Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Sunday, May 02, 1999 12:13 PM

Another Weekend


The weekend starts with me helping the parents who I babysit for build a new fence. Other than Dad continually hitting his held on a clothesline support, the fence goes up smoothly. We pretend to be MEN, construction workers, as we put the fence up. The only thing that was missing was the oceans of flowing whiskey and beer.

I get tired and leave TRW near 8pm. I drive to West Hollywood and sit in a trendy coffeehouse called The Abbey. I stare at the near full moon and contemplate the famous question that Steve Jobs (then CEO of Apple Computer) presents to John Sculley (then CEO of Pepsi) when Jobs wants Sculley to come to Apple. That is, "Do you want to sell sugar water or do you want to change the world"? And I can only think "Do you want to move GRID points or do you want to change the world"?

With the Dead Kennedy's "Holiday in Cambodia" blaring, I head for downtown LA. There is supposed to be a goth party in an old abandoned building. I drive down Los Angeles street and see no foot traffic and no automobile traffic. But there IS a parking attendant waving a bright orange flag to get my attention to park there. It is near midnight and he is still looking for parking customers.

I give up on finding the party and drive home. It is late. But the alarm wakes me at 4:20am on Sunday morning so that I can get up and watch the Grand Prix of San Marino live on Speedvision. Knowing that I have set the VCR, I sleep late. 5:25am. And get up and drive to TRW. Now this "get up and drive to TRW" habit is one that I will certainly miss. Someday.