Random stories

settle = comprmise

2006-10-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

take the draw
a tie
on 3rd and 23 take the draw
no one going to get serious here and topple and intitution of lasting consequence that some newer more acceptable less enlightened value added 21st century deceptacon cannot replace just as quickly.
nothing is changing here tonight, but, "souls are moving"
"God is present"
"spirits are arroused"
"love is all aound"
inside the smoke and holding still the bullets
wind glows and the windows refract your protection from the elements
look around and miss it all
let me see you smile

smile so i can know that you wont later and you gave in.
let me know that giving in was important to you and i will make it happen
sound is up and noise is making sense while correct grammar materializes less that the server space it kind of takes up.
slick in the sense of things unseen, but only if you arent familiar with that sense

and back to what matters it wont when you stop thinking about it then there only room for the exclamation of the moment and the stillness of boredom or the percussion of regularity forced.

sharp
be sharpe and dont last long
bob weave float sting

dont shake in the cold

Turf war in midtown

2006-09-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

This dude and I have had beef before, and I was trying to provoke him today, maybe I was on edge about TO (if you haven't heard he's fine). I say i was trying to provoke him, I was bored and not going to sell, so I did something different.

I say we have had beef before, I was pitching outside the Viacom building near the news stand on 45th and 7th. He busted in my pitch, that was at least still doable, and he tried to give away flowers then say in a very confident way, donation for the homeless.... burns my britches I tell you, so I saw him today, and approached some people today at about 1pm across the street from the afore mentioned Viacom building (confusing? we were in front of Toys R Us in Times Square)

He ran up past me to shove flowers in women's hands and then ask for a donation to the homeless. Maybe the fact that he uses flowers to guilt mone out of people i dunno, i feel like i try to be pretty honest and courteous in my pitches of others doing street promotions and this guy gets my goat... and so he rolls up past me and I start heckling as his game works on some suburban kids, in fact it probably drew some sympathy from the kids so he got his 2 dollars or whatever.

and they leave and he's yelling back about what respect is on this street and how I was not engaged in conversation and i get back with, "I was talking to them you didn't give a chance you just come crashing through as though this street belongs to you. It don't we on this block so look up when you walk and see us"

He busted out and I followed him east on 44th street to a parking garage that linked to 43rd and then all the way on 43rd to 6th av. Ireally didnt know where he would go or how long i could afford to follow him, but I was on this ride for a while and long enough to forge anaother confrontation. He would look back about every 30 strides and motion me on with his arm and yell something indistinguishable about the limits of my abilities. I let him get about 20yds ahead then kept up real quick and quiet to about 3ft so when he looked by i was there in his grill as we crossed 6th.

Just past the dollar hot dog cart by the Grace building I started
to walk away, but not before I informed him, "stay off the block"; then he laced, "and what you gonna do about it if i do, i been here 22 years when you get here?!?!?!" with multiple f-bombs and he thought I was gone I came back and got in his face again smiling mischevious. and we hollared at each other some more about respect and how he contiously disrepects us and he claimed to not this that and the other.

He walked south with more cussing and i grinned and thought about writing this later.

then i went and worked in inside of the vendor station getting water/soda and snacks for vendors.

Kanye West struggled to hold a half empty giants stadium of Rolling Stone fans. One old rocker/hippie that worked for us saidm, "I've never even heard of this Kain West"
same booking agent let kanye down a bit it think

those old men can play rock'n'roll big enough to fill that stadium just right. just loud enough and move the crowd and connect.

huge stage with seats in it and light and a train track thing that took them out into the audience for honkeytonk man.

I saw the deconstruction of said aparatus until 3:15 am.
late

at one point you were a skunk

2006-04-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

the rounded out sides of a hollowed out tree trunk
the occaisional glance of that woman over her shoulder in your general direction
were those middle eastern girls laughing at me...

of coaurse not

You are the same as everybody else. That crap Barney sang about you being special, just that. Decaying organic matter. Give off waste and use up energy. Just like the dead-beat dad, the crack whore, the amoeba, you chemstry instructor, gay stage actors, pigeons that never leave small towns they are born in. All the same. Energy or nothingness.

Like the tree you can be burned to the extent of your calories. Like the freshly brewed tea in the South, your body will reach a point of sugar saturation. Starch that makes your pleets sharp will later make your potatos delicious and your poop float.

there is no story here only the other stuff that is continuous and not subject to human wranglings and the odd subjection of opinion to rock critic style historical inaccuracies.

bad writing makes for bad timing when living in a city that manifests its own good fortune.

get right and go home.

