New Zealand Trance

Gigantic Golden Buddhas

I've got nothing but a giant gold statue of buddha that I have to go see in Thailand. Is that the closest giant golden buddha? I need to get there.

Go Amanda!

Can't believe you bought the book. I'm soooo stoked they're still selling it. Ahahahaha!~ Alright my dearest deary! You have to write a critical essay on it and I'll post it here. Soooooo stoked somebody can read it.

Chapter 20

Out of bed by 5:30 and into the cold shower. Damn this loft living isn't all its cracked up to be. Several converts are sleeping on the couches as Stevie grabs his keys, wallet and some bus change and heads out the door.

Stevie walks quickly to the corner and spots the 720 rumbling up the street. It's not going to pass him by so he doesn't have to sprint but trots up 5th street to the bus stop. A few revelers have started the party early, like a couple days ago now and they heckle everyone at the bus stop and ask for money.

The bus finally pulls up. Everyone swarms the door and people bottleneck it through until every ones on and paid and in their seat. Chit chatter between seats and in the aisle. People excited about 2009 being everything it can be and more. A new president. A new hope.

The bus lurches to a stop to pick some people up at the Crenshaw stop. The doors flap back shut once everyone is on and then it starts to go, then lurches to a stop again. Sections of people groan. The driver almost forgot a handicapped man that is sneaking around the bus stop as timid as a mouse.
"You need a ride?" The driver screams out the door.
"Yea, I'm going to the VA." The man says.

So the sirens come on and the bridge extends to the sidewalk, the front row of people have to get up to make room. One handicapped person can displace up to 5 fat people. So those five fat people get up and make their way to other seats in the back. The man wheels on and clips in and the bridge comes back in and the sirens stop.

The doors close.

The bus continues quietly into Beverly Hills. Stevie dozes off a little bit and wakes just in time to get off at Santa Monica and Wilshire. He wipes the sleep out of his eyes and clutches his backpack full of pamphlets, documents and gold leafed declarations. Stevie clocks in and immediately takes the stairs up to see the anti-social Italians on the top floor.

The daughter and son are standing in the hallway and looked surprised to see Stevie.
"Bon giorno."
"Bon giorno."
"Bon giorno."
Stevie hands out his business plan and some pamphlets and the gold leafed declarations.
"Call me and let me know." Stevie makes a hand gesture like a phone and holds it to his ear.

The two siblings stay quiet until Stevie leaves the floor and then they dig through all the Stevieland stuff.

The front desk sucks. An old couple wants to know how much things cost. Every things too expensive. Then the phone rings. It's the top floor.
"Get the bus, put it on our credit card and let's get going." The Italian girls speaks perfect English.

Stevie stays on the line and waits to hear the phone click and it does. AC is taking a reservation in the chair next to him at the desk. He hangs up both phones; one at a time and then he tells AC whats happening. They don't need to work for anybody else anymore.
"Dude, I can totally resign right now."
"We are totally resigning and I'll order the bus while you write our resignation letters." Stevie says.
"Okay! Yes! I've been waiting for this for so long," AC says, "I'm going to call Ruth and Ben."
"Just facebook everyone to get ready and pack one suitcase and put together their salvation kit." Stevie says.
"Good idea!" AC types away, "What kind of bus are we going to rent?"
"No, not rent, we buy!"
"Of course we buy!"

AC types up the letter and Stevie calls RV shops and a couple Bus Depots and gets the word on the street. Within ten minutes a guy calls back from a craigslist ad that's letting a 50 seater with full bedroom go for 200K cash; and with an American Express guarantee of a payout at any local Western Union today, the deal was done.

The Italian girl comes down to the front desk. She's dipped in Dolce&Gabbana and throws some Louis Vutton hand bags on the desk.
"Get me the Ferrari! Let's Go!" She says.
Stevie grabs the keys out of the valet box and runs out to the carriage house and clicks the lock from the key chain. It's black and fast.

