Day 17: I'd Be a Greaser

Do y'all remember the movie "The Outsiders"? It was a star studded as any I can think of. And it was a lot like my childhood. The guys I grew up with would say so too. And we definitely weren't the Socs. But I did grow up going to drive-in theaters. I used to chew toothpicks and ask others t call me Termite. But I was too drunk to remember if they did. Growing up without parental oversight was bad because I suffered the lack of education and care. Heck, I didn't even know I needed glasses until I went to get my drivers license in high school. I couldn't read the letters and didn't get my license. How much did I miss in school and life? I wonder.

The moon was nice last night, too. I was woken up by Diesel, who is no friend of the thunder. The storm rolled in about 5am, and he barked from then until around 9am. I was exhausted just watching! But he is so kind, a really sweet dog.

He would go do his business, which was barking away. He would get so worked up he was overheating. Then he'd come in soaking wet and dog shake all over me. Then he'd lay at my feet until the next boom!

Why did the Socs and Greasers fight? They were all white trash! The fountain scene was rough. Death is hard. And a child making murder is the worst. It's a long life to live knowing everything a guy is ever go to do or make is taken away by death.

Do you know I've been stabbed twice. One time a guy was going to stab me and I blocked it with my arm. The knife was sharp and the cut was bad. I sewed it up myself using dental floss. I showed the resource officer my wound and he said sew it up or go to the doctor. The look on his face was priceless when I showed him the stitches I did. He just looked at me and walked away. Nobody would have been the wiser, but I showed my sister and she ratted me out. I remember my mom took me to the doctor's office, and he said there was nothing he could do and I did a great job.

A fair fight ain't rough, for sure, but add a weapon and all innocence is lost.

I got a lot accomplished today. It has really been amazing building with Dena. There are so many considerations when making any instrument, and a gourd banjo is no different. I worked a lot on my fingerboard, peghead and dowl.

Nothing gold can stay. You go, Ponyboy. Or Frost. Or the world.

 I'm still using a variety of tools, and my fingers and hands are suffering greatly! They are tore up! When I'm carving I always have bandaids on hand.

I planed down the fingerboard, and I'm taking more off of the neck with a rasp. I absolutely love carving in this way! I'm really excited to work on more banjos and gourd instruments. I have no idea how this wonderful experience is going to manifest in my work, but I know it will. I work hard, but I don't feel like I work hard enough.

Do you remember the fire scene? I always think I'd do the right thing, which is to go in and try to save the children. But I don't think I'm that brave. I want to be. But...

I got the gourd stretched. It was a great lesson today because I had some difficulty with it on my first one. I figured it out, but with Dena's help I know I can do it on my own just fine!

"Greaser didn't have anything to do with it!" Shouldn't it just be we humans that do the right thing? I'd love to think that the humanity in all of us can rise above all of the crap that we create. "He ain't a Soc. He's just a guy who wanted to talk." That certainly is not the tone of the election cycle.

I have a lot to do to finish the neck, but our goal is to get a machine that makes some music. I'll do all of the finish work when I get home. The pegs are in and I liked doing them. This is only the second instrument that I've made that has friction pegs. Dena has different tools than I do, but they work. So I'll have to get practice in on mine.

Do you remember when the Greasers were leaving their house and were hooting and hollering and wrestling about like puppies. That is real. That is camaraderie before a fight, a truly unique experience. It is bonding like no other bonding. As an introvert it is hard to recover the loss of my puppy friends.

 Look how big these dang dogs are!

Okay. The big fight scene. It is definitely one of my favorites in the movie because I've been in a few of them--brawls, that is. Once, I took a bag of pot and stolen gum from some boys. One of the boys called me and said he wanted it back. I told him to meet me at Hogan’s Corner, which was the local convenience store where neighborhood issues were worked out. I showed up at Hogan’s Corner, and the four boys were waiting. I resigned myself to the beating I was about to take.

Then a car sped into the parking lot and skidded to a halt near the picnic table where all of the problems were to be laid out. Two of the other boys threw up their hands and stepped back. I turned to the guy who called me and asked, “Well?” He said all that he wanted was his pot and his gum back. I said that I didn’t have it, and I hit him in the jaw. We punched and kicked and bit one another for several minutes until he got me in a choke hold and choked me until I was unconscious. I woke up to the sight of my brother smashing the second boy’s head against the oak tree by the picnic table. The boy who choked me silly was gasping for air on all fours like a tired dog. He had boot marks on his chest and face. My brother looked at me and smiled.

Your gold when your a kid. Everything is new. It's a good way to be. I love the theme about the movie, and I cannot agree more.

The pegs are ready and the nut is set. I made the bridge, and the skin is stretched over the gourd. So tomorrow we'll focus on fitting all of the stuff together! I'm stoked!