Mail to G-RockIt feels like I have a lot to write about, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Though I haven't written in a few days. Got back to New York on Wednesday night. Finished up an article for the magazine on Thursday. I was up till about 5 am, then up around 11 to edit it. Confirmed that I still do my best work between the hours of midnight and 4 AM. And I still do my best thinking in the shower. The article turned out allright, I think. Now I'm just hoping I get paid for it. So I went into the office to turn it in on Friday, and to see if they had my check. Of course, the answer was "Hopefully today." Anyway, while I was there i checked on a small article I wrote on the Preacher graphic novel for the next issue, and was stunned to see the amount of "editing" done to it. Rewriting is more like it. they've edited my stuff before, but nothing this egregious. I don't mind if they tighten up the language or whatever, I can take that. but this was just obliterating what I'd written. My last sentence is now the first. And worst of all, whoever rewrote it threw in a few glaring mistakes. Now, it's clear that anyone who reads the review than the comic will know whoever wrote the article didn't even read the comic, because it gets basic things about the plot wrong. Like the climax of the story that took 5 and a half years to tell. That's sort of important. Anyway, I told someone about it, but they don't know if they can change it. If it stays as it is, I don't even want my name on it. Though I need to keep building up my clips.
So after that, i met up with Jen at Cafe Pick Me Up in the East Village, where we sat for a few hours drinking coffee then beer. She was doing some dream anaylsis in her class, which was really fascinating. She also called our once-mutual friend and my former roommate Berry in Annandale, VA. The big topic of discussion was Berry's recent engagement to her boyfriend, who she had dated in highschool. They got back together in December. And now they're engaged. Her new last name will be Ramseur. That's unfortunate, not just because of the name, but also because her name will lose all of its alliterative charm. Some people were just made to have alliterative names. If there was ever a Berry Blankinship, it's Berry. I'm not sure what that means. but there's the sort of person who just fits that sort of name, and she's it. I'm not saying it's a good or a bad thing. Just fact. I think that if she's going to change her last name, she should just change her first name too. Berry is actually a derivation of her middle name, Berrisa. Her first name is Audrey. Her sister Brooke also goes by her middle name. her first name being Jessica. I think. Anyway, I think Berry should, after her wedding, go by her full name, including her maiden name: Audrey Berrisa Blankinship Ramseur. I don't know about you, but I can't think of a more absurd name in the world. Even if I had to make on up, it couldn't match the subtle absurdity of such a name. So congratulations, Berry. And also for, you know, being engaged and all.
Anyway, i Jen and I also had dinner that night at 7A, two blocks from the cafe. Just what I needed that night. I haven't really spent that much time with Jen in a while, so it was nice to sit and talk for a few solid hours. I had the fetucinni primavera. She had the fusili with smoked chicken. both in a parmesan sauce. We both also had garlic bread and a nice glass of red wine. The pasta was really hot, and she said she burned the roof of her mouth. But she said she kind of liked it, especially when she kept touching it with her tongue.
So after that, I came back to brooklyn. Then met jed and his friend Paul at Great Lakes. Then Kathy called and came down, followed shortly by James. I was feeling a bit groggy, after not sleeping much, so I only stayed a little while then had to get the hell out of there.
The next afternoon I trekked into Manhattan and met Rodzilla at Cafe Pick Me Up. There, i had maybe the best cup of coffee I've ever had in my life. I'm not sure what it was, but it was great. I'm not sure if it qualifies as the best cup ever though, since it wasn't a regular coffee. It was a cafe au lait. We won't split hairs though. Anyhow, after a glass of red wine, i had a hankering to play board games, particularly Balderdash. So we walked down to the F train and came back to Park Slope. Rodzilla has often complained about the condition of my apartment, pertaining to the, oh, i guess you might call it the "mess." Sure, there was a big mountain of paper, carbard, and bottles that needed to be recycled, but at least we're recycling. Anyway, I'd tried to tidy up the place a bit the night before since I thought she might be coming over, but then it looked like we'd be hanging out in Manhattan, so I skipped that and went into the city. So i knew the place would be sort of , oh, dirty when we got back. And it was. Never mind that the only light in the kitchen hasn't worked in two weeks. Not my fault. I've called the landlord several times. Anyway, just when it looked like things would be ok, I was sitting in my room when she walked out of the bathroom and the door came falling of its hinges and onto her. Nice. Anyway, I'm wondering what my apartment is really like. Have I been living in filth for so long that I no longer notice when a place is dirty? Has dirty become "normal"? Let's hope not. And today, I walked into the kitchen, and walked back out to turn on the hallway light, the only light that still puts any light into the kitchen, to of course find that it had burned out. This fucking place is falling apart.
