Travis Morrison is the frontman for the soon to be defunct Dismemberment Plan. He has posted on his personal website--after taking it down from the band website when his bandmates became less than thrilled with using the band's forum for his own views on a very touchy subject--a very cogent, thoughtful, and even-handed analysis of the War on Iraq. Considering the metro D.C. location and the associates of The Plan (Fugazi/Ian Mackaye/Dischord, anyone?), it is probably safe to assume that Travis is a pretty solid lefty. But while most of his peers are busy being reactionaries (I'm sure), Travis has approached this topic with pragmatism, intelligence and even a little wit. Kudos to Mr. Morrison for pointing out the big problem with anti-war protestors: their habit of running down the "history of American geo-political fuckups without actually using that knowledge to construct a coherent approach to the present and future." My friend Beth and I were discussing this the other day at the Aislers Set show after The Quails set, where the singer(s) would occasionally punctuate their set with anti-war rhetoric. Neither of us are for war, but we're also offended by anti-war protestors whose arguments are more reactionary and naive than forceful and informed. Unfortunately, these are the people who get the most press (and they say there's a liberal bias in the media...puh-lease), and it presents those against war as being simplistic and ignorant.

Anyway, check out the spiel, and sign the petition. Iraqi oil for Iraqis!

Thanks, Travis. Reading that made my day.

Mmmmmm...smoky.

Well, let's see, since the last time I posted, we've gone to war, the NCAA basketball tournament has begun, and I've spent even more time with the lovely Melinda. Such a whirlwind of emotions.

Anyway...yes, I'm smoky. I just got back from the Black Cat, where I saw the most impressive Hella, the equally qualitah Quails, and the fine Aisler's Set. A good show in a week of good shows. Sadly, I didna budget properly, so this is the only one I could catch. Sunday saw Calexico and Nina Nistasia play the main stage of the Black Cat while the might Vandermark 5 were on the back stage. Monday was the Television concert at the 9:30, tomorrow is the Engine Down/Dame Fate show at the Black Cat, and Thursday is Cursive/Minus the Bear, also at the Black Cat. *sigh*....not enough money.

Back to tonight's show...hung out with Beth and her friends, including Erin. This time, I was very friendly to Erin, but not so much that her husband would want to kick my ass. (For those of you who have been reading the blog for a while, you'll know why I even mention this.) Good to hang out with Beth, and I may be doing it more since she invited me to come to a pub trivia night with her in the future. Fun.

You know, I wish they would bring back the Indie Rock Flea Market.

Other than the above, not much else to report. Spending lots of quality time with Melinda and thinking about my future. Trying not to get into the usual depressive funk I get into when I think about the future, and so far, so good. I owe a lot of my recent peace of mind to mi amorcita. Te amo mucho, conejita.

Okay...sorry...I don't usually get this mushy in a "public" forum, but I'm just feeling it.

Also, big hugs to Liz, who has been down lately. I'm thinking about ya, kid. Have a blast in NYC.

And I'm spent. Goodnight!

A quick, pre-lunch plug from work: Nightclub Jitters. This is yet another qualitah music site. Big ups to Travelers Diagram for posting it.

That is all.

Fuckin' A...it's been 2 weeks again. Ugh. What to do? What to say?

First, go to Evan's Journal here. Read the bit on "Ban the !" Quality writing there (typos and all).

Also, you go now! Now! To this site. Thanks to Liz for providing it.

Nothing much more to report. Went home this past weekend for my sister's 25th birthday. That was quality time. I love those kids. They make me hate you all a lot less when I'm in their presence. Another one night sleepover. I haven't done a full weekend (Xmas doesn't count) at home in a while. I really should stay more than a day the next time, which is in a few weeks for my other sister's 18th birthday and my mother's nth (I would never divulge such sensitive information) birthday.

Things with Melinda are going well...oh, I guess I do have something to report. On the weekend of the 7th/8th, I met her family and friends for the first time. She had a party for her grandmother, essentially so that she could meet all of her friends. Her family is wonderful, and made me feel very at ease, which was necessary, as I was this furious ball of anxiety up until that point. And all of her friends were very nice and pleasant. Overall, the weekend turned out much better than I thought it would, and I feel much closer to Melinda as a result. Plus, I had some mad tasty tostones and some quali-tah desserts (especially the pineapple upside down cake...big ups to Nyree on that one).

