I got to work three hours early in Providence, not having read the email from Chris from the night before saying, don’t come in until noon. Go figure.
So after groaning about the situation, and the lost sleep and the cup of coffee that still had not hit my system I figured, this is the time for opportunity. I took to the streets of Providence.
I walked in and out of Providence Place, across the Skybridge and stared at the city. I watched this mother duck and her babies in the river, diving for algae on the rocks. I see ducks everyday (mother owns 19, a necessary addition to our family after I went to college), you think I would really be sick of them by now. But there is something very…majestic? I just like that the animals have maternal feelings like some humans do, sometimes even better parenting skills than the parents do.
I sat by the water and ate my papaya, I contemplated the beauty of the fruit and why people don’t eat the black pits…so I tried that. And now I know why they don’t.
THIS IS STARTING TO SOUND LIKE A WICKED UNEVENTFUL MORNING, SO I’LL SKIP AHEAD - - -
Blah blah blah. Walk to the park. Blah blah blah, watch the pigeons, wonder why there are seriously five loaves of bread scattered throughout the park. Blah blah blah. Big bastard pigeon, very high up on the pecking order, gobbling everything in it’s path. Blah blah blah.
I WILL POST MY SKETCH OF WHAT HAPPENED DURING THESE BLAHs later, based loosely on this monster bird and this girl sitting in a tree across the way.
Okay! Then I started walking through downtown Providence, and was stunned by this city project called the PAW (Providence Art Windows http://providenceartwindows.blogspot.com/) –they have these really beautiful art exhibits all over the city as a calling-card for newly opened galleries. With the talented students of RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) just down the way, it’s hard not to imagine that the city would be totally tuned to such style and talent. And then as I walk, admiring the windows, this: BIG NAZO.
This puppetry company is called BIG NAZO (http://www.bignazo.com) and they create huge puppets for their actors to wear onstage (interesting that the actors are also the creators of the instrument, so they can understand the way the piece works, one told me). They dance to music, or put on plays and I was so enthralled! I just walked in and BAM! I am in the midst of these creations being build, spraypainted, molded etc. And they encourage walk-ins. We got to talking and I gave them my information and told them I was dying for a gig, would love to play piano (http://www.myspace.com/blamethesidewalk) for their troupe sometime, I hope they get back to me.
After leaving the Nazo lab I realized it was getting close to my time to meet up with Chris Lydon and continue our editing for the show (Open Source radio w/ Chris, http://www.radioopensource.org/, we’re working on an interview with Juan Enriquez today). But I suddenly found myself turned around in the city and very confused. I started asking around…
Me: “Excuse me, do you know where the Watson Institute is?”
Hispanic gentleman in parked car: “Me, hmmm, not really, but I’ll take you there.”
Me: “Umm, hmm well, I mean, I’m not sure where it is. But that would be nice.”
Man: “Yeah, it’s up that way!”
Me: “I don’t think so, I thought it was over there.”
Man: “No no, come on we’ll find it.”
Me: “Thank you!!!”
And I continued walking. I’m an idiot in cities. After numerous encounters with the sketch men, you think I’d learn.
But I didn’t, so I asked another man for help finding homebase; and I don’t even remember how this conversation started but I’ll improvise some of it, totally fascinating!
Me: “Do you know where the Watson Institute is?”
Other man (stunningly attractive man with robust white hair in muddied English): “No no, where is it?”
Me: “Uh, near the train station, do you know where that is?”
Man: “Oh yes! I’m going there right now, walk with me.”
Me (tentatively): “Oh okay, thanks.”
“So are you from Providence?”
“ No, I am living here though. It’s called I-R-A-Iran.”
“Oh my god! You’re from Iran?!”
“Yes.”
“Oh wow, so what are you doing here?”
“I am visiting my sons.”
Me (not wasting anytime): “Are you worried with what’s going on with the election?”
Iranian: “A lot of it’s just terrible.”
Me: “Did you cast your vote before you left?”
Iranian: “Why would I? I don’t care.”
Me: “You don’t care?”
Iranian: “All the politics in Iran are the same, and the political game is terrorism.”
Me: “So no faith in Moussavi?”
Iranian: “They’re all the same! They’re all led by religion and I’m not religious (laugh). If only things could be separated, that would a be a democracy.”
Me: “Are you going back anytime soon?”
Iranian: “It’s very difficult to get back there now, and I wouldn’t care too. My sons are very helpful, I’m staying in a hotel here…I have to go, that’s my train!”
(as we arrive to the station)
“Take care of yourself,” he said, and praised the sky with his hands. I assumed that was for me.
And I thought that was all so cool!
On top of that, this kid on the street was laying out all of his belongings, for sale, and said he was moving. I went straight for his CD box and for $12 I got Tom Waits, The Moldy Peraches, Xiu Xiu, Motion City Soundtrack, Deftones and the White Stripes album I don’t have as well as Clerks on DVD.
So it was a good morning. And I got to go to work and tell Chris Lydon all about it ☺ .
