I just lost an entry that I had been typing for a half hour this morning... well, I guess it wasn't meant to be.
I'm not going to try to reproduce it. I woke up, ranted, saw THIS then froze, my eyes welled up and I almost had a break down induced by the weight of the evil in this world...

Yao, und soweiter- seltsam und unglaublich das c. schon weg ist, und auch viel seltsamer und unglaublicher das die nadine kommt so bald. was genau passieren wird -weis ich noch gar nicht. mein ohren, auchen und hertz sind breit und offen... offen fuer alles. alles was gut ist.

I almost killed c.'s fish (whom I'm guppie-sitting). Walking home with "Mr. Fin" aka "Fishface" I was in QFC getting some dinner with the bowl in an Apple computer store bag, bumped ever so gently into a large metal vegetable cart and heard a strange loud *SNAP*. When I got home there was a HOLE in the side of the fishbowl (dont' worry, Fishface was in a bag inside the bowl) but man- wheew, I totally emptied Endless Fun Bunny's little bowl and made it comfy for fishface. The little bowl is now nestled in Francoises' terrarium, I was even going to have tehm swim together, but mabe she;d try to eat him... however, she's so slow, not much of a hunter, and he's a quick little mo-fo, so maybe it'd work. Supervised swim session ahoy!

"Care for all little animals... Calm, fitter, happier, more produtive."

Note: I noticed... well, before, but again yesterday that women call their friends "girlfriends" but men do not call their friends "boyfriends" which... if you think about it for a second, is wierd...

Jody Wood's b-day was tonight, which was so so nice. Longest bikeride I've had in awhile (to and from the 9lb. Hammer in Georgetown) her friends had made a Kansas cake (she and Jon are going to Kansas for her Grad schooling) complete with barn, tornado, ammonia truck, farm animals, green frosting field and gray frosting gravel road... after we ate half of it it was very post-tornado looking.'

Jon said that something like 45 out of 60-something counties in Kansas are dry,. DRY... jeezus, what a nightmare.
I'm curious.

Greak bike ride to Georgetown, though. (through the guts of industry and rotting brick "Cold Storage" facilities now turned into art loft spaces, hardly anything for a long strech, then a few bars plopped in the middle of an industrial wasteland, very happening, though. Listened to LIFESAVAS all teh way there and back- must be a couple miles past the port/ railroad junctions nd truck parks, the guts!)

I saw a group of businessmen with baby-faces (not literally). Suits. Ties. Gray hair, well fed, well off... what's the point?
Speaking of suits RUINING HUMAN EXISTENCE TO MAKE A BUCK-
I emailed with Michelle New this morning and yesterday regarding the flooding in the D.C. Area, and I wouldn't usually straight-up cut and paste an entire email dialogue, but this is of some interest, here's a transcript:

Subject:
water water everywhere
Paul Thomas to new.michelle:
you drowning over there?
Cuz of the Worldcup I've been tootally oblivious- just found out about the rains this morning- craaaazy.
-p

michelle to me:

ya, we pretty much are... everything is flooding, the metro had 4 feet of standing water on the track on Monday morning, you can imagine the commute. Bunch of people got flooded, they were even having to rescue people in boats, like New Orleans!! They are saying the Potomac is expected to reach its flood point of 10 feet by today, if we get another downpour. that should be interesting...!

me to Michelle:

shoot- lame!
you have damage? Nicole said her basement is totally flooded, (and it
is a live-in basement!)
-p

michelle to me:

it was kind of like the armageddon or something, it just kept storming! no, i live in an apt. on the 4th floor of a high rise. the water came in the building on the ground floor in the lobby areas - they had a bunch of industrial fans around to dry out the carpets. nothing weird with State Dept. a bunch of other government buildings were slammed though. a friend who works at bolling afb near the river said he had to wait 5 hours to get on base - once you get to a certain point on the highway, there's no way to turn around, you just basically have to go to the gate. guess it was crazy. then of course the building he works in had no connectivity when he got there - can't do much of anything without the internet these days, y'know. anyhoo, we're drying out now. i can't believe pat robertson didn't make a statement about how we are being punished for our iraq policy or something. btw, did you see that nonsense about how he leg pressed a thousand pounds and now he's trying to sell some protein shake. LMFAO!! :)
how's the NW faring?

fyi
ARTICLE
"Downpour Uproots History"
White House Elm Still Stands on $20 Bill
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 29, 2006; Page C01
For the most visible symbol of the damage wrought by the Big Downpour of '06, look no farther than the back of a $20 bill.

See that lovely tree bracketing the right side of the White House, its leafy tendrils appearing to reach into the bedrooms of the first family?
It's not there anymore.

The storms that drenched the area this week toppled a stately American elm that had flanked the president's home since the Roosevelt administration -- that would be the Teddy Roosevelt administration. The tree, believed to be the same one on the twenty, was planted between 1902 and 1906, according to the National Park Service.

The elm that fell Sunday night was sick and old (American elms usually live about 85 years), said Bill Line of the National Park Service, which is responsible for the White House grounds. Efforts to save the tree by pruning it in recent years only delayed the inevitable, he said. Fortunately, it fell away from the building, so no one was hurt and nothing besides the tree was damaged.

Line didn't know what disease the tree had, but it clearly had some junk in its trunk, judging by the hollowed-out pieces that lay stacked on a truck bed yesterday outside the Executive Mansion. Its root ball, a gnarly dirt clot as big as a boulder, stood beside a backhoe. There was yellow tape around the site, as if it were a crime scene.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which produces the nation's currency, couldn't say for sure whether the late tree was the same one immortalized on the $20. The White House shown on the bill was an artistic composite based on photos of the building, said Claudia Dickens, a bureau spokeswoman.

The note's designer, the now-retired V. Jack Ruther, isn't exactly sure himself. The photos he worked from to produce the bill's 1998 redesign were taken over many decades and he no longer has them, he said. As a general matter, the engraving isn't photo-realistic. The grand fountain in front of the White House, for example, was removed from his final model ("I thought it was cool but someone in charge didn't"), and such distracting features as the security huts on the roof were never included.

