Meet me on the bus

Went in to work early this morning so I could get a few hours in before I had to leave for a dentist appointment. I ended up being about fifteen minutes late because that's the way the gods wanted it. I'm serious---and you know exactly what I'm talking about---there are those times when things happen in such a coordinated way, whether for or against you, that you have to believe, for whatever reason, things are unfolding by design. Look, one or two red lights and I don't say a word. One or two slow pokes in front of me---ok it happens. Traffic jam on 93---well, that happens, too. All of that at once? Fucking gods having a good time at my expense!

Anyway, no harm, no foul. I didn't get in trouble for being late. In fact, I seemed more peeved about it than anyone else. Fortunately, my ride home was much smoother, though I was almost late to the dentist. Had nothing to do with traffic though.

It was my first time going to this dentist, who has an office about two streets away from me on College Ave. I walked there and arrived with about five minutes to spare. I told the receptionist I had an appointment and she promptly told me I didn't. Of course I did, I told her. She shook her head solemnly. I asked her how many Somerville Dental Associates there were on this street? She said she didn't know, but I was at West Somerville Dental Associates.

I bolted out of there and walked down the street, hoping there was another dentist office. I found one and the receptionist told me the place I was looking for was a block or two up the street. I made it to my destination a few minutes later with a great amount of relief and asked the receptionist if having similarly named dentist offices on the same street ever causes the type of confusion I experienced. Not really, she replied. Of course not.

I had one of my top front teeth break off about a week ago and that, coupled with a whole bunch of work I need done, was the impetus that brought me to the dentist today. Though I'm not excited about the prospect of some pain-filled weeks ahead, I'm looking forward to having healthy teeth again.

I met Mara for lunch at Mr. Crepes in Davis Sq. after my appointment. I had the Super Avocado crepe. Delicious, let me tell you! Later, we went over to the farmer's market down the street and talked with a guy who was selling honey. What did we talk about? None of your god-damned business.

Off to watch a documentary on one of my favorite subjects: Bigfoot. Then, I'll check in on the Celtics.

First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is

A good weekend. I ended up seeing less of Mara than I thought I would, but she had a couple of last minute photo gigs she couldn't pass up on. It was good having some time to myself. I got to catch up on some reading and work on some songs. Actually, now that I think of it, we did see each other quite a bit this weekend.

On Friday, we took a field trip to the Market Basket to gather some supplies for dinner. The Market Basket in Somerville is a choppy ride and one must have a steel resolve and an abiding faith in a higher being to get through the experience. We didn't have a lot of items to get, just food for dinner, but even still, my body emerged bruised from all the shoving and jostling and my psyche is still working its way through a little post traumatic stress.

The trip was well worth it, because the dinner turned out well. I made some salmon with steamed asparagus and sesame ginger rice on the side. We probably should have had wine with dinner, but it didn't happen. That's ok, wine gives me the agita.

On Saturday, I made pancakes for the household and Mara and I had to rush over to Club Passim in Harvard Sq. to see her friend Joel play. Fortunately, we didn't miss too much of his set, which was great, but not quite up my alley.

Saturday marked our one month anniversary and we wanted to go out to Redbones to celebrate, but because of time constraints, it never happened. The reason we wanted to go to Redbones, besides the fact that they make good food, was because they specialize in meat. For some reason, every place we've gone out to eat, which has been every Saturday night since we first started seeing each other, we've both ordered dishes that have been centered around meat, and usually a fair amount of it. Now, I understand that's kind of like saying "Every time we've gone out to a bar, we've ordered drinks with alcohol", but even though I'm not a vegetarian, I tend to lean towards that diet, and the same could be said for Mara. So, even though it's not a terribly odd thing to eat meat at dinner, it wasn't the norm for either of us, and that's why this story is so compelling. Nah, you're right---it pretty much sucks, but you just skimmed over it anyway, so what are you complaining about?
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Went up to Tracy and Ray's for a cookout yesterday and the only word that can sum up the experience aptly is nourishing. I think a lot of us felt that way. To see people, some of whom I hadn't seen in over a year, was food for the soul. It becomes trickier to see your friends with the same frequency and ease as when you were younger. Trickier, but still essential.

