Bodie

People assume I’m from Boston. It’s probably the plaid shirts. But I’m not. I was born in Reno, Nevada in 1964. It’s hard to explain to people who aren’t from there what this place is about. They presume it’s all cheap casinos, wedding chapels, and sagebrush. It is all of those things, but there is also a sense that we are all desert rats, pulling a living out of the dirt. For years, I’ve worked on a collection of fiction that follows this train of thought. Since I’m not a writer, beside logo books, I don’t share it. But Noreen has urged me to pass some of it along. So, the first chapter in the collection, The Great Basin. The Taco Bell of Loneliness

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The thorny nest

 There is a nest in the middle of the bougainvillea on my back porch. Two birds guard it. Each morning, a neighbor cat sits at the bottom of the bush and is attacked by the birds defending their nest. How’s that for thrilling excitement? I am amazed that birds can build a nest in such a dangerous thorny bush. There is another one in an especially dangerous cacti in the border. When I work in the yard, I wear gigantic thick rubber gloves typically used to handle radiation or horrible chemicals. I still am injured weekly. Once, a spine went in through one finger and came out the other side two weeks later.

Some may say, “What for the love of God is wrong with you? Why would you put dangerous thorny cacti and succulents around the pool?” But if you ever worry about children running around the pool, this is a good deterrent. They see all those sharp points and needles and walk very carefully along the flagstone. The cacti in the planter behind the kitchen has proven problematic. Supposedly this is where one plants flowers. When the cactus gets too large and the pods stick into the path, I hear complaints as people pass them. “Who thought this was a good idea? Dammit!” is a common saying at many barbecues. And I do hurt myself whenever I clean the windows there.

But, what’s beauty without suffering. And what a wonderful surprise if a trespasser climbs over the back fence at night and walks right into my trap.

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Witchcraft Today book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Last week, I heard on NPR that beenies were the fashion thing for men now. I thought beenies were the hats that looked like yarmulkes and had propellers on top. I was told, “No, they are knit caps.” Followed by, “Boy, I wish I lived in your world.” I assume that means Pleasantville. I wish that were true. I’d like to say I laughed only at episodes of I Love Lucy. But something is wrong with me. I needed to be told that Zero Dark Thirty was not a comedy, and laughter was not appropriate during torture scenes. Who knew?

I’d like to live in Pleasantville, but  one of my favorite places is Scarfolk, UK. It’s a wonderful town in North West England that hasn’t progressed beyond 1979. Richard Littler’s genius website about Scarfolk describes it this way: Here in Scarfolk, pagan rituals blend seamlessly with science. ”Visit Scarfolk today. Our number one priority is keeping rabies at bay.” It looks like a nice place to live, except it’s in northwest England, which means it’s cold, and rains, and gets dark early, and people are probably sick a lot, and not tan. But it looks like they have a handle on the rabies issue. I’ve collected some of the wonderful collateral produced below.

Human Combustion book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood hallucinogens book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood drowning poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood strangers poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood reading book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood maths textbook, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood rabies poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood innoculation poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

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Sean Adams, Aloha Mr. Hand skate deck, 2013

I think about the concept of alternative universes more than I should. When I make decision, I consider the quantum theory that an alternate of me makes a separate decision that branches into a different timeline. The moment I am most concerned about is the one when I was 17 and decided to respond, “No, thank you” to my acceptance to Harvard, and “yes, thank you” to CalArts. Somewhere in an alternate reality, I took the other path, graduated from Harvard, and then from the JFK School of Government with a masters in public policy. I might be a Senator in the 18^th dimension. But, I took the other road. I deal with clients that ask four or five times a day, “Are you sure this is right. In your professional opinion?”

However, I do get to design cool things like this skate deck for AIGA Colorado’s Bordo Bello event. My good friend Charles Carpenter asked me to design a deck again for this great cause. This gave me the chance to highlight some profound quotes from Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Yes, if you haven’t seen it, it is better than Citizen Kane. I might be missing out on being called Senator Adams, but I get to immortalize the classic line, “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.”

quote from Jeff Spicoli, Fast Times at Ridgemont Hight, 1982

quote from Mr. Hand, Fast Times at Ridgemont Hight, 1982

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Life Nature Library, The Desert, 1961

Years ago, there was a wonderful school supply store in Los Angeles. It didn’t have an inventory of fine new textbooks, cute brand new classroom decorations, or specialty learning tools. This was the warehouse of the misfit supplies. This is bad if you want to teach children up to date information, but wonderful if you prefer to live in the past. Noreen bought a huge roll up wall map of the world with all the nations in 1958. We found old textbooks, cursive lettering wall charts, and diagrams of evolution from the late 1960s. There were no prices on anything, which proved to be a bonus. When we were checking out, the cashier looked at our cart of old stuff and said, “Hmm, what about $20.00 for everything?” Pretty nifty.

I especially coveted a collection of Life Nature Library books. These are the books that explain all types of scientific information in simple terms. For me, this is good. But, it’s the design that is the high point. The books are clear and simple. They are almost industrial in their functionality. This is brutalism in publication design. They are elegant in their minimalism. Nobody was trying to show every design skill they had all on one page. Even the charts are miraculously un-designed. This isn’t about laziness. It’s about restraint.

The Desert, 1961

The Desert, 1961

The Desert, 1961

The Earth, 1962

The Earth, 1962

The Earth, 1962

The Earth, 1962

The Earth, 1962

Life Nature books

The Earth, 1962

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