That raises a philosophical question: If a tree falls at the White House and it's not the one on the $20 bill, would the news media still do stories about it?

Ruther offers an obvious answer: "My suggestion is to walk in front of the White House, stand by the gate and look at the bill. If the tree that's down looks like the one on the bill, I think it's safe to say it's the same tree."

And it most certainly appears to be. If you stand directly in front of the White House, at the approximate distance depicted on the bill, it's clear that the tree occupied the spot you'd expect by looking at the portrait. What's more, another huge elm stands to the left of the building, exactly as shown on the currency. Clearly, the two trees were bookends, giving the White House -- and the engraving on the twenty -- a nice arboreal symmetry.

Now, with one twin gone, the whole thing looks out of whack, as if a tooth had been knocked out of a perfect set of choppers.

The Park Service's Line says the tree will be replaced but that it will be years before its successor is as grand.

As for the remains of the fallen, no calls for souvenirs or raw material for dining room tables, please. The Park Service isn't selling. It plans to mulch the remains and spread them around the grounds.
END OF ARTICLE

ME to Michelle:

Shoot- poor tree! Well, that's what they get for redesigning the $20 bill to look like complete pukey sh*t, I KNOW god IS punishing someone for that...
Effing global warming, yo. fo' reals! Weather patterns will be very very erratic and dangerous, I'd guess... in the coming years. still haven't seent hat Al Gore movie, don't know if I want to.
Hey, do you work in the main State Dept. Blding, or are there dozens? my friend works there now, she's great.
NW is HOT (unusually so) so, yea. Crazy times. hitting up Vancouver for the 4 day weekend, and art art art, etc. life has been good finally, basically ever since I turned 26 things have gotten waaaaay better, super busy with art and freelance projects, seeing a great girl, and biking all over like a bat outta hell, LOVE IT,
so- yea, still gotta but a ticket to Chris' wedding, you're going, ja?>

Michelle to me

hehe - you're funny!
i don't know if i believe in global warming. i heard a scientist talk lately and he said the warming trend is a natural result of the "wobble" of the earth on its axis, it is supposed to happen every thousands or whatever number of years. like the ice age, etc. anyway, al gore is a goober and i'm not going to his facking movie!!

Me to Michelle

hm, welllll when people say they don't believe in global warming I just say "it's better to be safe than sorry" (or extinct) y'know? besides, clean air and water will run out anyhow if something isn't done...
anyhow, its a big argument I'm not going to bother with just now,
Al Gore IS a goober.

Michelle to me:

oh, you're absolutely right, we need to be better stewards of the environment and i truly believe we should be doing MORE to limit carbon emmissions and not do crazy things like turn to COAL because oil prices are so high, etc.... and i'm pretty sure we put that gigantic hole in the ozone layer over australia. who knows what the long term effects of THAT will be. i'm just not about the idiocy of perpetuating a "theory" that is scientifically debatable as fact.

END OF CORREPONDENCE
--
o'LE-O-LE-O-LE-O-LE!-o!leeee, Oleeeee!

I haven't had such a hyper-productive insomniatic streak such as this in years. Basically the house is hot as heck (so I just lay sprawled out waiting for sleep which won't come) or I'm out late-late with whomever. but it is good. I kinda feel like I might be headed for a crash.

so sad to see Ghana lose this morning after they so so so kicked the USA's arse! (ok, it wsa only 1:0) but, as I mentioned to c. earlier, ayone who kicks the US's EGO's arse these days is fine by me (except, perhaps, the "insurgency", hm 'k-?)
Will Popko finally called me back last night, late-late and confessed his addiction to cribbage, which Issara and Jenny are also addicted to AND my family on my father's side... what is this game? hmm. Must learn, and/or join/avoid he cult of cribbages.

yes, last night was positively brilliant. I tortured Manuel down the the art studio with the Talking Heads (just kidding, he seemed to kinda like them, but it took me years to overcome their dorkiness and be able to jump around the studio "I'm PAINTING, I'M PAINNNNTINGG AGAIN! I'm Cleeeeeaning my BRAIN!") Meanwhile I finished painstakingly silkscreening c.'s promised "KATE MOSS IS GOOD" shirt, then he and I wandered aimlessly through the International District popping in here and there, hitting up this totally AMAZING nostalgic nest of Nintendo called Pink Godzilla and oogled the old school Zelda, Atari, mythical japanese Super NES (can't remember the name) I'd never seen before, etc. just befre having dinner upstairs at Maekawa- a place I've gone on and off for the past couple years, good stuff. Salmon andd Salmon Roe Donburi, Tempura veggies, edemame and a pitcher of Kirin Iciban, yao. hello-! life can be good.
Talking with Manuel over dinner is always great- we come to conclusions about the states of our lives, I can't explain- but it has always been helpful and delightful for both parties.
We bussed it to Viceroy in Belltown and kicked it on the patio, talking, talking until my sister showed up- "Your're so grown up!" manuel said as soon as he saw her, and I realized that- yes, she is...
An old unkept gray-haired/bearded man with a gituar strapped to his back and approached us for change, of which we had none, but he did some spoken word which was truly amazing. there was a clarity and deep human sincerity in his voice adn eyes as he spouted these rap-like verses about speeping leaves which always get blown right back and love... I need to keep an eye out for that guy. Damn my laziness for not freeing space on my audo recorder, alas- next time peraps...
We spend a good couple hours there chatting and goofing off before I finally got ahold of c. and convinced her to come down to Michael Vermillion's show at the Rendezvous nextdoor. It almost saddens me to see the Rendezvous renovated (back when it was pretty seedy, but great) I guess it doesn't matter...
Michael's set made me tear-up uncontrollably. Very few thigngs do. Consisently- Sigur Ros live, and ... what else? But "Last Night on Earth will kill us all" - ugh, the (I'm not going to bother) and the cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" makes me flush and tingle all over just thinking about it. His version easily equals Jeff Buckley's -easily- "it's church" as one guy said afterward...
and c. really. kills. me.
much later on the half-hour walk home listening to Psapp in my headphones, streets utterly deserted except for a few odd ones like myself in odd-ish situations (guess about them, make up stories). I reached the "HI" park lookout point above my house just as the sun was rising and "We are small... we are small people" was in my ears. Indeed, we are.
Said hi to manu, who was kind-of sleeping even though he had to wake-up at 5.
I got in bed and it was too warm to sleep, I lay there and pretty much began lucid-dreaming while still awake... creatures I cann't describe but might try to draw, littld old japanese men on roads which just keep getting longer...
color. detail. goodness.

