Writer's Blog

2003-08-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

My lack of ambition is apparent in my writing. My prose is littered with subject matter that is impersonal and devoid of any passion. That is because the act of putting to words honest emotions and feeling is my greatest fear. Being naked in both the physical and psychological form terrifies the fuck out of me. I can endlessly wax poetic about the dreamlives of cockroaches or the current state of a world I do not belong to, but ask me to write one goddamn paragrah about "who I am" and I draw a complete blank. Sure, I could tell you my interests, what I like to do and where I go for kicks, those arbitrary, superficial things that are used to describe us in personal ads, but they are meaningless and do not shed light on what is at the core of each individual. What has musical preference or cinematic taste got to do with anything? It certainly won't be on my epitaph. What will be on my epitaph? Perhaps I should work on one paragraph describing "who I am." And it won't contain one sentence about my hobbies.

2003-08-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is another update blog. I've been skimming through old articles I've written and some past samples of work that I will tinker with; work the kinks out and then post them on the site.
I've also updated the profile page, adding a link to my personal blog in which I go in depth to a certain degree about my everyday life. check it out if you like. I'd be much obliged.
Also, I think I may take down the whole Tokyo Trash section as I'm feeling rather uninspired by it and the story in and of itself is nonexistent, and therefore, a complete waste of time. I may direct my site's focus on short prose, essays, and reviews.

2003-07-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

Okay! Updates...Added a new link to a film blog. Added three little snippets of writing to the Other Words section of the site. That about sums it up. I am in the midst of catching up on reading and writing some film reviews.

2003-07-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

wow. you know it's always tiring when you come back from abroad. it's hot outside. well, after the internship ended in late June, I took a trip with Mama to Paris. It's nice this time of year. I have only ever been to Europe in the Winter, during the offseason when everything is cheap, but nothing beats Paris in the summer. We went on to Venice and Rome and did that whole thing. Italian summers are HOT, HOT, HOT!!!
I can't write just the now, my brain is sweating. In a couple of days, I'll report back with more drivel.

2003-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

here is a snippet of a piece I'm working on.

Everything is sore and cramped today, like I drank too much coffee and didn’t get enough sleep. I baked a cake. It’s in the oven and there it shall remain for another 40-45 minutes until it is done, then it will be left to cool and set. Tomorrow is a big day. Don’t ask me why, but it is a big day, or it will be at least, by the time I’m through with it.
Tonight, my parents are entertaining guests. A therapist friend of my father by the name of Robert Clark and his wife. It is for this occasion that I was persuaded by Mother to bake my famous and equally laborious cream cheese pound cake with a hint of almond. I’ve met Mr. Clark twice. Nice man. A bit on the gruff side, appearance wise, but his face is kind and soft and his hair is rumpled brown with bits of peppery gray. He wears his shirts wrinkled and untucked, as if they had been tucked at one point into his pants, but as the day progressed, they came loose and left that way unnoticed. I had no idea the man was married until my parents announced he and his wife would be our guests at dinner. Not that I particularly cared or thought about this man’s marital status in any way, it was just something I hadn’t related to him. Usually, when you meet a person of that age (somewhere in the range of 35-40 give or take), you can sort of tell whether or not that person is the run of the mill family man or woman. You can tell by their “Parent-ness” and the way they carry themselves. Most married couples, even away from each other lug around that air of attachment. Mr. Clark never seemed to have that. Perhaps he is a newly wed.

2003-06-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

I am quitting smoking again. This time I mean business, though. No, really. I'm not kidding.
Whenever I feel a pang of nicotene withdrawal coming on, I think of sitting in front of the computer, typing up something constructive and that seems to lessen the pain a bit. Today I was busy doing stuff at the office so I didn't have time to feel any real cravings until after I got home.
I'm trying to be as productive as possible in my free time, write and read and all that studious junk, or even go to see a movie, but it's no good right now. All I can do is bite my nails.

2003-06-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

chapter 5 is up.

