My Cardboard Balcony

Let's face it - one of the hardest things for me to deal with, being in Novato and working in San Rafael, is the obviously low number of friends who I have close to me. Most of my really good buddies were people I met in college, and they're all nestled in Southern California, dealing with their own jobs and their own relationships and their own lives. My girlfriend happens to finishing up school about an eight hours' drive away from me, so that's a double whammy. As for my handful of friends up north, many times they're too busy to steal away from their homes to have a drink or conversation. I'm not trying to be bitter or angry at them. Absolutely not. Priorities are priorities, and everyone has his or her own life to tend to. I guess it's tough when I end up meeting and loving all of these amazing people, and they happen to live far away enough to make a huge difference in the whole hang-out situation. For example, many of my awesome co-workers live in S...

Harvest Inn by Belinda Roddie - A peculiar sight in Holly City Is the Harvest Inn in a warm sunset And its six or so frequent occupants Sit on their balconies to watch A peculiar sight But they sit in fading light While breathing in the golden dusk spun mist.   I   Robbie Tennyson was born in this city He carries his life in one briefcase One briefcase! And his music is on crisp, brown sheets In his guitar case, tucked between the strings D and G That play their own harmony when touched by the slightest breeze And Robbie, not near fifty-three Plays the same old melody every sunset That goes a little like this:   Tee-willow dee da, lovely the autumn Tee-willow twitter, colder the winter But when close intertwined La da lee, la da lie They make the perfect evening Tee-willow, tee-willow, do-willow, do-lie They make the perfect evening   So he plays and smiles, he never went far But that was never required No,...

"All systems go, Captain!" "Good!" cried Maxwell, grinning from ear to ear. He pranced up to the teleportation pedestal and stood waiting. When nothing happened, he frowned. "Um...Al? You said all systems go." "...Yeah, well, I guess one didn't get the memo." "What the...which one?" barked Maxwell. "...the teleportation system?" "Oh, for the love of - "