completely hyper-esctatic today, pacifistically-violently happy, from what?!?- hardy a wink of sleep, hot apartment that prevents sleep? c. (yea!) life! it is so cheezy but I have 20 songs stuck in my head all at once on multi-overlapping rotation, namely "Life" by Lifesavas, that sweetheart Zombies song about taking the girl to the dance, DM's "- ok, forgot already- Royksopp's "What more is there"; daft punk: daftendirekt! Ravel- something #5,, Talking Heads "Damn that television! What a fine picture!" which was NOT the case this morning when I watched Italy vs. Australia (Fritz-Walter in the haus! K-town in the Haus!) and had to cover all the furniture possible int he room with dark blankets to reduce glare- but oh gosh!, how I swore at the telly with the overtime penalty kick italy scored (still gives me tingles, and i usually don't root for Italy) and if anybody knows what the story is about how that came about please fill me in- I stepped out to sew a buttin on my pants and the next thing I know it's all lined up for the end and the looks on the player's cafes will/was/is/ unforgettable just before and just after.
The World Cup is truly a beautiful thing. Other sports I couldn't give a hoot about, (except that one time when Ratesh had me all hyped-up over the Cricket finals, that was supercool- even if I couldn't quite understand the sport, but -yea, good stuff.)
I haven't though about the mess in Iraq so much, and have had a reason (besides c.) to wake early and breathe and yell all in good fun all before 10 am! (previously unheard-of, kind-of. Such a good good good energy floating in the air... and Manuel is here, which is fueling a really good goodness overall. *sign*

2:39 am. sitting here tired but the house is two hot to sleep- I can't understand the weather report for tomorrow: 92 degrees in Seattle and 97 in Bellevue- which is only just across Lake Washington, right, how can there be a 5 degree difference?!? Makes no sense. I don't have work atire for that kind of heat... hm.
Listening to Belly "King" which is dated and silly but I love it- perfect for an insomniatic Summer night, right?
Today was positively lovely. A few folks convinced me (and i in-turn convinced Manu) that it'd be a good idea to get naked and photo'd for Ms. Erice's art project/body of work (no pun intended) so that was the first order of the day- go to the Hideout, strip down and get photo'd wearing only a small piece of chalkboard with the size of my junk written on it. Very fun, actually- and Erice was so chill that is was a complete chillaxmosphere (think I just coined a term there) (dork) and we were guinea pigs for the drink concoctions of a lovely girl who hadn't bartended in awhile, (but I have no complaints- heck, I don't think I'd even ever had a Bloody Mary before, not bad a'tall) and it was by far the most fun Sunday morning I've had in a reeeeeealllly long time. Greg, the owner of the Hideout is really terribly nice, even after I outed my own flakiness after not replying to his last email (only because I STILL haven't photo'd much of my available work) cool of him to let the shoot go on there, indeed.
There is so much good work on the walls of the Hideout it kinda makes my head spin... I especially re-noticed "the Abduction" by... ok, I'll have to look into it. It's great, though.
After two bloody mary-s I was inspired to go get a mobile phone. How wierd, but now (13 hours later) I can feel how much easier it will make things. Never being home means I tooootally miss so many calls/chances to hang out with people, gosh. Hopefully life will be a tad easier... with the new communicator robot. (is what it is!)
Ok, this is ridiculous, I must go to bed.
Feel bad though, my phone battery died just as I was suggesting to c. how Kerry Harper had used the "visualize yourself desceing a staircase and count the stairs as it gets darker and you become calmer" method of hypnotizing me, which I think would work to help one to sleep. Oh, poor c. working so hard, sleeping hardly and whatnot... remember the word of the day, kids: "chillaxmosphere" ...indeed.