I planned on getting drunk, something I rarely do, but it didn't happen. I had some of Janelle's tasty sangria and planned on riding its current straight into intoxication, but by the time I finished my first cup, there was no more left. So, I switched over to beer, but I kept forgetting to go back for more and consequently, ended up with only a moderate buzz. Better that way, I think; I'm not a fan of the requisite vomiting and and hangovers that getting drunk provides.
--

I think I have plans today, but I'm not sure if they'll pan out. Either way, I'm going to take advantage of the day off. Peace, bitches.

Every town must have a place where phony hippies meet, psychedelic dungeons popping up on every street

I just heard back from the Division of Employment almost a month after I filed. It looks I'm eligible to collect unemployment. I should get my first check in a couple of weeks. Good thing I got a job when I did, or I'd be FUBAR financially, which is to say I'd still be poor, only more so. Oh, well, I'm going to see if I can bleed a couple of checks out DOE to bolster the paltry ones I'll be receiving from work while I'm still part time.

Why the hell am I writing when I should be watching the C's face off against Detroit? I should also be working on some lyrics. Hate to ruin your night, dear reader(s), but I think I should vamoose. So, real quick I'll rattle off some arbitrary thoughts and then I'm gone.

-- I was watching Saving Private Ryan the other day, a perfectly constructed film, and thought about other films I'd qualify as being perfectly constructed. I thought of Seven Samurai, Aguire, the Wrath of God, Annie Hall, and Coyote Ugly. I'm kidding about the last one, but man, those others son perfecto!

--Here's a thought: I don't have the time for this, so there will be no more arbitrary thoughts forthcoming, my bitches.

If I don't check back in, have a swell weekend.

Burn it up, let's go for broke, watch the night go up in smoke

A short post tonight. I've let the time get ahead of me and I need to accomplish a few tasks before bed. I'm pretty tired; Mara and I saw her friend Aleister play last night (very good performer) and by the time we got to bed, it was pretty late. And once in bed, Mara wanted to address some things about our future together. It needed to be said, especially since it had been on her mind, but I think I would have been more receptive to it if I wasn't so sleepy. Also, I had suffered a somewhat traumatic event earlier in the evening and had difficulty giving my full attention to the conversation. All of that notwithstanding, it was a productive heart to heart. Who knows where things are headed? We certainly don't, that's for sure. But who ever does?

My life feels so weird to me lately. I feel I've grown in some ways and that is heartening. But in other ways I feel adrift, moving further and further away from my sense of self. It's tough to let go, to let matters unfurl as they will, as they must, but that is what I need to do. The ego does not relinquish it's control without a fight.

Ok, it's off to work on some tunes. It's a fertile time to write, with all that's going on. I wish I could share everything, but I can't. I think about the one who's about a mover, even now in my current situation, and wonder what I'd do if.... See, I can't divulge certain things because it wouldn't be right, and it wouldn't be fair to any of us because I'm afraid I'd misrepresent myself and others terribly. I wish I could wrap my arms around the thoughts and feelings I have, the ones that don't see the light of day, but as of yet, I am not confident that I could do so with clarity. Maybe some day. Until then, you'll have to settle for the crumbs, my friends.

Only love can break your heart

The C's defeated the Cavs yesterday in a game that many are calling an instant classic. Paul Pierce faced off against LeBron James in one of the best duels I've ever seen. Having said that, I wasn't as up for the game as I have been for others and, though I was thrilled they won, my mind drifted to other matters while watching it. And what thoughts were so important as to take my attention away from an "instant classic" game seven NBA game? You'd be disappointed if I told you that they weren't much of anything so, in the interest of keeping everyone happy, I'll move on to the next paragraph and disregard the question as if it were never posed.

