winter reads... I think this free time, as well as being stuck at my parents house has made my head whirl. I am honestly A.D.D, except for that last Carver book. So I'm really reading a few things at once. On top of the Underland Chronicles, Ender's Game, etc. a REALLY FUVKING good graphic novel that I found used a work and am reading it REALLY slow cause I dont want it to end...



"Meet Asterios Polyp: middle-aged, meagerly successful architect and teacher, aesthete and womanizer, whose life is wholly upended when his New York City apartment goes up in flames. In a tenacious daze, he leaves the city and relocates to a small town in the American heartland."

The graphics are good, the story is well written, and much of it is way above my mental capacity, like getting all into that philosophy biz of existence. really! but I LOVE IT.

I keep wanting to read more and more... these stories aren't as 'complete; as Cathedral, but he leaves a lot to wonder about and I really dig each one. Of course it would be wrong to have all of them be sappy love stories, but he does have a few with happy endings and of course with a gin on ice. I want to read more more!

party with us!, originally uploaded by ter -ri -fic!.

This is really good. I always have low expectations for sequels and things of that nature, but I think this is better than the first.. I don't think I can talk much about this without giving the story away... but the things that I like especially is the secret uprising, __________, ___________________, ________________, and __________________. I caught myself "oh my goshing" out loud and in front of my girlfriends... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really don't know why people are stuck on vampires.... how can one not want to read about a smart, independent teenage girl who is saving the nation from inequality, hunger, and a tyrant of a government? There is a slight love story, but not as gushing as that twilight business..

My two hour commute is probably the greatest thing that has happened to me bookwise. I get four hours a day to read and rest and read... the only thing is trying to catch the bus in time to walk home around midnight. Around this time I am paranoid!

A coworker/friend bought this book for me, cause it's one of his favorite authors. I've heard a lot about this guy, not only from my work, but apparently he's Murakami's fav and just a really contemporary classic guy. FYI: a first edition copy of his first book we sold for $260!!!

A book of short stories..

A few that stick out to me.. the first story "the feathers", is pretty much a guy who brings his wife to dinner at a coworker/friend's house, except his friend and his wife are pretty eccentric, moderately middle America - bad teeth, ugly baby, a peacock for a pet. Others were the dishearted baker who repeatedly calls the parents of a dead son to pick up the son's birthday cake; an man who looses his job and makes a place on the couch for months, while remaining optimistic to his wife, as well as misses that their fridge has broken; a father whose wife's leaves him and he has to rely on sitters for his kids, then he gets a fever that may be caused from more than his health;....err I know I can go one and on...

but the beauty of it all is even though many are sad, there is a tinge of humor in it all. It exemplifies the human condition, and in each story, its first person has a different voice and persona, where you can't always tell who they are (even if it is a woman or man), but you feel like you are a part of them...many with a hearty dose of cynicism... yes!

Now I just need to be a GREAT interviewee

Dear Sarah:

Congratulations! You were successful in the examination for the Library Aide.

Your name has been placed on the Eligible List in Category 1. The categories are as follows:

Rank 1 (90-100) = Best Qualified
Rank 2 (80-89) = Well Qualified
Rank 3 (70-79) = Qualified

Settling in

Somethings:

I have a new awareness - aka - don't carry anything important enough that you aren't willing to give up when someone has a gun in their pocket.

Right before closing, guy called my work looking for a job, and started cursing then said something about wrapping a head a hitting it with hatchet. Guns all of sudden didn't scare me as much.

I got my first Oakland parking ticket for street cleaning. $63!!! No parking late at night, car payments, and spilled pots of soil in my back seat = I hate having a car.

Attempting to hold in place the massive amounts of paper in my tilted drawing desk by a quart of paint, I managed to spill white paint in my new room.

Bart ride + Bus Ride + Light rail = 2.5 hour commute. The slowest thing is the F*ing LIGHTRAIL!!

I met my first friend taking public transportation. She's awesome. Her name is Keema. She's latina, tomboy, and mildly gangster, but she's 26, works at an organic food distribution company, likes to read, and "Cloudy with a Chance of meatballs" was also her fav childhood book. MINE TOO!!!!

