The Basque People on the Bus

Got on the bus, en route to Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood for the best open mic in L.A., and sat in the front of the bus. Noticed a pleasant looking middle aged guy with grey hair and beard, stylish, brown, plastic rimmed glasses, and a bicycle helmet. A couple stops down, once I had settled in my seat with book in hand, a pretty woman in a sun hat and flower print dress got on the bus with a couple shopping bags.

She fiddled around for change while talking to the lady bus driver until she realized she only had cash and asked the front of the bus for anyone with change for a dollar. The bicycle man was quick to the punch. Bright, grateful eyes met him as he eagerly retrieved the coinage from his pockets. He sat back down, she paid the fare, and then she stood at the front facing forward.

Was that it?, I thought to myself. So, I tried to be a wing man to a guy I had never met. I asked a perfectly stupid question of the guy, but one needn't worry about how stupid a question is when you're a guy making friendly conversation with another guy. "Is your bike on the front of the bus?" I asked gesturing toward his helm

et.

"Uh, ya it is," he answered back and went on to tell me that his car was in the shop and then to say proudly that he is in shape from swimming but wants to get in shape with biking as well. He likes to bike up the hill to Mulholland Drive for exercise...

I was hoping she might somehow join the conversation or something like that. But alas, no such thing happened...

This man and I kept talking however, and got onto the subject of music. I told him I was going to Kulak's Woodshed. He asked me,

"You know what a kulak is right?"

"Well, I think it the owner's last name."

"That may be, but a kulak was what they called the Russian farmers who resisted Stalin

when he was forcing them to give their land to the State. Many of them were starved or executed for refusing." And on he went about Kulaks and how that name is related to Karl. And, guess what this guy's name is...

So Karl and I continued to talk. Turns out he's also a descendent of the Basque, which is an ancient people from the border region of modern day Spain and France.

So, there you go! Another interesting day on the L.A. metro system.