Finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade, Says something like you and me babe how about it ?

A love struck Romeo sings a streetsus serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like you and me babe how about it?

Juliet says hey its Romeo you nearly gave me a heart attack
He’s underneath the window she’s singing hey la my boyfriends back
You shouldn’t come around here singing up at people like that
Anyway what you gonna do about it ?

Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
And I bet and you exploded into my heart
And I forget the movie song
When you wanna realize it was just that the time was wrong Juliet?

Come up on different streets they both were streets of shame
Both dirty both mean yes and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?

Where you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything you promised me think and thin
Now you just says oh Romeo yeah you know I used to have a scene with him

Juliet when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above I’ll love you ‘till I die
There’s a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?

I can’t do the talk like they talk on T.V.
And I can’t do a love song like the way its meant to be
I can’t do everything but Id do anything for you
I can’t do anything except be in love with you

And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All do is keep the beat and bad company
All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Julie I’d do the stars with you any time

Juliet when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above Ill love you till I die
There’s a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong Juliet?

A love struck Romeo sings a streetsus serenade
Laying everybody low with me a love song that he made
Finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like you and me babe how about it?

(care of: http://www.lyricsfreak.com and see the video below)

“Romeo and Juliet” – by Dire Straits - one of the most amazing and coolest songs ever written. Not only because of it’s sweetness but it’s literary depth and subversive ode to William Shakespeare, one of our greatest, most romantic writers ever. Need I say more?

Sometime nearly two weeks ago I had this idea that all the construction noise I wrote of last week was getting to me and that it was time to go camping to get out of the city. I needed some peace and quiet and so did Abby. Then she got sick. She’s still sick – or getting over the cold so we didn’t go last weekend as I had hoped. Then I got sick – some intestinal nastiness that I still don’t know what it was or where it came from all I know is it kept coming. The noise was still getting to me, especially after a LONG week on the couch, so this past Friday I psyched myself to get better, made some hummus, and drank nearly a bottle of Pepto. YUM!

After dressing for where we were heading and not where we woke up (a necessary skill to acquire whence living in an area where you can wake up in shorts and drive into a snow storm two hours later) we hit the road Saturday morning to head on up to Idyllwild – one of our favourite places to camp in the Southern part of this state. It was a beautiful drive on up the mountain to nearly 7,000 feet of elevation and a twenty degree temperature drop. We thought we were so awesome and ‘together’. I had put on a long sleeve shirt, t-shirt and brought a fleece for extra measure. I mean hey – we’re east coast folks – we know how to dress for a night in the 30’s. Right?

Yeah, right. Not so fast you city dweller. I mean seriously. Did you really LOOK at the temperature on the internet? Idiot. As we pulled up to our favourite campground, and Dire Straits “Romeo and Juliet” played on my over-stuffed ipod, I stepped out of the car after the two hour drive and got slammed by the chill. No. I’m no wimp. I’m the girl who doesn’t mind walking around in snow with nary more than a thick fleece and a wool hat on. I’m the girl who thrives in the cold and hates the heat. I’m the girl who lives for this time of year and never turns the heat on. I love this shit. But I admit I was caught off guard. I hadn’t expected to feel the chill the way that I did. It’s different in the mountains – that’s for sure. Or it’s different when you haven’t eaten in a week.

After tooling around the campground we settled on a site that we had never stayed in. It was near the entrance of the park and not close to anyone but a large (as if there is any other kind) RV with an untold number of people inside. Our site was small, well protected by a stone wall and was just large enough for my small three season North Face tent (I’m not a label whore I assure you, but they make damn good crap and this tent has been in my life for no less than 12 years). As is my job when we camp – I set up the tent. It’s mine and I’ve been using it for too many years and too many trips – I can do it easily, in darkness, light and in any weather situation. We made our home for the night and hiked into town to walk around, people watch, window shop and to buy a much needed scarf to keep me warm.

Since there are no campfires allowed it was an early night in the tent. Scrabble, vodka, and bed – all by 9p. and thanks to the Pepto fourteen uninterrupted hours of getting to know my North Face sleeping bag as we tried to stay out of the chill and stay warm. I know what you’re thinking – really – they just make good shit and they stand by their product – so why not give them a shout-out? That bag has seen more places than most Americans and has been a very good friend to me for many, many years. North Face, when they aren’t making designer crap, actually makes really good camping gear.

Because of the early night – it was an early morning. Ah – the peace and quiet of the mountains, the fresh air, the chill in my bones as we ate our hummus breakfast and I drank my coffee cold because I was too lazy to fire up the stove. It was truly blissful. It reminded me that I need to camp to save my life. It’s not just some thing I do because it’s a cheap place to stay – it’s something my father taught me well to do and somewhere along the line it has become a life saver; a way to deal with living in a city and a way to clear my head.

Until the moment when the people in the RV fired up their noisy golf cart. To their small credit it was after 9a at the time. Ok – I get it – you’re going into town to get some coffee or a Sunday times (not NY I’m guessing) – I understand that not everyone wants to walk/hike or make any attempt to be a responsible consumer (they are sleeping in an RV so really what could I expect from them?). But what I saw was truly unbelievable and absolutely the worst of all “L.A.” behaviour I have ever witnessed. I thought I’d seen it all living here. People driving to the store that’s a block away – or spending too much time jockeying for a closer parking space for their Hummer. But really. This was too much.

As Abby and I watched through the trees and pontificated on why these guys would need their golf cart the answer slowly came to light. Ever so slowly. These two guys who could use a lot of help from Weight Watchers did not disappoint in pointing out the reasons why they are such fat asses. As they clutched their box of doughnuts (ok, I made that part up) they climbed into the golf cart that was decked out with mag wheels and a stereo (no I’m not making that up) and headed towards the entrance of the Park that was all 300 feet away. Just when we thought they were heading into town they turned the cart toward the bathroom. Yep. The bathroom. It was actually about 320 feet away. I’m not kidding. These lard sucking, grease loving lazy pieces of crap actually drove, I can only surmise, to take a crap. I’m guessing these are the guys who walk through life wondering why their pants, and other things, have gotten smaller. GEE, YA THINK?!?!?! Amazing. NOW I’ve seen it all.

Thanks for tuning in….Until next week….CHEERS!!!