well?

How thoughtful of you to ask. I'm visiting my dad tomorrow. Then I'm going into the District on Monday to listen to Vietnam vet nurses talk about their experiences over there. If it doesn't rain. Though I'm sure they're used to rain.

no plans as of yet, but bbq's sprout like weeds here in teh spring and summer, so im sure we'll get invited to a few. People love to BBQ in LA.

i'm building a fence. yippie!

Making good neighbors Nate? It's supposed to be cloudy & rain this whole weekend. It's already rained & been cloudy since last Sunday. I'm bummed about that but psyched about 3 days off.

I'm having a date. My man and I were talking about how we don't really date much anymore. So we're taking some time out to do that. A nice dinner, some hand-holding in the moonlight, maybe some additional foolishness later on (wink, wink). Oswald may be staying overnight with Crimson soon and he won't be there to keep us in line. Without guidance, we might accidentally misbehave.

nate, though it may not have seemed significant to you....it was to me, when you spoke of your break up with A and you said "we are really good at watching TV together". that had an impact on me.

you ok, patrick? why don't you email me.

Same thing I do every weekend....trying to take over the world. Probably helping Crimson & her old man move when I'm not doing that.

My mums back from Aussie and is coming to visit. I'm getting presents!

seeing u2. Getting laid. Sleeping in. sweeet.

now i've had my fill. wisper said it best (unfortunately, for the lot of you). nate second, pilate, 3rd, (pilate worship!). so, wisper, a girl after my own heart. not that i like girls or anything. not that you need to know or care. i just value someone who can paint the picture, keep it short, & get the point across, in the amount of time i have to take a piss, or less. gee, should i be screwing 19 year-old boys, or what? somehow, i do not think they can "paint" the picture. do you know what i mean? it's like the 3 minute pop song. you know, the ones the Beatles perfected? ya get my drift? short, sweet, getting laid, seeing a proper band, and sleeping it all away afterwards. wisper, i'm jealous.. oh yeah, for those of you that want to comment on my silly drunken rant, let me beat you to the punch: fuck you, you ass! oh yeah, i forgot, eat hot dick? (nate, this is where you come in on the adjectives, because you are adjective man, in the biggest baddest sense of the word) sweet

It's Eat Hot Fuck, you bloody, bloody fool. Jeez. Where's Gee, anyway?

I'm afraid your "eat hot fuck" and "fuck you,you ass" privileges have been revoked. Theres just nothing more annoying than someone who can't follow directions.

i'm chipping the hell out of concrete that won't come out in one piece. i am losing pounds of water per hour. i smell like a goat.

I smell like chlorine. I have a rather annoying goat. My fences are in good repair. I should be working,but am not.House cleaning is what is requiring my immediate attention.Pool party next week. New baby cockatoo to shower my attention on.I named her Quan Yen,after the Chinese goddess of compassion.She's cute,and cuddlely. I may get drunk tonight.

I AM DRUNK!! WOOOOO! I sunk all the posts today. i froze a maniquin (howver the fuck that is spelle.d) one of their hands. i sunk it half way into the cemement aorund a post. some future civilization will find that. i sunk two coors bottle caps in next to the hand. I DRANK COORS TODAY AND I AM PROUD> I AM NOW DRINKING MGD. I ORDERED A PIZZA. I AM VERY STONED. jeuss loves. i wish chris rock would do a movie called black jesus. he'd make his second coming and dismantle organized religion. he'd shoot the blood of christ from his stigmata and the host of the holy from his mouth. praise be the lord. amen. wu tang would play his disciples. that would kick ass. mesus rock i am loaded. piss. i wonder if the pizza came.

Nate,did you get the thing I emailed you?

holy shit. that post rocks... one of my coworkers and i have been planning a performance art piece called "the god game". details....later.

nate, you are hot dick!

almost forgot, you are probably hot fuck too. especially after mgd and pizza! wooooo

Nate is the avatar of the American Dream.

nate has built a fence. the tallest fence on my street. my street is 20 miles long. my fence is 8 feet tall. the reason exists... probably has to do with the county building code. now i'm going to go eat breakfast. with pork products.

MM PORK! i'm going to go build some gates now. i need two of them.

It was a glorious weekend from what looked fairly dismal in the beginning. A casual dinner on Friday night at a Vietnamese restaurant ended up being really amazing, not the least because I met someone interesting. After the restaurant closed, the owner took us into the kitchen and gave us a mock cooking class and we sat around on the benches talking and drinking vodka and dancing till 3.00am. I got on really well with this bloke who had worked as a UN medico in Vietnam for the last year. We ended up seeing each other a couple more times over the weekend, just for coffee on Saturday and then brunch on Sunday. Even if he'll probably turn out to be a bloody pedophile or something disastrous, it's been really nice just having someone who seems so enthusiastic about me without being sleazy. And he bought me a peace palm yesterday in the place of flowers. That's too adorable. He's certainly doing wonders for my fear of doctors (I just giggled then, ewwww).

I BUILT GATES! ALL DONE!

Ggo Cat go.

Go,cat,go

Hey, now he lives in a Nated community.

nyuk nyuk

I swam in a river downstream from the leakiest nuclear plant in the country. I lay out in the backyard in my underwear and got a very nice tan. I drank slushy margaritas next to an old-school portland rock star. now he's a high school english teacher, and we talked about the books he assigns in his african-american literature class -- "the color purple" and "their eyes were watching god" but not "invisible man." I ate pork, chicken, and beef. I went to the gym. I went to my parents' house and met my brother's girlfriend. she's very nice. I ran into an old flame and told him the truth, that I didn't know what my cell phone number was. I drove some backroads between seattle and portland and saw lots of pre-I-5 motels, with huge and beautiful neon signs. I used the bathrooms in several fast-food restaurants without buying anything.