2003-06-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

My biggest obstacle as a writer is my own lack of inspiration and initiative. Like many people, I make excuses. "Oh, I have to do this, I have to go here, I have to relax, and I'm tired and the words won't come out, anything to get away from the often painstaking process of opening up and creating something honest. It's hard work. You can read tons of books on "how to be a writer" but it won't do you any good if you can't sit in front of a computer or a pad of paper and get to work.
So today I had nothing on my to-do list and so I got up early, checked the mail, read the paper (more bad news), drank a pot of coffee, tended to the cats and guinea pig, did dishes, cleaned the house, etc, and when I got done with that, I sat at the computer, ready to type and what did I do? I opened up paintshop and drew a picture of my face. Now here I am, trying to work up the courage to come up with something meaningful.

2003-06-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

i'm at "work." I don't know if an internship can be classified as that, but I do get a small compensation for my troubles so I suppose I can call it work. This is Day 2, and this other intern guy and I are just fucking around on the net during one of our breaks. There's a lot of work for us to do here, which is good, considering I thought I'd end up being just another bored intern who has nothing to do but make photocopies and coffee. The other intern guy, we'll call him Guy, he showed me this neat html trick I've been itching to learn for ages. It's the scroll bar tag thing. I've put it to use on the site already. That's how long our break is. Actually, it's longer today on account of us skipping the regular lunch hour, which around here is 11am.
So the site now has pretty scroll bars and the book blog is up as well. That was last night.
As for writing, I've been doing that, too. My mind is expanding on the statutory rape story, "On Maturity" so I think when I get home I'll set to work on that some. Chapter 5 is coming along and as I've mentioned somewhere before, so is the travel-guide-like section on tokyo. I'm still getting my notes together on that and I'm trying to find pictures of some love hotels and massage parlours and things.
That's it. Enjoy the scrolls.

2003-05-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of working on a little something called "On Maturity." It's got to do with statutory rape and when exactly a person becomes an "adult", whether or not that corresponds with the legal age limit, most of the time kids think they are mature because they do adult things, but mentally, they are very much children, no matter how mature they think they feel.
Also wrote the first few sentences of Chapter 5.

2003-05-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, oh yes, due to my quick hands, I am going to the Weenie Roast. Actually, I didn't buy the tickets, my friend Ernest Ernest bought them earlier today on-line for my birthday next month. We really just want to see Interpol and The White Stripes, and maybe one other band, but it seems that the concert will suck again this year. I am not into bands like Sum41, Staind, etc....I can't keep up with the names of them all.
I updated the links page, added some new photographic sites from Tokyo and a creative writing/art site as well.
And that's all the news that's fit to print. I'm off to buy antique furniture with my Mom now.

2003-05-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

You say tomato, I say....More word association fun.

Badminton:: victorian england
Obsessive compulsive :: washing hands
Prosthetics:: boogie nights
Sophistication:: black dress
Hiphop :: gold teeth
Stammering:: tweaker/hebephrenic
Property taxes:: money burning
Lowrider:: chrome and rubber
Blowtorch:: tweaker
Formality:: fly-in-the-ointment

2003-05-26T00:11:00.000-07:00

i forgot to link chapter four on my site, what a schmuck i am. anyway, my server is a real bitch right now, not letting me access my site for editing purposes and i'll pretty much have to wait until they've got the problem fixed before i can do anything.
for the time being, the link to chapter four can be found here

In the very near future, there will also be another blog added for movie and book reviews. I think.

2003-05-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

chapter four is up.

2003-05-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

it never ceases to amaze me how much young children know about web design. it's insane! some of these kids are so fucking talented when it comes to computer jargon, html, java, the whole bit.
i like to jump around sites (personal sites) via search engines and directories, you know, when i'm bored and stuff. i come across such beautiful work. it really is art, a beautifully made site is. anyway, the first place i always go is the about me section. most of the time, i expect the web mister or mistress to be about my age of older, but sometimes, most times, they turn out to be like 12 to 14. i always feel strange when it hits me that i've been marveled by a prepubescent. bravo to all you young web masters out there who know more about web design than i ever will.

2003-05-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

added a section to the other words category of the text area. It's called "sexcerpts" and features little excerpts of my erotic writings. Right now, there's just one sexcerpt entry, a small paragraph from a larger work. It's something I've been meaning to do on the site, but I've been kinda busy. I'm off to study for my final now. enjoy!