The Italian girl adjusts her clothes and walks out front when she hears Stevie start the car. The car pull ups and she stops Stevie from getting out. She pushes him into the passenger seat and throws her bags in his lap. Then she peels out.
"Wait, what about the bus." he says.
"That's for your followers, we take the Ferrari!" she says.

Chapter 19

Stevie waits for the bus at 6am with everyone else out on the sidewalk at the intersection of 5th and Broadway. The fleets of 720 Rapid Metro buses have been deployed this morning, just like every other, to shuffle the people to and from their daily stuff.

A bright one with some zip pulls into the stop and everyone piles on. Stevie pays his $1.25 and finds a colorful seat in the front section.

It hums and blasts through the signal. It's fully up to speed and runs through a lot of red lights. Each stop is maybe 15 blocks from each other, and a sense of urgency is satisfied just by riding the 720.

AC and Ben get on at Western and elbow their way through the crowd to Stevie. Chit chatting about life in general and maybe getting one of the rich Italians that took over the 4th floor to fund the operation. It's a great idea and Stevie jots down some notes to make it happen. He scribbles down some notes on making a flier about investing in a secluded Desert Resort. He brainstorms with AC and Ben as they make their way into Beverly Hills. The bus stops at Santa Monica and they all get off, along with maybe ten other people.

They Scheme on how to seperate the weakest link of the family, maybe one of the children. How to go about it as if the child was in complete control. Stevie assures them that when the time comes, he'll work his magic; he's an aspiring cult leader and if he can't covert one of these rich Italians then what good is he?

They clock in. Work sucks. The Italian family stays hidden. They clock out. The bus ride home is unmemorable. It's Christmas.

Chapter 18

Stevie gets up at 5:30 and puts on some electro. A couple sleeps on a chic couch on the other side of the loft space. Stevie met them at a bar down the street and they had no place to go. He showers and shaves and the couple is up and dressed when he gets out of the shower.

They leave the loft together and the couple offers to drive him to work. Before you know it they're off in a old Corvette. It's a 1987 coupe model. The girl and Stevie have to sit toboggan style in the passenger seat but its still a little slice of heaven. Aqua blue with matching leather interior. Chad starts the car and turns up the radio. It's rock-n-roll and he peels out as they take 6th street all the way to Fairfax and then cut over to Wilshire and blasts past all the buses and other cars. They get to The Baron in fifteen minutes.

He says goodbye to Chad and Amy and the blue leather Corvette. They take a couple pamphlets and a manifesto and promise to keep in touch via email. Stevie clocks in and finds out a strange introverted Italian family bought the fourth floor for a couple weeks. They want nobody to ever, ever, ever come to the floor. No maids. Nobody. They paid up front with cash and say they will call down if they need anything. It's actually their secretary that tells the front desk this. Stevie clocks out.

The bus ride home is no Corvette through Hancock Park.

chapter 17

The bus rattles and pops down the street. Stevie dozes off in the warm air and has a dream. The bus is moving faster and faster down the street. Its picking up more speed. Its moving way too fast. Stevie looks around the bus. Nobody seems that concerned. A cute Mexican couple snuggles in the back seats another man reads a newspaper. Some people are reading Stevies pamphlets and manifesto.

The bus suddenly grows wings. Terradactyl wings. Massive wings that help the bus lift up off Wilshire.

Stevie looks around.

The couple quietly looks out the window. People continue their phone conversations. Stevie gets out of his seat and walks to the front of the bus.
"Stay behind the yellow line." The bus driver says.
"Where are we going?" Stevie asks.
"Arcosanti is dead, we're going to Stevie land." The bus driver says.
"Good." Stevie says and looks out the front window. Stevie thinks to himself: Arcosanti, the strange Arizona commune dreamed up by an Italian named Soleri never panned out. A cold hard cement station built in the 20th century. Stevieland will be a commune for the 21st century. Stevieland will be built out of gold. Stevie thinks he can see it. Out in the distance, way over there with a golden glow. He leans forward. He can't see anything so he moves past the yellow line and the bus driver starts to panic and the bus is filled with dry ice ll of the sudden and that spooky mist flows and swirls around the bus. The door opens and Stevie falls out. Falling into the golden glow. He spreads his arms and smiles.

