hi

Sweet mercies, its cold. -1 to be precise, and its February... damn it. woosh.

well, finishing up my school apps. in position and ready to pounce.

i'm off speed. which is good.

theres a lady friend. we are rockin and rolling to the toons of life. she paints. and does book covers.

im bartending and serving. it can be fun.

Chicagos fun.

i smoked hookah a few days ago and i fear i may have lost a lunge.

tonight was the last of 4 nights of wilco shows in chicago where they played every song they ever wrote. i missed all the shows and am sad. i like wilco.

Sam Adams

boston beer company makes sam adams summer ale.
which happends to be a wheat ale brewed with lemon and grains of paradise.
which makes enjoying a sam adams summer ale in a field of grains of paradise quite appropriate.
today i studied and studied and, well, i'm not remembering much. i believe there are two possible reasons for this dilemma. 1st, end of day brain fatigue. seems possible. 2nd, my genes which don't allow me to retain more data than absolutely necessary to survive. which seems to have some historical accuracy. all this is cute and fun and, quite honestly, neither options bothers me. i'll work somewhere really great that requires minimal data storage.
the obvious question being... why the hell am i getting into the world of education that seems to demand enormous amounts of data recall when i can't retain shit? What could have possibly compelled me to head in this direction?
i do believe the answer is the glory of success. all the high-fives... the celebrity that so naturally comes with being educated. the enormous amounts of money which inevitably will come which, of course, translates into pure joy and a happiness that passes all understanding. and i will be the evolutionary product of power. flexing my unmeasurable muscles for the world to see. Culminating with my people singing songs of worship to me and in all my greatness i will smile down upon them and say, 'no, do not praise me. praise Jesus, for he is worthy to be praised.'... and the sun would shine down, we would lie in fields of grain paradise drinking sam adams summer ale and have a huge affirmation session.

For The Record

I'm an Immigrant.

Tuesday Night

I think I will enjoy several cold adult beverages this evening...

and i will grill salmon, place it over spinach, add mandarin orange slices, perhaps toss some freshly baked almond slices in and finally, shower it with some pre-made, exotic, Asian dressing...

and then i will read about a childs developing brain.... etc. etc.
and then i will do statistics homework.

all the while i watch game 3 of the NBA finals... occasionally viewing the status of my FBB team, which looks to be off to a rough start today.

and then i will go to bed and read about the life of a hermaphrodite in Eugenides' Middlesex, and conclude the evening by slowly drifting into sweet, blissful sleep.

or maybe... just maybe... i'll skip it all and go to sleep now....

The Easy Life

The ultimate test of successful living is underway. Summer has begun and i will try doing school. For those who are not accustom to life in the mid-west. Winters are terrible and last for 5 months. nothing happens in those 5 months. people cocoon. The ground thaws and people squeeze 12 months of fun and joy into 7 warm months and 2 hotter than hell months. Summer begins and with that I will try and tackle 2 classes at the local community college... also known as college of dupage... also known as the largest community college in the world... its true. But not to worry, I will precariously balance joyful living and productive school attending.

The joy of summer... the television has taken a break... and the wheat beers are flowing. My fun reading has increased.
I completed The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and A Farewell To Arms by Hemingway, and currently reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides... I believe there has been an increase to my reading because I have decided I don't HAVE to watch conan o'brien show or Jimmey Kimmel Live and I'm not married and so I can have beers and read, followed by my nightly shower, followed by reading in bed. and the result is reading.
I am not on an anti-war kick... though I am not a fan of war... the first three books I read this summer are all more or less anti-war books. All three were absolutely gorgeous books and after each I took a day and marinated in the mind blowing literature I had the fortune of running into.
aside from that I plan on hitting up the local pool. seeing fun music shows in Chicago. and joining the local tennis club.... and hosting fantastic friends on their way through to Europe...

I encourage any of you experiencing the joy of reading my blog to please purchase tickets to Chicago and come visit me. we will have fun. i promise.

Oh Chester!

I have recently acquired two Persian cats (Chester 5 yrs, Galina 7 yrs). I thought it might be a good idea as I live alone and in need of some company. I have not determined whether it was a brilliant move or just really stupid. I have never had cats or pets really, so this is my first go around with them. So far they've been good and not so good.

positives:

- companionship... I thought cats were supposed to be independent and moody, not these two... they can't get enough love. I watch a movie, Galina plants herself on my person and refuses to move.
- laughter... they make me laugh a lot. they're crazy.
- they're just cool.

negatives:

- They're everywhere... i can't walk without almost stepping on one, we end up scarring the shit out of each other... literally.
- lots of hair... everywhere (not mine)
- they shit- and i have to pick it up.

we'll see. the adventure has just begun.

in other news. I got really excited about my summer reading and purchased some literature from Amazon, (which I have recently frequented much)

books I will read soon, very soon:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Slaughter House Five and Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

I am really, really excited about The Road.... really excited.

Send me in coach... I'm ready to play.