I also have been having kinda confrontational dreams lately, culminating in a dream about us nuking Iraq. I saw the mushroom clouds and everything. Great...during the Cold War, I never suffered from nuke-yu-lar paranoia. Now it's seeped into my dreams. Fuck.

Speaking of which...when's that war starting? You'd think they'd postpone it because of the NCAA tournament...but, I guess there are larger priorities. Bah. This will be the year I win the damn thing and then we get nuked into oblivion. I apologize in advance for jinxing humanity.

Bonne nuit, mes amis.

Jeepers H. Crackers, it's been, what, almost 2 weeks? Wow. And to think, I thought I was getting to be consistent or something.

Anyway, the snow is gone, and today was an absolutely beautiful day. Blew a lot of money this weekend, too. Picked up a stick blender of my own (yaaay!), Getaway for the PS2, which is pretty awesome (from the 10 minutes I played it), the South Park movie on DVD, plus an RF Modulator so I can actually watch it.

To be honest, I haven't the faintest clue what has happened the last couple of weeks. And that's the truth. My memory is so shaky it's not even funny. Actually, that's not true. There just isn't a whole lot to report. I'm blissfully happy (duuhhh) in my relationship, even as it weathers stress (both external and internal to the relationship, my job isn't as bad as it used to be, and overall, things are hunky dory. A friend of mine has begun speaking to me again, so everything is jake with me. The only "negative" is that I've had two weekends of family time cancelled because of the bad weather, and next weekend I'm meeting Melinda's family (*gulp*), so I won't be seeing mine until I go home in a couple of weeks for my sister's birthday. It's been a long time. Since Christmas, actually. I really miss them.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I have about which I can prattle at length. If tix don't sell out, I'm going to see godspeed you! black emperor on Tuesday (M is coming along), and I will also try to see Television on the 24th. Sadly, I missed Mission of Burma, so my retro-punk exacta did not pay off. But if I get to see Television, I'll settle for that.

Yep. That's it. Until next time folks...

In case you haven't heard, it snowed like a motherfucker in these parts.

Sorry it's taken a week to get another post in this thing. Between snow and a four-day road trip to Melinda's (the trip extended due to the snow), it's been busy. (My apologies if this post comes out sounding distracted...I'm watching Chapelle's Show, and as always, it's funny shit.)

The stay at Melinda's was wonderful. I cannot believe how lucky I am, I honestly can't. We basically just kicked about, cooking (blueberry pancakes with a butter pecan maple syrup, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and a potato florentine soup that was amazing), playing games (we almost picked up Stratego!), watching movies (Waking Life, a great film by Richard Linklater, and State and Main, the most recent offering from David Mamet, which was hilarious), and being obnoxiously cute. She even cut my hair! It was just so much fun...it makes coming home to the spot even harder than usual.

Oh, before I forget, I did wind up going to see Hanne at Atomic Books and picking up her newest erotic work, Unruly Appetites. I haven't started it yet, as I'm still working on the Azerrad book, but I shall get to it soon enough. Hanne was as cool as I expected and if she's in a city near you, I suggest you pay her a visit and pick up a book or two.

Also picked up at Atomic Books: five issues of Dork (by the always brilliant Evan Dorkin) and ST 37's Down On Us for me, while Melinda picked up Christopher Moore's Lamb and a magnetic Sock Monkey courtesy of Tony Millionaire. Actually...Melinda picked it all up, because she's just that awesome.

We then went to Paper Moon for dinner, which was tasty, and had an absolutely evil looking dessert case. (Surprisingly, the Decadent Twins--as Melinda has dubbed us--did not partake.)

Anyway...where was I? Jesus...lost the point.

Tonight, met up with Melinda for dinner and then did a mini-binge on music. Just three discs, Out Hud's S.T.R.E.E.T.D.A.D., the Delgados Hate, and Q and Not U's No Kill No Beep Beep. It was hard keeping it to three, as the new Cat Power, the new Dirty Three, and new Calexico discs are out. Not to mention morbid curiosity has me wanting the Zwan disc.

