Friday, July 2, 2010

Germany 1

A German student "mooned" a group of Hell's Angels and hurled a puppy at them before escaping on a stolen bulldozer, police have said.

Article

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Thursday, June 10, 2010

On The Bus

Somewhere in Billerica, near it's DPW headquarters, a middle-aged Mexican man got on. In his hands was some kind of plant. It had a long, green bud and looked as if it could be hung as an herb would be, drying for taste or decoration. It had been broken from its roots. He sits on the other side of the bus from me, on the lower of the benches. The ride progresses. In Lowell, a black women gets on and points to the transfers near the driver. She sits on my side of the bus, on the higher bench. Later, the Mexican man asleep (or at least dozing), she reaches across and caresses the plant. He does not wake up.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

I Heard No-Sound From The Back

Some club, somewhere. Maybe its that place he's always talking about in Randolph. He is, presumably, dancing and notices that it gets quiet. He turns and sees people turned, watching something at the back. Man and woman, bouncers, crowd. Man turns and woman throws glass, hits the back of man's suit and shatters. No cops. He expounds on the double standard involved in domestic disputes. I nod and agree, not willing to be drawn into it.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Omar Souleyman

Dinner In Lowell

Decided to make bruschetta, got french bread, tomatoes and fresh basil. Used the last of the good olive oil, and a pinch of the good sea salt. Mixed together, after pitting (basically) the tomatoes. Mashed potatoes for the first time. Shaved the potatoes, waiting for them to call to cut up smaller and begin to boil. Have meat, bread crumbs, katchup, W-sauce, egg and milk; wait for call to assemble.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Forest Fire

Got my stuff together. Wallet, keys, [no cell-phone] and I.D. (planning to get beer, but its Memorial Day = No liquor). Left, locked door, down stairs and out. Walked normal route, on sidewalk really notice the smoke. I had been imagining it outside my windows since the news, maybe it really did look smokey or maybe not. Outside I could tell, and I could smell it, too. Cars past me, towards the supermarket. The smoke, from Canada, connects you with the rest of the world.

Monday, May 31, 2010

The Guzheng



From here.

Apartment

Brought office plants to apartment. Carried them up the stairs, placed in front of disassembled bicycle. The chain had come off on of its holders. Had to move most things in my living over the course of a few hours so I could fit the plants in looking nice. Spruces up the place, makes me think of nature, or, at least, comfort. Maybe tomato bag hanging from ceiling over the biggest of the plants; it could catch the excess water for tomatoes.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Jean de Bueil, Le Jouvencel, c. 1466

What a joyous thing is war. When one sees that one's quarrel is just and one's blood is fighting well, a tear comes to the eye. There comes to the heart a sweet feeling of loyalty and pity to see one's friend, who valiantly exposes his body in order to do and accomplish the command of our Creator. And then one is disposed to go and live or die with him, and for love not at all abandon him. From that comes such a delectation, that he who has not tried it is a man who cannot say what a delight is. Do you think that a man who does that fears death? Not at all; for he is so comforted, he is so elated that he does not know where he is. Truly he fears nothing.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Cut dough ball from supermarket in half (basically). Place both on top of computer monitor. Sit for two-ish hours. The heat seems to help it. Take smaller ball, start spinning it out. Cut chicken breast, thinly. Dip in sauce and place on cooking sheet, which is coated with olive oil. Cook for a few minutes at 350 degrees. Keep spinning dough, but let it sit for a few minutes between each spin. When chicken mostly done, take it out. Dough is thin enough, stretch it out. Sauce, cheese, then chicken. Bump heat to 450 degrees and put in pizza. The thin parts seem to want to jump from the pan as it cooks.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

le Carré 1

He even invested in a bottle of a malt whiskey, which he forced on Smiley liberally while sticking to the cheaper brand himself.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Walking #1

Went to a convenience store on a street I live near. I went to buy a Gatorade (I had drank my roommate's), and, as I decided as I neared the store, I wanted an ice-cream cone. Open the door, and nodded to man behind the counter. Looked Indian. I looked for the cones first, but found only a freezer filled with frozen dinners and one with tubs of ice-cream. Got the Gatorade. And a Red Bull. Finally found the freezer with the cones, near the register. The whole time I heard music, something Indian sounding. When the clerk came to register, the music got louder. It was coming from him. Payed. He turned to get a pen for me to sign with, and the music moved with him.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Bike #1 (To And From)

Two images:

Riding down a street in Billerica, mid-day. A house on my right is having work done to it, and you can hear building sounds. Passing one of the work trucks, I turn my head and see a man in wheel-chair sitting in the drive-way. He has the kind of table you would eat frozen dinners off of with a drink on it, and he's listening to headphones.