Work's been interesting. I've noted here before that it's a lot different and, consequently, better, than Taylor Rental. Whenever I think back to that job, and I try not to do it very often, I recall the times, especially near the end, when I pined for a different work environment. I didn't have a specific job in mind, but I knew that I wanted it to be a lot quieter, and less hostile, which is to say it would be an environment where people at least pretended to be civil to each other. And the most important bit of criteria would be the absence of the word retail from the job description. I think I found that job. It's not going to go down as the job of my dreams, but it'll do nicely for now. Sure, Taylor had it's moments---it was never boring, that's for sure---but I never really fit in there.

I had what I think was a prophetic dream the other night and no, I'm not going to abuse you with a description of it. I'm only mentioning it because A) if, on some level, it does come to pass, I'll at least have the mention of it documented and B) the only person I told about it was the last person I should have told. So, I'll plant a few key words that will make no sense to you, but should serve to jog my memory in the future. And here they are: marriage, Erin, break up, "her", bittersweet. Now I bet you want to know what the dream was about, eh? Oh, you still don't? Ok, I'll move on.

I've been finishing up a few songs that I'm, at least so far, impressed with. I say so far because I still need to attach lyrics to them, which is always hit or miss with me. I'm confident, though, that they'll turn out alright.

Game one of the C's/Pistons series tomorrow night, but I already committed to seeing a friend of Mara's play at Johnny D's. Last time I was there, they were showing a Celtics game, so perhaps I'll end up serving two masters at once. I'm sure Mara will love that.

They never die, they just go to sleep one day

Completed my first week at the new job. Cause for celebration? Sure, why not. I think I'll get a tattoo to commemorate the occasion. What should it be of, though? I have no idea, so let's scrap the tattoo idea. Maybe I'll just celebrate with a thumbs-up to myself in the mirror. That should do the trick.

My neck, thank Thor, has been feeling markedly better over the last 24 hours. It's a little stiff right now, but compared to the state it was in, I'll take it. I half expected every movement upon waking this morning to be rife with excruciating pain. Glad it wasn't the case. This whole mess has made it clear to me that I need to get back into doing yoga, and soon. But will I? Stay tuned.

Had an interesting dream last night that was sexy and disconcerting. I'll be brief about it, so don't bother grabbing for that bottle of Pepto Bismol. The dream began with me on a bus heading somewhere with a bunch of strangers, two women I know who are best friends, and my father. Before we got on the bus, the two women, who will be referred to as Flava and Flav, indicated to me that they wanted to do things with me that mere friends never do. I was fine with that, inherent complications aside, and proceeded to make out with both of them at various intervals on the bus. In between sessions, I noticed my father was standing by the doors in the middle of the bus (they were just like the ones up front). I was worried that he was going to fall out. He thought it was a big joke and cranked the doors open. For a brief moment he held on, laughing like a ten year old, before he was sucked out onto the highway. I thought he was a goner, but he managed to land on his feet and find his way to safety. I beckoned the driver to turn around and collect my father. I remember thinking that the reason he did what he did was because he rebelling against aging. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

The dream then shifted to me petting Mandy, the dog of my youth, at an unknown location. She was on the verge of death and, like I've done in so many other similarly-themed dreams concerning her, I scolded myself for not giving her any attention in her last days. When I was needed most, I wasn't present. She looked so old and in so much pain. I wept over my sin and my inability to make matters right.

Then, inexplicably, I found myself with the people from the bus at a large house attending a party. I went outside with my two lady friends and we sent up a tent. Apparently, we weren't too interested in the party, because we didn't leave the tent for the rest of the dream. We didn't have sex, but it was still a fun time. That's where the dream ended.

So I lied about making the retelling of the dream brief. Sorry about that. My intentions were good, but you know what they say about good intentions.

The Celtics lost their game last night. They have yet to win a game on the road in the playoffs, which is a bad, bad sign. Championship-caliber teams win on the road. If the C's manage to pull off a game 7 win tomorrow at the Garden, something they are capable of doing, I won't have much confidence that they'll be able to get past Detroit. You never know, though. It's the playoffs and anything can happen.

