Most Likely I’ll Go My Way

Woke up at 11 from a strange dream about being held prisoner and having to shoot somebody in the heart with a poison-injection gun. It was actually really terrifying, but at least it wasn’t a zombie dream this time. Or at least I don’t think it was.

Today my plan is to walk to the library while listening to Blonde on Blonde, find books about unorthodox US travel (my prime target is Dishwasher, about Pete Jordan, who made it a goal to wash dishes in all 50 states) and some comic books, and then come home and read them. Meeting Mallory at 7:30 for Zombieland (second viewing—it’s that good). Oh, and lots of coffee. That’s my day. The good ones have been flowing lately.

Making vague travel plans in my head. If I load myself with freelance work, I want to see if I can go on a two-week bus trip roughly every two months. A bit of an experiment.

Also, working on a new writing project. More on that soon.

Edit: went to the library, and paid a two-dollar fine on my account for a movie that I kept out late that I realized wasn’t even worth the late fee by the time I finally got around to watching it. Bummer. But now my account is cleared, so I nabbed the aforementioned Dishwasher book, plus the Achewood Great Outdoor Fight collection and a coupla other comics. Good haul today.

Weekend

Today: up early to read Cometbus and Noah Van Sciver comics. Riding around in a car with Amanda when she gets off work. Zombie crawl at 6. Will I be a victim or a zombie? Or both? Then dollar tacos at Mezcal and EAOD’s last show. Pretty good, Saturday. Pretty good.

Also, last night was The Pogues at The Ogden. Highlights: Spider smashing a baking sheet against his head repeatedly and rhythmically—with surprisingly good results—during “Fiesta,” the last song in their double encore.

No band practice tomorrow because Stuart’s in Nebraska for a week. I have no idea what to do on a Sunday without two band practices.

“The Clash makes me want to be a better person”

From a conversation with Diana while she waited for a bus in Houston:

D: “Um is emma stone your favorite actress ever? Interview with nylon magazine ’super natural: she’s known for her comedic roles but emma stone has a few surprises up her sleeve, namely ghosts, zombies and salinger’ omg patrick your favorite things!!!”

P: “What?! Who is this and why have I never heard of her?”

D: “You have you just don’t know her name. She is the girl in superbad. The redhead that jonah likes. Husky voice”

P: “Hmm. Well, now I’m gonna learn every fact there is to learn about her on the internet. Thanks for the tip. How’d you know I liked Salinger so much?”

D: “We talked about it. Raise high the roof beams is my fav. And nine stories. I was obssessed for a long time. Fran and zooey is great too”

P: “I can’t believe I don’t remember us talking about that. Raise High the Roof Beams is my favorite, too (well, paired with Seymour: an Introduction). I named my dog after Seymour Glass, did I tell you that?”

D: “Maybe that was it. Urgh sitting in the houston airport. I was on standby for an earlier flight. Got on the plane and then they sent me back to the terminal. Boooooo. Now I am reading nylon and feel very hip and cool. Haha. Not really but it is better than the woman sitting next to me reading southern living”

P: “Man, would that you could be anywhere but Houston. I’ve never been but every person I’ve ever met ever has told me that Houston is a shit hole. Maybe you should strike up a conversation with that woman and get some tips on how to live like a Southerner when you’re in Nawlins.”

D: “I would rather drop dead than socialize with these jesus freaks. Wow that was harsh. I am grumpy and tired. Don’t take anything I say too seriously”

P: “It’s okay. If you weren’t grumpy and tired I would think you were a humanoid robot of some kind, instead of just the were-man Diana I know and love. You never told me if you like the Clash?”

D: “I do but don’t claim to be a well-versed fan. It gets me all riled up.”

P: “That’s a good answer. What gets you all riled up, the Jesus freaks? Meeeeeee too, you have no idea.”

D: “No. Listening to the clash. Riled up in a good way.”

P: “Oh! Man! That’s like exactly what I was hoping you’d say, actually. That’s how I feel too. I’m not a die-hard fan but every time I listen to them it makes me want to dance, or break stuff, or be a better person, or some combination of those things.”

D: “‘The clash makes me want to be a better person’ hahahaha hilarious. That is how I feel about trex. Except instead of a better person…a badass from liverpool

P: “Oh, T. Rex! Ha. I was like, ‘Trex? Who?’”

D: “Yes. I am soooo bored AND I have to wait at the bus depot for 3 hours. Fuck me. Haha you know what else was fun? Drooling on the guy next to me when I passed out on my last plane.”

P: “Ahaha, did you really? I bet that dude hates you. 3 hours at a bus depot? Hellish. I once waited at Port Authority in New York from like 4 to 7 in the morning for a connection between NYC and Boston. I couldn’t sleep because I had all my earthly belongings with me and I was afraid someone would steal them, so I sat on my giant duffel bag and listened to Jawbreaker and glared at the pigeons who were walking around down there. You can’t tell if it’s daytime or nighttime at that station.”

P: “Whoa, long boring story about myself with no real way to respond. Sorry. This arrangement, right now, is working pretty good, though, because you’re bored with nothing to do, and I’m bored with working on this events calendar for Decider. It’s so mindless. Are you staying at a hotel?”

D: “No. I was responding but then my friend called! I am staying with my godmother tonight in her hotel and then my friend matt for the rest of the time at his moms AMAZing house in the garden district. Lots of people from vassar live in new orleans so it will be fun…if I ever fucking get there”

D: “Ahh boarding. Talk to you in an hour when I am bored at the bus terminal”

And then I awkwardly ask her to go out with me some time dressed up as a Native American (her) and a zombie (me). What is wrong with my brain?

Safe!–for now

So—this is brilliant. I’m going to check it every day when I wake up, just to be sure. I wish there were an RSS feed. The inevitable activation of that thing is one of my top-five fears, on the list next to a John McCain presidency and a full-scale worldwide zombie outbreak. Been telling people for years, our zombie preparedness, as a nation, is nowhere near where it should be. Going to be the death of us all. And then the life of us all, again, until it’s the death of us all, again.

That music article is coming, I swear. It’s not going to be of the cheeriest disposition, so I’m procrastinating. I should just write it.

Instead having lovely conversation with new friend L. in Boston, who hadn’t even lived there yet when I left. Strange, life.