"...high times"

Well it's a warm humid evening at the butt-end of August. I'm here alone in my digs as we've all been like forever now. Anyway I'm banging away at da key board. So figure I'll do more of my life, and times. For starters a bullet just missed my head on Albany Avenue in Brooklyn during the 1990's Crack Wars. It's true what George Washington said about that. Not the drug wars...bullets.

"Fired musket rounds have the Deep Hum of Angry Wasps." It did.

On the upside some years before. I slept outside with pals on the balcony of a skyscraper in mid-town as a youth. This while an orange full summer moon rose over the Chrysler Building behind us. There were bright green streaks of meteors as well. A night to remember.

Then again I was on 32nd Street just off Penn Station. I'm wandering along,...then I'm yanked! Pulled back by the neck, and 20 tons of steel flashes by. Got my attention.

A crosstown bus from hell nearly squashed me. Get this. The street is empty. No one going or coming. Just a moment went by...no one there. Who yanked me? Angels spooks or space aliens again.

Here's some memorable items from my pre-history.

There was the Christmas our folks did it up big. All of us got everything we wanted. That, and piles more. Our folks must have saved for months. Well them, and Santa. I'm talking bikes battalions of dolls model kits Books records...I recall my sister Sylvia got the first Beatles album. There were sox from grandma too. The tree with that great haul looked like a spread from a fancy magazine.

It was a seriously cool day...thanks ma...thanks dad,...Santa too.

Okay here's the other side.

I nearly drowned as a little boy. I remember being knocked down by a gigantic wave. Then being dragged out to sea. I saw bubbles grains of sand seaweed, and these would have been the last things I saw. However I wasn't getting out of this mess that easy.

Because after the sand, and sea weed came this bleeping big arm with an equally big hand attached to it. There was one of them Army wrist watches on that arm which grabbed me, and hauled my little butt back to the beach.

I think I was too freaked out to cry. All I remember is being picked up, and passed on to my Mom. I don't remember anything about the man that saved me. Other than his big hairy arm, and his watch.

Mind you I've nearly bought it any number of times. However that one stays with me. I'm here today to whine, and complain because of some neat guy with big hairy arms.

Ain't life something.

I more or less woke up this morning. I'll take it from there.