I loved invisible man. I swam in the ocean. It was cold enough to freeze balls. Other than that, it was a pretty empty weekend. I saw a lot of movies and chilled with some friends.

i got laid etc., like i said. And may i add: i got *SO* laid sweet sweet sweeeet. thank you. oh, and U2 was great as well. the sex was better. sweet.

i slept all weekend. i was supposed to go to a party saturday night and a bbq monday, but i slept through them. i bored my cat. for some reason i couldn't get my email all weekend. whatever i got disappeared. i've got to buy more cat litter.

I saw Best in Show and Beyond the Mat. Both were really good. Beyond the Mat was a lot better than even I expected.

got drunk and watched Big Lebowksi with angrysam both a new shirt and pants at a vintage shop. printed movie stills went to a party, got drunk and had fun watching one of the hosts get even more ripped than i...as usual. went bowling with a grumpy friend, had my mojo messed with not only by her, but the dimwit couple next us that didnt understand the concept of proprietary balls nor knew how to work the scoreboard. My bowl mojo gets messed up when my ball is playing more than one game. Came home, after bad bowling time, and proceeded to get silly with the mrs until 4ish am drinking modelo and smoking hashish. watched Donnie Brasco and The Contender. The Contender was a fantastic movie...and further confirmed my idea the Gary Oldman is probably one of the best actors in hollywood. made a delightful pepper pasta chicken dish and fed sam and nico. drank black cherry Hansons and vodka all afternoon and filled out a survery from some dating service called Together. passed out on the couch, again. woke up with the sweetest pussy cat on my chest at 4am, purring wondering if i was going to get in the bed or not.

I wish I could wear my p'j's to the bowling alley like the Big Lebowski.I went to McFrugals and for $20 bucks I got the neatest lawn ornement of a dragon,it came in 4 parts,made of stone,I put it by the pool,it's so cool.Just hung out at home swimming,the baby loves the water.Watched movies.Saturday night Ryan and his girlfriend got into it and he came over Sunday morning already fucked up and drinking rum,we got into it and his dad took him back to his place,he can't understand why nobody wants anything to do with him,I think he and his psycho girlfriend are doing heroin.A girlfriend of mine moved back here from Vegas and she came over yesterday and we caught up on gossip and made prank phone calls useing the shit talker and we recorded them.Some people never grow up.

I'm back. For a couple weeks then off to Seattle on June 19 or so. No riding the wakes in tug boat races or wakening in the bottom of a Herreschoft this time, just work. What I did? mowed my lawn after replacing an 87 inch belt on my belly mower which broke while mowing in the woods earlier on Friday; planted 20 more echincea purpurea plants (white ones I think), a three inch long ginko bilboa root envisioning the sixty foot tree it will grow into; stuffed some goldenseal and bloodroot in the shady ground between house and garage; moved a miscellaneous and unused 500 gallon oil tank by yanking it around on a garden hose used as a tow line (strong hose); in a coed activity, staked my tomatoes with yellow surveyors' flagging tape; weeded my zucchini and squash by hand, and by myself; cooked chicken and entertained and played the digj and flute and drummed drummed drummed. And got bitten twice by a tick. Once on my left thigh, and once in an unmentionable spot. Next weekend I will mend the holes in my pants to avoid future encounters. Otherwise, not a lot happening.

i hiked up a small mountain during a downpour. got soaking wet and muddy. hiking in the rain is recommended. no bugs and the forest just radiates green in a way that you never see on a dry day. happy forest. never gave memorial day a second thought until today when i thanked a crusty, homeless veteran and gave him 10 bucks.

good man.

my sunday morning was spent muttering under my breath as we, "we" consisting of myself and 2 weekend houseguests, attempted to navigate out of the burbs and into the district of columbia for a day out and about. instead it was nothing but traffic jams and closed streets. i, being the forgettable sort that i am, had forgotten about rolling thunder. rolling thunder = hoards of bikers in town in honor of memorial day. long long long chains of endless bikers riding around with their unbelievably loud harley's, blocking traffic and creating jams everywhere, just by their shear strength in numbers. got caught in a minor downpour that didn't last all that long. saw bridget jones's diary. cute movie. walked around dupont circle. ate too much. drank too much. slept too much. had too much fun.

Where around DC are you, PetRock? I wanted to go into DC, but I ended up staying home and frying hamburgers in a skillet. Next year I'll go. Via Metro.

I live in Arlington but work in DC - near the White House. I'm tempted to go past on some future lunch hour and take pot-shots at the current resident. Of course I wouldn't want to have my knee shot out either, which is what I heard happened to the last guy who fired at Dubya. Where are you Spider?

I live near College Park now but am moving to Silver Spring in August, and I work in Bethesda. Have you been in the Left Bank in Dupont Circle? I love that store.

have you been to Politics and Prose which I belive is up near the zoo off connecticut? Or Vinyl Ink in Silver Springs?( i know ive asked you that before spider, but i forgot your answer)

Nope and nope. Vinyl Ink sounds promising. We just got ourselves a new turntable. I bought a Severin album I haven't listened to yet. I was kind of put off by the mature, solemn Alec Bourgeois pictured on the insert. When he was younger, he looked so warm and friendly in his pictures. Have you heard any of Andrew Beaujon's music? Solo or in Eggs?