And somewhere in all of the last week, I also got a reply from the FBI, saying that I met the minimum requirements for a job I applied to several months back. So they're going to forward it for further review. We'll see.

That about wraps things up. I'd like to thank my guests, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Joan Embrey, and of course, Charo. Coochie coochie!

It's been quite a week. On Monday, I suffered a urethral swab. On Tuesday, it was Mongolian Grill with the Entourage and Kathy (a friend of the Entourage who is pregnant). And today, it was dinner with Beth, who I haven't really hung out with since sometime in 2000. And it was great. I forgot how awesome she is to hang around with. We caught up as best as you can during a one and a half hour dinner conversation. She's getting over a breakup, which is always tough, but otherwise, seems to be doing fine. I told her about Melinda (ha! I used her name! Surprise, surprise!) and she was quite happy for me. (And thought M was very cool to boot.)

Also, it turns out, her best friend doesn't like me due to a huge misunderstanding. See a few years ago, at a Spiritualized show at the 9:30 Club, her friend Erin came up to me and said hello. Apparently, I blew her off. I actually remembered it, and was totally shocked that she thought I blew her off. I was at the show by myself, and thought she was with people. So I politely said hello and went back to watching the show. She took it as my being a dick, which in reality, it was just me being polite and shy, since I had a bit of a crush on her cute (and now married! *gasp*) indie girl self. Anyway, I explained what went down to Beth so that we could clear the air on that. It was weird enough finding out that the girl actually thought I was cool to begin with (I had actually thought she disliked me well before the Spiritualized show), but I couldn't let this perceived slight go uncorrected.

Oh, and please...PLEASE...watch the Dave Chappelle Show. Too fucking hilarious.

Well, the angst is gone, only to be replaced by a cold. If it weren't for the fact that I kinda like sneezing, I would absolutely hate colds. Mostly, they are just really annoying. But it could be worse. My mother is currently suffering from gastroenteritis and pancreatitis. My youngest sister may also be battling the former. My poor family. It totally blew up my plans to see the family this weekend. Even though mom is starting to feel better, I can't really afford to catch that. No health care benefits and all. I did call in sick today, which means I lose money, but I could afford it. I wound up napping and gaming and reading the whole day. (Reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad, and it's an awesome read, especially for such an indie geek like me.)

What else...well, my goil is visiting friends in Virginia, acting as the decoy in some insidious surprise party plot. Good for her. Acting! (Where have you gone, Jon Lovitz?) So I have the weekend by myself, which is good. I won't spread sickness, will be able to just rest and recover, and besides, this is a good test of our mettle. We'd spent the last 3 weekends together, and were being total dorks about not spending this one together. Sure, it's cute and all. (Well, if you're us. Ha! Take that!) But you know, it's just a weekend. Small potatoes, knaa'mean?

Other things: I may be going to Atomic Books this coming Thursday for a book signing by Hanne Blank, who you may know from a previous plug of Nibblechomp in this here blog. She'll be signing her new erotica collection, Unruly Appetites. I have Zaftig: Well Rounded Erotica, which she edited, and it's a quality (pronounced "qualitah") read. Of course, this is contigent upon how late I have to work, since it's in Baltimore and starts at 7. Oh yeah, I guess it also depends on if mi mu�equita would also be gracious enough to take me. This, too, is contingent upon how early she gets off from work, since she works even later than I do. (Sweetie, if you're reading this, I was totally going to ask you, and not just assume you would.)

Also, if we can swing it, me and the boys might be rolling to Lulu's for a special event: "The Search for DC's Girl Who Went the Wildest!" That's right, Girls Gone Wild is rolling into town on Feb. 18th. That should be quite a night, if we wind up going (and getting in, which will be a tough task, I'm sure).

That's about it. I'm going to hang out with Ali tomorrow if I'm feeling better, and will be meeting up with my friend Beth next Wednesday to hang out, something I haven't done in over a year, only seeing her on the random occasions where we'd bump into each other on the street. I'm looking forward to it. I am really going to try to get in touch with all of the people I lost track with in the last year due to financial problems and depression.

