The "Real" World

When you're doing 7 days of AIDS LifeCycle (8 days if you count orientation day, 9 if you count at least one recovery day on the end) those things they print in newspapers that are supposed to represent the "real world" fade away to invisibility. Occasionally news of import will reach us after passing through many filters, although once during the week I did see an actual L.A. Times.

My point being, it took TWO DAYS for word to reach me that Reagan had died. I had been wondering about those flags at half-staff. OTOH, the camp was abuzz with the news of Ray Charles' death within ONE HOUR of his passing.

Reagan's death brought forth two streams of discussion. The first was all about how we should show respect for a deceased president, yet at the same time denounce him AGAIN for sitting by and letting AIDS happen. We would have been several years ahead and many thousands of lives saved if Reagan had not waited for Rock Hudson's death to wake him from his sleep.

But it's 2004, and we have people doing AIDS LifeCycle who were but children when Reagan was president; children who did not hear the truth about Reagan, but who have only heard of Reagan as that Great Man. Well, some of them got right pissed when the directors of LAGLC and SFAF got up to both speak respectfully about the dead president, and simultaneously denounce him with vigor. Obviously education was needed even within our own ranks of dedicated AIDS-fighters. And educate we did.

The other stream of discussion, much more relevant to us all, was concerning whether Reagan's funeral arrangements would interfere with our glorious entry into the L.A. area. We entertained fears of having to bus all the riders on the last day (a final insult from Ronnie) and the fantasy of riding south on the same road where Reagan's body was traveling north. Neither, however, came about, as his body was whisked to Simi Valley on Friday evening for a private burial at about 3:00 AM; just about the time your faithful roadie was rising to assist the riders in their last great departure from San Buenaventura State Beach for their glorious ride into Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium.

BTW, the Coachella Valley is stretching to lay some claim to Reagan (probably so some city can name a street for him).

Jane Wyman lives here!

Someone claims Ron met Nancy at the Racquet Club. And William Holden was Ronnie's best man at his wedding to Nancy and LATER Holden moved to Palm Springs (see what I mean about stretching?).