Severin....wow i had a tape of theirs once...it was ok. i heard some of andrew's solo accoustic stuff. nothing special. I have almost all of eggs' albums. I love them a lot. did you know i exchanged letters with rob formerly of eggs and grenadine. I was in aband in NC called styrofoam ceiling...we recorded in greensboro. i met nico, left greensboro, and school, went back to raleigh. the fellas had to get a greensboro drummer. they did and went to DC and Rob from eggs produced another 4 song recording. the subsequent styrofoam 7" (didnt i send you one?) has a song from our recording and 1 from robs. the replacement drummer went to nyc and now plays in aband with the former lead singer of Jonathan FireEater. Oh and uh...the letter right....i was inquiring about eggs and them needing a new drummer...but then rob told me andrew was leaving to do solo stuff. at that time nico and i were considering moving to dc, but we opted for atlanta. and thats when accustat was formed. as a matter of fact, this weekend i pulled out all my old 7"s. Unfortuantely my turntable crapped out...but it was a blast from the past going through my 7"s mostly of the dc influence...lots of eggs, grenadine, unrest, tsunami (i used to be in love with jenny toomy), swirlies, fugazi...some emocore stuff like cringer, fuel and a few green day 7" (pre sell out) oh and speaking of obscure ian mackaye stuff....have you ever heard or seen the Egghunt 7" or how about Skewbald? i hate that my turntable pooped out. vinyl ink is promising. the largest purchase i made there was a minor threeat 7"...it was one half of the first/self titled album. I paid $80 for it and sold it for $100 i think.

I got a Sony turntable about 6 years ago new,but I had to look all over the place to find one.

mine is a fairly decent technics, but i im thinking the belt went. it gets a lot of use.

pre sell out greenday sucked too. goddamnit. greenday. i saw them at gilmore st in berkeley. they sucked. i hate greenday. just ignore me. it's personal.

You didn't send me one, Patrick. I've heard of Egghunt and Skewbald, but never heard them.

oh shit. you the diehard Ian Mackaye fugazi fan "because their so damn honest" here... egghunt order this 7", its fucking good. he and jeff did this right after minor threat, in or around the time they did embrace and before fugazi. and take this too dammit skewbald dont let the skewbald fool you, one of the sides is completley blank. there is onyl one song on this. email me your address and i'll see if i can get you out a 7". out of 1000 printed, i only have about 6 or 7 left....your the kind of honey id like to give one to. and yes pre sell out greenday was nothing to write home about. and they never really have been. but one emocore band that i i just recalled that is, was Jawbreaker. They were critical in my teenage emotional developement, making me the sensitive, sappy walked-upon prick i am today.

I'm a fan of Ian, the man, not his music. I only have one Fugazi album (agh! don't hit me!), but I read every interview and article about him I can find. I just might listen to you and get those records, though. I'll email you my address. Thank you, sweetie.

im thinking the egghunt songs are better than any fugazi song ive ever heard. did you ever find that video i suggested...another state of mind?

Noooooo....I'll probably have to look for it on eBay. I have Fugazi's End Hits. Where does that rank in the scheme of things?

dunno, never heard that one. i just have repeater, which is my favorite, a couple of 7"s, In on the Kill Taker which is good, i used to have a bunch of others on cassette, such as their first self-titled one, margin walker and steady diet of nothing. here ya go Another State of Mind

Thank you, I think I'll get that.

there's a local guy that put out an album called "margarine walker" featuring him on the cover perfectly parodying the margin walker cover except, of course, he has margarine smeared on his face. i haven't heard the music and probably don't need to. speaking of parodies, has anyone heard the squirrels, "the not-so-bright side of the moon"? it's actually better than it should be.

What are you folks doing for Labor Day? I'm seeing friends and family....*yawn*....but the highlight of the weekend is going to be getting this really nice yarn at the yarn place near my dad's house and starting on making Xmas presents. The type of yarn I'm after is called Manos de Uruguay -- check that link out to see some of the colors it comes in. It's hand-dyed and handspun wool, and *really* beautiful. Right now I'm using two of its colors to crochet a scarf -- one is a variegated dye that's mostly red but with bits of purple, orange, and brown (possibly the "Canyon" or "Autumn" colors shown on the webpage linked above)....the other is almost solid purple but with bits of magenta. I wish I could take a picture of it -- I'm so proud of it! It looks like a blend of wildflowers. I'm going to give it to my mom for her birthday in a few weeks.

My mom is coming to visit, but I don't know what we'll do yet.

Woah damn. Three day weekend incoming! How do these things sneak up on me? . Uh... No plans.

this is a rare three day weekend, because I will actually have money. Before, i got paid on the first business day of the month, so labor day and memorial day and 4th of july were always long weekends with no money

I am going to clean my apartment and finish some work I need to do before classes start. I have to meet with the new grad students on Saturday. If they have time, I may get to meet the Patrick clan on Saturday night. Nothing exciting though I did get my loan check so maybe a little shopping fun.

Friday evening I get my tattoo....woo hoo. But I don't know what the plans are for Sat. and Sun. All I know is that I won't be swimming, but I might go to the pool and watch everyone else swim. Dip my feet in the water, so long as my tat doesn't get wet. Monday night my best friend S is going to get here from MO, well from Denton, where her parents are. We will stay up all night drinking and talking probably. Dancing in the living room while Spunky tries to sleep. It's all good. Then hang out on Tuesday and she will leave on Wed. morning. She does change her plans constantly, though, so I have no idea what to expect.

tomorrow 10am. delta rocket to the A T L where the playas play. stop by grammys in lilburn on our way to duluth to stay at aunt & uncle's mansion. have some beers with sis, aunt, uncle. saturday, go back to grammys in lilburn to spend time. sat early evening, possibly have dinner with kazuey, spend the rest of the evening at sis's house in duluth. drinking beers, talking shit and old times. my brother will harrass me to smoke dope with him like he's still fourteen and just got his first sack. sunday, bbq at aunt & uncle's, most of the day. early monday a.m. drive 6 hours to Fayetteville NC..home of the 82nd Airborne OOOORAH!. Begin miserable stay in that dreadful town with a bbq at Nico's folks house. Her 27 aunts & uncles, and 930 cousins will be joining. more visiting to Wed morning. drive 6 hours back to the A T L where the playas play for a delta super jet back to LA. this is no fucking vacation. we're just the carrier pigeons delivering a precious little buddha for all to pinch, kiss, and mutter too.

