Step three, eat something

The world population of young people need a new vision of quality. They have lived so long without feeling anything authentic, that they wilt when they find themselves in the presence of greatness. My first high school English teacher Bob Hyatt asked my freshman class if any of us had ever heard an actual radio show. Not just music or news but actual radio shows. The kind he grew up on. Now strange exhibits in the radio museum of public radio. Shows like Portland's Livewire and the ever present Prairie Home Companion. When Hyatt asked us this with a distinct sense of sadness on his breath, he was hoping that we might see the error in our technological eighties decade. Realize plastic was not always better that metal and that it was not about returning to the past as much as holding onto quality. Quality can be innovative by the way, check out the small upstarts of self designers who populate the blogosphere. Dusting off the past and bringing the kickass out of its molecules.

One, yes one block exactly from my house is a giant village of college age drinkers and fornicators. Thousands of pre-adults on individual mass missions of gettin' The Gettin' movement is pretty easy to join and simple to explain. People gettin' drunk and people gettin' laid. In that order.

Shane, Nikki Leone, and I have conversed regularly on the lack of quality late night eating in town. We have struggled with understanding why there is no perfect dive to lurk in the back booth of, we are completely without a quality late night hangout. Do you know what that does to a gang. It is very hard to plan a grand adventure and heist if we have no headquarters to sit and draw on napkins while debating the jukebox agenda. I believe this lack of hang out is due in part to the complete lack of the Gettin' group to appreciate the time honored tradition of extending the hunt, don't jump in the sack immediately and don't get so blotto that you find yourself sleeping sitting straight up on a couch with four other dudes. How can you ever impress a someone enough to want to hold your hand if they only ever see you drunk and muted out by the house music. You can't sound witty, you can't seem cool for listening. You just have to stand around saying silly phrases like, what department you in? Come on young fellas, get some class, get some grace, get some god-damn aplomb.

Here is the bottom line, I got nowhere to take the Giddy-Up, I got nowhere to take the boys when they come down, I got nowhere to build my new crew. How can you have a crew without a hangout? Its downright criminal and its all the fault of these Gettin' guys. They need some charm school. Maybe that will be the way to do this. Maybe I need a charm school slash breakfast sandwich shop, perfect.

Patrick Melroy



Nikki Leone- smile like toothpaste add, hits like a hammer, girl got martial art skills. She makes no separation between the arts, they are all valuable. Nikki is new to my vocabulary but she has proved impossibly valuable as an ally. Often, when in a lecture and I think I must be the only one thinking this guy is crazy, afterwards Nikki tells me that guy was crazy and I feel I am not the only peasant who thinks the emperor is butt naked and struttin in the wind.
Oh and she makes asskickin art.