From: rpwhite@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (rpwhite)
Newsgroups: talk.bizarre
Subject: How the mighty have fallen.
Date: 28 Aug 92 16:51:57 GMT
Organization: Monterey Bay Yacht Club, Monterey CA

I am going to the Monterey County Fair tonight.
Cory called me up and last night and asked me if I wanted to go. Patrick
is going also. She said the band playing tonight was Poco and asked if I
had ever heard of them. I lied and told her no. She said no matter cause
the concert is free.

In 1975 I was 20 years old and drove a 1969 Chevelle Super Sport. I
didn't do much else other than drive it and drink a lot of fortified
wine. For those of you who are not wine connoisseurs, fortified wine is
non-vintage wine, usually a non-distinguished rouge, to which ethanol
has been added to kick the alcohol content up, typically to the 18-22%
range. It is favored by those seeking the biggest bang for their,
usually extremely limited, bucks. MD 20/20 is perhaps the best known
of this variety, but most of them can be identified by the word "RED" in
the name (e.g. Red Rocket, Red Lady, Red Dagger). Anyway, I'm lucky I
didn't kill myself or anyone else. I mean I used to do shit like this.
I was drinking one Friday night in some bar somewhere in Northern
Maryland. I decided what I needed right then was to go to Boston and see
some friends so I piled in my car with some wine and headed north. I
blacked out so I don't remember anything, except the next morning. I
woke up in my car parked on some side street in downtown Philadelphia.
Disoriented and hung over, I headed off to get something to eat. I
didn't know it, but they were having some parade and had posted all the
streets as no parking and I returned to find my car towed. This was the
days before ATM's and I didn't have too much cash anyway and when I got
to the impound lot I couldn't get me car out. I had enough money to buy
a bus ticket back to Maryland but the next bus wasn't till Sunday
morning, so I spent the night in the bus terminal in Philadelphia
drinking cheap wine. What's the point? I don't know except that's
typical of how I lived in those days. I was more of a loser than almost
any 20 year-old I've ever seen (except that dickweed from Dartmouth).
So I spent my time drinking and driving. I had a tape player in my car
but I only had 4 tapes: Bruce Springsteen "Born to Run", Pink Floyd
"Wish You Were Here", one by Blue Oyster Cult, and one by Poco. I just
couldn't admit that to Cory. Well, I eventually got out of that loser
stage and went on to become a productive member of society. I wound up
with a beautiful intelligent wife, a lovely daughter, a cool dog, a car
and a Jeep Cherokee, absolutely all that good shit. And now I find
myself spiraling down to loserville again. My wife took off and took all
that good shit with her and after bills and expenses I have $60/month
left over. Am I supposed to save that to put my daughter through college
or what? I know Sally Struthers can feed four or five kids on that, but
it makes for a shit social life in Northen California.
Anyway, don't get me wrong I'm not whining or helpless. I'll get
out of this mess. I always do. I just think it;s somehow fitting that
Poco has been reduced to playing at the Monterey County Fair and I have
been reduced to seeing them because it doesn't cost anything and
that's all I can afford

rp -- what goes around comes around.
Newsgroups: talk.bizarre,alt.fan.letterman