And now I really have to go, because the "Uncle Pecos" episode of Tom and Jerry is starting, and that is a CLASSIC. "Froggy went-a courtin' and he did ride...C-C-C-Crambone!" Ciao!

It's quite extraordinary: no matter how happy you get, no matter how giddy and obnoxiously lovey-dovey you become, if there's still a galaxy of despair inside, you can easily slide through the wormhole into the blackness.

Tonight, I was actually near tears when I was accidentally pitched into the past while talking with my amorcita. Same stuff that has been tormenting me for the last couple of years and how I still feel stuck in a huge career tarpit. Anyway, I guess the changes in the last couple of months haven't been enough to completely erase the depression I experienced last year (especially last summer...just look at the archives), and when we got on the subject, it all came rushing back to me to the point where I just couldn't talk any more. I hate the feeling, but what can I do? It's part of me.

And to top it all off, we won't even be able to spend the weekend together, which isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's not exactly going to help my current state of mind. I just hope the rest of the week at work doesn't make me want to cut someone.

Why am I posting all of this here? Fuck if I know.

Where are you, Mavis Weld?

So it basically went down like this:

"I love you."
"And I, you."

That's six words, and two of the words are repeated. So really, it's four words. But they were incredibly transformative, and took an incredible amount of nerve to get them out. I'd never been the first to initiate this phase in a relationship before, and I'm still kinda shocked that I did it this time. To quote Seinfeld, "'cause if you don't get that return, that's a pretty big matzoh ball hanging out there." But as it turns out, my anxiety (in this instance, anyway) was for nothing. Seems she'd been biting her tongue on the same thing for about a week.

So what does it all mean? For now, that we're both incredibly happy. For the future, who the hell knows? (Insert standard cliche about it's the journey, not the destination, etc.)

And now in a subject completely unrelated to the preceding (and naughty to boot, so please be 18 before clicking the link), I used to work with this girl. What a crazy world, eh?

Before I get myself to bed, I should say that this post may come down (or at least be edited) if it does not get the proper (after-the-fact, obviously) clearances from all parties involved. So enjoy this bootleg version while you can.

Using a different template for the Experience. Just got tired of ripping off Traveler's Diagram. (Hey, if you're going to rip something off, rip off something that rocks, knaa'mean?) Anyway, nothing much to add at the moment. Actually, it's just a bit late to add anything. But I've been futzing with the site for the last hour, so I thought I'd post something.

I should probably take this time to welcome my newest reader. Andree, welcome. I am afraid that your expectations for updates might be a bit too optimistic. But I hope you keep coming back, anyway.

Okay, I'm going to bed now. It's very weird not having the girl (this is acceptable, since I am apparently "the boy") here with me. But I shan't dwell on it. It will just make the sleep peaceless and me cranky until the weekend.

Oh, and Monica, if you're reading this (and I doubt you are now that Ron is back), I'm still considering the feedback/talk/message function for this site. We'll see, eh?

"The Fry-man is not excited to see us."
"Well that's a mistake!"

Sorry...I'm watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force again and can't help quoting the Mooninites. Great, great characters.

Ahem.

So, it's been just over a week since the last post. In that time, there was three day weekend where I got little sleep. Yet it was such an incredible weekend, I'm still thinking about it. What happened? Again, I'm not going to say, since it's nobody's business. (And I'm sure that nobody really wants to hear about it.) All that needs to be said is that it was a weekend unlike I've ever had before, and I hope to be having many more of them.

Which begs the question: if everything is so hunky-dory (and it really, truly is *insert blissful sigh and goofy smile*), why the hell do I feel like I'm going to fuck it up? I can't explain it, either. (I seriously hope that expressing this fear isn't the first step to making it into a self-fulfilling prophecy.) But I can't help it. Not that I am so pessimistic that I think that it's inevitable. I just...it's a nagging feeling that creeps into me every now and then. I have this suspicion that internal mechanisms or external forces will just conspire to fuck up my good thing. I try not to dwell on these thoughts, and I'm hoping they dissipate with the passing of time, but... I don't know. Anxiety totally sucks ass. (If I may abandon eloquence for a second.)