My new pair of giant congas should be here by Friday. Hopefully I will be happily jamming away.

eri's folks used to say that we were no use to them without the girls

it only just occurred to me I have monday off. However, I was well aware that since it's a holiday, the city now moves garbage collection back a day until the next holiday. Ishn't dot VEIRD?

Dammit, sem. You've got me saying "Ishn't dot viert" all the time now. I keep seeing John Travolta saying that in my head.

heh. suckas.

Maybe this will distract you: http://www.fvza.org/index.html

Working. I'm pretty sure. There is a big bicycle picnic though.

Uhh... Work, work, and yes thats right, More work.

You know the world would stop functioning if all the bartenders had a night off.

Esp. on a three day weekend.

How rare.

how do you start being a bartender? i mean, do bars hire people with no experience? do you have to go to some school? do you just explain that you're a good drinking with a lot of amateur experience at mixing drinks?

I see ads for bartending training courses on the backs of our weekly paper.

Many of those are scams. Or nearly so.

hal, you can start barbacking....you know. washing dirty glasses, restocking the booze and what not and sorta of work your way into things. it is possible to work a bar without having bartending training. especially if its a beer and wine bar

A friend of mine got started bartending by doing favors for drinks, like emptying ashtrays and bussing tables, when she asked for an application at karaoke one night, they hired her on the spot, no bartending expirience. In Oregon at least, you have to take a test and get a licence (or have one already) within three weeks of starting the job.

We have a course at the local tech. Tonight I am having leaving work drinkies. Its also Tarn's birthday. I imagine there will be many many drinks.

Patrick why the hell are you telling me that? I'm already a bartender.

As for the ads in the local paper about Bartending "schools." Those fuckin things are scams, basically the people I know who are doing it did what Patrick said.... Or they know people. The trick is to get a bar to know you, once everyone knows your ass, as soon as they have a position avalible BAM your in like Flynn. The trick after that is keeping your job, I know quite a few people who made it only a week or so in the bartending business, its not all cake and smiles ya know. But I dig it.

Your on it like blue bonnet Hal,that's how I started at the Baseline,we served mixed drinks but it was mostly a wine and beer bar.It helps to know a lot of dirty jokes.

Dirty Jokes, Some card tricks, match tricks are good too. Also the ability to drink a Prairie Oyster with a straight face comes in uber fuckin handy.

I bought steaks and took them to Amee's and we had a nice little cookout,Heather had to work,but was going to stop by when she got off work.We left around 5 p.m. Heather went there at 7 p.m. and Amee was already asleep,but Heather got her steak at least.

It pissed rain all weekend. My mom and I went to see Whale Rider (very good) and Dirty Pretty Things (also very good) and we went shopping. that's about it.

Going to San Diego. "This sprawling, luxurious, 44-acre Garden of Eden-like tropical island oasis sits on an island within Mission Bay Aquatic Park, San Diego’s premiere water-sport playground. Public areas are chic and atmospheric—a successful marriage of South Seas paradise and California cool that beckons groups and vacationers. There’s a lot of walking involved, but the scenery is magnificent. Amenity highlights: Lagoons, ponds, pools, waterfalls, grassy expanses, and exquisite gardens blanket the hotel grounds. Guests can lounge along the sandy beach on Paradise Cove, or at any of the five outdoor pools. The main pool with huge lagoon is encircled by sand, and adjacent is an elegant spa and salon that offers a full menu of body and beauty treatments. Waterfront dining options include a fine seafood restaurant or a casual bar and grill. A variety of water sports can be arranged on site. Insider tip: It’s not uncommon for guests to occasionally get lost while navigating this vast property. When venturing out, it’s a good idea to keep the hotel map handy. Nonetheless, bell staff will come to the rescue and shuttle wayward wanderers to their destinations." Ok.....like, Im never coming back.

Sounds sweet. I've never been to San Diego. Must go one day. Can't you get down to Mexico pretty easily from there too?

Yeah, TJ is about a 20 minute drive, but TJ is tacky I hear, so, Its no rush for me. San Diego is fucking nice d00d. Its right on the water and the weather is pristine.

I believe that I will watch movies this weekend. I think i will go to the buck theater tonight and see A Mighty Wind, then maybe catch something at the regular theater as a matinee. MAybe rent a couple flicks. I've been wanting to see Donnie Darko for a while. Pretty much, I need distractions to keep me from missing Kazu too much and feeling awful. It will probably be until the end of the month before we can see each other again, because I can't take the time off of work until then.

I'm working (overtime, for the money). I might go to a movie in the evening -- Pirates of the Caribbean, maybe? I did want to see that again.

See Darko. Best mind fuck in a long time, and a great soundtrack. (If you're into the subtle understated moody thang...)

Today I'm: Working four hours Picking up my fixed cruiser (hooray for Notorious!) Buying thick white paper and crochet thread for making photo albums Going to see my housemate's show and helping him celebrate his 30th birthday afterwards Tomorrow I'll: Have the day off Buy white blinky lights to make a new lamp Organize and clean my room, boxing up some things for the IPRC garage sale Go to the C.H.U.N.K.athlon Take pictures Karaoke? Sunday I'll: Work all day

Somewhere in there on all three day's I'm going to try practicing guitar.

Oh no! It's the attack of the vagrant apostrophe!

The grammar deficit is spreading....look out! I think I'll see American Splendor on Saturday. Sunday I have to crochet my mom a scarf for her birthday on Tuesday. I've gotten about 12 inches done so far, so I can probably finish it all in one day. It's nice, but not as nice as I'd hoped. It's striped -- one set is a teal-ish blue color, the other set is a mix of that same blue, turquoise, navy, and gold. I think she'll like it, though -- it's more her taste than mine.

tonight i have a beach bonfire party type thing to attend. a short walk from here, so i can get hammered and not have to worry about remembering how i got home. i'll play guitar and woo and try out my newest pasttime - going home alone. turning down beautiful women is so much fun. tomorrow i'm going to see if i can fit all the spare change hanging around my house into my lower GI. sunday i'm inviting the neighborhood over for a penny swallowing contest. it's a trick.