I had three papers to write to end my semester. I finished 2, but the 10 page single spaced research paper, ended up being 9 paged double spaced. Well I'm not the only slacker.. did I tell you that my professor for this paper is in the hospital? and this is in addition to a deer accident and 2 funerals that she had this semester.

I haven't been reading, but now I can.. I did manage to finish the great....



Why is Vonnegut so nutty, but so true to the nature of man? In this book, the narrator is researching the scientist who created the atom bomb for a book, and digs himself deeper into the family of the mad scientist. Next thing it's the end of the world because of the "ice-nine" that turns all water into crystal and then nothing can survive. It comes with a made up religion and everything.

Really, with all the chaos, being here feels great.

loves in SJ (stolen moments)

Almost out of here...

After 26 years in this damn city, I am finally moving! Not going too far, but it's definitely a new place to explore. Goodbye San Jose.

I'm so sleepy

some odds and ends..

I got my first low grade on a paper (85%), but it was only cause of my bad grammar. (Which is okay, cause at least my thesis was good!) That's what happens when I wait until the day before to complete a 6 or so page paper, which is happening more often then not. I once had a professor tell me I should looking into ESL (English as a second language) writing labs. ouch.

a customer at work "You know what happens when you get older? you realize that everyone is full of shit. See the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan?"

after watching the horrendous Food, Inc. I started to think that I really should watch what I eat. Today my coworker did a run to McDonalds and I ate a hormone inflated McChicken. The fries were honestly stale and chalky. I also got laughed at for ordering an orange juice with my McDonalds meal. I figured after all the beers and bad stuff I ingested yesterday.. I think I needed a bad meal to do me over.


I put in $4 bucks (3 bills and change) in my gas tank and the gas light didn't turn off.



the end.

Darryl's really pushing the 3 star reviews or something.
(edit: the movie was gnar, but well done! if you read omnivore's dilemma it seems to be really similar in content)



For those that don't want to read Pollan's big adult book, there's a young reader's edition that I picked up which is cheaper, has less text, but more pictures! a little dumbed down , but good!)

Did I also mention that those loud mouthed know it alls (see 2nd blog down) also had a thing against hemingway? maybe that's why I felt inclined to punch 'em in their wannabe literary chinky faces.



A biography of his time spent in paris, it talks about his friends, the likes of G. Stein, E. Pound, Joyce, and Fitzgerald. Here he is 25, hasn't been recognized as a writer yet (sun also rises was just in the works).. he's poor, but happy. Some nice insight into the personalities of some classic writers. After this I understand that Fitzgerald is a controlling, asshole of a drunk, but there's a part called "a matter of measurements" where he feels inadequate and confides with hemingway about this..cause his wife said his curve and size couldn't make any woman happy. wanky!

Okay..so if you are ever with a friend in a cafe... mind the people studying around you. If you have to be such a narcissist (where you must talk so everyone can hear you) and like to talk about people, watch what you say..cause I really think the things a person says about others is a reflection of what they really are and trying to hide... i.e. hipsters who talk shit about hipsters. Have you realized only hipsters really use that word?

I HATE that word.

the end.

Current State of Living v.2

loud mouth know it alls in a coffee shop.

How obnoxious are little asian hipsters who "don't like new york, more specifically brooklyn because there are too many hipsters, but love san francisco because 'even though they crunch granola' they are more 'real'."

yea she has the droopy forever 21 beanie, skinny jeans in her boots, and everything.

Just get over yourself and shut the fuck up.

I am a bad book clubber

It sounded like a good read...
I honestly didn't read through every chapter, cause I didn't care for a lot of the things he was saying. Some of the shorts sounded like an a narrative of the episodes I have seen on tv. I am a huge Bourdain fan..I've read kitchen confidential and cook's tour, which were great, but I realize that these were the pieces that didn't make it in any other publication, other than this book and therefor fell short. He is self-actualized in this book, which is a huge problem. He sounds like a rich tourist trying to act cultured that's telling others not to do the touristy things.

hrmph. I did like some of the shorts, especially his rants about the pesky customer and how all the restaurant workers remember, his visit to Brazil, old Manhattan, and his 4 friends.. aka his fav novels (one which was Down and Out in Paris and London ...I knew Bourdain wrote too much like Orwell at times.!!!) I did go through every chapter and picked what I actually wanted to read through. I realize that maybe I actually had enough of this guy where his food writing and traveling has become uninteresting-ly predictable.

