" . . . this school is about one mile from the Pacific Ocean, so we were put through “tidal wave drills,” the calm procession out of the classroom into this yard where we would assemble in orderly lines. To await the tsunami wave to wash us away, apparently. Even as a five year old I thought going outside and standing there in the open was a stupid idea."
"I wondered why they didn’t, instead, teach us to climb up on the roof."
It has been suggested that Raymond, fellow Sharper Image survivor and Facebook friend, was the inspiration for the character Harold from the classic '70's film Harold and Maude.
No, not really, but his biting wit and demeanor makes me almost believe that it could be true.
Anyway, he recently wrote a piece on his blog, RayMoFo, about his now-closed elementary school (Sanchez Elementary School) experience down in Pacifica, and how he wasn't buying into the bullshit, even at five or six years old.
You should check it out, it's pretty hilarious.
Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteThis was also where, by 5th grade, I decided I was atheist and stopped saying, "under God" during the morning class recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
And by the way, Harold and Maude was, of course, partly filmed in Pacifica, and I even saw them filming (or setting up) a shot [when Harold drives off the main hiway onto the dirt road to go drive off...]. I was about 10 at the time.
And I wish that "Dirty Sanchez" had occurred to me when writing! Great.
haha my pleasure.
ReplyDelete