2003-05-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

You are The History of the World: Part 1
You just can't make up your mind as to where or
when you are. You like to see the bigger
picture, but remember, not everyone get's to be
king.

Which Mel Brooks Movie Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

2003-05-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

There's this french actor in the matrix reloaded who is very good-looking in a very french way. his name is lambert wilson and he has been in many french films. i have a thing for older french men. only older french men though. any other older man is just an older man, but give me an older frenchman and i'm putty in his hands. maybe it really is the accent. it's true what wilson says in the film, about cursing in french; it's like wiping your ass with silk.

2003-05-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

I've been reading over the text on my site and it's comforting to know that I don't suck quite as bad as I initially thought I did.This isn't saying too much, though. You know something? I find that once I say I will do something, once I've set a date by which I will accomplish a certain writing goal, even though I'm really enthusiastic about it, once I say I'll finish it and set it in stone, I almost always lose the will even get started. I don't know why, maybe because it evolves from being a bright, shiny new idea, to an obligation; something to tack onto my to-do list of things that never get done.
This only happens with the writing I do in my spare time. I'd like to work on approaching my personal writing with the same respect and propriety that I do my schoolwork.
I would say that I am going to add a review of The White Stripes' not so new anymore album Elephant to the site, but I won't, which means I probably will, but I won't say that.
I should work on the chapter 4 now that I have time before I practice driving. Today, I am going the freeway. Gang way!

2003-05-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

Added a review of The Matrix Reloaded to the essays and reviews section.

2003-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?
tap water is fine with me.

2. What are your favorite flavor of chips?
I like my chips salty and full of grease.

3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?
I make a mean oatmeal raisin cookie. My favorite has got to be cream cheese pound cake though.

4. How do you have your eggs?
I'll take 'em hard-boiled or sunny-side up

5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out?
My mom, of course. It was, as always, perfection personified.

I haven't done much writing because I've got final coming up next week and my schedule is pretty hectic. The serial novel's chapter four is half-way done, but I'm sort of lost now as to whether I should take it in a new direction. Also, there is a theme I wanted to work with in this piece, centering more on the ghetto-life of foreigners in Tokyo. I hate the term 'foreigner' it sounds so xenophobic. But anyway, Roppongi, where the two central characters live, is actually a pretty nice area in terms of the quality of the dwellings. I'd say to be more accurate, that Shinjuku might have more externally 'ghetto' looking areas, but the Roppongi District is more famous for being the stereotypical trashy dive for people in the foreign community. Anyone who has been there knows how tacky the place is. I guess Shinjuku is pretty tacky in it's own rite but I think Shinjuku has more "stuff" to see...and do.
Maybe I'll write about some of the different districts in Tokyo, kind of like a travel guide, but focus more on the red-light districts and the "seedy underbelly" of Tokyo society. It's a lot of fun there at night, most of the action takes place after 10pm.

2003-05-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

A little known fact about me...

I went to an arts high school. I studied theater and one of my teachers was Eve Plum's (you may remember her from the hit 70's tv show 'The Brady Bunch') sister. Her story was really quite sad. She went out for the part of Jan and lost it to her sister. Yeah, she was telling us how tai chi really helped her stop being bitter. We did a lot of tai chi and a lot of running around in unitards flailing our arms about like fairies. It was fun, but it really wasn't for me. The truth of the matter is, I wanted to study visual arts at this school, but it was way too hard to get in, I just wasn't a good enough artist, so I auditioned for the theater department and was accepted. From the very start I knew I'd never really wanted to do anything related to the performing arts, but it was a fun experience all the same.
I must say, though the students were all so stuck up and annoying. Mostly hipsters in training and pretentious thespian types, you know.

2003-05-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

I have resolved not to do anything until I get a fresh pack of cigarettes. I know this is childish, and I know I said I "quit", but let's face it, nobody likes a quitter and I've gone without my precious nicotine for more than a few days. Okay, three very long days to be exact. This is my last pack, though. After this, I'm quitting for good. Honest. Yeah, right.

