Mistaken Fiction and Taquitos

It could have been a Wednesday. I often had those off and the chances of me actually doing some shopping would have been high if it was a Wednesday. In the cluttered room of a place called 'Planet Book' entranced by Wilson High School year books and contemplating whether or not to buy Phillip K. Dick books or the unknown scifi novels that were mixed in between. Distracted by the smell of Tommy's chili cheese fries I set most of the stack down and pay for one book. Assuming I was buying 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' I pay, cross Anahiem and get myself some taquitos.
Not as good as I remember them being when I was a kid. Then again they also painted over the Mexican caricature that someone would often channel some muse and add a large joint to his waving hand. I suppose white primer is a bit better than a large fattie on a sign welcoming people to your taco stand but there is some kind of tradition in driving down (or maybe it was up) Termino and looking to see if the joint was there or not. I use to play that game, amongst others.

Weeks, maybe months, later I would be on Hollywood, spending a bit of time and in a moment of fleeting fancy I pay the tab to go into the wax museum. Outside I don't remember seeing a space ship accross the street but I know the cover art for this book comes to mind each time I happened on that street in Southern California. Luckily I don't go there much but the few times I did I can't but wonder about Space Nazis from Hell or the potential of travel between planets in the '50s or even if having a trait that distinguishes your jobs is a good thing. I did it for a bit.
When I was a deck hand I drank cape cods, rum and cokes or well drinks, as an ASM I drank beer, SM it was whiskey and it got a little confusing after a few drinks and all. So I gave it up. But occasionally I want to get that back but I think I'd need some kind of cheat sheet to keep it all straight. At least until I learned my systems.

I'm not going to talk this book up. Call it the greatest thing since the dictionary or any of that jive but it's an interesting read. Has a lot going for it and if nothing else presents some things that could have almost happened. It seems more fun to think of a world this way especially since Sputnik has hit half a century and beside leading to the birth of a global communication and information infrastructure the space race never made good on it's promises. Except the spy satellite ones it's gave us those in spades.

Still the space race did better than the time I found 'Everything is Illuminated' in a parking lot by a movie theatre and hoped for a repeat of 'Terminal Freedom'. Sure it was a good enough read but it didn't have the same surprise as accidently buying an unknown book instead of an acclaimed work of fiction.

----------------
Now playing: Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley
via FoxyTunes