Sorry Julia... I failed.

the librarian of all librarians

I have been sitting on this book awhile.. it's apparently some of his most famous stories, and I have to admit with library school, it's not necessarily an appealing read because it's very demanding. Once you're engulfed in one of his stories, you find it to be profound and so unique... kind of dream like with a some mysticism. Some of the more memorable ones:

Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius- Uqbar is a place he discovers as a result of tracing the origins of an encyclopedia

The Circular Ruins - a man and his dreams

The Babylon Lottery

The Library of Babel

Funes, the Memprious - a man who suddenly regains a memory beyond belief -a young man with an old soul

Death and the Compass

The Secret Miracle - a man has a death sentence and asks God to prolong his life a year longer so he can finish his story...the year is granted, but it's right before his execution and only in his own mind

what day is it?

"I just let it roll. Like a hot turd down a hill."




I haven't read this guy in awhile, cause I think I was happy - well happier, but I feel tired and anti social. I guess that is what retail does to you, especially when customers need the author of this book and can't find the section for that book and then feed ISBN the cat chicken nuggets while I'm the only one who knows that human food makes him barf...so now I'm in the mood for this.
This is one of the last things he wrote before he died, which is mainly a journal he kept about his daily happenings and ramblings. He's 71 and is self-actualized; not afraid of death; hates dealing with people, but keeps on writing, gambling, and drinking..pretty much what he always does, knows it, and still doesn't give a shit. He knew that when he was dead people would love him and they do. I know its Bukowski, and this isn't all very new... but something about his senile character shows a bit of honest wisdom that only comes with age. (a bit meaning a whole bunch).

R. Crumb does the illustrations for this too.


This is exactly what I needed....

100th Post (a blog about a blog)

I didn't realize how long I've had this blog and how many entries I had until I spent 1.5 hours tagging all my posts. I really just wanted that sweet cloud of words, but what I found out in the process is the next book I read would be my 100TH post! well who fucking cares. No, not all my posts are about that...

well before this I used to keep another personal blog, which I am not entirely proud of and it hasn't been updated since March of 2008. (remember xanga?) I have to mention that I have also had the thing since December 2003. I guess people write blogs because
1. they are narcissists
2. can't verbally express themselves (in an emotional sense)
3. have a bad memory
4. lack a social life outside of/cut off from technological means

but beyond all that, we have them to look back on and see how much we've changed for the better or worse. Looking back, I think I've become a nicer person.

See this was my old profile:


I think I've cleaned up nicely.

The END.

oh..and of you never seen the damn thing before, its linked somewhere in all this.

This guy resonates with me. Maybe its cause he was a sociologist (a focus in information retrieval!) and really picks at the lives of people... not necessarily their personalities, but their tendencies in their routines, how their minds work, and records every detail of the things that they have. I guess those things can say a lot about us. This is his first novel and it's somewhat sad...more so melancholy because it's as if you are watching this couple strive for happiness in the way that is so meaningless, which is through old 'valuable' things, appearance, experiences, freedom, but for the most part fantasizing of getting rich the easy way to have this ideal lifestyle. They never do get rich, but they never go hungry or homeless either. They know they can only have money if they give up their freedom to the grind, but they consistently give up the stable income because they feel suffocated and constrained.

What's sad is that these characters remind me somewhat of the routines that I have.. I can't give up my books, my coffee, and itch to get away and not be a part of the rat race. Yep it's that damn bohemian way of life... which sucks and I hate to use that damn word, but I think that's what a big part of our generation is.. well at least for the ones that decide not to rush in and get married, be corporate, and have babies in suburban neighborhoods. But I think it is meaningless when it becomes an endless routine and you don't have good friends, love what you do, or don't contribute anything to society. I think that this couple are merely wanderers..seeking happiness amongst things and nothing else. That is what's sad.