2003-05-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not?
I have my moments. Then, the novelty of keeping things neat to the point of antiseptic perfection wears off and I hover somewhere along the border between somewhat tidy and unkempt.

2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly?
Yes, I keep a planner/organizer which I use regularly. Since it was purchased in Japan, it contains maps of all the major railway systems in Tokyo, Osaka, Northern and Southern Japan, but it is really of no use to me here. It's fun to look at though.

3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now?
No. Not outwardly but I do know roughly where everything is.

4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter?
I don't alphabetizw them, but I arrange them according to artist, author, film, and how it rates on my fav-o-meter.

5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize?
My life.

2003-05-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

I'm going mother's day shopping with mom. It should be very crowded with last minute shoppers. I haven't ventured onto the battle ground known as the galleria in a long time. Since christmas, actually. Yep, I don't do much shopping these days. Strapped for cash, you know. I'm still working on the Bust mag contest entry. I just don't think it's panty-wetting enough for submission.
Here's an interesting bit of trivia: did you know that homoerotic comics are really popular among many women in japan? Yep, there's a
whole subculture of women who love to draw gay porn. And since it's created by women, there's a lot of sensuality added to it. Yeah, there's a lot of fetishists in Japan and you can find most of them on the net. type in Yaoi or "boys love" on yahoo japan and you'll come across some pretty heavy stuff.
Some of it isn't for the faint hearted though.
Wow. How'd I get from mother's day shopping to homoerotic manga on the internet? Hmmm. I'll stop here.

2003-05-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

There is this thing, a physical ailment called Tight Pants Syndrome, or TPS which affects people who chronically wear excessively tight pants (I kid you not, this is real shit). Prolonged wearing of pants that are too tight can result in all sorts of gastrointestinal problems. Symptoms are gas, bloating, constipatition, and over a longer period of time, the reshaping of your midsection. A "pouch" will form below the belt-line. I swear! It sounds like an episode of King of the Hill, I know, but this is real. People need to be aware of the dangers of not buying clothes that fit correctly.
Too often I see people strutting their stuff in ill-fitting garb. Not only does it look funny, but it can do you physical harm in the long run. It's like wearing a corset or something. People. Stop the madness. Don't pay the ultimate price for fashion. Don't fall victim to TPS.

2003-05-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

Banana Yoshimoto talks a lot about premonitory dreams in novels. I've never had one myself, but once, my mother dreamt that the toilet was overflowing and the very next morning it did.
There's a fiction contest on Bust Magazine. You write an erotic story and if you win, you get published in Bust in the Fall edition, I think. Plus, you get a free goody-bag from Bust and the co-sponsor of the event, Good Vibrations. I smell vibrators. I'm about done with the first draft of my panty-wetting read. The deadline is June 1st.

2003-05-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

Added two more bits of writing, a short-short story, and an essay on change. That is all.

2003-05-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'm writing in fragments lately. This happens after I finish a chapter of TTrash and I'm pretty much wiped out from the relief of meeting an imaginary deadline. I slowly work my way out of the block, though, usually by going to see a movie, or reading or whatever gets my creative juices flowing again. Yeah, the cycle takes about 7 days to complete itself. The day after I finish a chapter, I'll just veg and not write or feel like writing anything in particular, day two will be the same. Then day three, I'll write in fragments, day four the same, day five, I'll add to the fragments, chronologically, and by day seven, another chapter is compolete, along with other meaningless, structureless essays and words thrown together.

2003-05-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or is everyone on some kind of timeline? Everyone's got be successful or this or that by a certain age, or it doesn't matter after that point, shit like that. Is it really imperative that I get a degree by age 22? Because I won't. By my calculations, I will complete my university course of study in my major by age 24.Why? Well, for starters, I took a couple years off (18-19) to see the world and get high. I'm glad I did, but it's left me feeling a bit behind schedule. Not that I'd be the oldest graduating senior. This is a silly concern. It changes nothing.

2003-05-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've finished and added chapter 3 to Tokyo Trash.It's up.

2003-05-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Added a cultural essay to the essays page.