Going over that creepy underpass that is just past the Kennedy Center, in Lowell. A little more up-hill, but you don't have to deal with the fore-mentioned underpass. Going up, a women on a pink bike comes down the wrong-way into (stopped at a red) oncoming traffic. I don't turn to follow her progress. At the first light, two bikers ride from the left towards Downtown Lowell, right. They are wearing black pants and button shirts. I notice the Mormon name-tags, and I smile. Bicycling missionaries. In Lowell, no less.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

News #1

Some guy, somewhere, bought an iPad, and had it stolen. He had a medium length white beard with glasses. His left hand and wrist were swathed in a white bandage, his last two fingers sticking up. When he was leaving the mall, three people came up to him and grabbed at the bag that had the iPad in it. The bag somehow got stuck on his hand, and when the pulling thief gave one last momentous pull, the top of one (maybe two) of his finger (fingers) came off.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Patriot's Day


Patriot's Day in Lexington. Red Shirts after the parade. What must it feel like to be a Revolutionary War re-creator?

Work #1


One of my first jobs. I cleared out a felled tree from around another living tree. Cut off a lot of dead limbs and few living ones. Piled all of it up neatly; it eventually turns in a mound of dirt.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Jit

Class

Halfway-ish through class, Josh starts taking things out of his pocket. Its a long task, because his wallet is big. Then comes a ring of keys. On the ring, along with keys is an aluminum vial. He is sitting weird in his desk, turns first to his right and looking back, then to the left and back. (He always sits in the front of the room). He looks to see if anyone is looking at him, maybe. Then he opens the vial, which has a screw top, and shakes out a pill, which he quickly pops in his mouth. Drinks some water.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Outside

A kid outside my window calling up into the other building for a kid named Frankie. Does it for a couple minutes, moves across the parking lot and stand for a while. Comes back, and starts calling again. Frankie's mother appears, says something about her son. It seems first kid is looking to come inside. Frankie's mom refuses. Refuses, again. Tells first kid to go to his mother's house, or his father's house, or (maybe) is cousin's house. They seem to live in the neighborhood. Finally, first kid walks away. I guess he stumbles, or sways, because Frankie's mom yells after him something about how first kid can't even walk straight.

Monday, March 29, 2010

She's Just A Freak

I was in the Bay, me-thinks. We went to some high-class pizza restaurant, and they were fucking with us. First it seemed like they forgot to bring me and one other person our food, pizzas we had specially designed ourselves. Then when we started complaining about it, they told us we were being too loud and threatened to throw us out. We had been sitting in an alley that supposedly was next to residential homes of people trying to sleep, or something. We all had to move to the other side of the table. I think I tried to get into the kitchen to find out what had happened with our pizzas, got thrown out. Lost my nice big kitchen knife in the process (I don't know why I had it with me in the first place). Then I went out to complain to the manager out front, and there were a bunch of construction workers there, waiting to do some work or something. When they heard about my grievances, they threatened to strike, which flummoxed the manager.

In various other parts, scary ass ants appeared. Once it was a whole colony of tiny red ants, another time it was one huge white ant that kept biting my feet.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

What Is Missing From War

The Captains expressed their pleasure, but it was difficult to see much of it on Lawrence's shy, embarrassed face, and the name of Hornet struck all cheerfulness from Jack's. However, he assumed a decent appearance of cordiality and in spite of their protests called for coffee and sweet biscuits -- 'or cookies, as I should say', looking at Lawrence with a smile. He liked the look of him, a big, open-faced man in a white coat, a man with a modest, well-bred air, and obviously a sailor. Lawrence returned the smile -- there was clearly a mutual liking in spite of the awkwardness of the situation -- and said, 'A little while ago, sir, I had the pleasure of meeting Lieutenant Mowett of your service, and he particularly desired me to wait on you, to bring his respects, to ask how you did, and to tell you he was coming along very well in hospital at New York.'

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Friday, March 5, 2010

Droppin' Bombs

I had a weird dream earlier tonite. I don't remember it in all of its entirety, but: It had something to do with the Kennedys. The class I'm talking on Kennedy politics has really imprinted itself upon my mind. The dream took place in my apartment. It was dark, even though things were going on. The strongest thing I can remember is that we were cooking fish, but the way that we cooked the fish was that a woman ingested a raw fish (whole I think) and the cooked product was birthed from her later. I woke up before this happened, but I imagine the fish would have looked like one of the whole fried fish I've seen on television sometimes. I woke because some ghost (of a Kennedy, I believe) frightened me. For a few moments I believed the ghost was out in my kitchen waiting for me.