Asthma
12.1.2k7

Last night I unsealed the Notes Archive from 05 August. Right on schedule, I might add ... 120 days after it was sealed. I was puzzled for a moment by the curious look of the thing, as it was rather dirty and had pine needles stuck to it, then remembered that I was on vacation camping when I preserved the notes for their four-month hibernation (I actually used tree sap as the adhesive to secure the closure - very eco-friendly!).

Notes of 05 August chronicled our day at the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA, the same Hearst Castle I derided for its gauche decadence in Venue Announcement 9.1.2k7. Notes revealed the usual observations - the broad strokes, the mundane details and the crippling minutia.

The Notes Archive is often a source of Venue Announcement material, as is the case tonight!

Skipping ahead a bit, we have, "No churros at the Visitor Center, but damn-good (HOT) coffee." And there's, "This shuttle-bus driver sucks: I'm gonna boot on this windy road." But what I found really compelling was a note from a little later in the day, "Holy Fuck! Ol' Hearst was a Ren & Stimpy fan! Ren Hoek floor tiles!" Luckily I got a shot with the trusty camera to go with the note.



Perhaps better than that, if you can believe it, is the note made during the shuttle's descent from the sprawling estate. The tour guide at the front of the bus pointed out the former Polar Bear pens then challenged us to spot a ibis or a dik-dik ... two of the several species Hearst stole from Africa to suit his fancy. As the guide wrapped up the tour, she said that while the Hearst family is not in the news so much these days, the family's publishing power is nearly unrivaled in the diversity of its titles and its readership. She asked the group if they could name a Hearst publication. No one did. "Anyone?" she asked. Silence. She said, "What about Redbook? Has anyone heard of Redbook? That's a Hearst publication." Nope. No one heard of Redbook. "House Beautiful?" No. "Esquire??" I heard of all but kept quiet. I wondered if everyone on the bus was visiting from a foreign land. "Okay," the tour guide said, clearly grasping at this point, "Okay. How about Barely Legal? Have you heard of Hearst's publication, Barely Legal?" Thirty or forty hands went up. The guide smiled relief. I nearly choked on my gum.

Tonight - The Attic.

Here's tonight's: Find the Reference!


bye-ee!

whrr ... clik!