well well well, thought i was coing to have to crank-out mass merch quickly for the CoCA thing tonight, but it turns out that they arent' doing it until the 8th of July for the closing- which made yesterday about 50-times easier! I even found time to fall asleep in the park with Manu and get 3rd-degree sunburns on half my body... ouch.
NOTE: not for the squeamish...
Anyhow, right before Manu arrived the other night I was running (biking, actually) around town like a crazy person thinking "Holy cow, gotta do this- gotta do that- holy cow" and then I happened upon a young couple looking down at an injured pigeon. The poor creature was huggled at the exit of a parking garage next to Benaroya hall and a show must've just gotten out becasue car after car of well-dressed retirees were nearly missing the little bird as they eited one by one. The pigeon was ll curled up and shuddering, I felt so bad for it- but there wsn't much we could do- every time we tried to move her out of the traffic she flopped away... finally a security guard called animal control and I went on my merry way feeling much less frantic but much more helpless. It reminded me of the time long ago when we came across a turtle who had been run over by a car. His shell was cracked wide open and hundred of ants were crawling in and out but the por creature was still alive... I found a rock and smashed his head, which soundsawful- but he was in extreme agony... this is the only time I had to do a mercy killing and those images will stck with me forever. The pigeon on the other hand seemed like he/she had a fighting chance... dunno.
I'll always remember what Manu said his french professor had said "Animals teach little children about death" ... which has a lot of truth in it...
Mundane details of life:
Anyhow, yes- on a lighter note, I went to the all-hight Kinko's where a very heavy-metal looking fellow was rocking out to who-knows-what and an army guy kept giving me seriously wierd looks. Got some work done finally for the Charlie Smith Music project and ran into a terrribly nice old military vet who pulled out a toiletry bag full of medication and tried to sell me sleeping pills.
Manu's flight was late so I had to try and stay awake until 3 wwhen he finally arrived. Woke up at 5:55 to finish some design work and watch football- but the sun was so bright I coudn't even see the screen in the living room.
Nervous about being late to the meeting with Charlie in Ballard, I went to Victrola at 7 where Max (my landlord) and his wife were seated inside, and Butterfly/Ish (from the Digable Planets) was loitering outside. I could barely see my laptop because of the glare, but put some finishing touches on things to show Charlie.
Hoped on the bike to downtown, where I ONCE AGAIN forgot that you can't put your bike on in the ride free zone- so I literally had to race the bus from Pike to Bell where I was finally able to climb aboard, panting. Halfway to Ballard Mark (co-worker's partner) and Nigel (their dog got on- which is completely random. When I got off the bus I bumped into Ingrid Alvarez- local painter, which made this town seem even smaller.
I've bever been to Ballard during the day only twice at night) it is pretty nice, chill. Had a half-hour to kill before meeting Charlie so I walked up and down Market St. getting Gejost (sp?) brown cheese a mayo in a tube from the Scandanavian Grocer and some fresh sunflowe bread from Great harvest. Went to Kinko's to try and print up the design stuff but my computer had frozen somewhere along the bus/bikeride. Fortunately I didn't lose anything ad Charlie was fairly pleased with the work- just gotta make some adjustments/improvements, ut we actually ended-up talking about Global Warming most of the time- (I once again reccommended T.C. Boyle's "A Friend of the Earth") and how he weather could very well just go nuts in the next 50 years. Haven't seen the Al Gore movie yet, but i guess I should...
Amazingly enough i found an article in Wired magazine where the president is quoted as saying (to paraphrase) "well, we COULD do what we need to do to help the environment, but it'll cost 5 million Amercan jobs- so we won't" to which Charlie's response was "the loss of 5 million jobs would be the least of your worries if the ocean levels rise and displace hundreds of millions of people." No kidding, that's why I superstitiously always live as high up in any given area as I can. Odd, I guess.
On that note- the weather has suddenly become very warm, and I recall reading elsewhere that lifelong sunbathers have said that the Sun definitely feels more harsh within the past few years- which made me wonder- I fell asleeep in the park (after a picnic of the groceries I'd bought and some spinach + glass of cold white wine) and got a friggin 3RD DEGREE BURN on every part of my body which i falied to suncreen on... which makes me kindof paranoid... is the sun really hitting us that much harder?...
Hm.
Got a bunch of work done of the Capt. Underpants robots, and then went to Brandon's going away get-together at Mesob, the etheopian place on 14th and Jefferson- very nice except I felt nauseaous form sunstroke so had to go home after only a few hours. Now I'm here at work and it is a beauuutiful day out... apparently I'm being dragged to a Gay Rodeo after work. Haven't seen c. really since Manu arrived, kinda miss her...
My mom called me from Iceland on the Summer Solstace, said people were having a midnight fun run and playing gold becaus the sun doesn't even set, it just bobs up and down.
Can't fathom...
Odd coincidences:
1. not a day after c. burned Sufjan Stevens for me emma had bought it and it was sitting on the dresser in the living room.
2. c. and I have the same "I heart Kylie" buttons on our clothing. Completely bizarre coincidence... there are others but I have temporarily forgotten what they were...

Rode my bike home through the Pride Parade- which strangely I've never been around for- and saw that funny little man with long hair and beard (usually in a flower sirt picking up trash) buck naked wearing only a fanny-pack waving rainbow sashes in all his glory.
Now doing laundry wearing very loos clothing (on account of the sunburn) looking out over the rainforest and the gay couple down below barbecuing listening to Illinoise, this is Summer (like that Breeders song) without a doubt, got tingles all up and down... can't wait to see ceas later either.

Posted 3:45ish am Thursday morning (and WHY am I still up ?!?)
Note: no note.
Today, oh- very busy work day then spent much time on a mix cd (can we just call it a "mixtape") for c., which I was happy to deliver even though she's super busy and will hopefully call me in a mere 3 1/2 hours for some running, (ouch)
But yes, busy- trying to juggle Capt. Underpants, then Bookclub (I finished Master and Margarita!) then Michael Vermillion's cd release then Clayton's DJ-ing at the Bus Stop, and somehow I managed to stop by Havanna for thier opening party, which was very Belltownish... but ok.
More important than all the so-called socialization of tonight is the phone calls which I dealt with this morning, namely the first from the Cancer Society of Blah-blah of America
"Hi is Mr. Todd there?"
"no, he hasn't lived here for several months-"
"Oh, is Mrs. Todd there"
"They moved"
"Oh, well you can probably answer this question as well as they can, I'm from the Cancer Society of Blah-blah of America-"
"Ok, wait, before you go further which percentage of your donations ACTUALLY go to the cause-?"
"Oh, well, I don't have that access to that information-"
"Well, from what I've heard these types of organizations give a mere 10% of the proceeds to the donations to the cause, the other 90% cover overhead, so if that's the case I'm not going to pay you to call me to ask for money, y'know?"
"Oh, well we're a registered non-profit (blah-blah)"
"What's the name of your organization?"
"the Cancer Society of Blah-blah of America"
"Whats your phone #?"
"Oh, we dont' actually have a phone number here-"
(thinking: skeeetchy! You're CALLING me but you don't have a phone #?!?)
""well, what's your website?"
(he gives it to me)
"I'll have to look into it, if I'm intersted I'll contact you."
UGH! Vampires!

Call 2: after being on hold where they played obscure 50's sci-fi movie dialog soundtracks- kinda like Forbidden Planet?
"Hello,this is Gametap, how can I help you?"
"I need to cancel my acct."
"May I as why you want to cancel?"
"I don't have any free time, and if I did I wouldn't/shouldn't be playing video games."
(I was actually drunk when I set up the account- who can resist?)
so that was simple.

