Category: Archive

At lunch Jerry was talking about how he was hanging out with Chelsea and her boyfriend and the subject of nylons being worn on her face at night to keep the skin (maxillo epidermis) intact came up. Chelsea’s boyfriend Jeff smiled and told Jerry that not only does Chelsea wear nylons on her face at night, but she also occasionally wears mayo on her ass (! I’m not making this up) to keep the skin soft. Of course this was the hot topic at the bar.

Some guy was over in the corner racking up the pay line in a video poker machine. It’s amazing how annoying the sounds coming from those machines can be. Nearby were two televisions side-by-side. One playing a rodeo and the volume cranked and the other tuned to soap operas.

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All gather Wednesday for what sometimes borders on the religious at Steve’s. People just getting down to some real fun music and atmosphere. Funny how such a scene could thrive without the press pouncing on it. A good thing!

Thanks go out Sparky, Shaggy, and Herb for their drink salvation. As fun as it is to hang out at Steve’s and NOT drink, it’s even more fun to drink. 8)

Jennie lent me her Mazzy Star album. Listening to it right now. Amazing! I love it! How did I miss out on this? I used to be THE Jesus and Mary Chain fan, so where did I not catch a link to this?

Ryan was particularly animated after the show. His soundboard feats are second to none. The miracle has to be witnessed by standing center stage about a table’s length back from the stage. It is THERE. Get THERE! You have to feel it.

Jennie and Skeeter were there. Of course Skeeter was there! He’s one of the best bluegrass guitarists I’ve heard live. Was talking to Jen about doing a web site for Thursday nights at the bar she tends which has a bluegrass night every week.

Shaggy knew he changed his name this evening as did Melanie and Bob and everyone else. Quite a night hanging out at Steve’s Bar. Funny how hopping it was. Plenty of beer and mixed drink folk. Yes, it was quite nice. People actually talking and sipping and just being people. Quite the relaxed scene. Jennie was her kind Germanic self as usual. Full of good and pure spirit, always a pleasure to draw a smile from, easy on the I’s. Tara was a cutie! Indeed, both of them are such a pair, always around with the same grounded earthly energy. Not monotonous, stable.

Elle came by and dropped off Elizabeth’s feline furball earlier this evening before I went out. Her man Phil came along with her. We need more words Phil!!! Miles is quite the guest. Miles likes to place himself into your line of attention. Currently he’s in a battle with my keyboard to see who can get the most attention.

OK, yes, there’s the case of Melanie and her sidelong glances. Seems like some plan is about to be hatched with her. I guess she’s back in school. OK, then there’s Saul who was having a terrific night and even cooked some food up and brought it to share with everyone. His ex-girlfriend Adrienne was there and introduced me to Stephan. Quite the scene this evening. So many more people there than usual. Seems to make Steve’s seem a lot larger.

Bob was telling me about Jim who may be headed out West to meet members of the Grateful Dead family. Seems to be something good in the works.

Had a talk about my first Grateful Dead show with one of the the other regulars. He was quite animated when I brought up the thunderstorm lightning strike on Solider Field in June of 1993 (my first show). He was there as well. Fun how it’s so easy to connect with Deadheads. I guess similar experiences and such elemental experiences were abound at shows.

Shaggy gave me a ride back home and along the way we ranted comedic principles of what the ‘game’ had evolved into and poked fun at the finer aspects of ‘the hunt.’ Seemed like there’s a realization by everyone involved that it’s not so much the destination, but the journey. These days I’m fine with just sitting back and letting everyone else play. It’s just not in the stars right now. Time to focus on other creative endeavors.

People watching is just plain funny sometimes. It seems when the weather is nice you always get more than you bargain for. And that’s nice in these winter months. People have been hibernating too long and it’s nice to see folks interacting again. I think most people feel winter is over. I would buy that. I wouldn’t bet on it. But I would buy that.

Sometimes history repeats itself in interesting ways.

Hell yeah!

Meetings, meetings about meetings, meetings within meetings.

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At times, do you ever get the feeling that this time is resonating with some other time? That sounds, ideas, and events are somehow linked to another time?

For the last few weeks I’ve been feeling like there’s some sort of flirtation with the times around ten years ago.

It’s not nostalgia. If anything, it’s reflection . . . but in which direction? I recall around that time I used to have dreams of scenes which I come across daily now.

Is there something within all of us which signals ahead and ‘prepares’ us on some level for what’s to come?

Does a caterpillar dream of being a butterfly?

Renditions of an apocalyptic sort, breezing through my mind. That feeling like just before a heavy Spring thunderstorm where you’re not sure whether anything will be left standing afterwards.

You can feel it in the air: protest chants, random chance, sultry dance on fire of molten steel and lava.

