Ya the Prius was cool, but I felt the need to move on... Used the insurance money to buy a nice, solid '65 GMC Handi-Van. Here's some pictures I took of it coming off the truck:




Thing runs like a top. It's got kind of a weird paint job, but that can be taken care of no problem.

- Z

_______________
The real story, which is still pretty cool: (e:dragonlady7) came home from work tonight and was all: dude - you would not believe what's coming off the truck at Brown's garage - which is just down the street. I was all: no I probably wouldn't. The least freaky car I've seen at Brown's in recent memory was a lime green Gremlin. She was all: well... it's... the Mystery Machine. And I was all: what? yeah right... and she was all: no man- it's the fucking Myss-terr-ee Machine. And I was all: you gotta be kidding me. And she was all: dude. And I was all: dude. So I threw on my coat and grabbed her camera and ran down the street, and yeah: the Mystery Machine.

So I talked to the truck driver, and he says he can't go anywhere with it without getting mobbed. He says, yeah: it's a 1965 GMC Handi-Van with like 600,000 miles on it, runs like the day it was made, and it's the Mystery Machine, on its way from Winnipeg to somewhere in New Jersey. Made my day.

Doing my volunteer duty:

$5 for Hospice gets you into 48 [!] bars on Chippewa, Elmwood, Allen, and elsewhere. (e:dragonlady7) and I will be at the Century.

(MAP TO: 320 PEARL ST)

- Z

(MAP TO: 674 ELLICOTT ST)

Tonight we went to the single least cool place in Buffalo. It's not even the kind of uncool where you can go there and be ironically cool - there is no cool to be had, period. All the meat is pork, and all the vegetables are cabbage. Everything is either marinated in vinegar or fried in butter - or it's marinated in vinegar and then fried in butter, and served with a big dollop of sour cream. If you're there on the right night, you will be serenaded by accordion with tuba accompaniment. It is a happy place.

I speak of Ulrich's Tavern , the bar that's so German it wraps around to being Irish again. [That will make sense if you go there.] Good live music, great local brews, and just this totally insane Leberkase that looks more or less like a grilled sandwich if the bread were made of meat. They are celebrating 50,000 days [138 years] of continuous operation, and that does not exclude Prohibition. These guys are hard-core OG. They spit on your 'cool' and call it tartar sauce.

- Z

This morning my valentine surprised me with two thinly-veiled threats laid gently on my pillow, a heart-shaped box of chocolate-covered guilt, and flowery proclamations of inadequacy and thoughtlessness - all before I even left for work! It must be love.

I had composed a soliloquy about Valentine's Day - how it should be a happy holiday, not a sad or angry holiday as it's become. It should not be about desperately "Seeking same for LTR," but about celebrating the relationships we have with the people who make us feel special. It should be about demonstrating the appreciation we have for who we share our lives with - not demanding same of them. It should not be about flowers and chocolates and cards and trinkets bought out of necessity, but rather unique gifts and gestures that show that you know and care.

I didn't post it because I hadn't gotten a chance to edit it, what with all the craziness around the house lately. I don't think I'll bother posting it now, because I'm clearly insane.

But if anyone here shares my insanity, know that secretly* I'm totally with you. I wish you, above all, a happy Valentine's Day.

- Z

_______________

• I guess it's not really that secret anymore, but it sounded poetic.

ps. New journal music. gather:0790574001171472480