On the CA 5, Southbound

I realize nothing would please you more than to return to the Sam Pam and Didier Chronicles, but I have been very busy.  I have been on the road, and those of you who have traveled that long lonesome stretch of highway called the Five through the center of the state know that pictures can't begin to capture the vastness of it all, although that didn't stop me from trying.  Playing John Adams' "The Chairman Dances" contributed to the intoxicating, even hypnotic effect of the ride and inspired me to shoot and drive at the same time, a trick I'd seen my dear friend Bianca pull off.  Breathtaking as experiences go, especially if you're unexpectedly sucked into the backdraft of a Navigator or Ford Valdez that suddenly appears out of nowhere.  Careful on the road, Big Guy!

Back in town, I heard Adams' "City Noir" performed by the LA Philharmonic in Disney Hall, conducted by the young and dashing Gustavo Dudamel.  Glorious.  Add to that being hugged by a saint and enjoying a lovely Thanksgiving with Eduardo and family, and you can imagine that my life has been very full and busy indeed.

Not as busy, however, as a charming young Irish lass I met the other night who is visiting from Dublin. She just arrived here from a stint tending to the homeless with AIDS in our nation's capital.  After L.A., where she will be working with the destitute of this fair city, she will be headed to Calcutta which, from the sounds of her adventures in this country, should come as something of a relief if not a let-down.  She said she was very impressed by the number of homeless in America who are psychotic, which she attributes not just to the harsh and violent conditions of life on the street here but to the prevalence of crystal methamphetamine addiction, which she says has not yet caught on and ravaged Europe in the same way, at least not as of yet.

Of course for assembly-line workers in the American midwest, struggling to hold on to those dwindling jobs, meth is not only easily obtainable in the factory parking lot but helps boost productivity ["Amid recession, meth menace evolves"].  "These guys work so much faster on meth," one factory owner was heard to say.  Indeed.  Nothing means busy like going without sleep for days at a time. 

As you might predict, with increased demand comes an increase in production.  The DEA offers a very useful site registering the clandestine laboratories that have sprung up nationwide in the last few years.  Those of you who grew up between the two coasts can go and check to see how close these "crystal kitchens" are to your childhood haunts, the old neighborhood and perhaps even the ancestral homestead.  And, sInce the apartments and homes used for the production of this highly toxic concoction become uninhabitable, the list will no doubt also prove helpful for prospective real estate investors.  Meth Lab Homes is yet another informative site, devoted to the pitfalls of purchasing property too poisonous to live in.  And not just because of the contaminated Chinese drywall either.