I will not do scheduling.

I saw a homeless woman take a shower today. There was a hose hooked up outside the barber shop, so she put on a garbage bag with arm holes, took off her clothes, and washed herself under the bag with the hose. When she was done, she put on her clothes, tore off the bag, and walked away.

My computer battery got recalled.

My building got bought again. I met the new reps. They seem nice. They're gonna renovate all the empty apartments, so if anyone's looking...

I think I came up with a way to rewire a stock strat to get 15 pickup combinations. Exciting stuff.

I hate to say I told ya so...

That creepy teacher guy just wanted a free trip back to the US. He even got to fly first class.

I need to fix the dirty relays in my stereo.

I took the M train home tonight. I can't figure out where the bus stops are on Delancey. I walked in the rain after waiting around work for something better to happen. Better than walking to take a train I never take. The train I usually take is dead this weekend. There was no one to share a ride with, and I don't think I'd want to anyway. Sometimes you need a walk in the rain. Sometimes you need a walk in the cold harsh rain, to dry off with the strangers on a subway platform. With the mom who asks you where the train you're waiting for goes, but you're not sure where it goes once it's past your stop, and you feel like a phony, just taking her train a little bit into Brooklyn because taking it too far might put you too far out of your element. You feel like you let her down. Her and her five little kids, up way late, unsure of where they'll end up. How did that happen? Where were they? The train picks up all the passengers who would rather take the train that's more hip, but not working this weekend. I wonder who's on the bus. I know where the bus goes.

Today

Go away and out of my sightlines. You look too cute in that skirt.

Pretend that place is already gone and get a head start on everyone else.

Megan's Birthday!

Instead of getting that phone call about me doing something wrong, I got one asking me to record another band.
"You didn't read my note, did you?"
"You left a note?"

Banjo Jim's is kinda nice. I think I'm gonna make up a calendar that shows where I can drink for free (or at substantial discount) each day of the week. It really is too bad I don't drink. Quite a waste of opportunities. I wonder if alcoholics have charts up in their apartments that show where they should go each night of the week.

Okay, time to go meet "everyone" for Megan's birthday in a bar I can't drink for free.

That sucked.

I worked from 8am to 6pm, then sat around until the 12:30am band finally took the stage at 1am so I could record them. The recorders broke down right at the start. Couldn't even get the tapes out to give them back, and had to take a payout to reimburse them. I can't wait for the inevitable phone call telling me I did the wrong thing so I can turn in my studio key, and tell them to find someone else next time. I am, however, glad I got to hear Josh figure out songs on the trumpet he found at the club. We all laughed hard, and we can all use it around there these days.

Quotes of my week of 8-6:
"My password is 'hate.' As in 'I hate my job.'"
"Tell her she needs to get her 'junky radar' fixed."

I don't believe this guy they found in Thailand did it. He's clearly some nut looking for attention.

More.

I just heard Fawaz Gerges, the Christian A. Johnson Chair in International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies at Sarah Lawrence College, say, "you can't kill Hezbollah without killing the one million Shiites who support it."

Note.

That junky was under the tree again today. I guess it's a regular thing. If anyone wants to check him out, go the the corner of S 3rd and Marcy between 5 and 6 PM.

I think it's Cindy's birthday.

Leave. Do something to write about. Manatees typically live in tropical waters, mainly around Florida. There is currently one hanging out in the Hudson River. Does that navigational error have anything to do with climate change? Who owns the Happy Birthday song? How do you create something that isn't influenced by its potential spectators? It seems what I write is influenced in two different directions; tone it down for one group, spice it up for another. I tried watching that Father Ted DVD I was loaned, but it bored me. There are traffic cones lined up blocking off parking across the street, and pink, paper signs taped to poles and trees. I take it that means a film shoot. I should try to get the neighborhood kids to raid catering. "Yeah, they always bring food for the locals. It's to make up for the hassle." I had a dream last night I was in Tower Records. It was a mess in there. Undergoing massive renovation, or just going out of business. I bought three things, but the only one I can remember right now is a Roberta Flack CD. I initially picked up the record, but realized we buy CDs now. On my way down the street, I ran into Jarboe. She was outside smoking. Since she doesn't smoke, I guess that means I now associate people being outside with smoking. Why else would you be outside? I told her that Roberta Flack was playing at CB's tonight. (Note: That was a dream. Roberta Flack is NOT playing CBGB tonight.)

Loose ends.