I was watching a great documentary on Ram Dass last night. It's about his recovery from a severe stroke and how it's shaped his view of spirituality. There was a touching segment with a married couple explaining how a letter from Ram Dass helped them cope with the loss of their 11 year old daughter. The wife read the letter and it was an amazing piece of work. It dealt frankly about what their daughter's death meant. It was tough and gentle. And it brought tears to my eyes. Even if the rest of the documentary is rubbish, it'll still be worth it based on that letter. I advise you to check it out if you can. If you subscribe to Netflix, you can view it for free online. It's called Ram Dass: Fierce Grace. It's definitely helped put my own issues into perspective.

Ok, I'm going for a run and I can't take you with me. Afterwards, I'm going to meet up with Mara and we're going to go on a walking tour of Somerville's outdoor art. We even have a map. Should be fun.

A dream within a dream

I woke up yesterday in an awful position. I was lying on my side and my neck was supported or, to be more accurate, bullied by three pillows. I'll let you conjure an image of what that looked like. As far as how it felt, well, let me explain.

I've woken up with a stiff neck before, but it usually returns to its hale self in a matter of hours. Not yesterday. No, before the day was through, I could barely move it any direction. I imagine the stress I was experiencing (financial, always financial) didn't help matters. I'd never in my life experienced that type of pain. It made me feel for the many who experience chronic neck and back pain.

After work, I called Spira to get details about her graduation. I discovered, much to my lament, that the ticket she had given me a week before, the one she told me not to lose, had gone awol. She told me she had an extra one, but I'd have to go to her place to get it. The prospect of going anywhere while in such pain was unappealing, but I had to do it. At least I got a massage out of the deal. Unfortunately, the pain didn't go away as a result.

My neck is better today, but it was tough going there for awhile. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to visit the doctor. Debbie, my coworker, told me she always gets concerned when her kids have stiff necks. When I asked her why, she told me a stiff neck is a symptom of meningitis. Oh, great!

Anyhow, as I said, I feel better, but I'm pretty tired. It took me an hour and a half to get to Salem for the graduation. It should have taken me a half hour from Andover, but the traffic was a cruel mistress. I ended up missing some of the ceremony, which was ok, because most of it was rather boring. I sat with Spira's boyfriend, Sean, and once she received her diploma, we went outside and got some fresh air. We met up with Janelle and it wasn't too long before all the graduates poured out of the building. I'm so proud of Spira for getting her Masters. She downplayed it, but it's quite the accomplishment. Seeing her in her cap and gown, smiling, made the long, arduous, drive worth it.
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Ok, I'm done here. I'm tired; didn't get much sleep last night. Mara stayed the night (no, I'm not tired because of that) and it was tough finding a position in bed that didn't hurt. I slept in spurts and woke up way too early because Steve, my neighbor, loves to make as much noise as possible when he gets in his car to go to work. One of these days, I'm going beat the shit out of him for all the sleep I've lost because of him. I'll have to ambush him if I expect to stand a chance. He's a pretty big guy. Oh, well, it wasn't so bad waking up early---I got to lounge around with my girl for a while longer.

It's the dirty story of a dirty man, and his clinging wife doesn't understand

Short post tonight because.......well, just because. I need to engage in passive, rather than active, pursuits tonight or my brain will liquefy and seep out of my ears. You'd think I had a particularly stressful day, but I didn't. I did have my first day at work, but it was rather uneventful. Hardly stressful. No, I've just got a bunch of little thorns stabbing my flesh and it's starting to sting a little bit. As far as things go, it could be worse.

It occurred to me on the way home from work today that it wasn't that long ago---only a few weeks--- when I was single and working at a different job. Kind of strange. It hit me when I was telling Mara about my day. Life is change and sometimes the changes are subtle and slow in manifesting, while other times they are as aggressive and immediate as a bottle smashed in your face. I believe the changes I've gone through recently fall somewhere in between. Kind of strange, but not necessarily unpleasant.

Ok, I've written too much and I feel my ears getting wet. Time to give the contents of my skull a little recreation time.

