One Stop Shop/gas pumps, Del Rio, Texas, 3:45 PM (local time in west Texas), March 2.
Hi folks,
There are apparently at least a few of you out there who like getting my ‘day in the life’ sort of posts and Out the Windshield vids, so I’ve decided to just sit down and write when/if I even just halfway feel like it.
Looking back at my life (and there’s a lot back there) the most satisfying periods have been in the midst of writing something – especially Banditos and Zero, CYGAWA being in a weird class by itself; most of my screenplays were whoring; I knew it even then. (I did write a couple or three good ones though.)
I’ll try to give you a sense of what it’s like to live like I do – wandering around with little sense of where I will go or be next, how that affects other aspects of life… That sort of thing.
I’m at a One Stop Shop plus gas pumps in Del Rio, Texas and I’m here for this reason: I was cruising along Interstate 10 a couple hours ago, headed east, with a vague notion of visiting the Florida Keys, and with stops along the way to meet a couple of people whom I’ve never physically met but really like, via phone calls and emails (sign of the times, no?):
James Tracy, is a prof at a Florida college and who was lambasted by CIA asset Anderson Cooper back in the wake of Sandy Hook, when James (publicly!) pointed out some absurd anomalies in the ‘official story.’ Jim teaches… well, ‘Media Stuff.’ For me this pretty much means that a lot of the kids who take his class want to make careers in ‘journalism.’
The best way to express my feelings about James Tracy is by way of a question, one I have asked a couple times before (on Jim Fetzer’s radio show and on James’s podcast) and will ask yet again, after the following set up: Across the U.S. of A. there are probably a thousand or more profs who teach ‘media stuff’ at the college level, right? OK. As far as I know, Jim is the only one who publicly said, ‘Wait a minute, something’s wrong here!’ re Sandy Hook.
My question: ‘Where are the other James Tracys?’
A few months ago Jim wanted me to address one of his classes after they’d viewed Water Time, but due to ‘Net connection glitches, we couldn’t do it. I’d really like to address a room full of kids who yearn for a career in the media! In person! Oh boy. Let me at ‘em kind-of-a-thing.
David Mickey Evans, the other guy I’d like to drop in on, is an H-wood mainstreamer, an insider, maybe best known for having written a screenplay that at the time auctioned for more money than any in the history of The Biz (google or IMDB him if you’re curious). Somehow, not sure how, and as far as I can tell, DME has retained his integrity and (especially) his sense of humor even though he knows full well what H-wood is up to, in terms of mind-fucking us peons. And the bastids still keep sending him money! But damn, I want to sit down with him and figure out how he pulls it off.
So I was on my way east on Interstate 10, right? I go by a sign saying ‘Del Rio.’ Flash back to 1996. Del Rio was my Mexico entry point back then during my Zero trip, plus the site of a rodeo I attended and which led to a dissipated wingding with some lunatic cowboys I got friendly with via my photography.
At the last second I took the exit and now here I am 91 miles later at Del Rio. I have to decide whether I should give it another shot. Vale la pena? (In Spanish, literally ‘Is it worth the pain?’).
#………
Starting to get dark so between the above paragraph and now I thought I ought to figure out where I’ll be overnighting – if I do go to Mexico it’ll be the morning. (Living like this you have to make plans a little bit.) I asked the woman at the register in the One Stop Shop by the pumps if they’re open all night. Close at midnight, she says. I didn’t even ask if I could overnight in the lot. Don’t like the grungy and exposed look of the place.
Next door on a rise and ringed by a strip of neatly tended rock garden (for Gus to pee on) with trees every 20 or so feet, is a Napa Auto place; it’s high enough that it overlooks the main road (State Road 277) and has the right feel.
Big tough-looking shaved head guy behind the NAPA register says Sure, no problem, he says with a drawl and a big smile. I thank him earnestly.
That’s settled. I move the rig, figuring to sleep on this Mexico thought.
Gus gets walked. I lock up. I’ll do some Out the Windshield imagery.
Rest Stop, State Road 90 just west of Uvalde, Texas, March 4th, 10:30 AM (local).
Bad day and a half since the above (before the video). Gus got sprayed by a skunk about an hour ago. That’s Texas for you. Keep in mind that my quarters are… well… Gus is never far away. So this is a problem.
Texas rest stop the night before the morning Gus had her run in with the skunk.
At the end of the above video I’m thinking about Mexico, right? But what was I thinking? I’ve tried twice to get in and failed both times. What’s that one about insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting a different result?
So yeah, I did go to Mexico yesterday, another try for a vehicle permit. Long story short: No vale la pena. In fact, and incredibly, I got robbed while parked at customs/immigration. Someone ripped the ‘Ditch Plains’ sign off the side of the rig. I was really fond of that sign. Anyone wants to contribute a replacement, I’ll figure out where to send it. (Or a three foot by 8 inch placard that says something else…)
What kind of thief makes off with a ‘Ditch Plains’ sign?
On the other hand, after all the no vale la pena hassle, dealing with Mexico, then getting my home ransacked again by clowns in black as a Welcome Home gesture, I finally go online and this is the first email I read:
…it occurs to me that perhaps your mission is not in Mexico but to continue exactly what you are doing.First hand reporting on the real condition of our formerly free(er) country helping people wake up, even if one at a time.Keep up the good work, and make those movies. Could be the most important thing you ever do in this life.May you have interesting travels.
John
All right. OK. Maybe John is exactly right. Make another movie. Me and Gus this time.
Details… Let’s get down to it… Remember the HoneyCam? First thing, I gotta order a GusCam.
Done. Ordered. (I’ll not ask for any more freebies from GoPro.)
Next. Truckers. Call Staples and order 1,000 3×5 cards (pale blue) with the following on them:
I’m a book writer and filmmaker currently making a documentary film abouttruckers and truck stops. My theory is that truckers know a lot about how theworld works – everything we eat, look at, or use in any way was once moved via truck.I want to know some of what you know, and put it on film. I’m nearby, in an RV with ‘Banditobooks.com’ (my website) on the side. If you might be interested in being interviewed, call my cell, 631 488-8620. You can see my last film via my website and contact me at allan@banditobooks.com.
I hit the truck stops, spread these around, see how that goes….
OK. I’ll spare you guys more preproduction details, although many of you are Associate Producers, via your contributions, and theoretically might be interested.
I’ve already shot some of Always Open. (I think it’ll more or less also be subtitled Part Two of Water Time, although the Water aspect doesn’t really make sense…) You’ve seen only a tiny bit of what I have, via my Postcards, etc. Got to do some serious reorganizing, begin the edit…
Enough for now. I have a bunch more subjects, a serous list, to assault you with, unrelated to the film. The photos and videos are a given.
This is good. A mission. No more blockage, no more depression bullshit.
Also: Never mind the ‘Fridays’ deadline. I’ll be posting regularly. Un-fucking-subscribe now if you don’t want to hear it. Do it now.
But Jesus, Gus stinks.
Allan
Coupla things. Haven’t been able to be online much so forgive the non-replies to emails. I read ‘em all carefully but it’s too expensive to peck out proper responses. I’ll try to do better anyway.
My buddy Rich Grove’s last Tragedyandhope.com podcast was of the usual brilliance. Fourteen hours worth. How he does it is beyond me. His interview with NSA whistleblower Bill Binney is a must for those who care about our privacy. In the podcast, Rich and a couple very smart buddies analyze the interview; about every 15 minutes they parse what Binney has to say, what it means and so forth. Great stuff. Here’s the link. The interview part starts at about 1:50:00.
But consider listening from the get-go.