Yea... not a childrens book for once.

Man I had such a great spiel about this book, but then I fell asleep. Not a good sign I guess.

This book takes place in a Panem, which is a post apocalyptic society of what used to be North America. The Capitol hosts these annual hunger games, where a boy and girl from each district is chosen at random to kill each other, until only one person stands. The last person standing gets fame and pretty much doesn't have to starve ever again.

The premise is one of the best things about this. The Capitol is the richest and most powerful, they are big brother and no one can speak against them without retaliation. Each district has its own industrial 'crop', and as a result there is a large gap between the rich and poor. Then there's the mutations of animals/people and biochemical weapons. The hunger games was a way to punish Panem for their uprising many years back against the Capitol. Hrmm... maybe she's on to something.

Katniss, the lead character, is from the poorest district, and she pretty much does everything right. (not in an annoying way) She is smart and it's all realistic in the sense of the 'what would you do in this situation'. The characters are great, the games are good.....

but shit... how obnoxious the writing is. I get that she's trying to make a voice, but this narrator/ first person thought process is horrible.
like. I have an itch on my ankle that I need to scratch. I pull up my pant leg then pull down my sock to scratch it. I have been spotted. I need to run, but I need to scratch my itch.

The love story is a bit much too.. not as bad as Pavel made it sound, but enough to roll your eyes at times.

This one is the best one yet.. really. The only thing I don't understand is why they would release the thing in the fall, rather than before summer...but I guess because its a journal, so we're supposed to be reading about greg's summer?

My favorite thing about this is that all his mishaps remind me of me.. like when greg forgets about a library book so he hides it and never returns to the library because he's scared of what they would do when he can't pay the fine...

Liberation: something to dance to

There are some things that lead up to this.
1. I will be moving out of San Jose in 2-3 months and need the one less bill as things like transportation cost increases.
2. Ever since WaMu went bankrupt and got bought out by Chase, I realized that all my money is going to this damn corporation. DAMN YOU taking all my money. I would like to put a stop to that in the future.
3.The justification came when I randomly hung out with Andrew (btw, who is the honorable miser and lives life as simply-minimal as possible), and got great advice about the various debts one can accrue. learned: school debt is forgivable (and tax deductible!), cc debt is something to poo on.

Follow Andrew's daily hobo happenings here.

Semester 2 Week 11: so boring

It's about 47 degrees and we just bought 2 quarts of ice cream at the *new* safeway

...do you know how it feels to not have finished a damn thing in weeks?


Current reads:







Okay that's not all I'm reading, but to keep consistency with my other posts I won't talk about it until I actually finish it. (as of today I'm on page 265 of 568)... yea on top of papers about library collections and reference interviews..

I think I'm getting used to this... like reading about all the bad things that happen to these kids and then realizing that it will all be okay. I used the word 'protagonist' in a party convo yesterday, and it was probably from this book. I can't believe that suicide was a part of this, then it wasn't, but Count Olaf killed her off anyway. What an evil bastard!

Due in three days and I can't finish it

edit: I never finished this... I barely got halfway. Kickin' it to the curb...well more like returned to the libr. Hopefully the next person will enjoy it more/ read it faster I did.



I am/was really determined to finish this.. I made it to more than halfway and I can't renew that damn thing. So it's supposed to be a laugh out loud book... hrm. I guess my giggly-ness didn't kick in here. Maybe because this is the same story I've grown up reading, and even with all the profanity and concubines... eh. I really dig the premise and how Biff is brought back by an angel and is given the gift of tongues to write the story about Jesus that wasn't included in the Bible, and all the excerpts before each chapter about his day to day musings in the present times. I think I would have rather read 400 pages of that business, than the 350+ pages about Jesus or Joseph as a kid. I like how they incorporate prophets from every religion. I think there is a lot of subtle truths to the plot, but shit- this isn't that funny. Jesus' character doesn't say or do enough.... I think this was written for white people with white people jokes... you know the ones that laugh to things like the rapping grandma or bulldogs in bumble bee fits.

