Strange Doings Zero 6-17-2010

7/30/2019 Strange Doings Zero 6-17-2010

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STRANGE DOINGS

Being selected observations & going-ons

of Simons first month

in Battle Creek, USA.

Zero

End April 2010


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ABOUT THIS THINGI write this after 4 weeks in the US. Its a firstimpressions, oh-mi-god-did-you-see-that, brain

dump. With photos.

All photos taken on a Nokia XpressMusic phone. It is,

scarily, the best camera I have ever owned.

Depending on the version of pdf reader it may be ableto print this as an A5 booklet. I have no idea if it will

work at that size, but let me know if you do.

Funny legal stuff: Technically the contents of this

document are copyright 2010, Simon Dale, but I give

permission for photos and accompanying text to be

used in whole or in part as long as I am credited as the

originator please. I couldnt stop you if you decided notto give credit, but I like the idea of people knowing

where stuff came from. That and I can send Lucas over

to eat all your weet-bix with marmite on.


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CONTENTSABOUT THIS THING Inside front

CONTENTS This page

INTENTIONALLY BLANK Over page

MELANIES TRACK MEET 3

DOLPHINS OF THE LAND 4

ITS A RASSUM-FRASSUM SNAKE! 5

ALL IS REVEALED 6

WARNING SIGNS 7

AMERICAN SUPERHEROES 8

FUNNY STORY/RAT BASTARDS 9

POST 10

FAVOURITE WORD 11

STRANGE DOINGS 12

Obligatory Soundtrack Inside Back

CONTACT DETAILS Back Cover


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THIS PAGE LEFTINTENIONALLY BLANK

In case you were wondering.

(Dont Hate Me, please.I cant help it)


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MELANIES TRACK MEET

Can you see her?

First moment of Dad-pride experienced while watching

Melanie compete at her first track meet. She ran the 100

and 200 metre hurdles. She came 4th in her heat for the

100m but did not place. She had a spill on the final stretch

of the 200m and had a wicked graze on her shoulder for a

week after. Despite the fall she still managed to come 5th

out of 6.

The meet was supposed to start at 4.30pm, but ran late and

finished at 8.30pm. Lots of inner-city kids milling around

drinking gatorade and stomping cleats, waiting for their

next event.

For myself, my first, and favourite, event was the

concession stand where a cup of cheap coffee warmed me

up for my second event: sitting on my backside and eating

popcorn.


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DOLPHINS OF THE LAND

Squirrels are everywhere, mostly active in the morning and

the evening. In the long grass they bound and skip as if

they were in the water, their coats absorbing the light.

When they run their tails stay still and their bodies

undulate.

I drive Carmen a little crazy as I tear off to chase small

mammals across the landscape. I simply want to be their

friend. Why cant they understand that?


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ITS A RASSUM-FRASSUM SNAKE!

She caught the snake in an old disused playground on Cliff

Street. He saw her dart into the wasteland and came out of

his house to investigate. They have a shouted conversation

across the road.

"You from round here? Where'd you grow up girl? I don't

recognise you? Is it poisonous?"

"I wouldnt pick it up if it were. I grew up here but I've been

down south. Lots of snakes down south"

I hear all this and more as I'm approaching down the street.

When I realise that it's a snake, I ask if I can take a photo.

"As long as I can be in it"


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ALL IS REVEALED...

...AFTER THE THAWThe local markets make a roaring trade selling these flasks

and airplane bottles cheaply to the locals. Everywhere I

walked in the first weeks of being in Battle Creek I would

see many, many, many of these discarded liquor bottles

During the winter months they were all hidden by the snow

and ice and its only in the spring that the full extent of the

litter can be seen.

Its as if someone stabbed a hotel drinks fridge that then

staggered across town spilling droplets of bottle blood. This

trail marking the passage of its march towards emptiness.


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WARNING SIGNS

On my travels around Battle Creek I take pictures of

anything that catches my eye. Not many people feature in

my photos, simply because I feel a bit awkward asking if I

can take their photo, and equally awkward about takingtheir photo without permission. I love signs, especially

warning signs. That poor stick-man. Crushed, shocked, cut

and probably worse.

The final photo is actually a really important warning. It

says Run, boy, run. In Michigan people can take a free

right turn on a red light. They are supposed to give way to

pedestrians crossing, but like drivers in NZ, if they think

they can sneak through they will. I was cussed out in my

first week for crossing legally in front of turning traffic and

it made me totally home sick.


