May 18, 1980

At the time in 1980, as a 9 year old little shithead living in Portland Oregon, the only thing of importance on May 18, was the massive fucking eruption of Mt St Helens. It woke the entire Pacific Northwest up early that sunday morning. We could see it from our house, but we drove up the road to get a better view. People were stopped everywhere. Later in the day, with the drifting of the winds, the ash started raining down and covering everything with a silty, gritty, grey layer sometimes inches deep. The shit seeped in everywhere and on everything. We scooped up piles and filled Mason Jars that we later shipped off to relatives. I think we also planned to get rich by selling it, then we realized that it covered 50,000 square miles so it wasn't a scarce commodity. I was dog sitting my buddy's stupid dog and the thing FREAKED. It broke loose and bolted for higher ground. The fucker probably realized impending doom and skeedaddled. I was cruizing all over SW Porkland wearing my little dust mask following it's footprints trying the corral the fucker. He stayed one step ahead of me and I never got him. But he found his way home eventually. Also on that same date, and completely unknown to me at the time, Joy Division's crazy old Ian Curtis hung himself at the ripe old age of 23. That is WAY to young to get THAT crazy. His weird trance dancing thing has always been creepy cool to me. Joy Division stands the test of time and never gets old. If they showed up today, for the very first time, they'd still be ahead of their time.