At least it was almost halfway happy, instead of thoroughly depressing like the first. I liked the explanations on dramatic irony and the phrase "Back at the Ranch". I feel so bad for these kids, even though they're fictional and I hate the stupidity of the "good" adults, even though they are fictional too. This book makes my heart beat with anger. yea it's good, but too much for my lil' endocrine system.

Can I achieve this?

30 ways to do things which are just outside your comfort zone to increase your mental capacity:

1. When someone asks you to do something, make your default answer “yes” (but don’t forget to say “no” when appropriate).
2. In a gathering (class, conference, etc.), sit next to someone you do not know.
3. Visit a place you normally wouldn’t (museum, monument, national park, etc.).
4. Eat at a new place.
5. Try a new kind of food.
6. Go to a conference or seminar in a topic you are not familiar with.
7. Email or call an old friend you haven’t met for a long time.
8. Initiate conversation with someone you don’t know.
9. Find the most unpleasant task in your to-do list and do it first.
10. Email or message someone you don’t know to initiate a friendship.
11. Learn a new hobby.
12. Learn a foreign language.
13. Join a new club and interact with the people there.
14. Practice an art you normally wouldn’t (painting, music, etc.).
15. Learn a new musical instrument.
16. Be dare to ask. This is to familiarize yourself with rejection.
17. Read fiction if you normally read non-fiction, and vice versa.
18. Read a new author.
19. Read an old book.
20. Visit a new genre of blogs.
21. Find friends from a new country (i.e. a country from which you haven’t had any friend before).
22. Find friends from different professions.
23. Volunteer for activities conducted by your social or business group.
24. Do your groceries at a different store.
25. Take a different route to work.
26. Attend an art festival.
27. Listen to a new genre of music.
28. In a bookstore or library, browse books in a section you wouldn’t normally visit.
29. Watch a new genre of movies.
30. Read history more than news.

Source: http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/08/02/30-ways-to-increase-your-mental-capacity/

my facebook update I never posted

"ohh scrabble and tecate and friends are a fine saturday night. (I was about to say other things about titties at the love fest, or free beer at octoberfest, or vegas, but f*** it i wasn't there)."

I hate facebook now and will again.

A really great recommendation by a girlfriend... Urrea compiles all the detail of the Yuma 14, which were a group of men from Mexico who were looking to cross the border in to the U.S. to find work and in search to improve their quality of life back home. Relying on a gang of Coyotes, the men both young and old, cross the border into the hottest deserts in the U.S., the devil's highway. The week they crossed it was reported that the temperature at midnight was a low 95 degrees, while the high was 108. Not only was it the lack of water (they only had waterbottles vs. the 2 gallons recommended per person per day), but it was the rough terrain and horrible tendencies of their guide that lead more than half of the group to death. Urrea chronicles each detail, including the interests and slight personalities of each walker,and how they were found in there death (black like leather) which sometimes sounds more exaggerated or he really did his research. He also becomes too cynical at times. I like how he alternates with the story of the Yuma 14, and very informational accounts of other tragic occasions where others have died (even Gringos), the science of how the body decomposes in heat, and the history of the region itself. A well rounded story with a sociological perspective of why border crossing persists with horrendous deaths, the economic cost of these deaths and low cost labor, as well a other situations -like the conspiracy theories behind the hundred unexplained rapings and deaths of young women in Juarez. holy shit.

I love Julia

Beautiful book filled with artsy, graphic scenes in different media.. photos, stitching and sketches, but a sad story that focuses on the life of one of the many young women who were murdered in Ciudad Juarez. It reminded me greatly of book 4 in Bolano's 2666 about the murders of women in Santa Teresa, although this book focuses on one girl who worked in a factory just outside the U.S. border, and was horrendously murdered and no one can figure out why. The writer sheds light on her life and humanizes a situation that the police and others would consider just another death amongst many. A really creative and mindblowing (true) story.

