I'm still trying to make serious moves forward on finishing the editing and adds to the book I wrote, now almost sixteen years ago, Adventures In Fanland. My goal dates keep getting pushed, the new target is May, since it was May 2007 I started it. I really feel, it's this year or never.
I was alerted yesterday that the 70s TV show The Streets of San Francisco will marathon on Decades Channel this weekend, starting this morning at 9a. As a City native of that era, I can't fully express how much I love this show. My hometown has seen too many changes over the last twenty plus years, and most not for the better. The character this town was built on, what I was lucky to experience, is mostly gone. It saddens me, and those aren't just words. As I screen-capped the guide page to include here, the wave of melancholy came over me and I shed some tears.
I realized many years ago that my book is not only a memoir to my adventures, but a love letter to My City. For those who grew up here, or have been here since before tech moved in, you know what I mean. For those who don't, tune into to the show sometime over the weekend and get a glimpse of the place and time that feels most like home to me.
I have a Streets adventure in my book, here's the excerpt.
> As we walked through the backstage area, hay covering the floor, I recognized actor Karl Malden who starred on The Streets of San Francisco. He was sitting down on what looked like a tree stump casually signing autographs, smiling and chatting with folks.
We walked past him a few feet to the outside area that bordered the parking lot. There was a motor-home parked among the circus gear. Through the windows I saw actor Michael Douglas (Malden’s co-star on Streets) inside talking to someone. We had all walked past the motor home door when I heard knocking and stopped. I turned to see my dad's friend yelling towards the motor home door, something about fans, appreciating them and about making an appearance. I assumed she instigated the action and for some reason she was trying to lure him out. I was near the door when she knocked again, so embarrassed a bit I stood on the side of the door which if opened would have been the backside. I thought it was a good place to hide, til all of a sudden the door flung open and Michael Douglas was standing in the doorway screaming like a madman. My dad's friend yelled something at him and walked off. The door was very close to me, if I had not jumped back it would have hit me! I instinctively reacted and yelled back at him, "Why don't you just shut up and go back inside" and pushed the door toward closing position, while he stood there face forward. Even at twelve, I was appalled and irate by his actions. Today I may enjoy some of his movies, but as a person that behavior still disgusts me. Yes, that was bad behavior on her part (and a great example of why it's a bad idea to sell beer at the Circus!), but once he was out the door where he could see the majority of people standing around were kids (the youngest being about five years old), his anger should have mellowed. It's pretty poor behavior to be yelling at children, which says a lot about the kind of person he is, or was. <
