Small Talk

AJ flew back to NYC last night. Here are some topics of conversation during our drive to the airport. We actually talked about politics, which is unusual, AJ used to avoid it at any cost.

1. The environment and cars and Bush dismantling Amtrak.

2. The Iran invasion that will certainly take place soon.

3. Bush, but only for a moment. It's just too depressing.

4. The divisive presidential election and the seemingly hopeless state of things like social security, unions, health care, the war in Iraq, our lying government, the pathetic state of the mainstream press....

5. "Mo and her men" - actually this is a pat phrase. Mo has one man now, her bar owner/Fiji co-adventurer.

6. Mark Kozelek - AJ now sings "a medley of covers of Mark Kozelek doing covers of AC/DC" which are extremely moving. She gives the misogynistic lyrics a little country twang, ("I've had more pretty women than most men have...") and then goes right into a cover of Mark Kozelek doing a cover of Shirley Bassey doing a cover of Frank Sinatra doing a cover of Judy Collins doing a cover of the Stephen Sondheim song, "Send in the Clowns"! She took artistic license and changed the words somewhat, to "Bring in dem clownses". Quite a tearful rendition. (Mark actually did this cover at his concert at the Bowery Ballroom - quite a surprise - the guy's got guts!)

7. AJ's alcohol consumption in the midwest compared to her alcohol consumption in NYC. (decreased considerably while in NYC, "because there's nothing to do in the midwest. And parents add to the behavior by puritanically forbidding stuff.")

8. AJ's attraction to "older" men. She figures the 15-year age difference puts them on an equal maturity level (like age 15?).

9. That MJ should move. MJ SHOULD move. What is stopping her? Could it be that she thinks about everything from so many different angles that she paralyses herself?

10. P, a friend who is a bartender at the club in NYC where AJ works, who, while covering for AJ Saturday night, jumped over the bar to yell at some obnoxious customers who had been rude to her all night. She just snapped, which I am sure every bartender, waitress, waiter, etc in NYC can relate to. (AJ loves Waiter Rant. Go there. It's really great. AJ's restaurant/club is also mentioned at Shameless Restaurants.com, which is another must-see NYC site.) Anyhow, P quit on the spot, walked out, started partying and called AJ at 2am.

11. Plans! My plan to drive to Florida on the last day of school. AJ's dance plans. She's a hip-hop dancer, and there were (needless to say) a few choice "moves" during her performance of the Mark Kozelek covers. Wow!

12. Money. Not having it is oppressive, but having too much is oppressive, too. That's a hard one.

So AJ got flagged on her way through the metal detector, as usual. She was searched, patted, questioned, the whole thing. I think it's because she has dark skin. People are always asking if she is this or that nationality. When she was finally cleared, she put on her belt and shoes, we blew each other a kiss, like sad separated refugees, and I walked away.