I'll show you around this alphabet town

Got the job at the law firm and I'll be starting tomorrow. Besides being good looking, affable, strikingly-intelligent, and the possessor of a pure heart---assets that win big in interviews---I think knowing Luke Warm didn't hurt my chances of securing the job. Bad news: I'll be taking a pay cut---at least initially---and I'll have a longer commute. Good news: I wasn't unemployed too long, the job will be twelve times better than Taylor Rental (I can tell already), and no matter what happens, I'll have something to put on my resume.
---

Just got back from my parent's house a couple of hours ago. I enjoyed seeing everyone---we also visited my grandmother at her house later on---but I could have had as much fun lounging around in bed all day.
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Mara and I spent most of the weekend together. Last night we went out for sushi (I got her hooked on the Black Dragon, but couldn't sell her so much on the tuna tartar) and came back to the house to play Mastermind. I discovered early on in the game how competitive she is. On one move alone, she spent close to a half hour deciding what to do. That's right---a half hour. If it hadn't have been so humorous, I probably would thrown the board against the wall in frustration. But I didn't, and that's why she hasn't dumped me yet. I ended up winning the game. I think I'll have her call me Captain Victory.
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Missed the C's game last night and thank the Lord I did. They got schooled and then some by Lebron and Co. What a bunch of sissies! Haven't won a game on the road all playoffs. At least they're being consistent.

Look before you leap has never been the way we keep, our road is free

Has the worm finally turned for me in my dreams? Given the one I just woke up from, I say hell, yes! It was probably the most satisfying dream I've had in the last several years. I'm going to describe it to you and, of course, it's not going to sound anywhere near as good as it felt. But I'm going to do it anyway, if only because it still lingers fresh in my mind and I want to document this monumental achievement.

The dream began at a hotel right on the beach. I was there to visit one of my friends and his three sisters. There was a lot of activity going on in the hotel and on the beach and I got the sense that I may have been there to attend a wedding or a family reunion. Ultimately, though, my reasons for being there aren't exactly pertinent.

So, I arrive at the hotel and stop by the room where all the siblings are hanging out. I feel really good about being there, as I've always gotten along very with the family. It dawns on me that at one point or another in recent history, I've slept with each of the sisters. And it also dawns on me, happily so, that no complications had arisen as a result. No awkwardness here. We hung out and talked about the brother's upcoming wedding.

I had originally hoped that another woman was going to be staying at the hotel because I was certain I was going to hook up with her. When I found out she wasn't going to be coming, I was a little bummed out. But then, as I swiveled my head from sister to pretty sister, I quickly forgot about this woman.

As the dream progressed, I fooled around with each sister, often in front of each other. Very liberal family. The youngest sister represented the anonymous woman I've pined over in this blog. I wasn't any more into her, though, than the other two. No, I seemed to like them all equally, though the oldest I seemed to end up with the most.

The dream was long and all I pretty much did was go from sister to sister (what a slut!). In between hook-ups, I'd hang out with the brother and kick a soccer ball around on the beach. For obvious reasons, I didn't want the dream to end.

But end it did, as all dreams must. Right before I woke up, I was consoling the brother, who was crying over the gaudy wedding invitations his parents had given him. I told him he didn't have to use them if he didn't want to, that, after all, it was his wedding and not theirs. He then said something like "Now, I've stuck all manner of items up my ass and liked it, but I imagine I wouldn't enjoy shoving a cactus up there. I guarantee you, however, that I'd find the experience more pleasurable than dealing with my parents." My last thought before I woke up was, "Hmmm, I guess he is gay, after all. I wonder if his soon-to-be-wife knows".

The dream gets the gold medal for these reasons:

1. I had uncomplicated sex with multiple women, who I genuinely liked and was attracted to, throughout the dream. Usually, if I'm going to have any sex at all, it's mega-complicated and only ever happens at the end of the dream and I usually wake up before the good parts.

2. The dream was nice and long. Whenever I have long dreams, they're usually tedious to get through. This one was a pleasure.

3. The setting was at the beach. Typically, most of my dreams that occur at the beach aren't very good ones. They usually center around missed opportunities and death.

