What a Rig?

I had a friend. His name rhymes with Lome. He was one of the greatest television series ever. The places we went, the things we did- restaurants, shopping, rollerblading, hiking, movies, xbox, kite flying- the only thing left was across the ocean. The problem with Lome, however, was that he was sensitive and very tempermental. With a word he would send himself into hiatus and there was no talking him out of it. He'd cancel your subscription in a minute and that, over the years, got a bit hard to bear- the continual searching for his time slot, was it now 8 or 9. Was he best on Tuesdays or on action packed Thursdays. And so eventually when he threatened to cancel the show for the 3rd time, I let him- without a complaint letter. It was fairly tragic to be losing so much in so generous a friend- links to other friends and worlds dissolved, and my world became a little more boring, less adventurous and okay- peaceful. But every so often I'd hear new tales of Lome and it was like listening in on a show that seemed just the same as ever.

I also had another friend. Her name is petrified tree sap. She also subscribed to Lome. We had many adventures together by ourselves and with Lome and it was an idyllic time of entertainment and brotherhood. PTS and I hit a rough patch, however, and were no longer getting reception. And all of our worlds ripped right apart. In varying degrees and at different times. But then suddenly I got signals again from PTS and remembered how much i enjoyed that series and how integral she was to my life and picked her up again and gradually began to watch more of her then I had in the last 2 years. Then suddenly she told me she was subscribing to Lome again, a cheaper-low commitment package- on a trial basis. And with that Lome's world was mine again. It's sort of like stealing cable.

Lome's life is an adventure- to everyone who sees it but him. To Lome, his life is boring and routine, and agonizing in its drudgery- from his hippie pot-smoking parents to his wall to ceiling dvd collection. But we all want to know more about Lome. That's his power. For instance- PTS tells me that Lome is going to go teach some technology something or other to some employees on an oil rig in china. Who does that? Apparently he had to wear an orange jumpsuit and he got flown in on a helicopter. He had to take saltwater showers and who knows what else. I find this endlessly fascinating. Probably better than Steve Zissou. How can I not make the comparison. Lome in an orange jumpsuit, reading (which he never did when i knew him-the DaVinciCode no less), in line for a computer moniter, on board a chinese oilrig- Jeff Goldbloom and a pack of interns might as well walk up behind him. PTS mentions that Lome was not so amused and in my mind I am glee and belly-laughs bcs that is sooo Lome! How does he not find an oil rig and a helicopter ride fascinating? Or that he's in foreign waters? Or that his company may send him to the middle east. I mean the questions are endless- and i can only ask so much of PTS and she can only ask so much of Lome- so the answers are small and come back in degrees and never to a satisfying level- but always to a level where you want to say to Lome, appreciate your life! The world is yours Lome. Don't you see it? You have money. You have this strange circumstantial life- I hope one day it grabs you and you can if only for a minute- smile- before you change the channel.

Next up: Posts about the Plague, the flu and group dynamics.