Third call, however was a real charmer:

"Hello, Netzero cusomer service, how can I be of assistance to you today?"
"I need to cancel my account."
"Well sir I can certaily help you with that, but may a ask why you want ot cancel with Netflix?"
"My ex-girlfriend was supposed to cancel the account in January, but I just noticed that she didn't. I've been paying for her internet for the past 6 months. I want it cut off pronto."
"Oh, well, sir, we can tranfser that to you and change the password"
"No, I have internet in the new apt. I dont' need it, thanks"
"Oh, well we can give you free access for the next 2 months-
"No, I dont' need it, thanks. I have wi-fi or whatever here at home now."
"Well, I can give it to you free of charge until September"
"No, thanks, I just need it cancelled"
"Ok, sir I'm right there with you- you don't want to be payin' for your ex-girlfriend's nothin'!"- (goes off and loses me on some vaguely religious/family values tangent)-"I mean if she's your girlfiriend then of course, but you ex-girlfriend, no way- I'm right there with you, Sir."
"Oh, yea, thanks..."
(then after a long pause and checking his records, etc.)
"hello?"
"yes sir, I'm just looking up your records, if I can get her phone number we can pinpoint the location from which she's been dialing up from an confrm your suspicions"
(thinking: "suspicions?")
"Uh, I don't know that off-hand"
"Oh I've got it right here sir- _______"
"Yea."
"That's where she's been dialing from..."(sound of vigorous typing)
"Right, that's her new phone # , I just need to cancel my account, though-"
"yep, just gotta do a few things here" (another long pause) "well, sir- (blah-blah) if you have a pen handy I'll just give you your cancellation confirmation number...you there in Seattle?"
"Yes"
"oh, you going to the Rainbow Gathering?"
"Uh, the- I've heard of it..." (Thinking: that's kinda how we lost Troy to the world for a year or two, isn't it? Like, some crazy woodsy hippie gathering where people - I dunno, I don't know much about it, actually.)
"Yea, I thought all you west coast folks might be there, I'm out here in West Virginia but I've gone every year for the past 7 years."
"You drive to -"
"Colorado, just outside Steamboat Springs."
"From West Virginia?-"
"Oh, but it is worth it! I mean you just can't believe how- well, i can't really describe it good 'nuff, but the website is -(something something) and it goes on from the 3 of July to the 7th, usually des down a bit around the 5th though- I get there early though to get a good camping spot, oh it's great, you should go-"
"Uh, yea-"
"Yea, if you're from Seattle you'd just love it. Maybe I'll see you there?"
"Uh, yea, maybe- I actually have to go to work here really soon-"
"Alright, sir I don't want to keep you but you've got your confirmation number and you're all set, that ex-girlfriend of yers will get cut off on the 25th, sorry I couldn't do any sooner-"
"Oh, no problem just as long as it is cancelled. Thanks."
"Thank you sir, and hope to see you out there in Colorado-"
"Yes, you too. Bye."
I hung up then relized that he never did end up giving me a cancellation confirmation number afterall....
Wonder if that call was recorded for quality assurance?...

Speaking of strangeness... I learned this morning that there is a star called Betelgeuse, it is really really really reallly so so soooo soooooo REALLY big, and 427 light years away...

Things are simple and lovely. all my usual cynicisms seem to have evaporated or are automatically dismissed (or temporarily disbled?)and I feel free to smile at things I might usually find some reason to criticize. all the usual agitations are not agitating, or have been neutralized. Haven't checked the news or myspace or the worldcup like I usually would and I almost couldn't care less... fancy that. We saw Psapp, jose gonzalez (talented) and juana molina (oowooohooo-crazy!) at neumo's last night- psapp being most delightful- what funny clever little people making intricate little music, sooo goood. Half the instruments were toys, a bit like Hot Chip, but more instrument-oriented, complicated arrangements of strings and talking toy animals and unidentifiable percussion and such.
c. has a clock that you can write on with chalk, I knocked it off the wall while trying to erase something with my finger and then couldn't figure out how to get it back on for forever, meanwhile she is steaming brilliant little vegetables and trying out the new robot: a toaster oven. This was a new large and streamlined toaster oven, or-as I eventually came to the conclusion: a new one (I've only ever seen little rickety old ones.) What would we do without these little robots? The toy robots in the band, the practical robots of the home life. My bread machine- a strange strange robot.

