Arriving two weeks earlier than he'd told me, a former professor of mine: that is, had I not declined Georgetown..or was it Notre Dame-- called from a quasi-fleabag motel about a mile from me. That's right, I declined both universities, but that's not today's story. Dr. Trees, or 'Dr. T' as he likes to be called, was in town doing research with colleagues at UCLA-where I began coursework towards a Master's Degree sometime in the last century.
Dr. T is the man to go to regarding world cultures, mythology and paranormal stuff. He's such a wealth of knowledge that I think sometimes he gets his rituals mixed, and the result is....well....do you remember the character Alice Ghostley played on TV's Bewitched? That's right, Esmeralda the daffy housekeeper. Well, Dr. Trees isn't quite that off-kilter, then again, it's said that chems amplify a person's natural state.
I was delighted to hear from him, but when he told me the casino employee who'd recommended the motel had arrived, then quickly fled, I should have known things would be haywire quickly. Since when does a black-jack dealer pay for someone's room, arrive right on time, but then (in Dr. T's words) suddenly flip out and leave...neither ripping off nor making a sale? That just doesn't happen here.
That's not to say my friend wasn't alarmed. His brand new-fresh off the assembly line Android phone had been tampered with he believed, so much so he couldn't access any applications. For about 4 hours each night over the next 2 days, I did my best to politely show my friend that the tampering was all his doing. He'd fucked up the phone so much only a reset would help him. I still don't know why he didn't get a new iPhone-and eventually he did-until that got fucked up too. I think. I lost track.
At dinner, Dr. Trees filled me in on his recent travels to Martinique after Haiti, studying and writing on the effect the 2010 earthquake has had on that culture. When relating a story though, you get the impression he's not quite giving you all the information...and that he's playing with your mind...not in an evil way....but in a mischievous, yet quite irritating way. Having paid close attention to him when he spoke on a panel at a literary conference I'd attended way back when, I did the only thing I could do when we got back to my place. I lit a white candle...and I do so again just now. Insurance.
The next day, my stomach was bothering me enough that I had to pass on the Doc's offer to join him in Palm Springs, and although I gave him easy directions, the 2 hour drive became a 9 hour sojourn. He explained it to me several times, but I still didn't understand the extra 7 hours. Not really so amazingly, once in PS, he ran into an old friend and they had fun. I didn't get to see him upon his return to Los Angeles, but I'll not forget his visit anytime soon.
And that white candle burns behind me as I write this. Hell yes, I'm superstitious.
Dr. T is the man to go to regarding world cultures, mythology and paranormal stuff. He's such a wealth of knowledge that I think sometimes he gets his rituals mixed, and the result is....well....do you remember the character Alice Ghostley played on TV's Bewitched? That's right, Esmeralda the daffy housekeeper. Well, Dr. Trees isn't quite that off-kilter, then again, it's said that chems amplify a person's natural state.
I was delighted to hear from him, but when he told me the casino employee who'd recommended the motel had arrived, then quickly fled, I should have known things would be haywire quickly. Since when does a black-jack dealer pay for someone's room, arrive right on time, but then (in Dr. T's words) suddenly flip out and leave...neither ripping off nor making a sale? That just doesn't happen here.
That's not to say my friend wasn't alarmed. His brand new-fresh off the assembly line Android phone had been tampered with he believed, so much so he couldn't access any applications. For about 4 hours each night over the next 2 days, I did my best to politely show my friend that the tampering was all his doing. He'd fucked up the phone so much only a reset would help him. I still don't know why he didn't get a new iPhone-and eventually he did-until that got fucked up too. I think. I lost track.
At dinner, Dr. Trees filled me in on his recent travels to Martinique after Haiti, studying and writing on the effect the 2010 earthquake has had on that culture. When relating a story though, you get the impression he's not quite giving you all the information...and that he's playing with your mind...not in an evil way....but in a mischievous, yet quite irritating way. Having paid close attention to him when he spoke on a panel at a literary conference I'd attended way back when, I did the only thing I could do when we got back to my place. I lit a white candle...and I do so again just now. Insurance.
The next day, my stomach was bothering me enough that I had to pass on the Doc's offer to join him in Palm Springs, and although I gave him easy directions, the 2 hour drive became a 9 hour sojourn. He explained it to me several times, but I still didn't understand the extra 7 hours. Not really so amazingly, once in PS, he ran into an old friend and they had fun. I didn't get to see him upon his return to Los Angeles, but I'll not forget his visit anytime soon.
And that white candle burns behind me as I write this. Hell yes, I'm superstitious.
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