I'm feeling sort of pensive just now. And not in a bad way.  There's something sort of stoically calming about walking home in a cold drizzle.  A very clear-minded walk home.  I met my brother Geoff and his roommates down at Loki, a bar on 5h Ave., one street down from Great Lakes.  They were playing pool.  I just had a drink and watched.  Wasn't unpleasant.  Then I strolled over to Great Lakes for a drink. Then had a bit to eat at Geoff's place and walked back here in a slow cold rain.  Not bad.  Cursiously content. For 2:30 in the morning.
    The weekend was generally fun.  Had a few people over yesterday.  Good excuse to clean the place.  It almost looks like someone moved out, there's so little stuff lying around the living room. Clean sure is nice.  It was a nice night last night. Good mix of people.  Sat around and played the board game Balderdash. You have to make up definitions to weird words.  I won.  That pleased me greatly.  The game actually belongs to Nora.  But I've had it, along with her lamp and end table, for almost two years now.   So after that, most of us went down to Great Lakes. that was around 1:30.  We stayed sort of late.  Jen and I were the last ones to leave, around 4 I think.  A quick bagel, and back here before 5. Played some guitar and sang for a while.  A favorite activity on a quiet Saturday night.  Good mix of Will Oldham songs and others.  bed around 6.  Woke up when Geoff called around 1:30.  Talked with Jen a bit. I always like to think about what was going on a week ago, or a month ago, or a year ago. This morning's topic was "a year ago..."  What spurred the conversation was the football games on today.  It reminded me of the Superbowl, almost a year ago.  Jen made some sort of velveeta-hormel chili kind of dip. It's tasty and disgusting.  She couldn't believe that was a year ago.  it was also the same day I bought the lamp by my bed. And maybe the same day I bought my shoes with flames on them.  They're really squeaking in the rain, by the way.  Also, a year ago tomorrow I think, I got the computer I'm writing this on. It was also the last time I saw Nora.  I met her at JFK airport for about two hours.  I miss her.  I miss the sort of self-centered conversations we had.  We have a nice understanding, where we take turns listening to each other talk about, solely about ourselves. It's nice. there's no veils or tricks or hidden agendas. It's "I want to tell you about all the cool and exciting things I'm thinking and I want to complain about other shit, and you're going to listen. And after a certian about of time, I'll sit here and let you do the same."  It's a very comforting system. even if she doesn't want to listen, she's contractually obligated to do so, because I extend her the same courtesy.  Is this all an unnecessary explanation of what might be called "friendship"?
    I'm glad Jen's back, by the way.

    Anyhow, I'm glad I have nothing to do tomorrow. Not that I work on mondays anyway. but I have several things I'd like to accomplish in Manhattan tomorrow.  I went all the way there tonight to print out my resume, but freakin' Kinkos didn't have the right computers working that I needed. So i gotta do that tomorrow. though i did get the just-released DVD version of When Harry Met Sally.  Then I got some icecream, came home, and had a good cry.  Not really.  Anyway, I love that movie. Top Ten, undoubtedly.  I've been declaring a whole lot of things in my "Top Ten" over the last few days, and I realize I have really no idea what makes up my Top Ten.  I don't mind that though. Twas just an observation.  But as far as movies and cds go, the favorites are always the movies that are more than great movies, but have some sort of loaded sentimental quality to them.   And this movie reminds me of several people.

    Anyway, all the other stuff I wanna do tomorrow is just New York kind of stuff I haven't done that i feel like doing, like going to the top of the World Trade Center.  If there weather's nice, that is. Otherwise, i'll probably blow more money on books and cds.
    Speaking of books, and "one year ago"'s, I started really reading in earnest for the first time about a year ago.  It wasn't until about this time last year that I really started to enjoy reading.  It was the Great Gatsby that did it.  Stayed up till 6am finishing it.  All proud of myself.  I've read more books in the past year I think than I did the last 10 years. At least, books I read for recreation.  I started another Vonnegut book the other day, Slapstick. It's Jen's copy I think. I found it in Jed's closet.  I'm really enjoying it. I love his sensibilities and his writing style.  Such a detached tone, but such personal themes. He opens the book by framing it with his enjoyment of Laurel and Hardy, which is why the book is titled "Slapstick."  "The fundamental joke with Laurel and Hardy, it seems to me, was that they did their best with every test.  They never failed to bargain in good faith with their destinies, and were screaminly adorable and funny on that account."  I knew from that third paragraph that I'd really like this book. And so far, I have. Of course, you have to stop expecting things like plot and traditional stories to enjoy most of his later books. And I have.  And i have to say, it's one of the best opening's of a book I've ever read. I can't recall an opening that made me want to read a book more.  It was really the Laurel and Hardy bit, I think.  Admittedly, I'm much more of a Three Stooges fan, but I just like the use of two comic fools as models of his sentimentality.  Anyway, I probably don't know what I'm talking about, really. But that's what sticks out to me.

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