From my notebook journal:

Dubuque Iowa, Alte Glocke Restaurant, Julian Inn

I’m at the Alte Glocke Restaurant, in the basement of the Julien Inn, Dubuque, Iowa—it’s a German themed place—a cute little “U” shaped counter is where the regulars sit—old guys. I order “American Fries” with cheese and onions, and I ask if there is a choice of cheese, and the waitress says, “American, or cheddar cheese sauce, or sliced…” and then she pauses, not sure. Classic. It’s—let’s see how the food is… I’m staying at the Canfield Hotel—it’s great—it’s the place Andy and Karen recommended. It’s pretty amazing—like $32 a night (plus tax)—and it’s pretty spectacular, weird, and old—and just plain weird. I can’t write about it now—I’ll take some pictures and try to remember—and come back later, some day, hopefully.

Started out today by turning on the TV—big mistake! I saw on the scrolling TV guide, “Fox and Friends” and I thought, Fassbinder, cool!—but it’s Fox News right wing commentary—a woman talking about Colin Powell’s statement: “The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism.” And this woman says, I know he’s a smart guy, but I don’t understand… doing her best Rush Limbaugh imitation, being totally flabbergasted, like somebody just said something completely bizarre. Why is “I don’t understand!”—the expression of total ignorance and relative stupidity—always used as a tactic of the extreme right wing’s expression of moral superiority?

The one way The Canfield Hotel could be better is to have no TV whatsoever, becaue I personally have a weakness when it comes to hotel rooms and TV—I turn them on. Last night I saw “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” on the listing, and I said, that’s cool, I’m always jumping at any chance to see James Mason. I turned it on and it’s a TV SHOW! I mean, maybe it’s not that bad, but I wanted the movie—I couldn’t watch it.

I’m eavesdropping on the guys at the counter now. One guy’s talking about his friend who was really particular about keeping the books somewhere, I guess. “Keith died 20 years ago—looking for that dime…” I guess the guy was obsessed with perfection, and that’s what killed him. That makes me think of MY friend Keith, who died almost 20 years ago. Could it be that long already? I guess it is. When you start thinking about people who have died, you think about all that time, and what they have missed, the good and the bad. There’s been a lot of bad, that’s for sure. But a lot of good, too.