Clinging to what remained of the exterior was a stairway that rose to the second story and then stopped in mid-air. If you were to climb the steps to the top and beyond, you’d step off into nothing.
The most ardently disheartening election of my lifetime is over, and what’s beyond is like stepping off into the mythical ether.
All the ruckus about electing this candidate or that, all the nasty innuendoes, all the lies, and all the mind-numbing brouhaha are behind us, and we’re falling, seemingly in slow motion, into another four years of the Bush administration. God help us. I fear we’ve taken an ominous step.
But there’s good news, a few persistent reminders that life goes on as usual, and a couple of subtle changes in popular culture that went unnoticed while we were occupied with the recent self-flagellation.
On the thank-God-it’s-about-time front, I can vouch that among our young adults piercing and tattooing are on the wane. I know this because I teach college students, most of whom are young adults, and I have observed during the last year or so that there’s been a marked decrease in self-disfigurement; and, in fact, I now teach a few students who have not mutilated themselves in any apparent way.
I find this heartening. Not that I was ever shocked by the piercings, but often the area selected for piercing struck me as ill-advised and lacking a thoughtful aesthetic. I recall a student who had two miniature silver pistols pierced into her nostrils, the barrels pointing outward, thank goodness. And I used to wince when I’d spot eyebrow and lip piercings. Ouch! I’ve always wondered: Does the hole grow closed when the object is removed? I hope so.
And I’m seeing fewer tattoos — which doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t there — but visible tattoos have diminished in number. I recall one sad student who had tears tattooed on her cheeks, a trail of five or six of them streaming from each eye. She was perpetually weeping, which struck me as appropriate.
Here’s even better news: Male students who used to trudge around campus with the crotch of their baggy pants down around their knees and the elastic on their fruit-of-the-looms showing just above their butt cracks have about disappeared. I don’t miss them. Probably they’ve all gotten jobs in the Bush administration and their wardrobes have changed accordingly. Or maybe they grew up. I consider this a breakthrough for contemporary American culture and a triumph for moral values.
This will cheer you up. In Livermore, Calif., the world’s oldest continuously burning light bulb shines on, just as it has through the presidencies of T. Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, F. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and W. Did I forget anyone?
According to the fire station’s Web site, the bulb was first installed as the firehouse nightlight in 1901 and was donated by Dennis Bernal, who owned the Livermore Power and Light Company. The bulb is hand-blown and uses a typical carbon filament. It puts out four watts.
I first learned of this amazing light bulb in a Charles Kurault “On the Road” story back in the early ‘70s, and now there’s a film, which I haven’t seen, concerning the bulb’s persistence.
The bulb’s Web site details a centennial celebration which was held on Friday, June 8, 2001, at the fire station. A barbecue began at 5 p.m., and three bands provided a variety of music, ranging from 1900 era, 1950s music, and a tasteful touch of contemporary rock.
If you happen to be in the area, you can visit the bulb during office hours Monday through Friday from 8 to 5 p.m. at Fire Station No. 6, 4550 East Ave., Livermore, Calif. During the weekends or evenings, visitation is dependent on the availability of a fireman. This might well be a trip worth taking. Maybe there’s a little leftover barbecue in the station refrigerator.
That’s some pretty good news, the kind of thing that has great significance in our daily lives.
So there you go: This isn’t necessarily a time for despair. As evidenced by the Livermore light bulb, piercing, tattooing, and adolescent fashion, ob-la-di ob-la-da, life goes on, bra….
Stephen Smith can be reached at travisses@hotmail.com.