Anyhow, so we never ended up playing board games. As we were walking in the door, and Jed was ordering a roasted half chicken from Coco Rocco, and that sounded pretty good to us, so we got one too. Then we watched Memento, which Caryn was nice enough to loan me a tape of. I didn't really feel like sitting in a movie theatre yesterday. It was a really interesting movie. Sort of confusing at first, since it was told backwards, but that got you really involved in the story. Rodzilla found it more confusing than I did, but that's probably because she fell asleep for part of it. It was the sort of movie you really needed to think about the whole time. Matt emailed me yesterday and told me he just saw it and loved it. easily in his Top 15 he said. possibly in his top 10. So i'd recommend it.
I had a weird, but ultimately peaceful dream last night. I was in Alaska, and for some reason my home in PA was in Alaska. I think. All I remember was, i was going toward the train back home, wherever that was, just somewhere not Alaska, when some guy said he had to show me something first. I think I was with james. We wander into this dark, train-car shaped shack, with a piece of plywood for a door. I don't know why, but I was just sure he was going to show us a dead body, as some sort of warning to get out of town. So we walk in, and saw two small figures lying down. He turned the light on, and it was two kids. they were sleeping, and woke up and just talked with us for a while. Two non-descript 5 year old kids. I don't know what we talked about, or why we were there, but James and I didn't leave at the same time. So I stepped outside, and took in the beautiful landscape of my subconsious idea of Alaska. Just wide open, with mountains off in the distance. It was sort of snowy, but not too cold at all. it was still sort of light out, though the sun was setting. the sky was pink and blue and orange. I wasn't sure what time it was, since I figured that around this time of year, the daylight was still sort of screwy in Alaska. You know, the midnight sun and perpetual darkness that occurs that far north. Up in the sky, around the moon, I saw the Northern Lights. It probably wasn't at all what they look like in reality. It was just a small oval of lights in the sky. Anyway, after that I think i got on a train, eerily reminiscent of the New York subways. Actually, more like the PATH trains that take you to New Jersey. Next thing I knew, i was home in PA, talking on the phone with my mom. Not sure where she as. And I wasn't sure why I thought I saw my home in Alaska.
A quick interpretation of this dream. I'm guessing it has something to do with my desire to travel. And how much farther away can you get than Alaska? Not really geographically, but more for its connotations of remoteness. And I'm guessing that the reason my house and the New York subway played a role was because I feel anchored to the East Coast. I've got too much holding me here. Things that really shouldn't keep me here but do. i never really want to wander too far from home. "Home" being the stretch from DC to New York. But, especially lately, I've had a real desire to travel. But I know I'm not going anywhere, which is really frustrating. I need to get a job, get some money, get my life in order. I'm afraid I've missed my window. I haven't really, but practical considerations see to reinforce that notion. Ideally, I'd like to get a temp job, save some money, and hop on a plane to somewhere. Maybe I just have too much stuff. Anyway, that's the dream.I turn 25 on Tuesday. I'm 24 right now. Just wanted to say I'm 24 while i still have the chance. Though i guess I'm ok with turning 25. can't do nuthin bout it no how anyway.
We moved a small lamp into the kitchen to provide some light after it got dark, since no light within view of the kitchen is working. It's amazing how much difference a small lamp can affect the mood of a room. Instead of the stark and bleak fluorescent lamp, now it's a nice, cozy, warm glow. Which is always nice. So that's the big event of the night.
After following the Two Years Ago link myself just now, I ended up on the April 12, 1999 entry. I spent a good bit at the end discussing how upset I was at Rodzilla for throwing away my "lucky soap." Looking back, I think that lucky soap was the start of a long line of OCD / superstiion things that are now spiraling out of control.
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