So, we tried out a new deli, well not new but a deli that doesn’t know us and we don’t know them. Mickey told us, it’s where him and his wife ride their bikes for Sunday brunch. Tucked away in a corner, behind a building that hides their yellow sign with black letters that says, “Deli”, it’s why they’re nice. Nobody knows where the deli is unless someone else, who does, shows them. The food is good and not much money.

We go and sit among the old Jews of Encino, which reminds me of a joke about the Jews of Encino, they call Beverly Hills, “The Old Country.”

Everybody smiles and eats, smiles and eats. The help smiles, we smile and eat. It’s what I like best about delis. People go there to see who is in the neighborhood. Have some matzo-ball soup, smile a little and when you’re lucky---when you sit near the right crowd: gossip.

It never occurred to me that old Jewish men courted hookers in Encino. I thought they went to Beverly Hills, the old country for whores, but there in the booth behind us sat two hookers. I’m not sure if they were Jewish hookers. They could have been, but they were indeed prostitutes. Not young, aged but, I’m sure, safe.

Old Jewish men like their blowjobs but they love their families too. So, a nice safe Jewish hooker, who knows not to recognize them in public, not to embarrass them, has a job for life.

The two of them were talking about another hooker. She’s sick and they helped her as best they could but it’s hard making a living now, at their age and, well, that’s the life for hookers. The sick poor thing is living in a trailer in Sun Valley. One elderly customer still comes to spend some time but that’s about it.

A man and his wife came in. I can see a brief glance from the man at one of the women. He directs his wife to sit so she won’t have to see the two ladies and he never looks again at the hookers. That’s the custom, that’s the heart of the deli. People come to have something to eat, to smile, and maybe hear a little gossip.

“Sarah, she doesn’t look so good anymore.” The voice smoked cigarattes. Deep and dry it sounded, then she bent her head a bit while stirring a ‘Sweet and Low’ into her tea.

“No--uh.”

“No she don’t look good.” She paused a moment to tip the cup and sip on her tea. “She looked better a month ago, but she don’t look so good now.”

“She go to a doctor?” The other voice said and then a bit higher, “She see a doctor? What he say?”

“Said, she didn’t look good that’s what he said. How the hell would I know. I wasn’t there. But I can tell you this.” She paused and waited, looking straight at her friend across the table.

“What?”

“She don’t look good.”

“She doesn’t huh, what is it. She know?”

“Won’t say.”

“Won’t say?”

“Won’t say.”

“She don’t look good and she won’t say what it is?”

“That’s right, won’t say. But I can tell you this,” another tilt of the cup and a longer sip of hot tea before she put it down.

“Tell me what?”

“I don’t think she has long on this earth.”

“She’s dying? Is that it?”

“Who knows? I don’t know. Do you?”

“No, I don’t know.”

The coversation stopped. I dranked some ice-tea and then squirted ‘Beaver’ brand deli mustard on my pastrami and rye. The sandwich, piled with tender thin slices of pastrami and the mustard’s tang made my mouth water before it reached my lips.

“Pastrami’s good.” I said to Wally.

“Eh?”

A bit louder this time, “The sandwich. It’s good.”

“It is huh? So’s mine.”

He ordered the egg salad. I hate egg salad. I like a fried egg with mustard on white. I like that, but not an egg salad sandwich.

“Foods good.” I said, and we sat there eating our sandwiches and smiled at each other after washing the sandwiches down with more ice-tea.