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AMERICAN SUPERHEROES

"The poor men seems to be all in confusion, and don't know

what to do. Why children, if you have woman's rights, give

it to her and you will feel better. You will have your own

rights, and they won't be so much trouble."

The Sojourner Truth statue is on the corner of Michigan

Ave. She stands before an amphitheatre as if giving onefinal lecture. Sitting in front of her the morning of the 27th

I felt like a child, and wanted nothing more than to go and

take her free hand and walk with her.

Sojourner Truth was an ex-slave, an advocate for womens

rights and an abolitionist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_TruthBattle Creek takes great pride in having been a stop on the

underground railroad, and celebrate the fact tha Sojourner

Truth lived her final years nearby. In the city building there

is a photo (of a painting) of Sojourner speaking with

Lincoln, and part of the highway is named after her.

Friendship Park has a ginormous bronze diorama of theunderground railroad in action.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truth


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FUNNY STORY/RAT BASTARDS

This 'establishment' lies just round the corner from where

we live. Intrigued by what the sign actually meant I fumbled

for my phone and spent a couple of minutes doing the

Australian haka. It didnt occur to me until later that passing

traffic probably assumed I was looking for my wallet with

the intention of going in.

As to what 'American Staff' means? I imagine that, like

President Obama, birth certificates were demanded to

prove that they were allowed the job.

Though, having been unkind, I do like the idea of some

KKK redneck being asked by a woman whose family came

from Japan in the 1920s and has the broadest Texan accent

you can imagine "you the rub-down, honey?"

Open mouthed gum smacking seems mandatory in the

above scenario. It really is that kind of neighbourhood.


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POST

Our house is sandwiched between the Post factory and the

Kellog factory. The smell of flavoured cereal frequently

wafts over the place and reminds me of the Griffins factory

back in the Hutt. I love cinnamon days.

The statue of Charles William Post sits looking out towards

where his cereal factory is located on Cliff Street in one of

the poorer parts of town. Immediately in front of him is a

bail-bondsmen, a cash advance outfit and a market that

sells Beer, Wine, Lotto, ATM, Liquor.

Post Cereals is one of the big employers in Battle Creek

and the existence of the factory has helped keep BC going.

I wonder what C.W. Post would think today, would he turn

his back on the suburban decay he now oversees or would

he try and make things better?


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FAVOURITE WORD

Hussy is one of my favourite terms of endearment for loved

ones who are rarking me up. But I think I like the story

behind this Hussey better.

It might be hard to read on the photos but Erastus Husseywas a station-master on the underground railroad that

ferried slaves to Canada. He was asked if station masters

got paid for doing what they did and he said No... we were

working for humanity.

I like that so very much.


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STRANGE DOINGS

I feel a little like the Potawatomi Indians in that Ive into aplace filled with strange new buildings full of strange new

people doing strange new things. Aside from this sign there

is nothing on the streets that refer to an Indian tribe, well,

aside from the Casino about 10 minutes drive away.

Wikipedia tells me that there are around 28000 members of

the Potawatomi today and that Michigan is one of their

important areas. It also tells me that they were forcibly

removed to reservations (and that those who refused to go

stayed in Michigan).

Heres to not been forcibly removed by the US government.


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THIS IS AMERICAOBLIGATORY SOUNDTRACK

Not totally pertinent, claims of accuracy disavowed, order

of play dubious.

Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin (Mothership Disc 1)

Breakfast in America Supertramp (Retrospectacle Disc 2)

Kids in America - Kim Wilde (Some 80s compilation I can't

locate at the moment)

The Queens English - the Mutton Birds (Salty)

The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash (American IV- the

Man Comes Around)

Strange Ritual - David Byrne (David Byrne)

Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads (Little Creatures)

M1A1 Gorillaz (Gorillaz)

Back Water - Brian Eno (Before and After Science)

Dont Worry About the Government - Talking Heads (Sand

in the Vaseline Disc 1)

Secret Agent Man Devo (Duty Now for the Future)

The Americans Are Gonna Kill Us -Vorn (Thunk)

The United States of Whatever Liam Lynch (Single)

Miss America David Byrne (Feelings)


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I did this.

Further blame can be directed along the usualchannels or sent to:

[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Strange Doings Zero 6-17-2010