Original Post Date
2001-06-18 11:00 PM
Original Body
pstrongbr /bTHE WAKING NIGHTMAREbr /
BEGAN WITH SIX WORDS./b/strong/p
pbr /bJOSEPH,br /
YOUR BROTHER ISbr /
GETTING MARRIED./b/p
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pby Joe. B./p
pThis column is dedicated to anyone born with a rotten sense of direction.br /
br /Dreading long drives, walking, flying, or taking trains or otherbr / transportation to destinations unknown with vague approximationsbr / from others with perfect or near perfect powers of direction. /p
pLike perfect pitch of musicians and singers some of us havebr / those gifts in abundance while most can only admire br /true talent when seen and heard./p
pIt has taken me three weeks to get over my brother’s marriage not the marriage itself it’s the gearing up for br /this special event, going to it that was constantly giving me a queasy feeling./p
pSuddenly there are new clothes to buy, taking time off from work, for a few days, money from br /the bank, maps to read, and how to spend less on food and gas./p
pMy mother, brother,and I live in three separate areas of Californiabr / Fairfield, San Jose, and San Francisco. /p
p lucky for me that years ago while emptying trash from my br /one room apartment there was a dirty portable icebox./p
pYou know the kindbr / they are different colors, rubber lined for water proofing whenbr / filled with ice and keeps sandwiches, soda’s, water, beer orbr / whatever placed inside in ice cold until ready for use./p
pI was glad to have something of value to contribute not br /having enough money to buy gifts for bride or broom on such short notice./p
pbr /With my immediate family, the couple to be wed, their closebr / friends who are married, two relativesbr / of ours from of town came out too. /p
pbr /My mother bought me a complete suit from head to toe and one my brother.br /
br /The wedding is to take place in Las Vagas, Nevada. I will not name the Casino Hotel because immediately after the wedding there was a medical emergency and one of the rare times I am glad there were persons with cellular phones calling an ambulance for medical help.br /
br /Even before that incident two weeks before I’m a nervous wreck worrying about gifts I cannot buy, If I have a gambler’s genes, or do I write about this and what to keep out./p
pbr /All the questions swimming in my head as I rode a Richman bart train to the El Cerito Del Norte bart station./p
pbr /My mother is at the station to drive me to Fairfield. /p
pAll of my new clothes are in a clean, dry, aluminum lined portable icebox whose name will remainbr / unknown not wanting to give a free plug unless br /I’m paid a few dollars./p
pbr /The aluminum is extra padding protecting br /both the icebox and new clothes within. /p
pIn my mother’s home after carefully taking the clothes from the icebox, hanging them up br /carefully I placed the icebox in the bathroom's bathtub, took the foil out br /for reuse, before running water in it then closed br /the box letting it sit. /p
pbr /This is the background before my trip to Las Vagas, Navada./p
pI dislike doing a second part to this however if I didn’t no one br /will believe how people with a map can go sobr / wrong both ways to and from Las Vagas, Nevada. br /But it is a true story./p
pPS I'd like to paid for voice over radio spots or, television or internet work.br /
br /I'm not greedy scale is fine for me./p
p I can learn on-the-job though cold readingbr. may take some practice./p
pbr /Please send donations to br /Poor Magazinebr /
br /C/0 Ask Joe at 255 9thbr /
br /St. Street, br /San br /Francisco, CA. 94103 USA/p
pFor Joe only my snail mail:br /
br /PO Box 1230 #645br /
br /Market St. San br /Francisco, CA 94102br /
br /Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org/p/br./p/td/tr/td/tr/table/div/p