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7/30/2019 Strange Doings Zero 6-17-2010
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STRANGE DOINGS
Being selected observations & going-ons
of Simons first month
in Battle Creek, USA.
Zero
End April 2010
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ABOUT THIS THINGI write this after 4 weeks in the US. Its a firstimpressions, oh-mi-god-did-you-see-that, brain
dump. With photos.
All photos taken on a Nokia XpressMusic phone. It is,
scarily, the best camera I have ever owned.
Depending on the version of pdf reader it may be ableto print this as an A5 booklet. I have no idea if it will
work at that size, but let me know if you do.
Funny legal stuff: Technically the contents of this
document are copyright 2010, Simon Dale, but I give
permission for photos and accompanying text to be
used in whole or in part as long as I am credited as the
originator please. I couldnt stop you if you decided notto give credit, but I like the idea of people knowing
where stuff came from. That and I can send Lucas over
to eat all your weet-bix with marmite on.
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CONTENTSABOUT THIS THING Inside front
CONTENTS This page
INTENTIONALLY BLANK Over page
MELANIES TRACK MEET 3
DOLPHINS OF THE LAND 4
ITS A RASSUM-FRASSUM SNAKE! 5
ALL IS REVEALED 6
WARNING SIGNS 7
AMERICAN SUPERHEROES 8
FUNNY STORY/RAT BASTARDS 9
POST 10
FAVOURITE WORD 11
STRANGE DOINGS 12
Obligatory Soundtrack Inside Back
CONTACT DETAILS Back Cover
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THIS PAGE LEFTINTENIONALLY BLANK
In case you were wondering.
(Dont Hate Me, please.I cant help it)
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MELANIES TRACK MEET
Can you see her?
First moment of Dad-pride experienced while watching
Melanie compete at her first track meet. She ran the 100
and 200 metre hurdles. She came 4th in her heat for the
100m but did not place. She had a spill on the final stretch
of the 200m and had a wicked graze on her shoulder for a
week after. Despite the fall she still managed to come 5th
out of 6.
The meet was supposed to start at 4.30pm, but ran late and
finished at 8.30pm. Lots of inner-city kids milling around
drinking gatorade and stomping cleats, waiting for their
next event.
For myself, my first, and favourite, event was the
concession stand where a cup of cheap coffee warmed me
up for my second event: sitting on my backside and eating
popcorn.
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DOLPHINS OF THE LAND
Squirrels are everywhere, mostly active in the morning and
the evening. In the long grass they bound and skip as if
they were in the water, their coats absorbing the light.
When they run their tails stay still and their bodies
undulate.
I drive Carmen a little crazy as I tear off to chase small
mammals across the landscape. I simply want to be their
friend. Why cant they understand that?
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ITS A RASSUM-FRASSUM SNAKE!
She caught the snake in an old disused playground on Cliff
Street. He saw her dart into the wasteland and came out of
his house to investigate. They have a shouted conversation
across the road.
"You from round here? Where'd you grow up girl? I don't
recognise you? Is it poisonous?"
"I wouldnt pick it up if it were. I grew up here but I've been
down south. Lots of snakes down south"
I hear all this and more as I'm approaching down the street.
When I realise that it's a snake, I ask if I can take a photo.
"As long as I can be in it"
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ALL IS REVEALED...
...AFTER THE THAWThe local markets make a roaring trade selling these flasks
and airplane bottles cheaply to the locals. Everywhere I
walked in the first weeks of being in Battle Creek I would
see many, many, many of these discarded liquor bottles
During the winter months they were all hidden by the snow
and ice and its only in the spring that the full extent of the
litter can be seen.
Its as if someone stabbed a hotel drinks fridge that then
staggered across town spilling droplets of bottle blood. This
trail marking the passage of its march towards emptiness.
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WARNING SIGNS
On my travels around Battle Creek I take pictures of
anything that catches my eye. Not many people feature in
my photos, simply because I feel a bit awkward asking if I
can take their photo, and equally awkward about takingtheir photo without permission. I love signs, especially
warning signs. That poor stick-man. Crushed, shocked, cut
and probably worse.
The final photo is actually a really important warning. It
says Run, boy, run. In Michigan people can take a free
right turn on a red light. They are supposed to give way to
pedestrians crossing, but like drivers in NZ, if they think
they can sneak through they will. I was cussed out in my
first week for crossing legally in front of turning traffic and
it made me totally home sick.
