bottom line was yes I could have more children but that they would have to be test tube babies. Then following that information, I found an article in a newspaper that said children born of older men frequently are special education kids. So, I guess that information, and the fact that Kamaroh didn't have a wife or a girl friend, took him the rest of the way out of the loop. No more kids and no grand kids, the end of the line for heroes. But, I understand that Willie Lewis Brown fathered a child when he was 60-ish. At the time I read about it, I thought that was pretty cool and I vowed to keep myself informed about it.

---So, I decided that I am pretty sure I will not get around to Emailing Willie Brown with my question but why didn't I go ahead and post it right here on my blog!!!!:

Dear Mr. Brown,

I read in the Chronicle some years ago that you and your lady friend of the time had a daughter.

My question for you sir, as one late bloomer to the other, is "What is going on with that child? How old is she now. And, with my best wishes, is she in good health?"

Cordially yours,

Kamaroh P. Jones

USMC; SWIMMING WITH SHARKS!

I met up with a fellow in the 'check out' line noon Thurs-- at the Upscale Mart near my house; my goal being to buy French Onion soup for the pot roast I was preparing for dinner; I noticed on his faded red power tie he had an unpolished Marine Corps tie clasp and a bad knot; and, I could help but inquire of him if I was seeing true, was that a Maine Corps tie bar? At the same moment, I also noticed that he was wearing a faded red baseball cap with a Marine Corps patch on the front of it. In retrospect, I realize that there was a lot of faded about the man.

---It turns out that he is a member of a local Marine Corps social group. He seemed to have difficulty processing the fact that Kamaroh could possibly have been a Marine (me too sometimes actually). The only ID I had to present to him was the bulldog tatoo on my arm, which I then did.

---He seemed to have difficulty deciding if he thought Kamaroh qualified to attend their social function at nearby Hi-End City; but, I guess my informing him that I was a member in longstanding of the Presbyterian church in that hamlet seemed to help and he agreed to Email me the information on the meeting this coming Saturday morning.

---Being on steroids it is very easy for me to be miffed off in interactions with other men on the norm, and as I left with my french onion soup, his uppity attitude bugged me, and I wondered how anyone who--looking at his dangling ID badge--was an employee of the County Hospital down the street could elevate himself so! Man! am I glad I now have Kaiser Emergency Room privileges and don't have to worry so much about being sent to County when the VA clinic is closed.

---It soon dawned on me, given that I haven't been in normal social intercourse with the Marine Corps body of troops in forty years, that maybe they all believe they are an elitist group nowadays....

---So, basically all day I pondered if I wanted to cancel my previous plan for Saturday morning and go hang out with a bunch of former Marines; and enjoy the networking and comradely payoffs to that; and, surely, the venerability I would be exposing myself to 'cause it is unpredictable who you are going to again meet up with--Marines don't always put down grudges very well.

---Anyhow, as profound insights (give or take 'profundity', that is!) always present themselves in the middle of the night and wake you up, I woke up in the middle of the night last night and I knew that attending this social function of former Marines required a different mind set than attending a Mens Breakfast at my church and that more information, more time, and more caution would be required (my paranoia that the Marines install in you very early in boot camp); and that I surely was not going to go to this.

---Serving in the Marines was not easy for Kamaroh even though I also bask in the current popularity they have earned; however bear in mind that not only am I a hero but I an old and experienced salt who is fully aware that hanging out with Marines can be like swimming with sharks, likely invigorating, but the only comfort to it being that you are likely safe from attacks by packs of wild dogs. #

GAVIN NEWSOME IN NAME ONLY!

As I see it, the constant rub for folks in San Francisco is that Gavin Newsome is out of Dodge a lot. Talk is that he is frequently on the jet to Switzerland (why anyone would want to frequently go to Switzerland, Kamaroh doesn't know?); and that the Google jet takes him one place and the Getty jet takes him another; and that likely there are other planes that take him cool places under the public radar. So, folks are saying that in reality he is the mayor in name only. He is not here to run the place. I want to be very clear here that Kamaroh does not endorse Gavin's run for govenor. No way. I actually would rather see Heather Fong as a candidate but I probably will get shouted down for that if I mention it yet another time. Anyhow, I understand that she is a very private person so who is to say if she is a Republican or a Democrat. anyhow, Willie Brown kind of sticks up for Gavin; Willie's response to all the flack is, "Just let me say that home cookin' in my opinion has always been overrated."

DESTROY THAT CHRONICLE!

