Monterey Day 3/4: A waltz, in which I disappear completely, before a triumphant return to the stage, then a dark descent into madness…with chanting!

Wednesday was a half-day, and I put my time off to good use. I took an 18 hour nap.
Look how excited we all are. This part of the workshop involved watching 12 Angry Men (the movie, we didn't go to a bar and find a dozen cranky gents or anything) and analyzing the group behaviors that each of the characters show. Kinda interesting, if only because that's such a great movie. It's the only Henry Fonda movie I like (ok, yes, Micah, I love On Golden Pond too, you old poop. But I'm talking about the young Fonda. OK, fine, Jessica, The Lady Eve is one of the all-time greats, but in general. Young Mr. Lincoln? More like Glum Mr. Stinkin'. The Wrong Man? To entertain me, that is. Fort Apache? More like Awful Crappy.).Thursday I tried to pay a little more attention, but was thwarted when the sun came out! It’s like a completely different place when the sky is blue! We even had class outside in the afternoon.
This is Angela, she’s from the Glendale Community College union and she’s roleplaying a national union head.
Somebody got word that some hotel workers at a Travelodge in Seaside have been treated pretty shabbily by the owner (union busting, no contract, $8.84/hr) and that the workers were trying to organize. Also, the greedy owner was going to be there today.
So what’s normally a 15-20 person picket (they’ve been marching every week for two years) all of a sudden becomes 100 strong when the AFT cavalry comes pouring over the hill.
Some of the students (and union leaders) here at ULI had never walked a line before. You learn so much about organizing by doing it. It was a positive experience all around.

Pictured to the L (in profile) is Seaside Mayor Ralph Rubio who came out to lend support. Big ups.
Later that day, there was an outdoor barbecue back at Asilomar and I think these hats were fashioned from our napkins in an attempt to beat the heat.
Like I said, just beautiful when the sun came out. I’m starting to think I’ve been bringing LA sunshine with me on my travels.
These pictures won’t do the sunset justice.
Then it was up to the main hall for karaoke and dancing.
It’s a brand new audience for me, so I went to the classics, opening with Love Me, then Bust a Move (to get the people dancing) and then Sweet Caroline (for the singalong). I had more planned, of course, but after I got the ball rolling, I didn’t really get to get back up there too much. When someone was doing my songs (Stand by your Man, Lean on Me) I would push my way on to the mike, but KJ’s first priority is to the party, I get that.
Can you tell what these slightly tipsy teachers are doing?
That’s right, the Electric Slide.

The “party” shut down at 10:30 but those of us who had planned ahead and had our own booze took it to the beach. It was nice out there, and the motley collection of liquors and mixers probably explains the 15 pictures of total darkness on my camera this morning. I won’t make you sift through them, but…
Here’s a couple timer tripod shots I took around 2:30. Boy, when those union folks get to talking you hear some stories! This guy on the left, I forgot his name, (Tim? Tom?) but he’s telling us about this time he took mushrooms and went for a motorcycle ride.

“It was pretty rough country, you know, and I was off the road for a lot of it, you know? And I'm dodgin' trees and runnin' through brush, right? But then I feel some wetness and before I know it I’ve driven right into a lake. Luckily I was going so fast and I knew how to kinda maneuver it, like as long as I didn't turn so much, and I was kinda understandin' the movement of the water, so I just kept on going until the other side. I kept on ridin’ and a little later I’m looking to my left and there’s all this wind and rain. I look to my right, same thing, all this wind and rain. Turns out I rode right through a tornado! A little while later it clears up and it was just a beautiful night and I still had some mushrooms left so …”

I’m paraphrasing.

I think I mentioned there’s some classified employees here, right? Not that they’re top secret, but they’re like tradespeople. Anyways so this one (the one who wants to be Larry the Cable Guy) has been entertaining me all week (Oh-ho-ho! Look at the bumpkin! Ha ha ha) and last night around 3 someone asks him a question, and as if possessed by a textbook, he starts busting out with this Norse mythology. He’s telling me about Ragnarok and Odin and showing me his intricate tattoos of Valkyries and Nordic runes and Thor’s true hammer. You just never know, you know? Next thing I know he and some other closet Scandinavian are talking ludafisk. Got me.

Stumbled in around 3:30, somehow got up four hours later to pack and made breakfast. Class was pretty subdued, and then it was the shuttle to the airport. Argentina eliminated, Ukraine skunked, and they’re calling my flight!
Does he need to wear the bike helmet to search the bag? Is he afraid something might leap up out of the bag, somehow circle behind him and plop him on the head?
And am I the only one who finds this a little bit dirty?