I got to the predetermined Mexican restaurant too late for food, and without the camera I'd apparently left on my couch. It was a birthday party, so our next stop was the new porn store on St. Marks. What is in Spanish Fly? I suppose I could look it up. They had video booths in back, and we all crowded in and channel surfed for a minute. It's a new store, so it was pretty clean back there. The birthday girl and I lagged behind the others as we headed to the bar, telling stories in the fading heat wave sun. The rest of the night involved video bowling, stepping in gum, and the usual shared cab to Brooklyn with Megan.

There were these two double-wide trailers in the schoolyard across the street. I never really knew what they were until last week. Some guys took down a good portion of the fence, and large flatbed tractor-trailers filled the yard. A huge crane set up on the sidewalk. They cut the trailers in half long-ways, and hoisted them over the fence to a flatbed that pulled onto the street. The building rotated as it swung toward the carrier, and we onlookers could see it was a schoolroom. It was still set up from the last day of school with writing still on the blackboard, teaching aids pinned to the bulletin board, and colorful drawings taped here and there. Each building segment a tiny classroom diorama, blown back up to actual size. The desks and other furniture were already removed to a distant corner of the schoolyard. For the next few nights, kids would fling chairs and tables as far and as loudly as they could, and even slid stuff down a stairway from a building exit.

I am surrounded by little black and white prints. It's part of the editing process. Some of them will be postcards. I wish more people sent cards back.

I went to my dentist a few weeks ago, and while reading some out-of-date magazine, I saw a mouse jet across the room. There's really no way around it; second floor of an old building, above a deli, with apartments on the other floors. I let the receptionist/assistant/technician know, in a low voice so as not to upset any other patients, but she wasn't as discrete with her response. Later, she told the Dr. and the two of them were unnecessarily jumpy together. Maybe it's me.

There was this family of three, clearly tourists, running onto my train, asking if it went to 42nd St. It didn't, so they got off. Unfortunately, their young son didn't make it through the doors in time. Mom looked truly horrified looking at her boy through the sealed door, and the guy next to me put down the little music notebook he was neatly jotting down a melody into, and yelled to the parents to stay where they were. We pulled away. The kid tried not to look scared, but it didn't work. We both got off with him, and told him to get on the train across the platform, and mom and dad would be waiting right there. We walked away after telling him which train to take to 42nd St., and not to worry, He'd have a good story to tell in the cafeteria.

Lesser things on my mind.

There are a great deal of buildings coming down in my neighborhood. I think there was a fire in the one around the corner, but I missed it. Didn't seem to do much damage, but they tore it all down anyway. Diagonal from that one, the side of a whole block is slowly becoming a big hole. The tallest building seems to be stalled, with the staircase sticking up into the sky, naked and four stories high. These buildings aren't considered special or historic in their architecture, but I love the way old buildings are laid out in their often claustrophobic, and seemingly random ways. The new building will no doubt be "loft-style" and like every other new construction in what's been declared a trendy artist area. I don't know if I like being in a place where I can't imagine past generations doing whatever past generations did.

Is having a gigantic SUV with TVs facing out of every window a local trend, or a national one? I can't imagine it being too fuel efficient, and come to think of it, I always see this vehicle in the gas station around the corner.

Beth was in my dream last night. All I remember about it was feeling very calm having her there. She did that to me.

On my mind.

Here's a recent quote from a news wire:

----------quote-------
The guerrillas said they used the Khaibar-1 — named after the site of a historic battle between Islam's Prophet Muhammad and Jewish tribes in the Arabian peninsula — to strike the Israeli town of Afula.

"With this, the Islamic Resistance begins a new stage of fighting, challenge and confrontation with a strong determination and full belief in God's victory," Hezbollah said in a statement.
---------end quote-------

How do you fight people with those beliefs, and expect some sort of "victory?" I gave up expecting some sort of peaceful resolution surrounding Israel many years ago, and just about completely tuned out to any news from the area. They will fight each other until there aren't any people left. On either side. If I was the president of the USA, I would say, "okay, you guys just go ahead and kill each other. We'll just stay here and work on improving our education system, and achieving national health care for all. Oh, and alternative energy sources since you're gonna cause an 'energy crisis' with your endless fighting in that region."

Beyond Israel, the "west" is directly involved in fighting a war against someone's God. That's not what we say we're doing, but that's what it is to someone wrapped in TNT. There will not be some sort of agreement resulting in a mutually understood secession from violence. This global war will be a fight to the death. There is no cure for the virus of radical religious beliefs. It dies when it kills you, and there is nothing left for it to destroy. There is no way we can live our lives without being affected by the realization that, while maybe not in our lifetime, this virus will wipe out life as we know it on this planet. Remember what Einstein said: "... World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Anyone have anything to add?