iGuanaGaL's Blog

by K.M. Samet

The summer of 1972 was hot. The sun shone overhead mercilessly as I boarded the train to take the scenic ride through the Sierra Madres down to Copper Canyon.
It was a long trip, over ten hours, and the train seats became uncomfortable after awhile - even the spectacular scenery was overshadowed by the need to move about, stretch my legs and be released from my little confined space inside the passenger car.
I decided to take a walk to the dining car and get a cup of coffee. I was surprised when I got there to find that the coffee was served in fancy cups with saucers - I had been expecting something much less glamorous, as this was Mexico - and the touristas had not yet discovered its then unspoiled wonders. Most things were simple there, unpretentious and understated. But here, even the tables had linen table cloths, and the dining car stewards wore tux shirts and cummerbunds.
Sadly, two cups of caffeine was all I could take, and I was not looking forward to returning to my cramped seat. Still a little stiff, I got up to return to my seat and give others my table.
On my way back to the passenger car, I had to pass in between the train cars - which for some would have caused a great deal of anxiety as there was not a lot between me and the ground save a small safety gate - it looked as if one good bump could send me flying right off the train, and it was moving along at a good clip.
I was hanging on to the hand rails and thought I'd stop and have a smoke before I went back to sit down.
Leaning up against the back of the train, I lit up and leaned back to relax and watch the clouds race by. Standing there, the wind whipped around me - it was over 90 degrees, and the coolness of the air rushing over my body was soothing. I begin to lean into the rhythm of the train as it went along the tracks, a predictable movement only interrupted by some occasional swaying as the tracks curled around the tall mountains down into the canyon. Relaxing, I realized I now had "the best seat in the house" - no longer impeded by a roof over my head, I could see everything in the entire valley rushing by me - the majestic mountains spread out before me as far as the eye could see.
The sky was a brilliant blue, white clouds floated by - it was like riding in a convertible car. Most people going from one car to the other raced by rather quickly, no doubt feeling the same initial nervousness I had felt at first, had they but only stopped for a minute and given it a chance, perhaps they would have found this place I had found. I was thankful for the solitude, though.
There was a feeling of adventure in my bones as I stood between the cars, hair flying in the wind, sun shining down on my face - a private adventure as I looked out at the expanse of mountain range before me - thinking about the men who had lain the tracks, what life was like there before the railroad was built, and feeling somewhat like the desperadoes of days gone by, secretly riding the rails, perhaps only one step away from being thrown right off by an angry bump, or an even more angry porter catching me hitching a ride.
Most experienced the ride that day within the confines of a steel cage - I experienced most of the rest of the trip outside in the fresh air, feeling wonderful and free.
Taking just a little risk enabled me to see so much more of everything - I felt as if I had been let loose onto a movie set where John Wayne would come walking out any minute, or perhaps if I looked carefully below me, I might catch a quick glimpse of The Sundance Kid hiding beneath the cars.
A trip through the Sierra Madres, a journey of epic proportions, and one lone woman standing in between trains having the time of her life.

Accidental Spring :-)

by K.M. Samet



I had to run out to do a few errands this afternoon, haven't been shopping lately and everything finally reached a critical mass and I HAD to go get some food and household supplies (I must be the only female in the world who despises shopping ! LOL).
I'd been putting it off until the dogs ran out of food and there was not even milk left in the fridge .. so I rather dejectedly headed off for the store.

The particular place I went to is pretty much out in the country, reasonably close to here, but very few people around, which is a huge plus since shopping is much easier when you have less people to deal with.
I listened to part of a great CD on the way, and had to even admit to myself that it was fun driving and turning up the music way louder than my neighbors would appreciate. Got to the store, did the deed and headed back for the house.

Being the wonderful navigator that I am, and also being rather distracted, I turned west instead of east, and suddenly discovered after about ten minutes that I had no i-freakin-dea where i was ! It was then I also discovered that I really needed to answer nature's call and was thirsty and out of smokes. So, I pulled into a convenience store to take care of myself. I'm usually a pretty friendly and outgoing person, I enjoy chatting with clerks in stores and just trying to make all my interactions with other people enjoyable and fun - something my dad always did (and still does) so I guess that's where I picked up the habit.

