A Trapdoor In The Sun

How the Bush Administration Changes a Light Bulb How many members of the Bush administration does it take to change a light bulb? 1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed. 2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed. 3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb. 4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs. 5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb. 6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished. 7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark. 8. One to viciously smear #7. 9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along. 10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a lig...

I was 20 at the time. Two years removed from the juvinality of high school, but still had not completely adapted to life in the real world. I was rooming with several friends from high school in the smallish town of San Luis Obispo, about 10 miles from the beautiful Pacific surfline. We rented a small two bedroom townhouse a few blocks out of SLO Town's lively downtown district. Sharing rooms was never ideal, but given the high cost of living in the area, it was necessary. My roommates and myself had primarily met in music courses in high school, except for Ryan, who I met through others in band class. Ryan was one of the most gifted musicians I had ever met. He could play just about anything and made me look neolithic on the piano. Eric, also very musically talented, was always a bit of an enigma. Although a devout Mormon, he was easily the one of the most devilish guys I knew. No, he didn't slay goats and worship the Satanic Bible or anything like that... he was just very mis...