Praise the UBC.

i think the united baptist church can praise itself just fine.

UCB, I'm full on dyslexic wtih a keyboard. I had to retype both of these sentences multiple times.

united christian broadcasting? united cricket board?

UnCouth Bloke?

Work, work, and more work. On Monday, I'll get off work drink a few beers, and pass out till about 5 or 6ish PM. Thats when I'll wake up, hit Sorabji in my underwear, eat something, shower and prepare to do nothing till Wednesday night. I think I might rent a movie or two, but other then that I don't plan to leave my house if I can avoid it.

I don't know what I'll be doing. But I sure as hell won't be on the Internet... . Still no gots the hookup at my new place. . I wanna go home. Two more hours to go. On Friday. Sting.

I'm probably going to obsess about food. Sorry. And thats all I have planned apart from trying to either go to the gym, or convince Pandyr to take me to the beach for a walk. woof. good dog.

Yeah, finally a good weekend, but because of the hurricanes down south, the waves are supposed to be like 10-12 feet. Not exactly great for swimming or boating, but I guess the surfer dudes like it. I think the Oyster Bay festival might be this weekend -- I always go to that every year. Will have to check. Otherwise, will take orders from the wifey.

Well FUCK.... Just found out through various channels that the little sisters are planning a suprise visit.... FUCK!!! Why on a friday, work is going to blow my nuts tonight.

So I've got everything (and then some, I visited friend J at his store, I met the new anarchist clown house, I ate, I'm switching light mounts fron one bike to another) done that I've meant to do today, minus practice guitar and I still have an hour before I need to leave the house. Hal's got monsters.

Working my ass off as well because one of our fuckwit employees left us in the lurch. Also getting overtime (2x, because I am just special that way).

Tomorrow evening is the company "picnic". At the sports park. I will not be swimming or playing sand volleyball (cuz of the tat) and will have fun explaining my way out of those :) Maybe, if I am lucky, I will get the laundry done on Sunday and iron Spunky's shirts for his business trip.

I wish we had got together on this Patrick,I love San Diego,eat at Anthoney by the wharf,tankedd,very taanked.

Well... I was going to go out tonight, get drunk and what not till I found out one of my regulars and his father apparently want me dead... WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!?! Seriously, my boss this morning tells me that this guy named Warren has apparently threatened my life as well as my bosses life. Jesus, I haven't seen the drunk asshole in over 2 months. The last time I saw him, I cut his drunk ass off. He was plowed and couldn't stand up under his own fuckin power. Fuck him, if he wants it, he can bring it. My morals against fucking up an old man have just gone straight out the window.

Hal, it's a sign. Get out of Montana. Now.

I didn't do anything I had planned to do this weekend. I came into the office on Sat. but got no work done. I can't remember what I did in the afternoon. I came home and found my Mr. Show Season 3 DVD had arrived, so I spent the rest of the evening watching that and crocheting. Yesterday, I was in a fantastic mood in the morning -- the weather was gorgeous, the sun was shining brightly, the streets were quite....ahhhh. I went to church, and then I went shopping and bought lots of fish and a cast-iron grill thingy that you heat up on your stove. I made salmon in the afternoon, and it was great. I watched the Masterpiece Theatre version of E. Nesbitt's "The Railway Children" (and crocheted) -- so cute. Then I spent the rest of the evening thinking about my trip and looking at road maps.

Bah, its not the first time my life has been threatened and nor will it be the last time either. It just puts me in defensive mode. ie: always on guard to do something completely fucked up and crazy at a moments notice to confuse and bewilder those trying to do me harm. Over the years, I've become a very quick thinker on my feet in these matters. The last time this occured I set a man on fire, that seemed to have done the trick and since has become somewhat of a legend. This time, much like the last, I have no plans. Plans seem to get in the way, and never work, they always get bungled one way or another. Be on your guard, and when something bad happens react. Pure and simple. I have neither the time, money, nor the motivation to leave Montana yet. And frankly I'm lonely enough as it is, even with the people that I know around here. The last thing I need to do is pick-up leave, and be lonely again for 6 or 7 months. I'm not the greatest person at meeting people if you haven't noticed.

Humbug. If you know at least one person, it becomes much easier. Meeting people. "Hello, howzit?" "Great, yeself?" Listen for a moment if you can. Drink with them, dance with them. Have a grand old time. Just stop thinking about who you are and think about how great the people you're meeting are. People are fascinating, you just gotta make them think you're cool.

And make them not want to kill you :)

And make them want to buy you drinks.

And don't set them on fire.

Hal, I was just talking with someone this weekend about how you are generally pretty good at the first impression thing... . It's only later that you set them on fire and they want to kill you. . And what's the deal with not showing up for Wadd's birthday party? I thought you'd be there.

"And make them want to buy you drinks." Buy you drinks, not just get an extra glass. That is, if you're drinking something other than beer.

I'd have been there TBone, but I didn't get the call until right before I had to go to work. If I had heard the phone ring and woke up I'd have been there. I need to call him and let him know. I don't want to make people think I'm cool, if they don't like me then chances are after a certain period of time, I'm just going to piss them the fuck off. I ham who I ham. I'll give you a dollar tuesday for a hamburger today.

Not good enough. If you don't like people, that's almost a good enough answer, but not quite. There's a social butterfly in its pupa inside of you, Hal, I just know it. We must let it FLY!

And make them not want to "swat" it.

