Saturday, 6 October 2007

Robert A. Callahan, Atty
Northwest Law Center
405 NW 18th Avenue
Portland OR 97209

Mister Callahan:

2008 shall mark ten years since Catherine Lynne Carter’s graduation from Reed College, and over ten years since she has spoken with me. For reasons related to her own mental condition and personal history, Ms. Carter has twice subpoenaed me and accused me of wanting to harm her for some vague reason she cannot articulate, despite a total lack of criminal violence in my past, a complete absence of threats against her or demands from her on my part. Just because I have certain technical skills does not mean I intend to use them, any more than someone with money plans to use it to buy cocaine.

It is moderately humiliating to have one’s personal pain made the subject of a public court proceeding, and in deference to Carter’s agitated mental condition at my last (compelled) appearance, I did not launch any substantive defense or objections. The statute you used against me gives great deference to the plaintiff, and Carter obviously needed some time and space to make sense of whatever was going on inside her head.

Carter has had the time and space she clearly needed, and I have paid the price in personal embarrassment and other ways for her conceited concept of herself as femme fatale and portrait of me as bogeyman. I doubt that she shall ever be well enough to apologize or have a civil conversation with me, but I ask that she mitigate this legal blemish against me by petitioning the court to rescind the protective order she was granted. Please file the papers to accomplish this before February 25, and have the entire affair completed before June 3, 2008.

Carter is a self-centered daughter of privilege and has twice used the law as a weapon against me. I hope never to see Catherine Lynne Carter again, but if I have to pay to see her in court I shall not be so respectful of her condition, dignity and privacy a third time.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Rory Bowman

Personal journal entry from Saturday morning, 13 January 2007.

Well, the inevitable other shoe in the whole CLC restraining-order thing dropped yesterday, and landed almost perfectly.

After the hearing I sent a letter letting her attorney know that I would be attending various arts events and such that I have avoided in the past, and that this might result in her seeing me more often than in the past. Since then I have attended several such events that were advertised on Tribe, but not seeing her at any of these. Last night, though, that changed.

There was a local benefit for a youth shelter at an art gallery just south of SBGI. Called “Covers and Blankets” the basic idea was that local musicians would do cover versions of songs and that admission would be $5 or a warm coat or blanket to be donated to the shelter. As a fan of cover songs generally and in the neighborhood already, I RSVP’d to an announcement/invite from someone called “Dale the Nail” and have been planning on attending for a while now. Checking the RSVP list I noted that KDB had said he would attend after me but I checked earlier in the day to be certain that CLC had not indicated her attendance. ASL is sometimes a bit jealous and suspicious of Tribe events, but I had convinced her it would be mellow and fun for a good cause.

At about 7:30 we left Bi-Mart with two large (queen-size), warm acrylic blankets of the sort that work well when damp or where things are drafty. We drove over and parked on the north side of the building. Approaching I did not see KDB’s truck and so we went around to the side (loading-dock) entrance where we deposited our “admission charge” slightly after 8 pm and walked in to hear some mellow-sounding covers. Seating seemed to be mainly on the floor around the stage and I noticed a bar with wine, so immediately headed over to buy a couple glasses for ASL and myself. The server started to explain that it was a warm Spanish red and I joked with her that she flattered me, as I could scarcely tell the difference, received my change, handed ASL her wine and turned around clockwise to look almost directly at CLC, who presumably also saw me.

As ASL was still turning from the bar to survey the room I said to her “I have to leave now. I legally cannot be here” and she looked puzzled until I gestured at CLC with my glass. “That is Kate,” I said, and turned clockwise again to head out the way I’d come.

We paused in the hallway headed back toward the entry, our undrunk wines still fresh in our hands. It occurred to me that I could not leave the building with the alcohol, nor realistically give it to Anja and expect her to find her own way home. I asked her if she would like to stay and have me pick her up later and she suggested going back to make sure it was CLC. I told her that she absolutely should NOT contact CLC on my behalf and that I needed to leave. I told her I had my phone and would be out in the van, but to take her time and finish up her wine. I then downed mine in two quick gulps and went out to the van where I waited for approximately five minutes until ASL came out and we went home.

At home we made a fire and had some chips and salsa instead. Ironically I also received a phone call from a stranger named Don who had seen one of my listings on Tribe and we talked for about thirty minutes about Tribe and David Deida and men’s work in the Portland area.

I’ll see what, if anything, CLC does with all this and how she chooses to portray it. I am confident, however, that I did exactly the right thing. I almost hope she pulls some sort of shit on this one, so that I can humiliate her in court. All in all, though, it was a very productive night.