saturday, part 2: what we do to be near fire.. bon voyage party of a friend going to build a desert utopia: “you know in star wars where they went to buy the millennium falcon? it looks like that.” and party was 20 feet up a shaky ladder positioned in gangway to old tracks where a living room had been made of lamps, hubcaps, bonfire, tables and chairs. eventually this will be a “linear park” but now is the most roguish fun one can have steps from fully gentrified bucktown seeping west. we walked to california along this high up and weed trees were full of birds and humboldt blocks typically raucous were silent. thinking of getting down, were told an embankment one block west existed for those who preferred a mere scurry to the steep, shaky ladder descent. stories of the homeless brandishing screwdrivers near said embankment and general paranoia as we stepped over charred mattresses and strewn clothing denoting camp did not prevent us from seeking the scurry option. scurry option cut the height in half, but resulted in 10 foot drop to the street which we declined. thinking of going down the ladder with much trepidation, a woman ascends replete with sandwiches, entire platter in one hand. thoughts of bathroom and not having to climb with sandwiches aided my descent.

missing our former hood and a block from our old place where we learned never to assume that green means go because someone is frequently making an escape through the red, two cars attacking each other with a smash and continued pursuit past us with parts akimbo like mel gibson was clutching the hood equaled a night beyond the usual taco cap.