Given that Kamaroh is a man of means, he has plenty of time to read the newspapers he finds about. So, the idea is, that he heard voiced in The San Francisco Chronicle, that if you purchase a copy and read it and then deposit it in a public place so as another reader may pick it up, you are screwing up; make the next guy buy his own; force that individual to make his or her own contribution to the survival of the San Francisco icon. I remember when they used to roast coffee imediately below the bay bridge; when there was a flower stand on Market Street between I think 3rd and 4th; and I remember things such as when when Melvin Belli used to be in the news a lot and when Ricearoni was the San Francisco treat. And, I was the last man standing when cable cars used to be a Powell Street tourist must see.

HOW "MANLY" ISN'T SAN FRANCISCO!

This morning's news rated San Francisco near the bottom of the list as manly cities. That's no surprise to locals because all of us see her in our mind's eye as a regal lady. However, we do use the word manly a lot out here in Muirsville. So, picture this: suppose we replaced Gavin Newsome and his woosy hybrid suv with Vin Diesel and a Dodge Charger to represent; that would be a crystal clear, no bottled water, tap water solution to a quandry--- "Cause what happens is it seems that The City officials believe that they are on top of it, that their cloistered vision of the city is real and is what is actually going on; however, the rub is that Bay Area burbites feel entitled and proprietory about San Francisco also. So, after much head scratching and pondering, the only thing Kamaroh can think of, for purposes of proper feedback, and to put it all into proper porportion, is to put the Good Guys Car Club in as pro-active consutants to the mayor and to hook them up with their own office in City Hall.
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ONE FLEW OVER THE MAYOR'S NEST!

VIN DIESEL WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE:Kamaroh & San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome have had a relationship of indifference to each other over the past years. Kamaroh's early endorsement of Police Chief Jeanne Fong as Democratic govenorial candidate instead of Newsome simply added an increase of indifference to Kamaroh by the mayor. Kamaroh likes muscle cars and drives a vintage Camero. Now the indifference has increased as Kamaroh would rather see Vin Diesel in charge of San Francisco City Hall. Can you imagine having a mayor of a major city driving a hybrid suv that has been untouched by Chip Foose?--Goodguys need to get together in the quest for prerequiste rough edges. "My friends all drive Dodge Chargers, I must make amends!"

THE IMPENDING DEMISE OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE:

Anyone who read my now deceased blog, THE UNSUNG HERO, knows how important reading 'The Chron--' is to Kamaroh; and how my regular forays to San Francisco from the burbs keep me centered. Everybody needs a north star, correct?, and mine happens to be San Francisco. How cool is that!

Well, the unsettling news is that if the owners can't find someone to buy The Chron-- they are going to close it down. Wow! You got to realize how big a big deal this potentially can turn into--actually it may be the demise of gentrification as we know it in the Bay Area. And I, Kamaroh P. Jones, am here to tell you that I forsee at least a 30% decline in the population of San Francisco as literate folks pack up their stuff and move on to Colorado and Arizona....

Kamaroh read in The Chronicle, Sunday, March 1, 2009; The Bottom Line by Andrew S. Ross , the following:

...From the 10-year-old daughter of a San Francisco author of childrens' books: "If The Chronicle goes, we move, 'cause you can't have a proper city without a newspaper."

You know, folks, this has got Kamaroh pretty bothered--because he looks good in shorts and because he won't take a chance on breaking his legs on skis as Kamaroh is too vintage and too unfocused for proper snowboarding---

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If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be a hero!

I was looking up at him as I talked to the fast-tuned, checker/clerk, Calvin, at the Groceryway here in Muirsville. He bounces while he works behind the register and has really nice dental work; and, after a bit, the conversation got into a topic we both are interested in, physical fitness; he's a former linebacker and me, Kamaroh, well!, I'm just a hero.

And, of course then that got me into talking about me and the YMCA and also sharing the news with him that, after having spent four months on the front porch of Denver General with the other little kids recuperating from the Polio epidemics of the Forties, I had served four years in the Marine Corps.

Calvin asked me how it was; was I was able to keep up on the marches; did I do okay on the obstacle course; how did I do with the rifle? "No, I couldn't keep up; and no! I didn't always do okay; and no they didn't treat me nicely; and, I am a fair-to-good shot now and I was a very bad one at that time." But, it turned out okay," I said, "because I did do that then , now I am a hero," and, I shrugged, because being comfortable with being a hero is only like wearing my old frayed Levis truckers jacket just a part of who I am, Kamaroh from Nebraska and all.

Calvin's smiling response to my verbosity was, "I like that..." He shook my hand and was halfway down the isle to the back reaches of the upscale caverns of Groceryway while I put my American Express Card away in my new Dockers wallet and got a good grip on my double plastic grocery bag.

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A HERO IS A MAN WHO STEPS UP WHEN GOD IS ON ANOTHER CALL!

My Journalspace references are all void. I will restructure my blog here. I have been marking time by doing journal style writing on my Facebook wall.