2003-05-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

I think I'll see the new X-Men movie this weekend. Yeah... I think I will. I wish there was a Laemmle's Theater next door.

2003-05-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

I can see Tokyo Trash going to a really interesting place with it's characters, but I'm not sure I want it to be a Joy Luck Club with more curse words.I know it doesn't seem like that right now to anyone who reads it, but chapter three's focus is more on Mims' family structure and cultural pressures. I'm trying to add as much gratuitous sex and violence as I possibly can, just because I'm cheap like that, but it's difficult to sully my own characters. Maybe by chapter four I'll loosen up...

2003-04-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

...there's been a slight change in plans this summer. My darling little cousin Masumi (I stole her name for a character in my story) is going to be taking high school entrance examinations next year, so she regretfully cannot make it to visit, but that means I get to go to Japan early instead. I am thinking of visiting them in Japan this summer, since I've got nothing better to do and I'll be on break from school anyhow. I need a change of scenery and I am going to scope out the different communications programs at the Universities there, since I'll most likely be spending a semester abroad. I was thinking Sophia U. or maybe Temple, but I'm not sure. Maybe the ICU sounds good, but we'll see when I get there.
Wouldn't it be fab to be a paid intern! I wish!
Anyway, I'm making tentative plans to depart sometime in June for perhaps a month or so.

2003-04-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

I am red as a lobster. burnt by the sun. I spent the weekend camping out in Coachella. Last time, we stayed in a hotel, but those were better days; before the recession. When we all had jobs and there wasn't a care in the world. So anyway, the festival was a blast. It was the first time I saw the Von Bondies live. What a good-looking band. The Libertines apparently finished a set they started on Saturday...I don't know.
I do know that I was more than happy to get clean after I got home. I can't begin to tell you the rapture that was the White Stripes' set. I have faith in Jack White's medicine.
I had a ball and a biscuit.

2003-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

I am very interested in the cockroaches of different cities around the world. I stay mostly in hotels or hostels when I'm in Europe, so I don't see many there, but I know they are lurking. They're everywhere. They go where the food is, so no matter how clean or sanitary a place is, there's always vermin about. My friends from Mexico tell tales of huge, flying ones. I'd like to get a gander at them some day. The ones around California are the usual, garden variety brown ones. Sometimes, it's easy to mistake cockroaches for waterbugs, which are black and look more like beetles. They moves slowly, unlike the cockroach, who can skuttle around at 5 miles per hour or something.
I don't know why I'm posting about vermin, I guess I can relate to them in a sense. I think we all can. I'm inclined to write a short non-fiction piece on them, give them a little soapbox to stand on.

2003-04-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

I'm cherry when it comes to actually submitting my writing to places. Do they send you a letter of rejection or do they just ignore you most of the time? I'm inclined to believe that they simply disregard your submission or in the very worst case send you a letter of harsh criticism saying, in bold letters, that yes, your work does in fact suck ass. Then they'd attach an audio of everyone laughing at you. Either way, it's a big risk to a person's ego. Not that I've got one, but my self-confidence is pretty low as it is, and I'm not sure I can take much rejection. This is something I've been grapling with for some time - ever since I started writing complete sentences, really. All over the net I see wonderfully talented writers of my age group already published numerous times and I think, Golly, if I had one iota of the balls they had to go out there and put their heart's work on display, I'd probably have made something of myself by now. I gues I'd better hunker down and just bit the bullet, get in there teeth and nails so to speak, rejection be damned. I sure as hell ain't getting any younger and the novelty of being a flake wears off soon after your teen years.

