2010 thus far

So, here sits our hero, on a purple couch in East Geelong, Victoria, Australia, sipping water from a My Little Pony mug, in orange swim trunks, hair filled with that wonderful post-ocean saltiness. Earlier there was a hail storm, but he was safe under an awning as he scavenged abandoned French fries from a fish & chips shop trash can. Slightly palatable, still warm, and free. It's a January summer in southeast Australia.

From New Years until departure to Australia were busy and wonderful. New Years Eve there was a Strand of Oaks/Jason Anderson & the Best show in Somerville, and the whole May St. crew went out from Worcester through the snows. I(hereby abandon third-person narrative for the remainder of this posting) saw some friends, made a couple new ones, had a generally lovely time, got rather wasted and woke up the next morning in JP, although I don't remember how that exactly happened. New Years day consisted of driving back to Worcester and going to Misquamicut Beach with Diaz & Tara. Of course we stripped naked and jumped into the ocean. After earning a round of applause from the assembled sundry middle-aged bystanders, we retreated to the car and headed home, heat on full blast.
15 rowdy Worcester kids & friends got wasted and went to a Worcester Sharks game. We were awarded the dubious distinction of the "Official Nuts of the Game" by some official-type guys, and were given a big bag of mixed nuts. They were mostly thrown everywhere, but I got to eat some. Yum. On our walk home we all tackled each other into snowbanks and bushes.
We did some shows during the week and then flew to Australia.
Now I'm here until March 9th.
I'm flat broke but have some plans. I almost got a job as a beach volleyball referee but accidentally didn't show up on what was to be my first day. Whoops! My lazy half(okay, 3/4) was secretly gladdened.
I think I'm going to try and strive towards drinking less and organically being happier and more excited. I am also focusing on personal fitness here in little silly ways. Jumping jacks. Push-ups. Runs on the beach.
What am I even trying to say here? Things need to change in my life in big ways. Australia is lovely, and I am having a great time. Oops, travelblog fail

Minor accidents

Today, our intrepid hero slipped and fell on the ice. Later, he spilled beer all over his bed. He tripped over the coffee table in a dark room. He also has betrayed his defense mechanisms and injured his pride. Life goes on!

24 and there's so much more

Today marks the 24th year of the author's presence on this blue planet. He remains a very scattered creature, one who is constantly deferring to embarrassingly stylized devil and angel advisers who ceaselessly perch & preach on his shoulders. Earlier in his life he was told by his personal angel to continuously out-pour love and truth and openness should any small opportunity arise. Friends, strangers, lovers, animals, all. The devil was a stubborn, stoic little thing that would demand just the opposite: higher walls, deeper moats, booby traps, sarcasm, egoism, derision. As the days and years fall away, results become slightly more visible. A conclusion one could reach might assert that following the lead of the former adviser often causes a recurring experience similar to shortsightedly locking oneself of the house on a cold, rainy day: Shivering, crestfallen, and impotently hoping for an external reversal of fortune. The latter's advice leads to trials akin to being as a rotted-out fortress under siege: pestilent, malnourished, and eventually mutinous and thus defeated. As the author continues to age and learn, he is finding it harder to discern any ultimate difference between the members of his dual council. Even harder to ascertain is an alternative.

Decemberween

I'm on my couch at my apartment in Worcester, finishing the freezer gin. I am leaving in one month. I don't know if I'll have an apartment, a job, money, or a car when I return. Are we going to Texas? Ohio, NC, Georgia? NY, PA? How will we afford that? Questions that need answering.
It is so cold here right now. Visible is my breath. I am happy for the winter, truly. Somehow the challenge of being comfortable under these circumstances is trying enough to make it feel worth it.
Everything is up in the air. 2010 is nothing but a daunting array of question marks and vague notions. Honestly, something big needs to happen. My trip to Australia feels huge in breadth, but not depth.

Recently

I love what I'm up to.

Selling & Buying

I'm once again on the 7th floor of Boston Medical Center. I am here for the day, giving blood and tissue samples. Glocuse syrup? Sure. Blood pressure cuffs and an ultrasound? Deal. Sublingual nitroglycerin? Alright. Internal vein scraping? Okay(ignore huge pit in my stomach), if you must. It's funny the things we do when we feel compelled. I will be in the USA for only fifty more days, and have no savings, many outstanding bills, and a personal loan repayment owed asap to a relative. Every single day needs to be utilized. Working part-time does not cut it.

Strange Days, Indeed

I'm laying on the Jamaica Plain couch. I've been here all week. It is raining outside, was that thunder? Yep. There is a big black purring kitten on my chest who keeps fuckin' up my computering. Computing? Interwebbing.
Yesterday I went to ride on a ferris wheel at the Topsfield Fair. I was by myself. They put me in a basket with a grandpa with a ponytail and leather jacket and a grandson with short blond hair, a redsox shirt, and funny loose/missing/crooked/little kid teeth. Both were afraid of heights, but I wasn't sure if either of them were feigning it to fool the other. It was pointed out that we were in basket #13. I wasn't afraid.
I had a strong sense of the sheer absurdity of life on that ferris wheel.