forgot father's day, forgetting to eat, and sleeping hours seem to come few and far between-ish, but I'm just floating around happy as a clam.
SIFF closing film last night was "The Science of Sleep" which was completely gorgeous, the animation... so much more clever than what could've been your run-of the mill CGI stuff. So much more intersting and beautiful that M.Gondry's more hollywoody films (even though I love those too). I couldn't help but to laugh and gasp and sit in awe of everything happening on the screen...
The strangest thing is that the film seems to be getting a few (terribly base and ridiculously) unfavorable reviews. Reading them on IMDB this morning I was so surprized to see such reviews which dismissed it as "boring"! If Science of Sleep is "boring" then what the heck are you looking for? What are you watching??? People are nuts. Anyhow, added my own two cents(here)just to help balance it out, but it seems like even more positive reviews have popped up just today, so that at least feels a bit better.
After the film C. and I wandered over to the closing gala- a very crowded and confusing social situation, we parked ourselves at the bar (after being completely overwhelmed by the people, motion, appetizers and super-loud band) and just drank gintonics while the crowd swirled around for the next couple of hours, the silly wall of Bombay saphire was even a bit much... but there was a certain comfort and pleasantness that settled in eventually and after awhile I was just happy to be there. After watching this film, one feels particularly disoriented, and yet strangely at peace. I coudn't help but think- "yes, that is what I would like to do with my time" Michel Gondry's little worlds and little creatures are positively lovely... he stood behinds us as we sat at the bar and hugged his family and looked like such a happy little frenchman... he even winked at c., which is just so great... and his son's atire was a big hit- some kind of flowing black shirt with gold sequins, and almost halloweenish striped pants. It reminded me of the French people who frequent Cora (just over the border by Saarbruecken) completely wild. Kischy-cartoonish and almost naievely unaware of any fashion norms, which is very refreshing. A girl we both became fascinated with because of "the way she carries herself" as c. put it ended up talking with us a bit later, and her mum to boot. It turns out that sHe (the girl)was a filmmaker who has a film coming up at Bumpershoot, even though she looks like she might be 17, dressed and wandering around with such a fasinating air that we were convinced she couldn't possible me american, but she was, and charming at that. (basically a human elf.) hmm, her film is about 8 women of various ages in bathrooms- El Banos? I think... Good luck to her.
The afterparty was, as usual, comeletely bizarre- I don't know whose idea it was to play Powtokwaaatsi (sp?) while the dj was spinning the likes of Lil' Kim, ODB, madonna, Gnarls Barkley, Journey and Bily Joel- but it has to be one of the most insane and ironic justapositions of sound an image I've ever seen. c. and I set up camp in the center of the theatre and sipped on our abrasive and unprofessionally made (but great)drink concoctions for hours while watching drunken SIFF staff dance away is all their intretpretative spastic-ness while above on screen the plight of the underdeveloped and exploited people of the world played out in slow-motion without its Phillip Glass soundtrack to guide it.
Chaos. Chaos. Chaos.
Finally called dad today (a day late to wish him "Happy Father's Day"- which he could probably care less about, dunno) he and mom are in the midst of packing once again- for the move from Iceland to England... oh boy.

I watched a sqiurrel this morning who definitely had a death wish. (IF he had the capacity to concieve of his own death, but if you believe the sciences then only man has the ability to contemplate the inevitable end of his own being, right? whatevah- anyhow yakety-yak) High up in the 60+ foot tall cherry tree in the back yard this daredevilish critter was climbing to the very end of he young upper branches to get the almost-ripe cherries. The branches would bend so much that by the time he'd nab a cherry and retreat the brach was pointed straight down towards the ground and looked like it could snap at any moment. Oddly, his scramble back would release a half-dozen other cherries which the crows would dive in and eat from the ground. That poor little bastard, never knew he was risking his life to do all the work and, in turn, feed a whole bunch of lazy crows to-boot. Yet another tiny little testament to nature's tough and unforgiving cycle... and very entertaining.
Before all that a certain creature (c.) convinced me last night that it would be a marvelous idea to wake up and meet at 7:30 am to run up and down the stairs between Broadway (or is it 10th) and Eastlake. This would've been so much easier had I gone straight home instead of stopping by Lauren's housewarming party (thus resulting in my getting a whopping 3 1/2 hours of sleep) but after 2 gintonics I seemed to have pinky-swore myself into an early rise and run up and down hundreds of stairs! I showed up once again armed with chalk to write "good morning again" in childish scrawl on the barrier at the very top- which i thought all the insane people who do go up and down the steps daily might see as a kind of pick-me-up pep/slogan. The repetition: "good morning again, good morning again" and on and on as your leg muscles burn...
the impossible seems to be happening- italy and the usa are tied 1:1! I just don't know WHO to root for anymore. Germany. for sure. England perhaps. Funny how on the radio they were once again analyzing "the new ball" this lightweight adidas ball specially made for the world cup -and players love it, goalies do not. Hmmm. Makes it easier to "bend it" so I hear- anyhow,

12 hours later... WARNING, there may be some ranting to come...

We had a wedding at work, an older couple got married in the gallery and it was quite painless. The even gave us each a bottle of wine, ok.
The point is that I was stuck in wedding atire all day- which was fun actually, particularly showing up at Town Hall for the "What is Preogressive anyhow?" talk and being in the reception aread in this ridiculos suit which I love) with Ronald Reagan's son (who I assumed was gay adn didn't know was Ronald Reagan's son) and the board member who approached me saying "so, you are either lost, on a blind date, or here and have no idea why you are here- which is it?"
"actually, my friend works for Foolproof, he invited me"
"Who is your friend?"
"Brandon"
"Oh, Brandon, yes. (ABRIDGED, PARAPHRASED) Well I just had to come over and ask why you were dressed how you are and what you were doing here. Most of the people here are people from the 60's - the protest geretation you know, but there are so few young people, do you feel like your generation is getting out and active with these issues?"
"I'm a bit dissapointed in my generation, really" (thinking: these kids are too busy drinking and playing XBOX or myspacing, they don't give a damn really- do they? "But, I think, honestly, that the $27.50 minimum ticket price probably kept a lot of younger people away..."
"You're right, you're absolutely right...."
Anyhow, the debate, which was mostly bogarted by Randi Rhodes, inlcuded Ron Reagan, and Dan Savage very lively, but the usual Liberal middle-aged quacks and brainwashed LaRouche kids as well, were in the audience,the annoying head-nodders, the "yes, that's right"ers the lame "tell us what to do!"-ers. Can hardly stand the pitiful nature of the Q+A's at these things.. "is there a website that will save us, Mr. Reagan?" "What can I do, Mr. Savage, I feel so hopeless..." ugh, you lame lame "liberals" can strap a belt of dynamite to yourselves and go somewhere really important, that's a line of action. (Just kidding, just kidding-) It is this annoying NW/Seattle liberal ueber-hater-line of thought and inaction that I just am soooo weary of. I can't even mention that I worked/voted for Nader at such an event because they all blame him for Gore's loss in 2000, which may or may not be a valid hatred, but either way I think it is surpassed by the man's reputation. Damn politics, it is much better to read about online. If you show up to one of these bitchfests all that happens is people: compalin about the president being stupid, complain about how the election was "stolen" from whoever and how the current president was "appointed not elected!" but at the end of the day the majority of these limp-dick mwafawkas are just that, all bark and huff and hot ol' air, so... lame. Weak. ride a bike and shut yer mouth. Lower your needed standard of living of something, Jesus. I dunno. Ok, whew, I need to chill. To be fair- at least these people care (or just like complaining) so- I guess I cn respect them for that... but... I don't know...
It truly is mindblowing how little people seem to be able to accomplish as far as penertating and improving this two party system, isn't it... who/what/how does this all happen... how are we all such creatures of habit... one of mankinds most necessary yet also potentially hazardous qualities: the habitual loyalties... I think I'm probably just as guilty of that as anyone else (even if it is something slightly worthwhile) ok, nevermind, my train of thought has become jello...
and That's not to say that there werent' a lot of good things said and ideas propsed there, and the panel was clever etc- so I enjoyed it... it was the audience that thouroughly got my goat...
Brandon, his friend Elise and I took the leftover wine from the reception and drank it at the lookout point up the hill from my house, under the tree with a view of miles od nighttime Lake Washinton and whatever is out there- I'm not sure. Husky Stadium, for sure... Elisabeth and Paul (the other Paul) were watching Goonies
"Paul's never seen Goonies" Elisabeth said.
"Omisgosh" my jaw literally dropped.
"He was deprived in childhood" she said.
"Goonies WAS my childhood!" I blurted. Not like we watched it that often, but the bike-riding trouble-causing lifestyle of the Goonies was strange to watch for the first time in 1985 because (minus the ogre, treasure, ship, pirates and data's gadgets) what they did was what we did... and that is how we learned about the world... and that is why I ma terrified of how kids grow-up now and that is why I'm sure there were so few "young people" at the political talk... if you didn't grow up plating in the woods then why would you care?... I know this argument is one big shattered fragment, but let's just say that a kid growing up indoors with artifical entertainment probably doesn't have that same attachment to the kids coming home covered in mud who built forts in the trees and lived a more civil Lord of the Flies type existence... and here I am 20 years later constantly glued to a screen of some sort and DRAWING animals and nature instead... hmm. Should probably get out of town more... man, oh, man.

