It seems like I throw a quick post up whenever there is a nice day to enjoy... it really does cheer me up to see warm weather and sunshine.

Considering all of the thought I've put into making the next step and leaving Buffalo thereafter, a different thought crossed my mind - if I move to the place that I'd like to live, will I appreciate the good weather as much as I would here in Buffalo? It seems that you get a bigger kick out of things when its rare to be able to enjoy them.

(e:jason) and I bought an Xbox 360 - for the premium system, another controller and two games the grand total was something like $550. Goodbye PS2! I gave (e:jason) the option of replacing his digital camera or putting the money towards a 360 - I should have known that the gears in his head would have started turning as soon as I said it.

Assuming nobody jams me on this bid, I'm about to get brand new copies of On The Road and Mexico City Blues off of eBay for less than I would have if I ordered on Amazon, including the discounts and free shipping. If you read my journal on previous occasions you'd know that I'm horribly anal about finding a particular copy of On The Road, but right now my desire to reread the book outweighs my desire to sit out and wait for a specific edition.

I've also taken to finally hanging up proper prints and artwork in my bedroom, gifts and purchases alike. A previous... well... theres no polite way to say it... but anyway a previous intimate acquaintance painted a painting for me and made strings of origami cranes, and another friend of mine (not so intimate, a nice but crazy girl) gave me some sort of ink printing in blue. I am not exactly sure how to hang it, but I think probably the thing to do is to get one of those matte finished folding things (sorry, I'm not an artist so I have no idea what its called). In all honesty it makes me wish that I had some more art to put in my room that had been made by a friend - maybe I'll paint my own hideous yet inspired creation. I thought about maybe picking my favorite three pictures from my travels, having my friend print them on photo quality paper and framing them nicely to hang behind my bed.

I hope that if you're working today you are making obscene profits. Otherwise, for those of us who have the day off, took the day off, or are unemployed or underemployed - enjoy the day!

I live a relatively quiet, uncomplicated life and I'm a relatively normal person, but everybody (no exclusions) has a strange and weird part of their personality that rears its ugly head on occasion. For me, one of my most profound cultural influences has been Jack Kerouac. Between On the Road and Hesse's Siddartha you have the two books that have had the most profound impact on my outlook on life and so I don't feel particularly ashamed that Kerouac is a bit of an obsession for me.

Well, not Kerouac the man, per se... but more specifically the artwork on his books. I know I'm crazy on this one, but I just think that the cover art that was displayed on his books early on are some amazing examples of Beat-era artistic flair.

Some examples. Here is an example of a first edition PB copy of The Subterraneans... a book I haven't read yet. I'm not inclined to pay the $70 it would cost to get this on eBay, but I like it anyway.



This is the cover art from the first edition of Mexico City Blues - not a favorite but still interesting to me.



Here is the original art from the first hardcover edition of On The Road - this art in paperback I've seen available online exactly TWICE, the last time of which I was outbid on eBay by an eBay bidding driveby sniper.... I was fucking pissed. If you ever see this in paperback, Penguin Compass edition from the early '70s... I want it. :(



First edition of The Dharma Bums - this was released after On The Road and so its not surprising that considering the popularity of OTR, they would somewhat copy the art from OTR for The Dharma Bums. This exact book is selling for $950 on eBay - ouch.



This I really wish I had... I already own a copy of The Dharma Bums but I'd trade my copy for this one asap. Its the most recent Penguin Deluxe edition of The Dharma Bums - notice the hitchhiking figure with the sign that reads "nirvana."



Imelda Marcos had shoes, Kim Jong Il has movies and cognac... I have specific editions of Kerouac books. Sigh.

A big ol' two-handed "HONK HONK!" to the (e:strip) ladies! How you doin'?

I met (e:ingrid) last week (or was it the week before?) at Cozumel while I was there with some friends for a birthday. A very nice girl. Sorry for having to dash, but we were moving to another bar. Soy un bobo, especially when I've been drinking. I think she asked if I was a pothead. If I said that I can't remember, would that be considered evidence of guilt? Not if you don't feel guilty, which I don't.