In other news, the Super Bowl is this weekend, and I could not care less about it. I mean, I want to watch it, but my interest in the NFL playoffs have been low this year, especially because the Dolphins didn't make the post-season. For the record, I am pulling for the Buccaneers. Anyway, the Super Bowl party is at Carl's this weekend. Should be fun. I honestly think I enjoy the gatherings more than the games.

You know, it's been a while since I've nurtured the misanthrope within. Maybe that's what the anxiety is. Perhaps starting each day with a healthy dose of gleeful disdain for humanity would normalize my feelings. It would probably make me intolerable, sure, but I'd probably feel more like myself. Naaaahh...fuck that. If hating everyone (except Turtleface) places me anywhere near how I felt last summer, I'd just as soon leave it alone.

And finally: BIZARRO!

I know this is a bit late, and that nobody really cares, but for those of you with some disposable income, and some time to kill (to read this), here are the Damian Vegas Top 30 Albums of 2002. I don't have cool little capsules for each one, because I'm much too lazy to do such a thing.

1. godspeed you! black emperor - yanqui uxo
2. Acid Mothers Temple - Electric Heavyland
3. Acid Mothers Temple - In C
4. Neko Case - Blacklisted
5. Polyphonic Spree - The Beginning Sounds of...
6. Sonic Youth - Murray Street
7. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
8. Lambchop - Is A Woman
9. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
10. El-P - Fantastic Damage
11. Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel
12. Mr. Lif - I Phantom
13. ...Trail of Dead - Source Tags and Codes
14. Radar Bros. - And the Surrounding Mountains
15. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
16. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
17. The Notwist - Neon Golden
18. Yo La Tengo - The Sounds of the Sounds of Science
19. Nina Nastasia - The Blackened Air
20. Sigur Ros - ( )
21. 90 Day Men - To Everybody
22. Bellini - Snowing Sun
23. Wolf Colonel - Something/Everything
24. Non Phixion - The Future is Now
25. French Kicks - One Time Bells
26. Isis - Oceanic
27. 2 Many DJs - As Heard on the Radio
28. Arlo - Stab the Unstoppable Hero
29. Bigger Lovers - Honey in the Hive
30. The Black Heart Procession - Amore Del Tropico

And I'm spent. See ya!

NFL playoffs are go! I was up in Hanover, PA last night at Damon's, with the Entourage (Carl, Caren, and Jamie) plus Matt and Kel. It was much fun pulling for the Tennesse Titans around all of those Steelers fans (three of them at my table). Glad to know my sick contrariness was rewarded with a Joe Nedney ("NED-NEEEEYYY!") field goal in overtime. I departed after that game with Das Obergs, and was delivered to my door, where I would eventually settle in for sleep (at 2:30 in the morning). Very necessary after this weekend.

Which I won't give you any more details of because I'm a gentlemen. Ha! Deal with that, suckas!

I cannot stop watching my Adult Swim tape. Most frequently watched: the "Bizarro!" episode of Sealab 2021 and the "Revenge (or is that Return?) of the Mooninites" episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Fuckin' hilarious. "It's because those are Loverboy songs...and Loverboy has always sucked."

If you're interested, I'm Eagles and Titans for the Super Bowl. Just because I want to see those fiery Scottish quarterbacks, McNabb and McNair duelling in the biggest game of the year. It would be a great achievement for Scots everywhere.

That's all for this space for now. I'ts 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon, and I haven't even showered yet. Hygiene calls!

So sleepy. Why am I awake? Studies are inconclusive, but evidence suggests that I'm a jackass. But a loveable jackass. Can you make the same claim? Liar!

Actually, I'm awake because I have this weird compulsion to be awake, even if my body is fighting me on it. (Which it's doing now.) I get so caught up in the multimedia in my apartment, that going to bed actually seems unappealing. Then I fall asleep and love every minute of it, only to have it end much sooner than I wanted.

And actually, now my resistance to sleep is futile. So I'm calling it quits. I'll finish this post later. Ciao!

Okay, so I started this post last night aroudn 12:30, and now I'm finishing it at 8:55pm. But hey, at least I didn't let it linger for weeks. I know what my fans want.

Actually, I was just go to post this without adding anything, but then I was reading something, and I had to rant (sorta) about it.