I get the feeling that our faith endowed leader is looking for a game plan. He seems to have trouble in finding something that works. We went to war to prevent mushroom clouds developing a worse smog problem than his clean air bill does. We have killed, murdered, tortured, and maimed thousands and thousands of people bringing democracy to the heathen Muslims. The mushroom thing isn’t mentioned much anymore. A kind of, that’s the past this is the present answer to the question.
He was elected has God’s chosen and blessed by all those wonderful Christians that want you and me to live our lives governed with Christian piousness whether we are one or not. No homos are going to wed on Georgie’s watch.
Saving Social Security kind of blew up in his lap. Running around in a sweat, as he gathered the head nodders to nod with plastic doos, waving flags and flashing big grins at our fearless leader—the same leader who in an earlier war had better things to do than actually fly in Viet Nam. It is quite a site, and no plan, no mushroom clouds this time, no idea really, other then Wall Street will take care of everything. I think, if my history serves me, that is why Social Security came about, the Stock Market took care of everyones retirement back then, you jumped out of a window or sold apples.
Money? George never worried about money, why money for him flowed out of his diapers, why is everybody so concerned about trillions of dollars of debt, when we have to privitize and empower people with the ablity to fall flat on their ass and starve in the streets if they don’t invest properly.
That’s where the faith based help programs become an invaluable saftey net. Those good Christians, ready to give you soup and shower if you will only believe. You see, it’s America’s calling to be a Christian country. It’s good for Jesus and it’s good for you. Remember, Jesus never said you can’t kill somebody you think might harm you and because he didn't say that, then of course that’s exactly what you can do.
So remember those good Christian values and fuck the poor, the downtrodden. Those miserable people got that way because they lost faith in Christ our Savior. Now if they only repent and say what good Republican Christians they are, they might just get a warm bowl of soup and a shower after Brother Jones’s two hour sermon on The life of Jesus and how much he wanted us all to live in a male dominant society, just like they did three thousand years ago.

I turned in a mystery to a new web site for stories involving gay characters. Lavender Raven dot com. They will get back in four weeks, or less. I used to get the, “or less” a lot, now they take months. I take that as a good sign.

Los Angeles has had tons of rain. Today brought more of it and still more is expected. I suppose it’s Gods punishment for Bush winning the election. I didn’t vote for him and that’s why my roof doesn’t leak. It did leak a year ago but this year it hasn’t. Proof that God loves me over Bush. He told me so, God did. He said that George thinks I talk to him but I don’t. I talk to you and let me say, that George is way off base. You can tell him I said that if you see him. Which I doubt you will because he only has people around him that agree with everything he says. I told God that if I did see him, I would let him know what you said.

I think it’s a safe bet that I won’t have to tell Bush because I don’t see him calling me and I don’t make enough money as a writer to call him. How many ‘How-To’ articles can you write to pay waiting for President Bush to pick up the phone? I could leave a call back number, but he’ll call when I’m on the crapper, it’s the only time the damn phone rings here. Besides, it would break his heart, he thinks God talks to him cause he’s the President. What in hell good is it to be President of the most powerful nation on earth if the number one Man doesn’t talk with you, for Christ’s sake. If he realizes that he is all alone, with his decisions, then he would have to face up to them. Hell, who would want to be in George’s shoes when knocking on the Pearly Gates.
God doesn’t like Evangelicals. To noisy he says. All that crying and screaming, God thought maybe someone poisoned them. Wailing and saying gay people are evil. God said they think everyone but their selves are evil. Who in hell do they think they are? God said he made everyone, how can most of them be evil. Moslems are evil, Iran is evil, communist are evil, hell if you didn’t vote Republican your evil and going to hell. God said he never told anybody that, who do these people think they are.

God has a lot of problems on his hands right now. The Republicans are getting a little too big for their britches. I hope he doesn’t loose his temper, but hell, can you blame him?

I find the trouble with blogging is you never know if someone’s reading the damn thing. You post to it but rarely hear back.
I could post my feelings about Bush; see if the government is reading it, I would at least feel better perhaps about it all.
This election is upsetting to just under half of those who were able to vote. I’m not convinced either that fraud hasn't taken place. I noticed that in all the counting and re-counting the only mistakes reported were in favor of Bush. Why? Isn’t it odd? You would think something would be brought up that Kerry received votes that were not his but you don’t. I can’t help but think the Republicans fixed the election. I have no trust in them, their moral values, or what they stand for. It seems they think it’s okay to spread humors and lies about their opponents and if people believe it—too bad.
These conservative talk show host make their rhetoric sound like news, it’s only when pressed they omit its opinion. A very dangerous game is being played here and I can’t help but think our country is ripe for civil disobedience and even war. The Blue versus the Red states for control of the country. As it stands now I couldn’t vote for a Republican, even if they proved themselves to be of good character and sound mind. I have stopped associating with Republican friends, I didn’t bother to send them Christmas cards, I canceled invitations, I just can’t tolerate being around them and these feelings are growing rather then diminishing.
The only thing that would work for me is for this President to concede that he lied, his party and friends help get him elected by illegal means and that he was tried for war crimes and crimes against our country. After the firing squad and his body burned and scattered in the open sea, I might begin to feel that our country is once again a good place to live.
I’m looking at Canada more and more. Canada, the land of the free, the smart and the peaceful.