Running in place

After a good morning of writing, the day became one of those fascinating exercises is keeping busy going nowhere. That is, it's been non-stop but I've accomplished mostly grunt work tasks, preparing files for Create Space to test it, making a DVD for an actor, this that and the other. I did get some piano work done while the DVD was rendering. I feel like I've worked a lot harder than I actually have. The real accomplishment was the morning writing (as it usually is).

The sun is back out, it's looking a little like summer again.

We may be having a cast party in September at a downtown bar that plays DVD shorts. Hollie will check it out in August. This could be a blast. We need a place to show the silent comedy and party. I was going to do it at H's daughter's house but the bar, with an audience to pick the winner, sounds more fun.

I miss hanging out. I don't hang out much at all any more. Now and again H and I will hang out but rarely, both being damn busy. I used to play harder after working hard than I do now. Part of it is age, part of it is quitting drinking, part of it is the different feel of the city now than twenty years ago, at least through my eyes.

I met Ger, my best friend in Portland (deceased; all my closest friends here are deceased), while hanging out at a sidewalk cafe in NW. A hot day, I was sipping gin and tonics, alone, just mellowing out. Ger and a lady showed up. After a bit, Ger came over and asked if I was Charles Deemer. The lady was a fan of my plays, and Ger was new in town. He invited me to join their table, I did, and I discovered Ger had a theater background in SF before we went into banking (!). He was moving here from Seattle. To make a long story short, I intro'd him to the artsy crowd at Nobby's and Seafood Mama's, the two artsy hangouts in NW then, and he fit in immediately. We became real tight.

Crooks, my best friend, my soul brother (deceased, naturally), and Ger could never get along. I was fascinated by this: by two best friends practically hated one another! Ger thought Dick was crude and something of a charlatan; Dick thought Ger was a sissy and something of a charlatan. So we never did anything as a threesome. Ger lived her, Dick in Idaho, so I saw more of Ger through the 80s and 90s, but Dick and I went back to 1960 in the Army, we were brothers.

Dick died first. Then Ger. Both from the big C, both miserable in treatment that was far worse than the disease. Deaths far uglier than they had to be, and I haven't forgiven the medical culture for that. Sometimes I think treatment is used as an experiment, not as a realistic option -- gives them things to try out and observe, to hell with the quality of life of the patient. I am determined not to play their game when it's my turn (long overdue, seems to me). I'm in no hurry to go but when it's my time, man, I'm out of here!

Ger and I used to get crazy now and again after he got off work at 5. We'd meet downtown and drink boiler-makers. It became our thing. Spend hours bullshitting about the terrible state of the arts and drink boiler-makers. I usually poured him into a cab and staggered home myself, our hangout being close to my apartment.

I wish Ger were here now, he'd be great in my videos! Man, he'd be good.

Ger was a crooner, too. Not half bad. One night, out and about, we crashed a jazz joint and Ger was high enough to talk himself into singing with the band. He sang Angel Eyes and brought down the house! Very cool. I could never get him to do something like that when he was sober.

One of my rebellious attitudes at the VA when I was getting straight was refusing to call my drinking days "bad." I still don't. Sure, I have the usual assortment of horror stories. But I also had some of the best times of my life, especially hilarious times. I'm not going to disown them. I'd have nothing to write about ha ha.
I quit for health reason, not moral reasons. I still find drunks usually more interesting than sobers.

So it's been a busy interesting day.