I used to hate people (People, humanity) when I was younger. Then I went through three- or four-year period in which I loved People. Now I feel neutral-sliding-towards-dislike regarding People. I'm trying to get back to the love, but it's not as easy this time. I'd like to believe that most people are trying their best to live a good life and if they screw up occasionally...well, hell, don't we all? But I don't believe that. Some people are trying their best; the rest don't give a shit and live a life equivalent to driving blindfolded, running people over without knowing it and not even trying to be careful. It bothers me very much that I think this way -- it makes me feel that I'm a complete failure at loving God and being the person He wants me to be, which the most important goal in my life. And now I'm depressed. A new job will help, I know it.

This is cheesier than I meant it to be. I think there is a huge difference between how you feel about people and how you think about people. Of course, the two are related, but they don't have to be the same thing. Humanity can be frustrating. I think it's okay to be frustrated. That's not the same as hatred. The idea that you have to suspend your feelings in favor of some blanket emotion about all mankind is dehumanizing. It denies the complexity of what it means to be human. It's unhealthy. I think we need to get past simple binaries like love/hate and find "the love" in small, but consistent places. Just because you can't FEEL "the love" doesn't mean it's not there. We are complicated, contradictory human beings. We make mistakes and fail at our attempts to be who we are. Personally, I think some frustration is fueled by wanting people to live up to their true potential and then being crushed when they don't. Just believing that people have potential, there is love in that. I think so. I figure as long as my negative feelings don't obscure my ability to think logically and make good decisions, I am doing okay. Of course it happens, but I try to be conscious of the relationship between the thinking and feeling parts of my brain. I generally dislike people. I just try not to judge them.

That was good, and not cheesy. Thanks, kazu.

I watched Amelie for the first time recently, Spider, and she made me think of you.

What was she like?

Have you not seen it? YOU MUST! Rent it tonight.

Okay! Sheesh. :)

It's imperative.

yes. I never made the connection before, but you're right on, agatha. Spider is our amelie. Hal seems to be on the path to be joseph, Dominique Pignon's character. And Nate could be seen to be headed towards the Glass man. Who is Hipolito? Who is Nino?

Ooh, now I'm really interested. I'll seriously try to get it tonight.

Ignorance is bliss. Intelligence is pain.

Ok, you're already there. I suppose that would make Lapis Gina, then.

Only by association.

I've seen the movie at least 4 times and I can't remember who's who by their names. Most movies are like that for me.

This weekend im trying to to make it to the local golf driveing range,where you just smash the shit out of a golf ball,drive it as far and as fast as you can,and give rude gestures to the God dam Jap golfers.

I just hate Jap golfers,they have this air of superiority

son, this is what happens when you FUCK A STRANGER UP THE ASS.

I didn't get a chance to rent the movie, but I'll try tonight. I have to go for an MRI on my hand today. Please send good vibes my way, that I don't feel claustrophobic and have a panic attack.

Just pretend you're the guest star on Star Trek.

I should have been practicing meditation techniques to prepare for this, or something. Somebody hold me. :~(

aw...it'll be okay spider i like the star trek idea [also a good reason to move nearer to people]

it's fun, spider. and when you're done you can see a picture of the inside.

NATE, I DONT HATE ALL JAPS,just the ones that look down there noses at me on the golf driveing range.

Nate,just for the record,most Jap golfers are SHIT.

Where are you from again, V.v.?

NATE,ALLTHOUGH I MUST ADMIT,JAP GIRLS ARE REAL GOOD AT SEX.

YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION FUCKFACE!!!

Dougie,Im a very rich Lithuanian,liveing in London,England.

HOW RICH?

Fudge rich?

Dougie,i come clean with you right,so tell me,what are you,and who are you?i have this feeling you misunderstand me,i mean you no disrespect, or to any other sorabji,why are you giveing me this verbal shit?Whats this FUCK FACE SHIT?If i were to speak to you in such a crude way, would you not also be offended?Have i done something to offend you?Now tell me,what part of the world are you from,and why do i offend you?

Dougie,TBone,abought ten million American dollers,is that rich where you are?

Dougie,you still dont tell me,where are you,and what are you?TBone i understand and accept,its YOU im interested in.

Vv, I am a nigerian banker. I have a little problem. I have 160 Billion USD trapped in a small metal tank in the Oshkosh, WI. I think that is in WI. Anyway, I need your help. If you can deposit 1 Million USD into my bank account, the 160 Billion USD will be, as if on the wings of angels, transported into your bank account. As payment for your services I will give you 10% of my money, or 452 Billion USD. Please help me. My money is scared and would really like to see the angels. If you do not comply, our dogs will eat your intestines and our women will hit you about the head with their shoes. Sincerely, Santa Claus Sinister Minister of Information and Nigerian Banking

damn you naticus i just spit my water out

Nate,IF YOUR A NIGERIAN BANKER,IM SENDING MY GOONS AFTER YOU.

YOU AINT NO BETTER THAN THE MORMONS THAT KNOCK ON MY DOOR WHEN IM IN THE CRAPPER.

Can I be your dog?

very nice you sure are a funny fella, clever even. vv- 10 million USD ain't rich in london, england :P

I'm an 'murican, living in Long Island, NY, V.V. I'm unrich.

Heather,i like you a lot,you know that,but real estate prices in London are about 3 or 4 times higher than America.

Dougie,Long Island sounds real cool to me,and it cant be more creepy than London,its full of muggings,bank raids and rapes,not to mention vast amounts of litter and illegal immigrants.We also have no go areas,like Brixton,if you go at night,you wake up in hospital the next day[minus your rolex]i got no hate for blacks,right, but for Brixton read Harlam.Just the other day,i allmost got shot in the guts by a bank robber,as it was,the robber shot some ,ol boy in the guts,not me.Im dam lucky to be alive.Right on bro.

Fantastic.