And so, just like that, its been a year. and what a year its been. Smiles, laughs, tears, and beers... i kicked smoking, so now i can smoke without the guilt of being addicted.
Drove from Colorado to Chicago, Colorado to Washington DC (two times), Colorado to Lynchburg VA, Lynchburg to Chicago.
I spent some time in in Japan, Korea (South), India, Brazil, Argentina, and California, with a few trips to Colorado in the mix.
God and I decided to put aside our differences. Actually it was more of me realizing that i'm shit. not just regular shit, but nasty, steamy, hot shit. Its been an interesting road, twisty and rough, but so good.
I spent a couple of months in the Virginia Mountains. Reading, hiking, building a deck, spending time with family, it was wonderful. Given the space to make some decisions about life. Developing a few ideas... with the desire to return to school the overwhelming favorite, finally becoming a reality.
I have settled in Wheaton, IL. Found a quaint little apartment, 1 block from my sister and her four girls. I am doing school on-line. taking care of a few undergrad pre-requisites before starting my journey to and through Grad school. with Psychology being the focus of my studies.

Its nice being back in the game. and so begins round two of blogging.

and for the record, in case you are reading my blog with the intention of firing me... whomever whenever, you know who you are. a boss or some authority figure. everything I have written is fiction and everything I plan on writing is fiction. this blog is for entertainment purposes only. go fuck yourself.

slow dance.

I took a nap today. I visited my sister and helped her pack up her house. my nieces running around undoing it all. we sat around the table and ate an early dinner... a delicious roasted chicken with lemonade. I sat on the couch and watched the baseball game. my sister working on her computer. the girls playing some version of house in the corner. I drifted off... i woke up and it was dark. It was nice to sleep in such a chaotic environement with a touch of the seren. problem is I work tomorrow and i won't likely be sleeping anytime soon.

I like my room for the first time since I moved into this godforsaken house. Its taken a while but I like it. I didn't know why i was feeling so unsettled. but i was. and so I added and took away, I moved this there and that here. and still felt no love. a month ago I took everything off the wall and minimized... it was better. but not quite right.. and then this weekend I got a call from my douche bag land lord telling me he was going to need all the furniture I was using. which was my dresser and bed. and he took it all. so i packed up all my clothes with the exception of the few i need. i got a mattress, which rests on the floor. I have a lamp next to my bed. i have 4 small plants in strategic areas and I have one mirror because I'm fucking vain. and that is all. and i am happy.

Work is keeping me busy. which is good.

I listen to wonderwall. via cat power. it is good.

I have been watching a lot of netflix. but today i had a thought about blockbuster.

I eat tasty food almost every night. self-indulgence is good.

the new bed.

yesterday I aquired a new bed... and now there is a hint of gasoline in the air. I suspect the mattress. shit.

The Pictures

Its been a while since I posted. Lifes been on the busy side and quite honestly I simply have not had the energy to sit and write for some time. and so I will show you pictures. First few I took in the Dominican Republic. 2nd few I took while recently fishing. it was good. chat soon.

Poor Richards

I sit, i drink english breakfast tea.
I am liking the coffee shop more. its taken a few visits... its trying to be the 'cool indie coffee shop' attached to the 'cool' indie used bookstore which is attached to the 'cool' indie organic resteraunt. and theres a guy with a 'dead' shirt playing a xylophone. its all a bit too much. but they serve wine and great tea and they do really have tasty food and the free internet... its more i just dont want to like this place than actually not liking it. I often find myself headed this way when in the coffee shop mood... so i must be liking it.
I am enjoying the company of a great friend...
a few months ago we visited a kick ass Andy Warhol show. it was fun.

off to friday nights festivities...

that is all.

The Island

I completed Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises. it was my first hemmingway since school. after which i felt compelled to read a bit more on the life of hemmingway... learning that he lived a most fascinating life... truly an inspirational charicter... though, he did commit suicide, lived a full, emotional life. i look forward to reading more.

I am currently sitting in an internet cafe in santo domingo, dominican republic. I decided to take the day off of work today. I just left my five star hotel... to walk a bit. its a cool place santo domingo. they mostly like americans... but a few dont; also, b/c we work in the slums, i spend most of the time in shady areas where they see me and think... money. so it can be a bit dangerous. and the jr high girls stare at me and that can be awkward... other than that its been fun, considering its paid for.

for the record, booze and banana week ended well... though, momentum slipped... too much potacium... and i guess after reading the comments, my friends now thing i am an alcoholic, let me assure you, nothing could be further from the truth... nothing... absolutely nothing... nope.

today i woke up at 9. am

sat on patio facing ocean, read miami herald, drank coffee, smoked ciggarettes, listened to music.
i ate ham/cheese/tomato ommelette. more coffee.
i went to get ready to go on my walk, got stuck watching 'life of brian' funny.
walk through park... walked by 4 pickup baseball games. maybe i saw the next pedro or sammy... who knows.

i head back to the rockies on saterday... mixed feelings.

life moves on...