As a result of my wrong turn, I went to a little store I'd never been to before - wound up with a super friendly gal around my age for a clerk - I took my beverage to the counter and asked her for a pack of smokes - they had some kind of "buy one get one free" deal going on, on some brand I don't usually smoke, but I said to her "oh, what the heck, I'll take those - I'm living dangerously anyway". She seemed to think this was quite funny, and said she was going to die young from smoking .. I said "well, maybe not, but look at it this way - if it knocks ten years off your life, what do you really miss ... the "drooling years" ???? "
We got to laughing and talking, nothing in particular, just me - lost in the country and her stuck working on Easter Sunday for minimum wage. I left the store with a smile on my face - I noticed as I was pulling out of the parking lot she was still standing behind the counter with a smile on hers, as well. It was a nice feeling. Both ways.

Still lost, I looked for the mountains, which would head me east and back somewhere in the general direction of where I live. I knew I was gonna have an extra ten minutes added on to my drive from the wrong turn, so I cranked the CD back up, rolled down the windows and enjoyed the music, the sun shining on me, the wind whipping around me and suddenly it hit me: SPRING IS HERE! Everything is turning green....flowers are blooming... there's no longer a cold bite in the air - the sun is warm and the breeze is cool ... the farm animals were all out enjoying the day sunning themselves in the fields and pastures - it was truly a glorious afternoon! I forgot about everything for those extra 40 minutes I wound up driving - just enjoying the beautiful afternoon, listening to some great music and nothing mattered at all for that time. I FELT REALLY GOOD.

Just as Spring has renewed the earth, She smiled on me today and renewed my spirit, as well. I even smiled when I finally pulled into the drive at my house and saw the cherry tree in my backyard loaded with blossoms - the smell of them wafting through the breeze as I unloaded the groceries.

What wonderful "wrong turn". I wanted to share it with you.

The Gatorade Conspiracy

"Today I want to expose the conspiracy the people at Gatorade have been perpetrating on the sports drink drinking public for the past few decades. I first discovered their dastardly plot back in high school, but just like when you accidentally walked in on your grandparents having sex -- ugly, sweaty, disgusting sex -- I haven't had the courage to talk about it. Until now."

by Jake Shimabukuro. It's like Michael Hedges found a uke - pretty impressive playing, in spite of the instrument!

Mr. Showmanship at his flamboyant best!

A letter from "John" to "Kay", aka Kiddrane and K.M. Samet
Note: Kiddrane is an amazing short story writer and novelist. We've known one another online via an internet music group since 1995. I was SO HONORED to be the subject of a short story of his.

Utah - a Fable
by Kiddrane

Kay remembers waking up to the smell of the ocean outside her window. The sound of the waves when she closed her eyes tight relaxed her. Kay never dreamed there was anything that would make her leave the East Coast. She enjoyed the sunny days mixed with the challenges of her job. Working with music provided her with a way to express herself. She liked promoting local bands and discovering new music to share with people. Despite the long hours and frustrations associated with any job, she felt something was missing in her life.

She wrote a letter to a friend expressing her emotions. She said, "John, I cannot believe how beautiful it is to wake up each morning and feel the beauty that surrounds me. Is it ok to feel this way and still want more?" John, was someone she had never met. In the new world of communications, friendships are born by writing your name on a computer screen. Not long ago it was unheard of for people to make friendships in this manner. In the modern world, in many ways it was common to secure relationships based on words, ideas and dreams.

She told John, "Some days I wake up and I feel so inspired by the things people take for granted." John lived on the East Coast as well. He lived in New York. Kay was in Miami, Florida. He told her, "The internet makes distance between people a keystroke away." John lived in a place where the ocean was not so far away. On certain days he could close his eyes tight and swear he could reach out and touch the rushing waves kissing the shoreline.
Although, the ocean was ten miles away, the sounds of rubber tires passing on the parkway translated in his mind as the sounds of the sea.

"John", she wrote, "Sometimes, I realize there is nothing in the world that could make me want to leave the comforts I own. But, someday I know one thing could make me trade everything in and take a leap of faith." The one thing Kay wanted did not come with a paycheck. It did not have an element of security. It held more risk than all the gambling on earth. John would sit and wonder out near his private lake in the concrete world about the fortunes he saw come and go. The neighbors who longed for better lives, choosing to escape the place they called home for a dream.

