Utah Phillips: Feb. 21,

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Feb. 21,

Hello
Utah's day has been pretty good considering, not much to report, I'm not always sure if that is a good thing or a bad. It just is what it is a day of small steps when what are really in need of are big ones.

Dad is currently sitting up in bed glued to the television watching The Incredibles. The doctors have yet to make the daily rounds so we don't know what the last batch of blood tests have to reveal about the ongoing electrolyte battle. We do know he continues to take massive amounts of Potassium. It's been a long haul and we continue to be optimistic that we will be home soon. thanks for hanging in there with us.

So, does anybody have any recommedations for dinner on a dime around Van Ness and Geary other than Tommy's, Tommy's is great but Joanna and I could use a change.
Duncan

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: Wow Duncan; really like the old box car, with the Utah Phillips blog. Seems the city life has not screwed you up to bad.HA HA Like an old assiatant principal used to say to us when we were near the end of the 12th grade. Hang in there fellas, one more inning and you will be hitting it out of the park!!! You all will be out of there soon. I can only guess what an experience it has been. A good ol fashined hug to you all!! Keith Bednar; February 21, 2008 at 6:18 PM
Petaluma Urban Homesteaders said...: Our prayers and love go out to Utah and the family. He has been a great inspiration to me. For food, try the Grubstake on Pine between Polk and VanNess - the Portuguese food is supposed to be what to order. Or for a change, go down to Japan Town. There's a pretty good and reasonable noodle joint at the far West end upstairs. I'll rack my brain for some other spots.
Paul Mackey; February 21, 2008 at 8:41 PM
devious13 said...: Hello Utah,
I feel as if I should call you Mr. Phillips, because I respect you so much - but I know that would just piss you off.
I am/was honored to have been at what may have been your first gig at Cafe Lena in Saratoga Springs in 1970. My wife and I almost didn't go. [Why would we want to waste our time listening to the self-proclaimed "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest?"] But we did go and have been thankful for the experience ever since. You did three sets that night: the first was your wonderful comedic story-telling; the second was stories of the rail; and the third was all wobblies. I'm convinced some people left during the third set, not because of the late hour but because you touched/aggravated a nerve somewhere in their belief system. I share that because I know that will make you smile.
We have traveled to be (again/still) enlightened by your insight, and have brought along friends to have their spirits rekindled. The last time we were able to share time with you was at the Iron Horse in Springfield, MA. Your wit, knowledge, and compassion had not diminished, despite your declining health. My wife and I were again honored to have shared time with you, as we had over 35 years earlier.
Take no offense when I say "God bless you, Bruce Phillips for all you have done for your fellow travelers" - disguised as an entertainer, but leading as a teacher and prophet.
Peace
Dave and Shirley; February 21, 2008 at 9:19 PM
Molly Fisk said...: Walk down Van Ness a few blocks to Max's, in Opera Plaza (same side of the street as Tommy's). It's not going to cost a dime, more like a Susan B. Anthony dollar, but it's good Jewish food and lots of it, so you can take some back to Bruce. Tell Joanna to call Marilyn and ask for other suggestions?

Fortitude, in these potassium-days. You'll all be home soon.

xox Molly; February 21, 2008 at 9:22 PM
marianna said...: From Marianna and Stephen in Nevada City, much more love and concern to add to your well-deserved collection, and a recommendation: you're just a few blocks from a wonderful Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant, the Golden Era (http://www.goldeneravegetarian.com/). On the north side of O'Farrell, between Leavenworth and Jones. You can't go wrong there, but we especially like the Tofu Salad (you don't have to like tofu as there is very little in it) and the Spicy Gourmet Chicken, and, and, and...everything. And Utah, we have something for you, when you're back home.; February 22, 2008 at 9:53 AM

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The Two Bums

This is a poem from George Milburn's book, The Hobo's Hornbook. You can also find it in a lot of old I. W. W. pamphlets and literature. It sums up a great deal of what I feel. It talks about the bum on the rod and the burn on the plush, which is just a simple way of saying that the kind of system we live in now demands that there be a poor people, demands that there be people out of work so that there will always be people willing to work for any wage.
Sure, a lot of railroad burns are parasites, but, like the poem says, they're just fleas who get an occasional bite, and you look at what those parasites at the top are chewing off. I know that there's a lot of talk these days about the welfare Cadillac; middle class people talking about those welfare gobblers down on the bottom who are afraid to do an honest day's work, and they're all driving big Cadillacs. And you hear over and over again, "Nobody ought to get something for nothing. " I've got to agree. You've got to work to eat.
I look at a factory. I see that everybody associated with that factory puts something in and they take something out. The workers put in their sweat and their skill, and they take out wages. The salesmen put in their skill and ability, and they take out commissions. The managers and foremen and people in the offices put in theirs, and take out salaries. But there's one group of people who take out more than they put in, and that more is called profit. I can't think of any other way to define it. That's a bunch of people who are getting something they didn't work for, and it's a whole lot.
If we're really concerned about people getting just what they earn, if we're really concerned about people not getting something that they didn't put in time and sweat for, let's start with the major offenders, and get rid of them. Then we'll gradually work our way down to the petty chiselers. It just makes sense.

The bum on the rod is hunted down
As the enemy of mankind;
The other is driven around to his club
And feted, wined and dined.

And they who curse the bum on the rods
As the essence of all that is bad
Will greet the other with a winning smile
And extend him the hand so glad.

The bum on the rods is a social flea
Who gets an occasional bite;
The bum on the plush is a social leech,
Blood-sucking day and night.

The bum on the rods is a load so light
That his weight we scarcely feel,
But it takes the labor of dozens of men
To furnish the other a meal.

As long as you sanction the bum on the plush,
The other will always be there,
But rid yourself of the bum on the plush
And the other will disappear.

Then make an intelligent, organized kick,
Get rid of the weights that crush;
Don't worry about the bum on the rods,
Get rid of the bum on the plush!

Internet Archive

I have started to develop an internet archive on my web page. It will be a collection of pictures, concert flyers and posters, concert audio and video, in short everything that I have collected during the last few years of traveling with dad. My hope is that it may one day become a central place for the world wide community to have access to an ever growing archive of Utah Phillips. I would like to encourage folks to add to the archive as well. You can either send things via e-mail ( friendsofutah@yahoo.com) or to my home address. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank You
Duncan Phillips
1392 e. 5935 s.
SLC, UT. 84121