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Riders on the Storm

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valentina

Entry posted by valentina ·

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There's a line of thunderstorms blowing through out here on the prairie tonight, here in the land of Willa Cather, and I do love a nice rumbly thunderstorm. Nothing severe or tornadic, mind you, just a garden-variety thunderstorm. Rain, a bit of wind, thunder rolling in the distance. It's just so great.

 

The most utterly gorgeous drive I've had in some years was about 4 years ago, heading east out of Ft. Collins, Colorado. If you head east, you drive directly away from the Rockies and into a rolling grassland. It was about 1 in the afternoon and thunderstorms were moving across the area. You could look to the north and see blue-black clouds in the distance with sheets of rain whipping out of them. Occasional flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder. It was an incredible contrast to the rolling yellow-green grassland and the lonesome, winding road. I put on the Cowboy Junkies and sailed along. By the time I got to Nebraska, it was blue skies and clear sailing across the state. That was a great drive. I had soundtrack music for each part of the drive... I started out with the Cowboy Junkies and by the time I pulled into my home city, I was listening to cool jazz by Patricia Barber.

 

That was probably boring. You just had to be there. I was in a zone during that drive, I was so in love with so many things on that drive. There's a Buddhist nun named Pema Chodron (she's American, that's her dharma name) who said she became a Buddhist nun because she wanted to fall in love with not just one person, but the entire world. In a very pure sense, of course. My passionate nature doesn't allow me to forego the ways of the flesh, but I do, at times, truly understand what she's saying.

 

By the way, my favorite song by The Doors isn't "Riders on the Storm," it's "L.A. Woman." There's another driving song for you!

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minilux

I think I'd have 50 heart attacks from all that lightning! ;) I'm scared to death of it! My boyfriend, however, is one of those nutters who would love to live out there and follow tornados around with a camera. I'd be much happier lounging around on my couch or in the yard (here in the nice flat disaster-free midwest) listening to "20th Century Fox". ;)

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valentina

I think I'd have 50 heart attacks from all that lightning! ;) I'm scared to death of it! My boyfriend, however, is one of those nutters who would love to live out there and follow tornados around with a camera. I'd be much happier lounging around on my couch or in the yard (here in the nice flat disaster-free midwest) listening to "20th Century Fox". ;)

 

Tee hee! There's plenty of guys around here, having grown up in tornado alley, who stand on the end of their driveways, or out on their balconies, with binoculars when everyone's being warned to head to the basement.

 

There's a guy that I used to go with a long, long time ago who's a triathlete. The closest to a tornado this town has had for a number of years (knock on wood) was a really bad storm with straight-line winds that were very strong and did a ton of damage. He was out running when it hit. Did he seek shelter? No. What a complete moron! He apparently couldn't see where he was going, the rain was so hard and going sideways from the wind, but he decided it was good resistance training. Obviously, he survived, but his face was cut up by flying debris.

 

Now you have me started and I'm subreferencing all over the place... you do this to me, minilux! If anyone wants to read a funny essay about getting caught on a tennis court when a tornado hits, read "Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley" by David Foster Wallace. It's in his book "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." DFW is my literary imaginary boyfriend. He's funny as hell and rather cute. I'm sure in real life he's boring and not as cute as his jacket cover photos, so I like him the way that I have him.

 

Why do I have such a jones for geniusy, funny, but undoubtedly difficult men? Christ, it's a bad thing.

 

Living out here just messes with yer noggin!

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minilux

;)

 

I'm one of those idiots who are obviously part of the Jackass target audience since it generally cracks me up when someone gets hurt doing something stupid. So, now I'm cracking up over his cut up face. My boyfriend wanted to know what I was laughing at and said he probably looked like Mickey Rourke in Sin City.

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Astburygrrl

Oh great..another cutie? Is that necessary!? LOL

David Foster Wallace..hrmm. that sounds like an awfully fascinating story *looks it up*

Anyhoo..just wanted to say The Doors RULE! I would be utterly happy if the 21st Century Doors would bother to come to my state SOON..dammit. ;) Not holding my breath though. If I were a Doors song I would be "Love Street"..<happy sigh>

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