There were other factors that made the dream so great, but they're not so easily expressed. Ahh, I think I want to go back to sleep. Maybe the dream will turn out to be prophetic. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for three sisters and a closeted brother.
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Funny I should have that dream when I'm currently in a relationship. Is it cheating, though, if it's only a dream? It just made me think about another one I had the other night. In it, Mara revealed to me that she had been reading my blog. I immediately panicked and then realized I hadn't written anything negative about her. Still, there was something that upset her, but I never got to find out what it was because I woke up.

I haven't told Mara about this blog and I'm wondering if and when I should. Part of me doesn't want her to read it because I'm not sure if it's an accurate reflection of who I am. Or maybe I am sure and that's why I'm not sure I want her to read it. Could be I don't want someone I'm seeing to have such documented access to my recent past. I mean, this blog is only slightly less personal than a diary one keeps hidden in their dresser, and I'm not sure how comfortable I am with someone I only recently met, yet am intimate with, having such unguarded access to me. Ah, but isn't better for the soul to be open and not concealed?Ultimately, it's no big deal whether she reads the blog, though I could see certain aspects of the it (e.g. my pathetic swooning over a woman whose identity is a mystery) giving her pause. Ah, it'll be alright. The past is the past. At the moment, I like where I am, firmly rooted in the present.
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Went to Salem last night to attend Spira's art exhibit. It was fun, but there weren't too many artists on display and, consequently, I ended up spending much of the two hours I was there hanging out on the patio by myself eating mozzarella sticks and meatballs. Fortunately, Spira's boyfriend Sean and Lukewarm showed up, so I had a couple of chaps to hang out with.
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I have an interview at a law firm tomorrow, courtesy of Luke Warm, who works there. It would be a great thing getting this job. A relief, to be sure. I feel confident the interview will go well. This could turn out to be the summer of Kevin. Cross your fingers.

Every night I tell myself, I am the cosmos

Had a good and eventful weekend, despite the shitty weather. I spent most of Saturday with Mara at the house where she was showing her photographs for Open Studios. Her friends Dave and Marcia were hosting her and Dave spent the day grilling various types of meat and feeding the guests. Really nice people, Dave and Marcia, but at a certain point, I had to tell them to stop feeding me else I'd throw up all over their nice furniture.

In the afternoon, I walked a few streets over to the church where Spira was showing her paintings. I wasn't there too long because I had to get back to the house and prepare for her party, which went well. Spira got tipsy, which is always fun to watch. She did an imitation of the Lollipop Guild song from the Wizard of Oz which was damn funny. Janelle made a pair of cakes that were equally tasty and aesthetically pleasing. My brownies, though tasty, were most certainly not aesthetically pleasing. Hey, I know my limitations; it's what makes me sexy and dangerous.

It was good having Mara there so she could meet some of my friends. There were no stabbings or screaming matches as a result of her presence, so I think things went pretty well. We had our first sleep over and, yada, yada, yada, we were pretty tired the next morning.

Yesterday, I went to the studio where Sarah was showing her paintings and it took me a long time to find her room because the building was so massive. I think I spent more time looking for her than I did hanging out with her. On my way back home, I stopped by the church to see how
Spira was making out. She was getting ready to go home, feeling too under the weather to stay any longer (turns out she was coming down with a cold and not just hung over from the night before).

Last night, Mara came over and we hung out in my room for a while. We had a nice talk about slowing things down a bit in our relationship. I had been wanting to address it for a couple of days and felt much better about things after our discussion. We'll see how things go, but so far I'm enjoying the way things are going.

Got to watch the Celtics blow out the Hawks yesterday and, though it should never have reached game 7, it was great watching them return to form. Now they have to face Lebron James and the Cavs. Don't know if King James can be stopped, but if anyone can do it, the C's can.

