Even after years of prowling, the intrigue of the kiosk continues to fascinate the Prowler. Even the origin of the word is unusual. It goes back through French and Turkish to the Persian kushk, which interestingly enough, referred to a castle or palace.
Here in LG, the reference is to those little wooden structures, six or seven feet tall, on which bulletins and flyers seem to collect as if by magic. Have you ever seen anyone tacking something up? Not I, said the fly. Obviously, though, some hardy souls brave the elements--fliers, stapler and thumbtacks ready to obscure a request for a new roommate with an advertisement for a new diet plan.
Casing the kiosks at N. Santa Cruz Avenue and Highway 9 and E. Main Street near the Neighborhood Center, this cat took pen in paw and noted a striking variety of people, places, things and ideas (isn't that the definition of a noun?) available.
Interested in a new career? You can become a folk-guitar player, kickboxer, travel agent or bodyguard with the pull of a pamphlet. How about self-improvement? You can drop pounds, build muscle, eat super bluegreen algae, take art classes or learn meditation and yoga when you stop at the kiosk shop.
While you're away from home doing these neat new things, you can sign up for "super budget" voicemail to take messages in your absence, or hire a professional homesitting service to care for your pets, plants and give your home that "lived in" look.
A particularly amusing bulletin was for a poster distribution service that reads: "Think of all the things you could be doing if you weren't putting up posters." Apparently you can now pay someone to waste their time for you. Also catching this cat's eye was a flyer for a computer program that generates random poetry. "The pink squirrel oinks by the leafy newt" was one example.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 31, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved