"October in the Railroad Earth" was the title given to a
collection of writings by Jack Kerouac. Railroad earth
for me was the old Great Northern Railway yards east of
Main street, under a leaden Vancouver sky. Which here is
typically November. I'd have been about 14 or 15 years
old. On a Saturday afternoon, if there was nothing to to
at work, I'd walk to the end of Glen Drive and wander
around amongst the gondolas, flatcars, and boxcars that
arrived here from every part of the United States.
Missouri Pacific, New York Central, Pennsylvania Central,
Southern Pacific, Chicago & Northwestern, Union Pacific,
Norfolk & Western, Pittsburgh & Lake Erie are some of the
ones I can still remember. Names on steel veiled under
eastern industrial grime, like a miner's face. A vague
sort of feeling that they carried with them the memories
and opinions of the men who loaded them, and unloaded
them, or travelled on them across the landscapes of
America. Men like Woody Guthrie, though at the time
I had no idea who he was.
In my work clothes, a grey sweatshirt smelling
faintly of pine oil, I fit in nicely with that landscape,
an essence of grain, and creosote wafting off the wooden
ties firmly set in the ballast of the railroad earth
Met Heather at Starbucks, St.
Regis. Showed me framed print
of Robert Louis Stevenson
8th (Sunday)
Photo of a spiral staircase,
which I can use in the large
drawing, working title 'Mystic
Marriage of Katherine'. Spiral
staircases represent the helix
of DNA, a descent into
darkness, which genetic
engineering could turn out to
be - along those lines. Mood
something like Bosch
Interestingly, had a short
chat with Shab about DNA
(genes) that she said was
being 'blamed for everything'
9th (Monday)
Saw 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'
at Granville 7, with Susan. At
Seymour Room, a seagull
standing on the ledge just
outside one of the big windows,
staring at a plate of food a
foot away, & tapping his beak
impatiently against the glass
10th (Tuesday) [November
in the Railroad Earth]
Myle back at work. First walk
through Shaughnessy to White
Spot, cool & perfectly clear
11th (Wednesday) [November
in the Railroad Earth]
Cool & sunny, again
12th (Thursday) [November
in the Railroad Earth]
Myle telling me she wants to
get down to 80 lbs
13th (Friday)
Met Heather in front of Market
Place. Discussed corporate
greed & how much she liked
'Lost in Translation'
15th (Sunday)
Sarah still angry. Asked about
the portrait, 'Do you still
want one?' 'That WAS the deal.'
Showed Persia the four latest
pastels. Was upset from
'something that happened
earlier', but told me looking
at the art distracted her a
bit, & touched her hand,
lightly. Saw 'Floating weeds'
at Cinematheque this evening