2003-04-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

I watched part of the Dixie Chicks interview with Dianne Sawyer last night. What struck me was how generally racist and their "fans" seemed to be. That's how it came across in my eyes. I think it's safe to say that many of the people who listen to country music are white. I am not saying that ALL people who listen to country music are white, but many of them are. And it baffles me that so many people would say and do the things they did because they don't agree with someone's point of view. "Let's strap Natalie on a bomb and drop her over Iraq," "We should all get a posse together and teach her a lesson." That's just plain sick. Maybe a lot of people don't see anything wrong with threatening someone, but to me, this sounds like a criminal mind at work, like some socio-path - the kind of person who burns crosses and blows up mosques and lynches people.
I really can understand why people in other countries view america and americans in a certain way because this is all they see. This is the way we as americans present ourselves to the world. As threatening, mindless thugs who will blow you up if we don't like you.
Whether people believe it or not, there is a bullseye that looms on the backs of every single person famous or not, that disagrees with Bush and what is going on in Iraq.
I have lost more faith in democracy and people in general in these past two years alone than I ever can in a lifetime. Watching the news makes me so angry and feel so helpless that I just can't bear it. All anyone will say is "I support the troops" and of course everyone supports the troops. Hell, I hope they all come back unharmed in both the physical and mental sense, but it's one thing to hope for the safe return of kids(18-20-something year olds) and it's another thing to support a president just because he's the prez and have this kind of "what the heck, we're on the winning team anyway."
It's too late for this post, it's so clear the war is over and Iraq is destroyed and thousands of people are dying in hospitals because they have no supplies etc., etc. What's the use?
I guess all I have to add is that people who are anit-war are pro-life. period.

2003-04-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

I once heard a guy tell his friend that the way to get rid of crabs was to pour gasonile on your genitals.

2003-04-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here is what is known so far about the two central characters of Tokyo Trash. There is Mims, or Masumi, who has family ties in Fukasawa, which is a posh area in the suburbs of TOkyo. She is mainly concerned with keeping up appearances, ashamed of living in a cheap room in a cheap part of town, and, while this hasn't been written yet, she works for a japanese publisher of text books. Bitter, somewhat competetive.
Then there is Sandy Sanders, or Stella Wigal, as she is known to her friends and family. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she came to Japan to become a "talent" (this is the term in Japan for general entertainment personalities: talk show hosts, actors, singers, spokesmodels, etc...) and works part time giving private english lessons. She is the more amiable of the two.
That's about it for now.

2003-04-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

My motivation is not where it should be. It's stuck someplace between my ass and my mouth, just lingering inside my inestines and I can it rumbling, rocking and rolling, trying to force it's way back out into the light.
I got little sleep last night. I was up putting some finishing touches on the outline of an outline of the first draft of a research paper. Now that I've successfully outlined the steps necessary to complete an outline, I think I'll work on the actual outline for the research paper itself.

2003-04-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

I'm home. I'm home. I've passed the written exam at the DMV, got 100% the first time round, but actually driving is terrifying. I have literally never been behind the wheel of a car. It feels funny and I can't quite get the hang of putting my foot on the gas. I had no idea that the car will keep moving even if you take your foot off the gas pedal. That is scary. Practice makes perfect, I guess...
I have finally completed the second chapter of Tokyo Trash. Enjoy!

2003-04-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Added a photo-essay about Kim Jong Il to the essay section of the site. It's not political, it's pure humor. I decided long ago that there are enough political opinions floating around on the net and it would be best to leave politics to the polititians and pundits. You can see Kim Jong's spread if you like.

2003-04-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

I am just about done with chapter 2, completed 477 words. My goal for today was between 200-500 words, so I'm well within my completion range. I am also adding a movie review for Lilya 4-Ever, a russian movie that's making the rounds at the film festivals. It's bleak, that's for sure, but then again, most things that come out of Russia are. A young girl who dreams of a better life in Sweden gets trafficked as a sex slave to grunting middle-aged pedophiles. I'll save the rest of the review for the site.
The White Stripes' new album Elephant is also being heard with gusto. They will be playing very soon along with many other bands at the Coachella Festival. I've got my ticket for Sunday, the 27th. This is one of my favorite annual events, period. It's a fabulous spectacle, really. I don't even mind being outdoors in the boiling heat most of the time and I've gone for the past two years. This will be my third time round. I can't wait.
Of course it'll be cool to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the White Stripes, but I'm really looking forward to catching Sonic Youth perform. They never disappoint.