The time I went to lunch

2006-01-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

That guy was there. The one who was such a character, and id all the cussing. Ok well the cussing wouldnt distinguish him from them.. But, he was there, and he recounted stories seriously, too vulger to abbreivate here and now. The guy didnt eat as much as you'd think he would. He was a teddy bear, and constantly inappropriate. He did eat a fair serving though. Glasses.

He sat there like a dinosaur.

He roared then so did the others. Dressed in layers all of them.
There's a bite of chicken.
Killer cuts her eyes.

The group slowly disintigrates back into the sea of people outside on the streets. Smoke rises from them.

after office hours drinks

2005-05-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is always best to drink with people who do not know thier limits (assuming you too are not one of those people, and for morality's sake you are not the type to take dramatic advantage of such a precarious situation).

Thin burgers on a generic gas grill, chips, pasta salad, a couple dozen burned out co-workers, beer, and drinks mixed by non-professionals that contain ridiculous amounts of liqour and little else. This makes a successful party amongst co-workers.

Surely there is drama...
Shirly brings her boyfriend even though she slept with Russell 16 days ago. Russell then sizes up a fellow who doesn't even know he's being scrutinized mercilessly.
The two young professionals that have been emailing on company time share meaningful glances across the way. There is always a third soul noticing this take place and remains silent though envious.
The guy who has slept with nearly half the staff schmoozes and boozes and tries not to notice that he remains at the same fork in his life's road that he has been ignoring for the last 6 years.Of coarse there is always a new girl full of trust at these things willing to offer him more denial in exchange for a breifly entertaining mistake.
Lovers that have parted ways fake knowing smiles that, "Jez, I hope no one finds out what we did"
The boss drinks with the peons and curses in socially acceptable yet still suprising fashion. Everyone enjoys this outburst of profanity.

We are out of mustard.

hot water returns to my pipes

2005-04-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

for the first time in 9 days I took a shower in my apratment that did not entail shivering during and after the cleaning of my body and folicles. It did spit out some (what i assume was) rusty water just as I turned it own.

The shower itself was a glorious affair. I shampooed, I soaped. I took my time, and hit all the important places. some of them, twice.

However, this was still not enough of a boost to get me to work on time.

It should be noted I did shower everyday in the last week, save sunday. I used the ice faucets to wash my hair and scrubbed myself clean the first 3 days. I showered in a Hilton hotel on saturday. Abstension sunday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I got clean in the yellow confines of my preacher's house.

God provides.

brain freeze

2005-04-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

My apartment is devoid of luxury. The hot water heater is the latest thing to go. Some time, late Tuesday is stopped heating water that is piped into my small flat.

There are 3 spigits in my home: Kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower head. In the past weeks there has been a developing problem with these devices.

First, and even when the cold nob was turned the faucet would run 20 seconds worth of warm water. Then it would get cold.

Now all the water is cold.

I needed to shower before work. It was too cold to shower in that water, but I have quite a tuft of hair on my head so I decided to wash it in the shouwer and cloth wash the rest of my outer self.

Initial rinse was fine. Cold, but doable. I scrubbed the 2 in 1 Dove product in my hair. I looked in the mirror at myself because it is not often one gets to see themself with such sudsy follicles, and it was all the visual I hoped it would be.

Then came the tricky part, rinsing it out. This takes longer. I have think hair, and it require some hand squiggy work. and all the hair has to be rinsed out. about 45 seconds into this process my head got the same sensation I had given it early tuesday evening. The feeling one gets when they eat ice cream too quickly and the skull seesm to shrink.

For the record I blame the neighbors upstairs for the whole mess.

Eats

2005-04-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

I brown bagged it. And I had done a good job: carrot sticks, granola bar, 2 reese's eggs, 1 6-pack of peanut butter on cheese crackers, a pouch of ruit snacks, and an oatmeal cream pie. Lunch is at 12:22.

Normally, I eat some of my lunch in the morning because I do not usually eat breakfast. So I started out with the Oatmeal pie and about 8:49am. This is an early start. A minute or so later the bag of carrots had been consumed as well. The Reese's eggs got eaten next, and the fruit snacks and granola bar were gone by 9:05.

I found myself in the Burger King parking lot at 9:18. I went inside, and I ordered the new 10000 calorie Enourmous Omlette Sandwich meal ($4.99 plus tax).