He jolts awake to a packed bus with nothing but sullen faces. Someone is talking loudly on the phone. Talking boo boo and silly love things. Stevie dings the chord and gets off at the next stop. It's Robertson. Too far to walk to work so he waits for the next bus and has to stand until his stop at Santa Monica.

He gets to The Baron and clocks in. Work sucks. Grown Englishmen cry at the bar about losing millions in sterling. Money Stevie can only dream of, and knows that maybe one day, if he gets a rich convert, he can go to a $500 a night hotel and cry at the bar over a $18 whiskey. He clocks out and goes home.

Chapter 16

Stevie gets up at 6am and throws on his suit and runs down to the bus stop.

It's National call in Gay day. The bus is still packed at all the subway stops. Anybody and everyone stuck in the socio-economic drag called the bus is self conscious of their budget and doesn't need to miss a day of work, even if they are gay.

Stevie isn't gay, but half of his flock is. Stevie sits in the midsection and stares out the window. He glances at the banners above his seats. Nothing but Public Service announcements and phone card advertisements. Ruth and AC are stuck somewhere up front and chit chat about ways to make money. They dream up opening an outlet that lets people digitally browse all the shops in downtown. Suburbans that are afraid of it all can just come down to the outlet and browse. They'll need a couple lap tops and capital to rent a space in downtown. They'll use facebook or twitter as an auction tool to find the lowest price, until they can pay for their own auction site. They would run the shop and then hire runners to go get the item and bring it back to the buyer; at a premium.

The bus stops in Beverly Hills before you know it and they all get off. Stevie comes out the back door while AC and Ruth come out the middle door and they see each other on the sidewalk.
"Dudes." Stevie says.
"Oh Dude." AC says.
"Hola Guapo." Ruth says.

AC and Ruth tell Stevie about their idea to open an auction house for the holidays. Stevie tells them they could make more money hooking converts. Take out personals on craigslist and make sure the girls and boys keep their mouths shut. That or a bank heist.

They walk down the well manicured sidewalks and head toward The Baron.
"We need half a million to get this started." Stevie says and pushes the front doors of The Baron open. They clock in. Work Sucks. They clock out.

Chapter 15

Stevie is standing in the elevator. He touches the first floor button. It moves fast down to the lobby. He greets the morning guard and grabs a paper. It's not his paper, the guard doesn't seem to mind. He folds it and tucks it under his arm. He wants it to feel like 1992 today.

Halfway to the stop the 720 comes roaring by. Stevie starts to run. Another 720 comes rumbling by right after the first. They're running in packs today. The first bus stops and Stevie has time to get on. The second bus goes blasting by the stop and gets pole position at the red light up ahead.

Stevie finds a seat on the elevated middle section and settles in. The bus finishes taking on passengers and closes its doors and pulls up right next to the other 720. One of the drivers opens his door and the other slides open his window so they can chit chat. They talk about who's ahead of schedule and who's right on time and who cares really?

The buses take turns stopping unless a stop is requested. They leap frog down Wilshire. It's fun. The buses enter a fog bank as they drive west towards the beach. By the time they enter Beverly Hills the traffic signals seem to be floating in the air. The fog is too thick to drive fast, but the bus drivers do it anyway, hard charging down the middle lane. Stevie gets up and pulls the chord.

"Stop requested." An automated voice says.

It stops at little Santa Monica and Stevie gets off. He walks down the block to The Baron. He clocks in. Work sucks. He clocks out. The bus ride back home is boring.

Chapter 14

Stevie calls in sick