omigosh, was yesterday father's day! darn you Hallmark! or is it tomorrow?... darn you, habits!...

6:35 am and Argentina has already scored twice (I'll tip my hat to the time difference,"thank y'much" god bless their little hearts for being so alert and active at this hour... even if their hour there is not this hour a'tall) I ACTUALLY woke up for a game and to hear the birds chrip in the jungle that is our backyard (by the way Clayton crashed our book club and reccomended "the Jungle" which we all thought we'd already read but realized that somehow we actually hadn't. and gave a tasty pitch/synopsis for "The count of Monte Cristo" and how it is basically totally "badass"), looks like it might've rained in which case I would be sad that my "Good Morning ____!" chalked in pink chalk on a certain someone's running path up above the hill from me might've been washed away overnight (I had chalk on me, couldn't help it! I liked talking last night and having the conversation hyper-organically zip to-and-fro. A world of things and happenings, conversing akin to whacking-away at a regenerative piñata, spilling a bit here, sealing itself up but ready to split open again, repeat... and you even get tired after awhile... ah, piñata! (Like I said, -it is early. Forgive me if I can't quite wrap my mind around things yet.) That Sujifan Phillips (stevens?) is quite the fellow, thanks for that.)
Sweet baby Jezzus- Argentina just scored again! Going to have to email Anna S., sure they're watching down in Los Angeles, right? Right.
Ok, gotta quit this funny business and get some drawing done before the day begins (has it not yet begun?) (to fight,egh?) *yawn*

once again completely lacking energy from these long days and short nights- obsession the the early morning World Cup games is not helping. Univision- the spanish language channel is definitely the best place to watch. The spanish commentary is so energetic that it is worth hearing even if you can't understand what they're saying...
3 days later...
Well, strangely enough right after I was looking on the SIFF website I got off work and right outside was Linas Phillips,the director of "Walking to Werner" which I totally want to see. He was filming the spastic Real Change guy with the long gray beard (not to be confused with "White Beard Man" Mike, the great Real Change guy who is out front of Elliott Bay Books daily from 9-2-ish, he's wonderful). We chatted for a second, then I wanderd off, and wandered back to meet Carrie (who totally saved me from falling down the stairs to Elliott Bay Cafe while walking backward trying to figure out where the guy with the camera had run off to. Anyhow, that movie plays tonight at the Neptune- but getting from Pioneer Square to the U-District in a half-hour seems totally impossible... might try, though. Love Werner!
Capt. Underpants if going well, extremely fun- a whole day of filming out in Gasworks park was like being at Disneyland (minus the rides, entrance fee, and well- everything Disney, actually.) The HUGE red robot looks great on film amidst the colorful pipes and aging machinery inthe pavillion. We also used Koji's blown-up face with Dav's blown-up arms duct-taped to me for a few scenes, which is totally surreal and hilarious. Hope it keeps going at a good pace...
On another Disney note:
while watching the "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest" preview Johnny Depp says "Bugger" -isn't that the Australian equivalent of "fuck" "like bugger off!" soo...
will they have to censor it in australia to maintain a PG rating?

Seems a tad bit medival, but may be a good reason not to celebrate my birthday tomorrow, not to mention that it is also "National Slayer Day":
(As reported by the BBC today:)

"Prayer vigil targets Devil's Day
The Devil hates it when we worship God, say organisers
Dutch evangelical Christians are to hold a round-the-clock prayer vigil to ward off the forces of evil on Tuesday - the so-called Devil's Day.
They believe that the sixth day of the sixth month of 2006 has great significance for evil-doers and Satanists who revere the number 666.
In a bid to counteract the forces of evil, more than 2,000 Dutch Christians will hold "a violent day of worship".
They will be joined by Christians in 23 other countries, organisers say.
The reference to 666 is taken from the Biblical book of Revelation, which talks about the events leading to the end of the world.
Revelation 13:18 states: "If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."
Omen launch
Behind the initiative is a Dutch evangelical organisation called Ambassadors Ministries.
On this date, Satanists will try and do many things, so we Christians try and do the opposite
Mathijs Piet Ambassadors Ministries
Mathijs Piet, one of the organisers, told the BBC news website that the prayer marathon was to officially start at 1800 on Monday with a prayer rally in Jerusalem.
"666 is the number of the Devil and we know that on this date, Satanists will try and do many things, so we Christians try and do the opposite," Mr Piet said.
"We know the Devil hates it when we worship God."
Organisers expect at least 2,000 Dutch evangelicals to take part in the mass prayer vigil across the Netherlands.
They are not the only ones to note the significance of the date.
Film company 20th Century Fox has chosen the same date to launch its remake of the 1976 horror classic The Omen, in which a man comes to realise his son is the Antichrist.
The fear of the number 666 is known as hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia."

