Car Pool Log: 2006 06-16

Ashley picked me up this morning. She needed to get gas so we drove to the 76 on Claremont and College. While she tinkered with the gas valve hatch I ran over to Cole Coffee (formerly Royal) and got us two large coffees. We picked up Second Passenger underneath the overpass. The rest of the ride was spent within my caffeine daydreams, of what I can’t quite remember. I could barely make out what was being said on the radio. I’m sure I was thinking about these things: (1) how the light looks, (2) it must have been low-tide, the bay looks marshy, (3) I’m telling you, those Bluetooth earpieces look wicked dumb. I was thinking about the mathematics behind prolonging your experience with a good cup of coffee and limiting that time to while it’s still warm. I don’t like to drink it too fast because then the morning coffee is over. On the flipside, I don’t want the last few sips to expire into room temperature because I couldn’t part with my beverage fast enough.

Today's Playlist

Yo La Tengo: Summer Sun
Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
New Order: The Best of New Order

Car Pool Log: 2006 06-15

Dark colored Acura, SUV-type vehicle, tan interiors, dark wood finish on the handles. Driver was reading a newspaper when I arrived. A brown leather briefcase underneath a pinstriped jacket. GPS monitoring system on the dash, tracking our progress from Oakland to San Francisco on a McNally-realistic map. Ashley called while we were getting onto 24, she was waiting for me outside of my house. A plastic squirrel in a plastic wrap underneath the Driver’s side seat, a yellow Starburst wrapper, a 2006 car racing schedule in the cubby of the back door. We listened to FOX News on the radio. The US found a “treasure” of laptop computers and documents in the bombed out remains of the fort of a major terrorist. Is it possible to find and read fragile equipment after 500 pounds of bomb tore through a compound? I was struck by the drama in the announcers’ voices. The way they said the word terror especially. Listening to FOX News was more invigorating than listening to NPR news; there was more life, a little more sensationalism. Though the meat of the matter was lacking in substance, for me.

Today's Playlist

Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Cardigans: Long Gone Before Daylight
Throwing Muses: Red Heaven

Car Pool Log: 2006 06-14

Got a ride from Ashley this morning. She was waiting for me downstairs, outside of the apartment, reading a highlighted and marked book. We waited in line for another passenger, talking about our evenings last night. She had been painting her bathroom and left a bin of paint, light lavender, on the toilet seat. Her black cat jumped up onto the seat, getting into the bin of paint; covering her paws, her whiskers, and part of her face. The cat freaked out and ran through the apartment, leaving a trail of paw prints in almost white paint. Second Passenger arrived and announced that he remembered Ashley’s car. She had apparently given him a ride in yesterday.

Passing the Yerba Buena on Howard we heard a rather apathetic protest. “What do we want?” we could hear, followed by silence. “When do we want it?” and more silence. “What else do we want?” again, silence. We could see black placards with some kind of writing. As they were passing traffic, crossing Howard, we could read that this protest was actually an advertising campaign for the new Windows platform. “What do we want?” There were about twenty people in black t-shirts with green lettering. “When do we want it?” I think it was some software company that would go with the platform, I don’t recall the name. “What else do we want?” They disrupted the flow of traffic as the light turned green and they were still meandering across the street. I give them some sort of credit for looking humiliated by what they were doing. This kind of advertising I think is smart but offensive. I wanted to call the police for a public disturbance. Had this been an anti-war message I’m sure they would’ve been followed by cops in riot gear. Good thing it was just Microsoft, they are so benign.

Today's Playlist

Sinead O’Connor: Collaborations
Belle and Sebastian: The Life Pursuit

Car Pool Log: 2006 06-13

Beige colored VW Passat with beige interiors and faux-wood finish. Driver was wearing a Bluetooth earpiece and strapped to his belt was a cell phone. Black leather bag in the back, on top of that was a black, pin-striped jacket matching his pants. A box of Kleenex was on the floor of the driver’s side. There were no interior markings in the car, no personal effects outside of what’s been previously mentioned. Classical 102.1 KDFC was on the radio. Today is Dusti Rhodes’s birthday. Driver was speedy, possibly reckless. Was dropped off next to the San Francisco Bus Terminal.

Today's Playlist

Yo La Tengo: Summer Sun
Cat Power: The Greatest
Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Letters To Cleo: Go!

Car Pool Log: 2006 06-12

Luxury sedan, Honda Civic, beige inside and out. The car had a very distinct smell, like someone had been smoking in there, with the windows up. I imagined a well-suntanned old gent from Florida and this was his last new car before kicking the bucket. There were no distinct remnants in the car. In the backseat was a small, black leather pouch. Keychain was two car keys and one possible house key. For a while I thought the car may have been a rental but it looks like it was purchased used very recently from Hansel Honda. Second Passenger was cheerful, granting a good morning salute to the driver. He turned around and asked me if I had enough room. I said, “I’m fine. Thank you.” He went on to read his paper. Erykah Badu: “Live” (?) on the CD player until we reached the toll plaza. Driver turned off the music and the rest of the ride was in silence.