Soon enough there will be something that resembles a fourth dimensional waterfall, replete with a rope bridge that spans from this side into the next, and you can walk freely betwixt. There will be a woman on each end, one named Freedom, the other, Perfection. You’ll have to decide before you get there which side you’ll spend eternity.

Today I’ve raised the skull and crossbones (joining the devious team) and am going to steal a car, drive out to the Nevada Desert on half a tank of tequila, have a vision quest and head down the Coast and shack up with a sultry voiced poetic Latina hottie shamaness who has a bent for vacuum tube reverb and beat lyric.

. . . or so they say

don’t believe everything you read . . . except this

Okay so yesterday I took a plunge down emotional Niagara Falls.
Ana calls
She remands me for too much correspondence
and fessing up my matters of love for her to her sister
A weird predicament.
Following that
I spoke with several kind souls
all of whom had strong reactions
So it is that I spent hours sulking
and then a quick smoke with K
to calm the nerves and for Miles (the cat) to return home.
(I miss that cat!)
Walking up the step and checking the mail
I find a postcard from Peace Corps
“Volunteers will read from their letters and journals . . .”
and I lost it.
She came back despite the high.
and that’s when I began to cry
Uncontrolled sobbing
“what’s with you?”

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Mazzy Star evening
up until 4:20am
doing renditions
of meaningful guitar-chord dialect
Awake today
Devious mind
all black
run to the Nevada desert on half a tank of tequila . . .

OK, in anticipation of today, I wound up staying up quite late last night putzing around on the computer and then sleeping here in the living room so that I wouldn’t miss Ana’s call. I HAVE managed to sleep through the phone ringing before.

Markus came by last night. It was fun, he brought his laptop with the newly-installed humungus hard drive and we sat around and worked on our sites. Mind you, this isn’t normal Friday operating procedure. Just that I’ve been out most nights this week and I felt I needed to stay in and take a break and catch up with things. It’s nice to be able to have company and not feel bad about working on pet projects.

Having a webcam has been a blast. I get comments from all over about this and that. The tarot cards were pretty popular. Maybe I’ll give more readings in the future. Or maybe I should do a reading to see if I’ll be giving readings in the future hehehehehe. A woman named Erin emailed asking if I could lend any advice getting her webcam set up. Take a look, it works now.

I’m still thinking about how I want to present the pictures I took in the Persian Gulf. It’s easy to dream up vague notions of projects, it’s a whole other thing to actually do the work and bring it into reality.

One thing that has become very apparent is how many wonderful human beings I know. Most people have been totally understanding and quite helpful. Being apart from someone you care for is difficult at best and it really brings out many different aspects in not only yourself, but those around you as well. So I wanted to thank Mary, Jason, Tony, Olive, my sister Lisa, my sister Susy, Christopher, Carly, Sallamah, Elena, Kristin, Michel, Aaron, Shana, Paul, John K, Sparky, William, Dave W, Sarah, Markus, Steve, Sunita, Andrea, Caitlin, Whitney, Celeste, Dave V, Megan, Rob, Brenda, Roger, Wendy, Sarah, and Herb for hearing me out, giving wonderful advice, and being there as friends and mentors for me. I love you!!!

peace and smiles,
Jackspace

NOT IN THIS ISSUE
OK, yes it’s election year and yet again I find myself confronted with that same old feeling that Washington D.C. is worlds apart from anywhere I have been or where anyone is for that matter. The issues being taken up are so irrelevant to the vast majority of people that it’s a wonder this whole damned system doesn’t collapse under the weight of the ineptitude abound. But that’s not a very positive thing to write is it?

PORNOGRAPHIC PRECIPITATION
It’s snowing right now. Several inches have fallen. This morning on the way in to work from the bus stop I had this notion of likening the new snowfall to a climax of sorts: “Old Man Winter blew his wad today. It came in sheets. From Nebraska to Ohio, it came and it came.” But on some level, I felt this sort of prurient description of a snowstorm would earn me either some sort of censorship flag or the attention of the literary braincake underworld, neither of which I think I’m ready for.

DANS LE WEEKEND
I’m still mulling over what to do this weekend. Ana emailed earlier this week saying she would call Saturday morning. There are several people headed out into the cold for several forms of skiing (cross-country and downhill). Alas, I find it would be nice to get things done around home, since moving out sometime this year seems to be something I need to focus on.

CAT HOUSE
Kristin’s cat Miles has been over all week. I feel bad for him since he’s all alone most of the time. He’s an awesome cat . . . he plays fetch, he enjoys attention, and he’s simply nice to have around. I’ll miss him when he goes back home.

peace and smiles,
jackspace