I really don't believe there is a Heaven or Hell (just for the record)
We live in Louisville KY, and every weekend in front of the Big Boy restaurant there is a fat guy holding a large wooden cross, a bible and a megaphone. I guess he's trying to save souls or he's just waiting for his fried seafood platter. The other day I'm driving by and he has a sign, Heaven or Hell you choose. Well I thought about it for a few seconds, lowered my window and yelled I choose Heaven. I really did not know it was that easy, so I guess I'm going to Heaven, right?
I was thinking about Warren, Ohio, on the way home from Mike's tonight for some reason. We watched the series finale of BSG tonight, and I had a couple beers and a snort of whiskey. I started recalling Warren.
I believe it was the summer of 1995. I stayed with David and his roommate Todd in a suburban home. I recall we spent a fair amount of time at dive bars. They weren't rough places. They were just past their prime. Way past their prime. I remember one place that was close by the neighborhood. Close enough to drive after drinking. It seems to me that it had some plywood furnishings covered by carpet.
Almost all the bars were in strip malls. Plus, most of them featured DJs with DJ names like Scooter, and the DJs developed followings.
At the end of a fair evening of drinking beer in strange bars, sometimes we'd end up at a diner. The classic place was on the other side of town. It was a little too bright with white linoleum. But the grill was sizzling up plenty of home fries and eggs well into the wee hours.
Their specialty was the Little something. I want to say the Little Van named after the owner. It was a omlette stuffed with potatoes. There was a Big Van, but the Little one was legendary for its size. I don't think we ever wanted to order the big one lest we ruin the mythology.
It was a pretty sweet summer. Tony, David, me, and Todd variously ended up in strange bars after work. Then we'd retire back to the suburban house where David and Todd lived, and I'd usually end up watching Highlander 2 with Todd until he saw his favorite scene with Sean Connery. Strange times.