The subject: Joe Millionaire. Yes, that new reality show on Fox that is straight poo poo. I haven't seen the show, but I post in a sports forum, and surprisingly, a lot of the guys there have. I found that surprising enough, but even more surprising, the guys all LOVED the show. The hook? They are all delighting in these "typical" women getting what they "deserve." Now, I admit, I have said myself that I am intrigued by the prospect of seeing a bunch of gold-digging women getting their comeuppance for being shallow, money-grubbing skanks. But the way the guys are just revelling in their imminent humiliation...I feel kinda skeevy. Even more offensive is the way that they all seem to think this is kind of behavior is par for the course for women. It's ridiculous how many men seem to have opinions that were apparently forged by old episodes of "Married With Children." (A show that I freely admit to loving, but not so much that I saw it as a documentary.)

It's disheartening that more and more men seem to be buying these modern, television-inspired cliches about women. It helps to explain why the chasm between men and women--in terms of their understanding of each other--doesn't seem to be closing. It's easy to rely on stereotypes when the other option is genuinely trying to understand people.

Now...if you'll excuse me, my woman is making me a sammich and I need to smack her on the ass to show my approval. Ciao!

Mmmmm...fruity Pebbles.

First off: go Buckeyes! For those of you who aren't college football inclined, the Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship last night, beating the Miami Hurricanes (my other favorite college football team, so the game was really a no-lose situation for me) in a thrilling overtime game. Unless Jim Tressel doesn't win a game the next two seasons combined, I have a feeling the man is going to be in Columbus for a long time. In just two years, he's beaten Michigan twice and won a national championship. The man is simply a great coach. All those titles with the YSU Penguins, and now a national championship with the Buckeyes. Of course, due to this success, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get some offers from the NFL soon. Which would be a shame, because I think he is just a great fit for Ohio State. But hey, if the players' dreams are to be in the NFL one day, why shouldn't that be the dream of the coach as well? Anyway, congratulations Buckeyes! You earned it.

What else? Oh, yeah, today, January 4th, 2003, I will attempt to put my house into working order. Clean, clean, clean. It really needs to be done, but first I need to be motivated. Right now, I'm only motivated toward evil.

I had the weirdest dream last night (what? you need a proper transition? bah!). Actually, only parts of the dream were weird (and memorable). Weirdness one: I had this 45 (you remember vinyl, don'tcha kids?), but it was edible. It wasn't made of pure sugar, because it wasn't sweet. It was just....edible. The weirder part? It regenerated after having bites taken out of it. Bizarre.

Weirdness two: Carl (aka Tommy Sands) was nearly killed by Bigfoot. We were riding along (in what kind of vehicle, I don't remember. It may have been one of those bicycles built for four, because Jamie, Jarod and I were also there), since I remember Carl getting snatched off the back of it and hurled headlong into an approaching semi-truck. Very freaky. I remember Bigfoot getting plowed into after that, but there was no body, so it was thought he escaped. Meanwhile, we couldn't get close enough to Carl (a crowd had formed) to find out if he was dead. But he wound up being alive later, so I guess it all worked out.

And I also remember my sister (Danielle) planning to drive to Canada and I had to cover for her.

Anyway....Canada, Bigfoot and Carl...that could qualify as a nightmare in my book. I've really got to start going to bed earlier and not having snacks before I do.

Okay, I've wasted enough time here. Time to clean. I think I'll start with myself and hop in the shower. Hopefully, that will be enough to drive me to cleaning the rest of this dingy abode.

Feh.

Well, well, well. It's been a long time, hasn't it? Hasn't it?!

First: Happy New Year! My first 24 hours into this year just came to a close, and I must say, I'm unimpressed. This is the future? I'm still in the same apartment, watching the same television shows, and reading the same websites. I thought the future was supposed to be bright?

Seriously, a lot has changed since the last time I posted. I realize that my rabid fanbase hasn't been pleased with this turn of events, but what can I tell you? If you need a fix for the mundane, why don't you go turn on the radio? Stop hassling me!