He told Kay, "The thing about dreams is some come true and some disappear when we wake each morning." When John heard where people were from; he would tune in to the local radio stations using the internet so he could hear what music was being played in different cities. No matter how far he searched, music was the one constant that remained the shared beacon of light. Kay and John had discovered one another because of music. It was a music digest that reached out across the heavens to unite people from all over the world.

Kay told John, "I have neighbors I see everyday that I do not talk to. I wave to them. They wave to me. The full extent of our knowing anything about one another is when we leave for work and when we come home. They go inside their homes and I go inside mine. Some days, we might nod at one another if we find ourselves sharing the same thought to sit quietly catching the sun."

John knew the feeling, he felt the same way. The world, was one huge mountain with holes dug out everywhere filled with people coming and going. There were people who lived inside the mountain who never came out. There were people who worked hard at the bottom, spreading the good earth to keep the mountain mighty and strong. There were people in the middle who reached out every so often trying to lend a hand, but mostly they kept to themselves. At the top of the mountain, where the air was cleanest, the powerful looked down at everyone else expecting them to pull their weight to secure their lofty perches.

The internet changed the ways of the world in more ways than anyone on the mountain could imagine. Suddenly, the world had forest, oceans, valleys filled with flowers and a million voices capable of singing in harmony or protest. The people at the top of the mountain did not like the internet. They felt it was intrusive and lacked the disciplines necessary to keep everyone in their place.

More than anything, with music as her weapon, with words she could share at a moment's whim -- Kay felt the world was a better place than what she read in the papers. It was a better place than how the local television stations broadcasted news each night in to her living room. She reached out beyond the stars and discovered communities of people she could understand. It did not matter what these people looked like. It did not make a difference what they wore or the kind of cars they drove. The images of importance, and success were replaced by their ideas, their thoughts and shared dreams.

She discovered, after sharing her ideas that even in Cyberspace people with strong opinions could be cruel. People, in general convince themselves at times they know more about the ways of the world then the next person. Sometimes, they live in a mountain perch inside the mountain; and no matter where they live and breath they attack rather than reach out. John told Kay, "There's a big difference between reaching out and attacking. When you reach out there's an understanding you might get yourself hurt, people attack because they sometimes do not appreciate the difference between others." It was human condition that nothing could change. John was guilty of it himself. There was no way to explain how one person's experience made any difference in the world.

What Kay longed for most in life was respect. She learned the hard way that being appreciated for the ways she wanted to express herself, learning to say what was on her mind and feeling others understood her was not a daily occurrence in anyone's life. The bottom line despite all the modern ways of communicating was still based on how much dirt needed to be plowed come morning. How much time and energy was required to maintain the hole in the wall everyone called home.

Kay chose to disappear. In a cyber-community people can turn the world on or tune it out. Despite her love of music and the many different people she had come to know through their words on a screen, Kay chose to turn if off. She learned that no matter where she fit in on the mountain, her private life needed tending to. Her little garden near the ocean did not depend on the words on a screen. Kay did not share her new ideas with the cyberpeople. Kay chose to become a silent participant. Every once in a great while, she would wave to a name on the screen. While sitting at her keyboard she would nod her head when she agreed or disagreed with something she read.

The cyber world had become in many ways just like the world outside her window. She told John, "All windows are alike, no matter what you're looking at." Kay was quiet for a long time. Kay discovered the one thing missing in her life because she shut out all the noise and allowed the beauty of trust to capture her. Kay found love.

Finding love can change everything. It can open your eyes to a new world. It can make you see things in ways you never thought possible. It comes with new horizons and new challenges. For Kay, it required that she surrender the ocean. She moved to Utah. Where the mountains are as real as the wind dancing through the trees in any forest. She fell in love with something more powerful than the vision outside her window. A vision that when shared with someone who respected her made her feel secure.

She started her own business. She reached out beyond the stars with a smile that whispered, "I'm happy."
She told John, "More than anything else in this crazy world, happiness is the most elusive dream of all."
John responded with understanding, "Kay, it's all water under the bridge no matter how close or far you find yourself from the waves of change."

People spend their lifetimes looking for answers. They look for the one thing that can make them feel it's worthwhile.

Kay lives in Utah. Kay is happy. She found love.

Keep Smiling and Rock On, Kiddrane out near Lake Marie fixing a hole.