Heather,you need to get to London,when it comes to real estate prices,America is a third world country.

TBone,i wish to God it was fantastic,and not daily life.

J,dog?you must be joking,read dog backwards and it reads GOD,Thats more like you,YES?

Spider, did you have to go all the way in the MRI just to get your hand done? and if not.....fuck you! I've spent 2 hours total in those things, and it's so boring. And loud. And the second time i had to get day-glo green dye injections. Cat scans, those are interesting. All floaty and spinny and sci-fi. Anyhoo, what's up with your hand?

this weekend i signed up for yoga classes at the YMCA. I'm nervous! So i went for a short, cheap 6 week session before comitting to anything major and deep at the local Yoga centre. I think there's 2 yoga centres around here. It's a yoga town. Actually, it's an affluent town, and the soccer moms love the yoga. And i hate the affluent moms. Honestly, one afternoon at work i overheard two women talking about maids like they were comparing makes of cars. (How a world-recognized visual art school still manages to flourish here, i'll never know. They built it as far back from the road as possible in the middle of a field. The town hates the students and doesn't hide it at all. There is no student housing and no transit discounts.....not that it matters to me anymore but it's still lame...) anyway, yoga on the 22nd. Yoga sarah, YOGA!

Yoga is good,we all need to take on board new stuff.,to stay alive.TIE CHI IS ALSO GOOD.

vv- you confuse me i was saying that london is expensive, that's all and no offenc/se, but it was nate who were the clever one, if only by a little.

10 Million..... I call SHINANIGAINS!!!!

I didn't get the MRI. Let me explain. The technician showed me the tube and pointed out that it's open at both ends, and, "See, you can see the windows and trees on that end." I thought I would be lying on my back with my head sticking out at that end, looking up through the windows at the trees, while the machine scanned my hand at my side. The guy asked me if I got claustrophobic in elevators, and I said no. He told me to lie down on the table face-down and slide my right hand into the strap in front of the pillow. I could rest my chin on the pillow behind my hand, or keep my head turned to the side. He gave me foam earplugs to protect my ears from the noise and told me the procedure would take 45 minutes. I put the earplugs in and get on the table, get situated, and the table slides into the tube. My head was in the middle of the tube, and the diameter was so narrow that my arms touched the sides. I stayed there for about a minute and then slid out. I couldn't do it. Frankly, I don't understand how anyone can do it, and I only pray that I never need an MRI to diagnose a life-threatening condition. It's like being in a coffin. I was actually shaking from head to foot when I got out of the machine. I apologized to the technician, who had come running in, and I said I'd have to reschedule and have an open MRI done at another office. So then I go home, call the two open MRI places in the area, and find out neither of them will do an open MRI on my hand. They both say I'll just have to have a closed MRI and just take some Valium beforehand. Fuck that. I'd have to be unconscious to get back in that machine. What I want to know is, how the hell is an elevator the test for claustrophobia? You're in the elevator for, like, a minute at most, and it's a big open space you can walk around in. How does that compare with lying immobile in a 2 ft. wide tube for 45 minutes or more?

Oh, but last night, I watched "Amelie," and I loved it. Agatha, you flatter me with your comparison. She's much cuter than I am (inside and outside), but I did relate very much to her inner life and the games she created and her fear of making that final connection with Nino. She also has eyes as dark as mine, which I don't often see. Hal is Joseph, yep. Which one was Gina? Lapis would be the woman behind the cigarette counter. Was that Gina or Georgette? Nate would be Hipolito, because they're both writers. Droopy is the glass bone man. Sarah would be the woman who owns the Two Windmills, because they're both experienced in love. (Though Sarah's not cynical.)

No, I figured Lapis as Gina, the waitress, not the cigarette counter girl. Georgette, maybe that's Platypus. You're dead on with everything else though, I think.

I'm who now? What the hell are you people talking about?

You're right -- Lapis exhibits none of Georgette's hypochondria. I think Platypus should be the airline stewardess who travelled the world with the garden gnome, since Platy's been to lots of places. We don't have a Nino here, sadly. *sigh*

I also appreciated the fact that this movie was made by the same guys who did "The City of Lost Children" and "Delicatessen," and featured some of the same actors.

One more thing!! I went to IMDB.com to look at the specs and trivia for this movie (http://imdb.com/title/tt0211915/trivia) and learned that the artist who painted those portaits of the goose and the dog on Amelie's bedroom wall were painted by Michael Sowa.... I have 6 postcards of Michael Sowa's paintings tacked up in my office, and I have more at home! (I got them in a shop in Boston.) Is that not cool or what? 4 belong to a set that follow a little rabbit around a German city, one is of a tiny pig wallowing in a bowl of soup, and the other is of a bunch of potatoes walking down a rural street.

I think Dominique Pignon's been in all of his movies. Rufus was in Delicatessan. The city of lost children and Alien Resurrection both had Ron Perlman (who will be appearing as Hellboy next - what a fantastic casting that is!)

One of the bunny pictures. The pig in soup. Another pig I have at home. The goose and the dog from the movie.

If we had a Nino, he'd be a lurker. Or pretending not to be Nino.

Again... Still lost here.

Hal must be the slow-witted grocer's assistant.

Hal isn't positive enough.

spider, the MRI is going to take a mental revolution that you're just going to have to conjur up. id take the valium, it might help. can you sleep during an MRI? maybe you could just close your eyes before hand, do some meditation and not open your eyes until you are done. try not to think of it too much though. im sure you can do it.

