BUCKET
“May be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I’m
enjoying the ride…”
I read in Dave’s blog that he moved out of his sick
room and into the jungle. As he put it he said goodbye to his concrete walls.
Reidi, me, and up until recently Dave live in concrete cells on campus that were
designed to house sick boarders. Life thirty yards from the hostel can be
hectic. Overall students respect my privacy but several visits occur each day. Mostly
students wanting help with homework or looking for Karlos. The real issue is
the noise and boys peeping in the windows through the curtain. I feel like a
lion in the zoo. There is a lot of hooting and hollering, singing and shouting
as you would expect. I also share a thin wall with Karlos and Sonam and endure
Sonam’s antics as they endure my Ratdog. Late at night after lights out the sounds
of nature return. Good on you Dave for escaping. Today it rained hard and my
students were being silly. My eighth period was simultaneously interrupted by a
teacher wielding a sign- up sheet for another baby shower tonight and a teacher
who was quizzing my students for a competition thus cancelling my class. Things
happen without notice as any BCF teacher can attest, WTDL.
It was great talking to my dad this weekend and
hearing about his “Bucket List Trip” or was it his “Hell in a Bucket” trip? That’s
a classic biker Bobby song for those uninformed cats. Ironically my life
revolves around buckets in Bhutan and my nickname as a child was “Drool Bucket”
Here’s a little known fact, My first word was bus! As in Furthur bus, as in bus
come by and I got on, as in Cowboy Neal at the wheel, as in The Greyhound WOOF
WOOF! Anyway, my father remarked that
one of his Milwaukee friends was interested in Bhutan and gave him a copy of Beyond
the Sky and Earth. Jamie your book is an international sensation. For us
teachers it’s a holy scroll but it is also a fine piece of travel literature.
The copy sitting next to me is from our school library and falling to pieces
from use. I was sad to hear about my mom’s
shoulder surgery only being a moderate success. The decay of the body is the
pits. My mom is so active and I hate to see her suffer. This was a hard lesson
I observed when my dad had his stroke. Seeing him in the hospital barely able
to move or speak was the worst moment of my life. Watching him recover and
endure has been the most inspiring thing in my life. Although he may never
reach 100% physically he is 100% mentally and can still drive a car and fix
things. Two things I will never do. From birth we are all breaking down. Lord
Buddha always preached the impermanence of life and getting old is our
reminder. After death some believe we blast off to heaven, others say we zip
into the bardo, but all agree our deeds are judged by god. Except those pesky and
rational atheist who accept the truth with firm resolution. Back on earth my
day was brightened by two friends. I briefly chatted online with Allison who
hopefully reads this; I am happy you are still teaching in Sonoma. Also, thank
you Sabrina for the kind comment left on Tiger. Sometimes I forget how much I
do love this country and will try to stay optimistic. Brina, I know you will
take the lessons Sonam and Jimmy taught you to heart! For those of you confused
read Dave and Sabrina’s blogs to catch up. All the BCF blogs are awesome and I
enjoy the glimpses into others lives in the Kingdom, they can be found on the
Bhutan Canada Foundation website. Ours is a wise and passionate GROUP, two epic
qualities found in teachers.
Another dinner for another baby shower let me set the
stage. The men and women sit on the floor Indian style in separate rooms. I am
usually requested to sit near Principal La. Some of the women serve the men in
this order. Tea, beer and Ara, and then a buffet dinner. Almost all the talk is
in Dzonka until I become the topic of conversation, this time, the rural myth
of my midnight masquerade to Tsangma. Sometimes
I feel uncomfortable and an outsider but you already know that. At these
moments I just observe the culture wishing I had large print subtitles. They seem
to talk a lot about how much things cost and the internet. I walked home alone in
a Scooby Doo episode past the slumbering village, with the question where am I?
Rattling around in my overactive brainpan. This is your brain; this is your
brain on Bhutan, any questions!
(U.S. Blues Interlude)
“Back to back, chicken shack, son of a gun, better change
your act”
My favorite U.S.
blues was at the Wiltern LG in L.A! Seeing Bobby in downtown Los Angeles was a
big deal and on December 10 2005 Ratdog was flying high. They had a geared up psychedelic
lightshow projected on a huge screen warping and woofing all evening, in a fractal
third eye treatment. (see Cleveland Mandy story) U.S. Blues was the final tune of
an epic dervish between the band and audience the likes of which may never be
seen again. Such characters as Todd, Heather, Mandy, and of course Julie were
in attendance. During the encore Weir had a twinkle in his eye while his
handlebar mustache tickled our noses. Meanwhile Hippie Bill waved a huge stars
and stripes behind the stage. Summer time done come and gone my oh my…
Dark Star (2nd Verse)
“Shall we go, you and I while we can, through the
transitive nightfall of diamonds”
The rain pelts my tin roof as I plummet deeper into this
dream. So far in fact that my life prior to Bhutan seems unreal. Is this the
bardo? The realm between life and death or one though and another. Or the
timeless moments of orgasm. Music and love now a faded photograph in the
storage locker of my mind. Only nature remains and therefore love never goes
away, rather transforms. A teacher must have the capacity for love. But what of
romantic love, the ultimate illusion. My cousin and I used to debate on this
topic. He served that relationships are merely self indulgent for the ego. As a
romantic I volleyed that lovers attend the universal body. It was always a draw
and we’d settle for Jack N’ the Box at dawn. Cousin Larry if you’re reading this
have a Bacon Burger Basket extra crispy for me. Yes and yes. Here in Mepos its
Billybobkas and emadatsi, oh what I’d do for a BACON-BURGER-DOG! I gaze at the sky but when I look through
Becky’s cloud portal all I see is that damn pink elephant spinning in Seattle
and hear you and Ty laughing…
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