What was I saying? Oh yes, a lot has changed. First change: I decided to work full-time for the Hilton. Actually, I'm still not a permanent employee. I decided to forgo benefits in exchange for never having to work on weekends and getting time off when I need it instead of taking "leave." I know some of you think that's foolish, but I have a feeling I'll be out of there sooner than later, and in the meantime, the pay has nearly doubled, which I'm loving. It helped out a lot with Christmas, which was absolutely wonderful. I got to spend 5 whole days at home with my entire family. Big Lou even made the trip from the Left Coast for the second year in a row. There's nothing quite like the feeling I get when the entire family is gathered. (Having the cutest nephew and niece in the world as part of that family doesn't hurt, either.)

Second change: there's a girl. I will not give her a name, because I respect her privacy (this is probably unnecessary, since I know nobody actually reads this blog, except for a few friends, who already know her name). At this point, there's not a lot to tell. We have gone out only once, but it was an all-day adventure that was simply amazing. It was interesting: I never really lost that excited/nervous feeling all day, even though I was immediately comfortable around her. We chat pretty much on a daily basis, and we even talked on the phone a few nights while we were with our families (she in NYC, I on the eastern shore of MD).

What's she like? Cute (obviously; Vegas doesn't roll with scrubs), very intelligent and creative, selfless (to a fault at times), and has an amazing sensitivity. Best of all, she challenges me. Not in a confrontational/contrary sort of way, but whenever we're talking, I feel like I'm actually using my brain. As is in evidence on this blog, I'm much into mindless chatter with only the occasional lapse into the genuinely thought-provoking. (It's the curse of the happy-go-lucky epicure-wannabe.) But when I talk to her, I feel comfortable no matter where the conversation turns.

I'm trying not to overthink this relationship at the moment, but I can't help but wonder where this journey will end up. Part of it is just the residual feeling from that amazing day, but the other part is how easily it is to be myself around her. I like that I don't feel like Vegas (and don't give me wrong, I love being Vegas) and I can simply be Damian. (Or Buckwheat Pillows, but that's an inside joke that I may eventually explain.)

And that's all. Perhaps I can resolve to post in my log on a regular basis this year. We'll see.

Jinjur!

Since I've twice posted about Evan Dorkin's blog, I felt bad that I hadn't posted anything about the equally impressive Jinjur.com, which is superwoman Sarah Dyer's website. Sarah is really the brains behind the Dyer/Dorkin web presence (from a design standpoint, anyway. At least I think she is. I can't claim to know how much of it is her work and how much is Evan's. But from what Evan himself has written/confessed, it seems like she's nearly 100% of the operation), and she's fantastico at it. For a cooking clod such as myself, her cooking classes are a godsend. (Marinades! Who knew?) So, please. Stop by and enjoy it.

Evan's Journal

Hello people. I'm just posting this as a followup to the Evan Dorkin journal link below. This is the new home of his journal. You go here now! Now!

Well, it's been 2 weeks, and what can I tell ya? The DVX keeps its own hours. If you don't like it, check a link on the right, yo.

Some shit has gone down in those two weeks, namely my sister and her family being robbed in their home at gunpoint. It really fucked me up, so who knows how my sister and her family are doing. My niece and nephew seem to have no lingering mental effects from it (luckily, and most thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt, though, my brother-in-law was tasered), but I'm sure my sister--the last person in this whole damn world who needs this kind of trauma--is probably still spinning this in her head. For me, I went through one of my worst weeks in recent memory, just thinking about it over and over again. And as I am wont to do, imagining how I'd feel if things had turned out worse. My family mean so much to me, and to have the people I would die for have their lives threatened just rips me up. I just want to go and fuck things up, hardcore style. But, cooler heads prevailed, and time has helped me relax a little bit. But I still worry. It's sad that I live in a place that was once the murder capital of the US and feel safe, but my sister is living in the country and is getting jacked.

On a lighter (ha!) note, I picked up the new godspeed you! black emperor disc a couple of days ago. It's sweeeet. I haven't really immersed myself into it yet, but will do so shortly. I can safely say that I think everybody should go buy it. Go on! Support some good goddamn art for a change, wanker!

That's all. There's more going on in my life, but I really don't feel poetic right now. So I'll blather on later.

"Write it on a postcard, 'Dad they broke me, dad they broke me....'"