The reasoning behind this choice in two fold. Anytime (with the avalanche of Dieting programs and healthy concious activists) that a food service thumbs its nose at the public and says, "We like fat, calories and cholesterol, and you will too" i am intrigued. After seeing the film "Super Size Me" I had not eaten fast food in over month. I broke the fast. I was mad hungry and these times called for extreme measures.

Secondly I was hungry, very hungry.

I ate the sandwich the hashbrowns and downed the OJ (you know for Vitamin C) in 11 minutes. I was still not satisfied. Also the sandwich would be better with either a biscuit or crossaint type of bread around it. The sesame seed hoagie bun seemed dry and out of place at breakfast.

The sandwich gets 2 thumbs up (out of 5).

1

2005-02-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

We join the meeting already in progress

Meeting Leader (aka undeserving authority figure): "We must decide on the point in question after the formulation of the team framework as it applies to the leadership structure. The issue concerns whether or not there is an authority on the team would be the official officially in charge of the daily goings on in the summer."

Concerned Traditionalist:"Well speaking as a parent I say there just has to be someone we can all point to and say they are the cheif administrator."

uneffected voice #1: "It is always best to have one ultimate power in any organizational system"

uneffected voice #2: "The buck must stop somewhere"

Other Oldhead:"rebellious outsider, we would like to hear your opinion"

rebellious outsider:"I do not think you can have a team following the concept just outlined and passed not half an hour ago in this room, then turn around and say this person is the true person in charge. It undermines the very purpose of its existance"

Willing Imperialist:"I recall a time when I thought differently, and I appreciate your opinion, rebellious outsider, but age and guile has given me insight into the matter of the way things really are."

rebellious outsider: "OK I understand that, but does age and..."

Willing Imperialist:"And that is enough of a majority to decide things for tonight."

The outsider goes on the tell the truth
The power absent that eveing blasts him for revolt.

poopyheadz

2004-12-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Is America irresistable?

Imagine you were the only son of an only son. You were raised Amish in suburban Nashville, TN. Today is your 16th birthday. Though you go to public school, your parents have up to this point successfully protected you from the evil of 21st century, real-world, Christendom. Tonight you will do the first thing of substance that truly rebels against your parents wishes. Friends from school, have secured you lower-level seats to the Nashville Cats Arena Footbal League game tonight versus the Arizona Rattlers. Also they have secured one their parents' automobiles to drive to the game.
How is your perception of society different after this night? Based on just an arena game are you, Amish person, more or less likely to engage mass culture further? What would your impression of modern American young people be after this societal encounter?

What if you had lived in the Central African Republic for all fo your life, and now at age 32 you have a chance to come to America. Wee, you were hungry when you got on the train to go to Lagos, Nigeria to catch a flight. You have saved your whole life for this moment. You have spurned women and avoided a family for this one shot at freedoom. You may go to Tokyo, London, or New York.
Which do you choose?

You are an Afghani woman is enamoured with a young private in the US Army. He is impressionable and she makes an impression on him. He brings you back to his home town of Muskogee, OK. You may have more possessions and freedoms (as in ability to do things you desire) but is the life you lead in Oklahoma truly superior to that of the repressed women of Afghanistan? Do neon lights and slick ad campaigns numb you to the underlying reification of your culture, value-system and concept of God? Even if your husband was perfect could you and he happiliy assimilate into American life? Would you want to?

You are 57 and live in the rural plains of Western China. Does the potential to become a middle-class, car-driven, gadget-using, media-savy, image concious, intellectually liberated, person of modernity appeal to you? Is it even capable?

Do you ever have a choice?

Friday the 3rd

2004-12-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

I went out for a jog/walk. Just a block away from returning to my home I stumbled upon 2 youngish looking gentlemen. I should have kept walking but they caught me. Played on my guilt for the holidays and my white man's burdan guilt as well. I ended up driving them all over Columbia on a chase that was ultimately fruitful and took them home. In a free society I would not have felt the need to right hundreds of years of racial injustice by taking to drunken broke-down gangstas to places I have no desire to go. The low point was without question Monte (killer) urinating on a tree in the obligatory lawn median which decorates the entrance for a aging middle class neighbor hood just south of Columbia. They found the 5 Hip-Hop songs I had between the 6 discs in my changer and refused to play anything else. Repeatedly they called me "Clark Kent" becuase apparently I ended up being a more interesting and pleasing fellow than they expected. Monte also confided in me that he was Special Ed. when in the public shcools of Queens, New York. Unfortunately, after hearing his lexicon come full circle in less than an hour this did not surprise me.