2003-04-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

If I had to choose a pen name for myself, I wouldn't have any time to write. I simply cannot, for the life of me, come up with a name besides the one I was given at birth. Tallulah Bankhead is nice, but taken. And maybe even misspelled. Here's a list of people with really cool names:

Crispin Glover, Kitty Genovese, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman (Tecumseh's the kicker!), Pernell Chapman(or is it Fernell?), Dallas Raines(he's a weatherman)

The following are nice first names:

Bernice, Ruth, Ulysses, Jasper, Lou, Jackson, Ethel (but mind you, anyone who's got to grow up in this day and age with a name like any one of these is sure to get beat up or teased by their peers.)

I suppose April May might be a nice pen name for myself; it's got real significance. The 1st 3 letters of my 1st name are MAY and my last name on my father's side means April in spanish. Hence, April May. But I like my given name. It's got pizazz and it's the only one I know. Never even had a nickname. Besides, I don't think I could keep tabs all the time, you know? I have to answer to Naomi, Mary, and every other mispronunciation of my first name as it is; I don't need to add another name to my list.

What would your pen name be? Have you already got one? These are rhetorical questions, of course.

2003-04-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

I find it much easier to answer questions than do the whole "comeup with 100 things about myself" thing. It's a lot of work, thinking about yourself is. And after all, I can't come up with a thing that's worth the time it takes to type.

2003-04-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

So I just took the EQ and SQ test and it turns out my Sq is 32 and my EQ is 54, which makes me a type B brain. That's pretty middle of the road according to the color chart.

I'm sure no one's got any idea what I just wrote.

I have written another paragraph of chapter two and I think I had a breakthrough, story wise.

2003-04-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

I posted an old piece of jabberwocky in the text section. This one's an old diddy, a confused strand to jabberwocky that's called cats, but really hasn't got a thing to do with them. I call it cats because cats I am convinced cats are secretive and live in a really great universe that they won't share with the class. Kinda like schizophrenics.
So there you go. More words. Finally...
I've been trying to re-develop my daily writing routine. I am a highly routinized individual and it's damn-near impossible for meto get by w/o the aid of lists and timetables.
Here's a sample I've devised thus far:

Wake up
coffee
upkeep(hygiene) this includes the morning piss.
news
cigarette
computer(internet, e-mails)
writing

Of course this is all tentative and only takes up about an hour or two of my day. It will change once spring break is over and my mornings are filled with classes and lectures but you get the idea. oi vey I've got term papers due on Monday and a psych test.

2003-04-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well, there's progress...I've added a new sentence to the 2nd chapter. At this rate, you can expect to see the chapter done by when hell freezes over which may happen sooner than you think.
I'm going to Vegas on Sunday to drink and gamble with, who else? My Mom. It's been a long time coming, really. I haven't been to Sin City since the MGM Grand opened and I'm keen on seeing all the added attractions. I hear Circus Circus doesn't smell like cheese and popcorn anymore.

2003-04-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Still haven't been able to shake off this writers' block. I've tried everything from cleaning my room to smoking as many cigarettes as my throat can handle. I just might have to resort to actually sitting down and writing! Gasp! Oh, well. Desperate times, huh? I'm stuck on the third paragraph of the second chapter. I know I said it would be done by tomorrow, but now I'm not so sure. I also have school and junk. Hmmm...I do know that there will be a nice, raunchy sex scene maybe in the 4th or 5th chapters, so look forward to that.

2003-04-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

I'm having a bit of a hard time with chapter two. i realize I may have to make this chapter a bit longer than the the first one, as it's pretty short and doesn't provide much background info or anything. But I guess that's what this and the next couple of chapters will provide. I'm also working on a page that will be an accompaniment for those who are not familiar with the areas of Tokyo- the different wards, landmarks, customs, slang terms and such...I'll try to explain it all as I go along.

2003-04-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

okay, I hope this will be the last time I have to do this tonight....
I should be done with chapter two by wednesday.

2003-04-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

I've changed the template, again. I hope it comes out well this time. I've got the first chapter up and running. I'm working on the second chapter, which is told through the eyes of a different character. I haven't really decided how many characters this story will have, but I know there are at least two central characters. That's it for now, I guess.

2003-04-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

testing, testing....