Remembering CyberNation: The Office and Roof
Adam and I went to the roof to watch the smoke emerge from the hills of Malibu to the north during the fires. Looking towards the east during the winter, we had a great view of the snow in the San Bernadino mountains, smog permitting. To the south we could see fire spew from the oil refinery machinery in Long Beach and on a clear day had an amazing view of Catalina island. To the west were the sunsets and the beach where Bay Watch filming was a common sight.
We heard from our window the cheer that errupted from the Santa Monica court house when the OJ verdict came in. Later, we watched from the window as someone tried to run and then hide from the police who had chased him onto the roof a building across the street. We could see where he was hiding, but it took the police some time to find him. I remember throwing grapes from the roof onto unsuspecting passers by, and later having to run like hell to avoid a run-in with the cops and the angry valet parking people below.
After the Hotline party ended at Gotham Hall, we came back to the office to hang out with the Hotline geeks. We joked about how bad our elevator was, and then cursed our luck when we had to squeeze through its pried open doors when it got stuck between floors. We took the stairs to the roof and had a time talking and smoking.
I’m somewhat ashamed at how much paper we wasted during the endless nights when we would throw hundreds of paper airplanes out of the window, only to have them cleared away in the dawn by the street sweeper before the downtown workers arrived for another day.
So many good memories. I still can’t remember what misplaced adjective I used to describe the clouds from the shingled roof ramp. Do you?
I remember the beautiful sunsets, the smell of the ‘nod from David’s window, while hearing the various street performers. Sometimes, when I hear a certain type of phone ring tone, I think of Pod Racing and seeing the cops chase that guy on the roof next door while the music blared, “Somebody answer the phone!”
Posted by: Wonko on April 10th, 2003 5:05 PM