Apparently its also one in 4 others... this one is the "I live here 3"

What a horrible book... I think even for adults it has a lot of underlying scummish themes, but it's a great read for kids and a way to pick up on some good vocabulary. I haven't seen the movie, but I guess I started my 13 book commitment with these. How horrible...but fine reading. Like the young 7 year old articulate child said with mighty fine eloquence,"Not all good books have to have a happy ending", and "Make sure you start with the first one." I remember she said that this series and Nancy Drew were her fav.

edit: per darryl's convo last night..I'm saying that I like the book really. I went to the library today and borrowed the second one.

she's a hoe a classy hoe

Remember that cheesy early 2000's song..the one that starts "And I said what about Breakfast at Tiffany's... she said I think I remember that film.." I've had that fucking song in my head for the last week.. well more like that ugly chorus probably cause I've been reading this short story for no apparent reason. I've been trying to hold of on reading this (like do I really NEED to? NO.) but I had to YES.
I forgot how much I like Capote's writing. I like this story. I like Holly Golightly and will admit I wish I had her lifestyle, her repertoire. I love the POV of the narrator. You never know who he is, except he is a aspiring writer. Holly is mysterious, but it all unravels and when you think she would loose her cool, she doesn't and never will. Men love her and women hate her. I denno... her no name cat (no name cause they don't own each other) is rad too. I'm sure this is a favorite amongst glamor girls across America.

Times are tough. I think I am ready to be a free bird, but I am not.

I guess I am late on the Gladwell train. wait I am really late. He wrote this in 2002... but

What an interesting concept. The little things matter yes, and Malcolm you have drilled that into my head by repetition, as well as stunning and diverse situations such as the drop of crime in New York, the makings of sesame street, teenage smoking, and suicides in Micronesia. I have to admit that the hushpuppies in Greenwich thing got played out after the first chapter. I really buy this concept, I especially like the various cases that the book presented about how environment is very influential on human behavior, and that we often fail to acknowledge it. BUT then it had to talk about Airwalks. I hate airwalks (ugly pieceashits that I am glad resulted in failure!)...and I thought of all the marketing, advertising sales turds that will read this book and try to be cool and blow out of the water all the things subcultures and "cool" kids live off of. Like the things that mean so much....*&(^*^%.

Now I am a little bitter.. like this is great, but how much does this contribute to society. Am I really enthused that Gladwell pretty much summed up the behaviors of people and that we seem that easy to figure out. yes. ok. I'm done.

It's fabulous and sweet and poetic.

Here's how it starts:
"In the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia’s death. Let’s say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature:".

withdrawals... silly-ness

I am not a very social person. I think this weekend (labor day)I surprised myself. Really not trying to be out and about, but it happened and I did my share of sloshing every night. I was caught up with school on Thursday and now I am behind... behind in reading textbooks and behind in reading in general. I picked up some books that have been great reads so far (like <50 pages in...sigh). Friday: SF dilly dally-ing & Oakland Art Murmer with Pav, Jay, Alaina, Barry and Sarah. I spent 20 dumb dollars on paintbrushes, then on the Bart ride, then more on Korean soju. The art was crappy and expensive, but I LIKE OAKLAND. I do.... I need to do more exploring. Saturday: Tahnee and Quynh are in town. Ivana came down too and everyone was out. Cinebar for one night. Negative was that I got clowned on for my fanny pack. MF*&*^. Sunday: Bookstore gathering that was also a scrabble fest with good food and beer. Then I listened to my lushy coworkers and followed them to trials, then cinebar again... gah. Monday: Hungover, but went to the beach for bbqing with T & Q and their pals. Sooooo sleepy. I need to nerd. No more floozy boozing. Need more words. ***************

Yeeesh. What a bummer this book is. Down and out in Paris and London wasn't even this harsh. Wilhelm is a New Yorker that was raised with a decent upbringing, but made all the wrong decisions in his life. It seems he ignored his intuitions and tried to create his own destiny for success. He didn't want to be in the medical field, cause his father already did that. He left college to become an actor in Hollywood; he left his wife and two kids to be with the love of his life Olive, but can't marry her because of her Catholic upbringing and his wife won't divorce him; he quit his sales job because he was destined to be vice president, but the company gave the position to a relative outside; he lost all his money because he put his money in stocks and trust in a lunatic doctor, who sounds like a compulsive liar, but speaks some wisdom about life. In all this, his retired and wealthy doctor of a father, won't lend him a penny because of all his mistakes.