And I've been waiting for a year or a day, some strange weather must be blowing my way

I'm up earlier than I'd care to be, but I've soon got things to do and going back to sleep now would not be a good thing. Today is Somerville Open Studios and I'm slated to check out at least four different places. I'll probably spend the bulk of my time at Mara's and then branch out. I have no real sense of how long I'll be out and about. I do know that at some point I've got to come back to the apartment and get things ready for Spira's party.
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Luke Warm came over to watch the C's last night and, unfortunately, they lost(!) and will now have to face a confident Atlanta in a game seven. During the first half of the game, Rich's friend Murph joined us in the living room and proceeded to go talk non-stop for about a half hour straight. Luke Warm had more patience with him than I had. I wanted to listen to the professionals call the game and not some guy who gleaned all of his basketball knowledge from the local news.

Really, it was frustrating sitting through his jabbering. I played a game where I silently counted to ten when he wasn't talking. The idea was to make it to ten before he started yapping again, but it never worked. On average, he'd last about six seconds. I kept the game up for what seemed like forever, and then gave up in frustration. I like Murph, and I know he was only trying to be social, but I'm not always a big fan of situations where someone forces you to focus all of your attention on them all of the time. Yes Murph, I know Kevin Garnett is a good player; I'd heard that somewhere before. And yes, I know Doc Rivers is the coach.

During half time, I went into the kitchen to grab a drink. Rich came in and asked if Murph was bothering us. I told him he wasn't, but did comment that Murph was "on a roll tonight". I went back to the living room and Murph was still going. I figured out what he was doing; he was commenting on every image that appeared on the TV. If it was a commercial for Wendy's, he'd start riffing about how the company got started. If Kevin Garnett shot a nice basket, he'd riff about KG's technique. Now that I think about it, Murph is Cliff Claven. What d'you know.
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Ok, I've got to start getting ready. It's another gloomy, chilly day. I liked it better in March. I'm going to see how things go today, but there's been something that's been on my mind the last couple of days, most of it seemingly trivial, that I may want to workshop in this here blog. I hope I don't, because I'd like for some things in my life to be smooth and pure and uncomplicated. Is that too much to ask?

We got the wheels and petrol is cheap, only went there for a week

The Celtics won last night after inexplicably dropping the last two games to a team that had no business winning even one. What looked to be a four game sweep has turned into a tight series. The C's need to take it into overdrive in Atlanta tomorrow night and put these pests away. I think they have it in them, but what do I know? I was certain they were going to sweep.

I helped Mara with phase two of her move last night. Though it seemed like there wasn't a lot of stuff, we ended up with three car loads and didn't finish until twelve thirty. Four flights of stairs, my friends. Four flights at both places. By the end of the night, my legs were like soggy green beans. My car is packed with the last of her stuff. I'm about to head over to her place so we can unload it.

After the brief amount of time I spend with her today, we are going to take some mandatory time away from each other. At least until Saturday, when I'll see her at Open Studios (an annual event in Somerville where artists display their work all across the city) and then at Spira's party that night. Things will settle down to a slower pace after that, I think. As I've said before, we're both independent people and cherish our time alone. Have to make sure there's room for that.
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Watched Before the Devil Knows You're Dead the other night and it was a brilliant piece of film making. The acting was incredible and, even though I'm not big on the idea of awards, I think it's a travesty this film didn't even get a mention at the Oscars. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke delivered two of the best acting performances I've seen in quite a while. And Marissa Tomei (who somehow manages to get better looking the older she gets) and Albert Finney were magnificent in their supporting roles. Intense film about a botched robbery. Check it out if you have the time.
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The job search has been frustrating, but it always is. I just have to stay positive and proactive and not get too discouraged. I think I can manage it. I was thinking maybe I could start charging people to read this blog. A monthly subscription would be fifty smackers and a yearly one would be eighty smackers. Now, before you start complaining about how that's highway robbery and how the quality nowhere near reflects what I'd be charging, remember that I'm a nice guy and that you should want to help me out financially because of that. And you know what? I bet you don't like paying your bills, do you? You still pay them, though, because you have to. Well, you don't necessarily have to pay to read my blog yet (I'm in the process of figuring out how to make it illegal if you don't), but I know deep in my heart that you really, really, want to and that I've become so much a part of your lives via this blog that one day away from me would be worse than being waterboarded and then drawn and quartered. So, give me a little time to work out the whole payment thing, and soon enough we'll all be happy.