See, the thing is, if it were for 10 minutes, I maybe (maybe) could do it. No amount of valium, unless I were unconscious, is going to keep me from freaking out over the fact that I'm stuck there for 45 minutes. That's a long damn time. (I don't think I could lie still in my bed for 45 minutes, forget an environment that suffocates me.) I was told the noise sounds like a jackhammer -- even if I were calm I couldn't sleep through that. I know it sounds like I'm a big baby, and I'm ashamed of myself for not being able to handle it. I had no idea it would upset me so much. When I saw my uncle (who is an oncologist, not a rheumatologist, but still) last month, he said the MRI was unnecessary -- anyone could see that it was a synovial cyst, and all that needs to be done is for someone to stick it with a needle and drain it. If my doctor doesn't agree, forget it. My mobility isn't affected....it just hurts to write after a while.

who's the grocer though? c'mon, you can do it!

Spunky. We do love to play tricks on him. Cyst is the tall hot chick from the video store.

Mark is the photo booth repair man.

Excellent!

those pigs are scary

Nate is the dude (actually 4 dudes) in the photograph that talk to Amelie in the same scene with the paintings.

Who are you?

I don't think I am in the movie. Sometimes I feel like one of the clones in City of Lost Children though, and sometimes I feel like Ron Perlman's character.

(You know, it's funny. I relate so well to Amelie's fixation on her inner life, and I've just been talking with Nelly and Kazoo on WAYD about being so focused on your inner life that you're oblivious to the outside world. Yet the thing that bothered me most about the MRI was that I felt completely confined within myself. I felt like that guy in the Metallica "One" video -- no arms and legs, blind, deaf, and dumb...completely isolated within himself, like my flesh was my own tomb. I couldn't move, I couldn't hear, and I kept my eyes shut. It was torture. If only someone had been touching my foot, I think I would have been fine.)

Ron Perlman's character rocks. Radiator.

OOps, got my pronouns mixed up in there...ah, well.

Maybe I'd be the newspaper woman or an extra. I don't really feel like a character from the movie, at least not one that's represented.

it's not how YOU feel, its how OTHERS percieve you.

Oh.

Spider - :( email me!

I am going to clean the house this weekend. I need to remember to pick up Kazu's pottery and some new sponges. There's something else too, but I can't think of what it is. I am also going to go see American Splendor, maybe tonight.

I saw Ghost World last night. I got it when I got Amelie because I remembered that when it came out, my best friend saw it and told me the characters reminded her of the two of us when we were in high school. I wanted to compare Agatha's perception of me to R's. I liked the movie a lot, but I don't think the characters were much like us, save for the crushing negativity and fondness for drawing. We were much smarter and much more culturally aware. For starters, we never would have failed *art* class, for God's sake. I did know girls in high school and in college who were exactly like that horrible girl in Enid's art class, and they talked in that same tone of voice and everything.

Spider,most art teachers are gay,mine was,and you could easy get an A if you let him slip his hand down your pants whilst he gave you a lift home in his car [i allways declined his kind offer]yet i still turned out to be a dam fine artist and sculptor.

Snicker,"cough"post that art V.v,you really got me going,you got me till I can't sleep at night.Remmember the Kinks?

I saw Dirty Pretty Things this weekend -- I can't say I enjoyed the experience, but it was very well done. The acting, the direction, the story, and the cinematography were all great. This weekend -- Lost in Translation. I can't wait!

I saw Dirty Pretty Things this weekend -- I can't say I enjoyed the experience, but it was very well done. The acting, the direction, the story, and the cinematography were all great. This weekend -- Lost in Translation. I can't wait!

The weekend begins now for me: First priority: Sleep Second Priority: TBD

This weekend.....hmmmm....my friends daughter is having a birthday party on Saturday, Pagan Pride Day is Saturday and drumming circles are on Saturday night.....don't know which ones I am going to do yet. Sunday I am having a reading done :) That should be interesting.

i can't wait to see lost in translation. a friend of mine has some francis ford connections and managed to catch an early screening of it (actually, i think the screening was at george lucas's skywalker ranch. ooo, name dropping.) anyway, she said it is one of the best movies she's seen. which is impressive.

I just saw American Splendor yesterday, and it was fantastic. There was one scene that totally reminded me of Kazu, but since she hasn't seen it yet, I won't say what scene it is. This saturday, I am going to my first ever Subgenius devival, in Indianapolis. There is supposed to be a real killer space/surf rock band and fine ranting and weirdness.Plus Hal Robins will be there! That guy RULES.

this weekend is the austin city limits music festival. i'm taking friday off work.

I just found out Lost in Translation is playing at the theatre down the street tonight at 5:00 -- I'm seeing it today!

That looks like fun Sarah. Too bad I didn't know about it in advance, but then again, I already have a lot of stuff going on this weekend that I can't really get out of.

I'm so glad you liked Amelie, Spidey! I can't believe it took me so long to see it. I started class this weekend. I have already identified my annoying classmates. My ass is going to be so kicked the next 3 years. It's been nice knowing you all.

I forgot that you were going to be down here over the weekend. I'll send you my phone number.

That's okay, I really didn't have time for anything at all. I want you to take me to Scrap next time, though. Also, is your friend Greg a librarian or a library worker? I want to interview him.

Greig is a zine librarian. He works at the IPRC, cataloging the wonderful ziney goodness. You'll love SCRAP. I wonder if Molly works on weekends? She's cool and SCRAP is funfun fun.

Mavis used to work at SCRAP. You should ask if they remember Mavis. If they ever knew her, they will say yes. Tell them Mavis got married.

I think they moved between then and now. I'll ask though. Does Mavis know Molly? How is Mavis anyway? She hasn't been around in ages.

I don't know if she knows Molly. Was Molly there in 1997-2000? That's about the time Mavis lived out there, roughly. Mavis is ok, I think. we don't get to talk much any more. I think she does not have ready access to a computer.

Molly I met in early 2002, on my birthday. She's been working there for some time, she's the volunteer coordnator I think. She's fabulous. There was a book made, DIY in PDX that had an interview and it talked about how she lived in a log cabin for a year in Canada.

I bet she knows Mavis then.