After 100 pages of this... I wished something good happened to this guy. I wished that he would make one right decision. It was hard to decide who was the bad guy. His wife and father came off as the bad parties, but it could have been his conscience. Wilhelm wanted success like the next guy, but everything he acted upon was foolish. I liked how Bellow made the third person perspective neutral, but so much it made me anxious!. Everyone that lived in his hotel building was loony, Wilhelm meant well but made dumb mistakes, and maybe his family was justified for leaving him to fend for himself, but the narrator never concluded who was at fault for Wilhelm's troubles.

I just feel bad for the guy really. AND I thought I would end this book feeling warm and humble inside. I think I have to genuinely be one of those people who laugh at others faults. seriously.

**I remember having my old co-worker's (she was a compulsive liar) husband (poor guy) having been hired and fired for stupidity on the job. He was really incompetent. His name was Wilhelm. What were his parent's thinking? I think they set him up.

caffeinated.

I need to paintslashdraw more.

The toilet won't quit running water. It stops, but leaks every 8 or so minutes. I keep counting and thinking how much water is wasted. It's 2:14 am and me and Pav can't make it quit.

************



I've been wanting this book... way before I wanted the 'last evenings on earth', but I could never find it. But behold, it was the only Bolano book they had at the library. Score! The story is told by a Uruguayan woman who is wanders in Mexico City hanging with the poets in cafes, not really having family or a steady place to live, but working odd jobs at the university. The story involves her, what seems to be short-lived, but memorable relationships and interactions with people in the city, but more often then not, she is brought back to relive the event of 1968 that she survived in the bathroom of the Literature and Philosophy department at the University. The army invaded and rallied all the students (to what hints to be war and death), but she was the only one who survived in the college and lived 12 - 13 days in the bathroom on water, poetry, and constant sleep. The book starts off proclaiming to be a horror story, but it's subtle and not at all creepified compared to his other stories.

I admire her persona.. she's what most people here, would consider a staggerer: skinny, toothless, no steady income or belongings, drunk at times, but she is known around the city and is offered places to reside, but knows when her stay is overdue. He adds that in Latin America, no one tries to hide they're poverty because it is just part of everyday living. She seems to become disillusioned at the end, but is smart, accepted, and a legend to the young in the city.

It's written sweetly and screams bolano... full of all his literary reference, his own fictitious cameo, and weird cryptic meaning shit. BUT its short and sweet... unlike his later books of bricks.

...it still didn't wear off my crema buzz.. I need to feel sleepy.

Bookstore Blues

So at work, we call the lunatics that come in "flying pigs". I thought I had my share of them... from the guy in the German army jacket who wouldn't shut up about Arthur Doyle and his conspiracies or the army kid in campbell who spent his pant (yes bottoms) money on a military book that he hoped to build missiles in his garage with. Today I had the ultimate pig with wings. I think that if people look loony from the start, it's okay. I can deal. The thing that irks me the most are the sobs who come in and talk to you like they are completely normal people, until they say something that says 'I am really short of my marbles'. Normal looking kid ...really.

He comes up with a meditation book. "have you read this?".. my reply "no, but I have read some books on Buddhism that involve meditation, but not specifically" (Pretty much like me trying to offer a suggestion). Then he asks a couple more reasonable questions... How do you like working here? Seems like a great place to work. What kind of books do you like... etc. Are you hiring?...I give the typical 'No, but you can always bring in a resume and we can keep it on file.' He says, What's your name? Mine is MASON.

Really he seems 'normal', enough anyway. He asks more about the books I'm into and when I say cultural crit or things about media and society, he relates the whole deal to spiritualism somehow. I quit talking cause this dude is not making sense, but whatever. Then awhile later, while I look for a book order, I look up and homie has his right arm up and takes a FAT whiff of his armpit. Like I can hear his nostrils flaring right next to his pit.

Holy f*ck. In my mind I'm thinking maybe I should leave a memo and draw out his face and say if this guy comes in with a resume and his name is Mason, don't hire him, he just smelled his armpit. well maybe that wasn't a viable reason...