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AMERICAN SUPERHEROES
"The poor men seems to be all in confusion, and don't know
what to do. Why children, if you have woman's rights, give
it to her and you will feel better. You will have your own
rights, and they won't be so much trouble."
The Sojourner Truth statue is on the corner of Michigan
Ave. She stands before an amphitheatre as if giving onefinal lecture. Sitting in front of her the morning of the 27th
I felt like a child, and wanted nothing more than to go and
take her free hand and walk with her.
Sojourner Truth was an ex-slave, an advocate for womens
rights and an abolitionist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_TruthBattle Creek takes great pride in having been a stop on the
underground railroad, and celebrate the fact tha Sojourner
Truth lived her final years nearby. In the city building there
is a photo (of a painting) of Sojourner speaking with
Lincoln, and part of the highway is named after her.
Friendship Park has a ginormous bronze diorama of theunderground railroad in action.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truth7/30/2019 Strange Doings Zero 6-17-2010
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FUNNY STORY/RAT BASTARDS
This 'establishment' lies just round the corner from where
we live. Intrigued by what the sign actually meant I fumbled
for my phone and spent a couple of minutes doing the
Australian haka. It didnt occur to me until later that passing
traffic probably assumed I was looking for my wallet with
the intention of going in.
As to what 'American Staff' means? I imagine that, like
President Obama, birth certificates were demanded to
prove that they were allowed the job.
Though, having been unkind, I do like the idea of some
KKK redneck being asked by a woman whose family came
from Japan in the 1920s and has the broadest Texan accent
you can imagine "you the rub-down, honey?"
Open mouthed gum smacking seems mandatory in the
above scenario. It really is that kind of neighbourhood.
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POST
Our house is sandwiched between the Post factory and the
Kellog factory. The smell of flavoured cereal frequently
wafts over the place and reminds me of the Griffins factory
back in the Hutt. I love cinnamon days.
The statue of Charles William Post sits looking out towards
where his cereal factory is located on Cliff Street in one of
the poorer parts of town. Immediately in front of him is a
bail-bondsmen, a cash advance outfit and a market that
sells Beer, Wine, Lotto, ATM, Liquor.
Post Cereals is one of the big employers in Battle Creek
and the existence of the factory has helped keep BC going.
I wonder what C.W. Post would think today, would he turn
his back on the suburban decay he now oversees or would
he try and make things better?
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FAVOURITE WORD
Hussy is one of my favourite terms of endearment for loved
ones who are rarking me up. But I think I like the story
behind this Hussey better.
It might be hard to read on the photos but Erastus Husseywas a station-master on the underground railroad that
ferried slaves to Canada. He was asked if station masters
got paid for doing what they did and he said No... we were
working for humanity.
I like that so very much.
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STRANGE DOINGS
I feel a little like the Potawatomi Indians in that Ive into aplace filled with strange new buildings full of strange new
people doing strange new things. Aside from this sign there
is nothing on the streets that refer to an Indian tribe, well,
aside from the Casino about 10 minutes drive away.
Wikipedia tells me that there are around 28000 members of
the Potawatomi today and that Michigan is one of their
important areas. It also tells me that they were forcibly
removed to reservations (and that those who refused to go
stayed in Michigan).
Heres to not been forcibly removed by the US government.
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THIS IS AMERICAOBLIGATORY SOUNDTRACK
Not totally pertinent, claims of accuracy disavowed, order
of play dubious.
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin (Mothership Disc 1)
Breakfast in America Supertramp (Retrospectacle Disc 2)
Kids in America - Kim Wilde (Some 80s compilation I can't
locate at the moment)
The Queens English - the Mutton Birds (Salty)
The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash (American IV- the
Man Comes Around)
Strange Ritual - David Byrne (David Byrne)
Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads (Little Creatures)
M1A1 Gorillaz (Gorillaz)
Back Water - Brian Eno (Before and After Science)
Dont Worry About the Government - Talking Heads (Sand
in the Vaseline Disc 1)
Secret Agent Man Devo (Duty Now for the Future)
The Americans Are Gonna Kill Us -Vorn (Thunk)
The United States of Whatever Liam Lynch (Single)
Miss America David Byrne (Feelings)
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I did this.
Further blame can be directed along the usualchannels or sent to:
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]