Thanks to all who showed their smiling little aborable faces at my b-day get together at the Stumbling Monk - you guys are GRRRRRRRRRRRREEEAT! And the bizzarrrre gifts- Brandon's well-wrapped oversized Post-Its along with hot pink and totally toxic taggin marker, massively cool mechanical pencil- yes! Jon and Jody's "Delta Force" Special Ops starter-kit/playset, which included a field-cellphone (which actually works) a very "Universal Soldier-meets-Borg" night-vision monacle headpiece, which- of course- everyone was forced to try on. I'd have to say that it suited Josh and Brandon the best. The fake plasic grenade, which is not hanging in my bathroom, the dog-tag that didn't really give enough room to fill-in your info, but I got it all on there anyhow, and the Rambo knife, which I was afraid to take out of the packaging because it was so darn menacing-looking. The binoculars- which made everything look not closer, just wiered are glowier- Oh, and can't forget the canteen which was graciously filled with Belgian beer (Jenny/Jody's idea)by the bearded guy who works there, thus giving it a marvelous PVC aftertaste. Greg Bordreau brought by one of the paintings for the Anti-Terrorist Handbook show- my favorite, as a gift, so good!!! I don't know how many folks cycled through, but many more thatn I'd expected to come out on a Wednesday night. Straight silly. Brandon kidnapped me and took me to a "surprise" which ended up being pool at the Cuff (eeek!) I always feel like a poser as a straight boy going to a gay bar... but it was kinda fun.

Booming voice, pretending like I'm not just writing this to myself: anyone else find the fact that the upcoming film "an inconvenient truth" is Al Gore's way of sprinkling (air-dropping?) pixie dust from a private jet high above the USA to softly twinkle on its way down to enlightening most all the masses. "No more snows of Kilamanjaro!" Which would work really well as a scary pre-apocalyptic slogan IF if anybody read books, I suppose. Mr. Gore, pop-it-up and dumb-it-down a bit, s.v.p. Take if from the "it's like Ice Age 2, the Meltdown, kids! Auuugh! the gosh-darn snows are melting! Ride your bikes, quickly!" Can't help but think how Fahrenheit 911 seemed like it could've maybe made an impact, but didn't. However- in this case, voting won't change the state of the environment overnight,so it is a much more... freakishly intimidating subject to try to worry about...
(4 hours later) Ok, I just read an interview with him, maybe it'll be ok...
Speaking of cars vs. bikes:
grrr. been developing road rage as a bike rider. this a-hole in a Z3 called me a "dumbass!" yesterday just for skidding to a halt at a 4-way stop yesterday on a very steep hill. couldn't help it. wanted to spit on/smack him upside the head but instead I just pretended like i didn't hear it. Of course, here I am the next day still tooootally pissed.
I just realized that this dorky free cd I got from buying a bunch of Classical - the "Naxos Sampler" or something has that haunting scratchy aria from Match Point on it- that movie is so good... finally got through "Breakfast on Pluto" -very cool.
BEAST WARS in the hizzy: I let Francouse (my three-toed East Coast box turtle) out today, hope Tasa's Barley (cat we are babysitting) won't eat her... although he hasn't attempted to lately. AND The cat learned how to climb up the ladder into my bed- go figure! It is a round-rung ladder at that, I have no idea how he does it. Little creatures, friendly little bastards, gotta love 'em-! Back on the enviro-trip;
Y'know, ever since reading T.C. Boyle's "A Friend of the Earth" (which is tooootally one of my favorite books) I just EXPECT the weather to be out of control and dangerous in the coming years... how effed-up is that? Waiting for he storm(s). (Insert Al Gore Voice over here: ____mankind_____doooom_____! Closing with Radiohead's "Iditioteque"-fade out) I hope they added effects to Al's voice for the film, its notorious monotone always lulled me to nap. Gore should do to his voice what Michael Jackson did to his face: surgically alter it to make it freakishly unforgettable. P.S. MJ was kind-of in A Friend of the Earth... kind-of.
Atlas Shrunk'd
Speaking of the dark side of global Capitalism, I am sitting here with not much to do at work and I came across a full symopsis of Atlas Shrugged on Wikipedia- which would've come in SOOOO handy 9 years ago when we had to read it in AP Lit. This sort of thing makes me wonder, though. It takes maybe a half-hour to read the synopsis, and many many hours to actually read the book... so, who is going to want to read the book when you can get all you need form the synopsis? It isn't like "Atlas Shrugged" is the most beautifully crafted work of literature therefore it would be a shame to shed 99.9% of it... I mean, I think I would've preffered (had I had the option) to read the synopsis instead. That book is just all bout those loaded ideas anyhow- you might as well do away with the book entirely and replace it with a (much more useful) list. (That's so A.D.D., I know-) ho-ho-hummmm.

PLAN B from Outer Space (?)
(Imaginary Conversation between Pharmacist and customer if this crazed measure is passed allwoing Pharmacists to refuse certain perscriptions based on moral differences):
"Hi"
"Hi, just need to get this filled..."
"Nope."(smirking and shaking head)
"Huh?"
"Nope." (Still smirkig and shaking head)
"Is there something wrong?"
"Just can't fill it."
"Why?"
"Just can't"
"'cant'?"
"Nope."
(Thinking: 'can I just TAKE it and leave some cash on the counter...?')