Then Mason becomes the craziest dude ever cause of what is coming from his mouth...'do you have any books on Celestine prophecy?',' do you know anything about tai chi?'... I pretty much point this guy to the metaphysical section. He grabs a stack of books, sits in the seating area and instigates on things that I say to other customers, then dares to comment on the books I'm mylaring. Its closing time and I make the announcement.. he says something that I cant hear and don't care to... he waits to be the last guy in the store.. "Did everyone leave?" YEA CAUSE WE ARE CLOSED MF*^(%^*.

Then he wants to put his books on hold that are wet from his sweaty hands... yea I knew his name is Mason. Then every book he pulled from the shelf, he stacks on the top of each shelf of books. Lazy f*(^*. Mason... wtf... smell your armpits, get into my business, disarrange the worst section in the store, and don't buy a thing. Buying nothing is fine, but be a decent human being.



Now for things that made my day... I guess a guy came in to sell his books, but since we dont look at them on Sundays, he left 3 crates of them by the dumpster.



I copped Ficciones by Borges, Green Eggs and Ham, and Cricket in Times Square. Score!

why libraries are the shit. (meaning spactacular institutions)

I also like this thought...
“the books we’ve loved best are seldom the ones we esteem the most highly—or the ones we’d most like other people to think we read over and over again.”

Back to school.

I will never in my life read Harry Potter. I'm sorry. I did pick up the first book of Unfortunate Events, which I will get around to, when I know I can read all the way until book 17. I guess this book is a bit similar to both of these series (or so it says!) Its for 9 - 12 year olds and its a great easy, but long read about 4 orphaned super unique smart children, who are on a mission to save the world from Mr. Curtain, a power hungry dictator who opened up an Institution for kids to use them to transmit messages that will eventually brain sweep everyone's memory. The characters are awesome, the plot is realistic and its slightly relative to our society, which is that most do not seek the truth and just look to be happy and content, except for select few who see past the world's shinanigans and look to save things that are pure and true. How each child is initiated is also great. The series of 'tests" are odd, creepy, and have different 'right' answers, which show that everyone is smart in their own way.





I never read catcher and the rye, but a coworker suggested these two books that surround the Glass family, who are a very eccentric bunch. Both books focus on the two youngest and two oldest children, who were all part of a wise child radio program as adolescents. Each part is written in the individuals pov and as adults, they each are articulate and intellectual, but have their own oddities and vices, which you can pick up through their interactions and conversations. A really awesome read, although its something I wish I read all the way through at times.

Now time to read school shit. shit.

16 days left of scummer...

It's really time to move out of this hole. Came up to Sf for a two day break and am sad its almost over. [haight for cds. lower haight art walk. free drinks. madness bar hop. toasties breakfast. union street white collar shopping. vintage paper fair for a vargas pinup. park chows. now time for dinner and more drink for alaina's 'not' birthday.]

Amongst it all, I was able to finish a couple swell reads...

I picked this up randomly and on a limb. I think I did judge this book by its cover (despite the fact that he is super popular), which turned out to be really funny. It took me longer to finish then I expected. I really enjoyed the short stories, more than his final essay on trying to give up smoking when in Tokyo, although his insights about Japan were interesting, they were also at the same time a bit ignorant like... its obviously coming from a white, well off dude. I did like how open he was about his sexuality and it wasn't at all over done. I don't think I would read anything else, except I did pick up 'barrel fever' for a couple bucks and will probably get around to it soon enough.

To balance it out..

I got through the first chapter and thought..wtf is a moocow...then when Stephen Dadelus has been wronged by one of the heads of the school and has decided to report to the higher authority about this, it reminded me of my private school and the trivializations of the punishments they used to carry out. I then read on through the next three chapters and thought...why the hell is this thought of as such a great book. For about 10 pages, it was a lot of preaching about God and sins, etc. ouch. But! it soon enough begins to conclude with Stephen's dialogue with his peers about what is art, what is beauty, about his beliefs in himself and with religion and faith ..it becomes fresh and very enlightening. The fact that the character denies and questions the religious views he was brought up in and studied throughout his childhood is familiar and relative.