"The runners are lithe and young. None are older than sixteen. Nothing about their hair or clothing dangles in excess, though they ornament themselves in other ways: hair cut in patterns like ornamental lawns, tint cascading through the patterns like advertising. Tattoos adorn them like jewelry or ripple across their bodies like silk scarves, wet and shining in the omnipresent April rain."

Srsly, if you haven't yet, you should read Kip, Running.

Previously in O,DIOKTO?:

-100% French Monkey-Powered AWESOMENESS

-Etre fort pour être utile

-CITY! MONKEY! WANT!

-Traceuse chicks are HAWT!

Part 3 of The Long Yuletide War is in the editing shop. It's taking longer than I thought, but it's gonna get all tricked out and pin-striped in the process and the wait will (I think) be worth it.

But I need a couple of Cascadia-specific answers to finish the detailing.

What are the kids calling their heroin today?

I turn 40 this month, I haven't lived in Seattle since '96, and I've never actually done opiates. This means all my references come from reruns of Kojak as a kid. I'm kinda suspecting that references to "horse" and "smack" will sound a bit dated, possibly even east-coast-centric.

It's only one scene, but I don't want to sound like I'm writing a date scene and sending the kids in their bobby socks and letterman sweaters down to the soda-fountain for a vanilla phosphate.

I need a street corner on the south side, driving close to Southcenter Mall. Someplace down and out where putting a rotting old shell of a warehouse might be reasonable.

I need a neighborhood with lots of empty sub-prime-mortgage houses. One of those oversize housing developments where 3 out of 5 houses are abandoned and the value has fallen through the floor. Someplace discreet squatters could hold up for a while and go unnoticed, or at least unbothered because not even the real-estate agents are coming by to paint the lawn green anymore.

I'll probably end up changing the neighborhood name, but some local references I could research would be lovely.

Here's a photo of lexica510 & me & our rec.arts.bodyart friends at the 1995 Tattoo Tour in Seattle that an old friend hannunvaakuna posted to Facebook. This is the weekend I first laid eyes on Lexi. She's the hottie with the long hair & leather jacket. I'm the one with the Jolly Roger on his shoulder.



Met her f2f Thursday night at the tattoo convention. By Sunday night, she was flying home to Oaktown to leave her boyfriend, move out of their apartment, and do the long-distance thing with the monkey she left behind in the land of heroin, suicide, and depressing music.

I proceeded to go on a beer-bender*, emailing everyone I knew about the most wonderful thing in my life that just flew out of town.

13+ years later, 10+ years married.

Man she was so lacking in some important good-sense points. Pirate WINS!

---

* Lexi reminds me that it was, im fact, straight to the airport bar for vodka, then home for more affordable beer.

Then you definitely need to check out I Play Chicken With The Train by Cowboy Troy (w/ Big & Rich). It's "Hick- Hop": a little bit country, a little bit rock & roll, a little bit bustin' phat rhymes on tha' mic. But don't let that stop you. It's like Public Enemy & Anthrax said: Bring The Noise, boyee!

Get you some of that!

Then again, if western boots in the mosh pit isn't your thing, try Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie and grab your partner for a lttle Zydeco two-steppin'.

lexica510 & I once caught Geno & company at the Tractor Tavern up Seattle-way. Felt like EVERY ex-pat Louisianan in Cascadia had shown up for the show and the dance floor was so packed, trying to dip your partner meant risking cracking her skull on someone's elbow. Half the band dressed like they had just time-warped in from the stage of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert and what'd they do during intermission when everyone else got a drink/smoke? They found partners from the crowd and started dancing to the recorded music.

I can't remember the name of the comic strip, but one of the characters was a young girl who described being at a concert and seeing "The most gorgeous black French cowboy she'd ever seen playing the accordion" and praying to God to please make her turn 18 by the end of the song. It was taped up at the door to the TT at that show. Awesome night of music and dancin' with my sweetie.

:D

Got to see Garbage @ the Warfield last night and, for the second time, I got to see them for free. :D

Seems our friends Kitty & Tiburon were going to go to the show (K's a huge Garbage fan), but Tib wrenched his shoulder early in the day and proceeded to feel worse and worse until he called and asked if I was interested in going as Kitty's escort. It'd save her from going to the show alone and have the benefit of a tall, borderline-imposing male friend to help keep the undesired attention to a minimum.
( For more on Pirate's wallowing in the Garbage... )