I've been enjoying the hell out of my porch now that the weather is better. I feel slightly bad that our new upstairs neighbor had to sit on furniture that hasn't been cleaned yet (street dirt is relentless when your porch is 6 ft. from the curb) but then again, its all supposed to be mutually maintained and she hasn't lifted a fucking finger in six months.

The good news is that our apartment is in significantly better shape for entertaining, so I'm really looking forward to getting people fed/drunk/etc. as summer rolls in. I think I have a summer drink idea - its carbonated but I promise that it will be tasty, in a vodka-y, peary, peachy, grapefruity kind of way. The "750" is past its shelf life and will be retired as our house beverage.

Otherwise its been status quo for a while - I've had a hard time shaking things up so I'm glad that the better weather is giving us an opportunity to enjoy more of what the area has to offer. I've had cabin fever for so long that I almost forgot what it was like to have options!

Hi everybody - I hope that your festive period was a good one!

Easter

To be honest I'm suffering right now - this cold that has been going around has swept 750 into uncontrollable coughing, rough lungs and raw throat. I don't think I've been this sick in many years... its a shame that I don't consider boosting my immune system until after I catch something. I'm taking Zicam, a decongestant and 1000mg of vitamin C besides eating well and drinking lots of my double bergamot earl grey tea.

Needless to say, I couldn't taste my Easter meal.

An event also occurred which I could never have imagined. My father gave my uncle (e:jason)'s digital camera (the one that I broke...) to see if he could fix it. Unfortunately there was a picture on the memory card that my uncle objected to. He's a Mormon, which these days is about as close to being Puritan as one can be. Leaving the memory card in the camera was an oversight, but I have no idea why he decided to snoop into the memory card to begin with. Anyway, he found out that I'm not an angel and I was completely unapologetic about it. I'm 28 (soon to be 29!) and I'm not about to be lectured to by anybody let alone my uncle. I love my uncle but I honestly don't give a damn about what he thinks about my personal habits.

The girl whose last name I cannot pronounce

I missed all the outrage surrounding the inappropriate and clumsy comments made by (e:jenks). There was a comment made by me on the original thread but for the record that was actually (e:jason) - he wrote the comment while my account was signed in and actually informed me later about what she said.

I want to be clear - I'm not exactly slamming (e:jenks) and I'll illustrate why that is. Obviously she was offensive, but she apologized and that should be good enough. Besides that, there is something about her entry that we all agree with! Allow me to speak for the entire region when I say that we're sick and tired of the winter. We got teased with some great weather a week ago (the San Fran expats were stunned), and I think we all believed that we had seen the end of the winter. This is as if it was all a cruel tease.

Allow me to use a crude metaphor - for me its like having that girl you've desired in your room, pants off and she is just about to take her shirt off. You're finally about to get that bit of love you've been craving, specifically from her. You are gently kissing her behind her ear... she's got her arms around you... you are running your index finger along the top line of her panties.... she is breathing heavily.... the green light is definitely on.... if you don't give it to her right here, right now then she just might take it anyway.... then suddenly, BZZZTTT! Yeah - that was your alarm that just went off, its 7:00am on Monday and the weather is incredibly bad. Oh, and by the way - you're definitely alone!

That is how I've felt about the change in weather anyway. Its a letdown of Scott "Norwide" proportions.

Buffalo and *gasp* summer!

One thing that can be said about our city is that we have a vastly underrated sense of humor about our winters and our bad luck in sports. It has to be that way, otherwise Buffalo would soon look like a reincarnation of Jonestown.

One of the things I enjoy the most in warm weather is grilling - I'm the fucking grill master. I really look forward to making my neighborhood smell like barbecue. People always pass by and yell up at us - "gimme some!" Part of our suffering is the cabin fever we all deal with - its nice to be able to be on your porch and entertain outside.

I also look forward to creating our new house drink. The current one - creatively titled the "750" - has lost its luster and we need a new beverage. I have some ideas that I'm going to test and I hope to debut it on my birthday!

Enjoy yourselves -

Josh