15.05.01 - 9:32 p.m.

Before leaving the work, I will say

Weekend in Houston RAwkED. he shoots. he scores. quickly, doubletime:

left on thursday angi dropped me off at the airport 2 in the morning 3, 4, 5 in the morning I was sleeping in Oakland International. nobody, NOBODY there except for a man waxing the floor. oakland international has the least comfortable chairs in the universe. I twisted & turned to find a non-hurtful sleep position & every position poked my spine and my neck. plus they were playing muzak, which you hate & i hate. it's not like i expect the airport to be All Merzbow, All The Time but cmon there's so many albums that would work, e.g.

1. brian eno, music for airports
2. miles davis, kind of blue
3. classical music
4. astrud gilberto
5. And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (j/k but isnt that a cool band name)

On the plane to Phoenix. Layover to Houston, met this fine chica Amber from Berkeley. she was getting her pHd in transportation planning. We talked about

1. building shrines
2. Brasilia & counterpoint- fab city, started w/ C
3. which of 10 commandments violated
4. survivor
5. hatred of George W. Bush

she was tall & freckly & had red hair & a nose ring & a laugh like honey. As I got on the plane in group 1 (southwest initiates this fierce battle to be in the 1st boarding group, it's so vicious-- I saw old ladies elbow each other & jostle for position, ooh a groin shot) Amber asked me to a save her a seat. right on.

but then I got on the airbus & it was very full & she ended up sitting behind me sandwiched between two capital T Texans with big belt buckles & cowboy hats (really) and they poached her!! bastards!! they poached my amber. the whole way over they were like, "I seen lots a purty ladies but I never seen a lady as purty as you" and she was like "Tee hee" and I was like "i killyou!" but silently. by the time flight ended spell was broken, no digits. why did I say he shoots he scores in earlier comment, oh it was ironic, i mean moronic

meet parents & aj, hotel, dinner @ marks w/ laura & angela (sooper fancy; waiter talked & talked & I wished I could fast forward him. "this tablecloth is imported from Northern Italy and the handcrafted stitching is done in a 19th century rococo style") Prom kidz & waiter always seemed to walk in just as i was saying something that taken out of context sounds horrible (e.g. "I haven't tried dog")

out to notsuoh's w/ laura becca ana & emily & nitin. once again catastrophic 'gaydar' failure, I miss tha boat. "you do know Ana and I are dating right?" but recover gracefully by explaining phenomenon of Lesbian Bed Death. ah, so graceful. good to see them all but I think emily was stressed or out of sorts, probably I would be too under the circums. warned laura & nitin @ nepalese maoist rebels. alarmist am i

Sat pomp & circumstance, AJ gets diploma (sheepskin! fie!) & boring Morris Dees speech, so hot in the houston sun, wandering, seeing old faces. so nice to catch up. sam lookin fine in green blouse & dress, liz party (no champagne swords so our party in 99 still superior). I heard a lot of inspiring postgrad plans ranging from working for educational nonprofits to journalism to moving to Manhattan for the bright lights, big city cocaine blowin magazine fact checkin' glamour.

Red envelope @ chaucer, dennis really perkin up the place. suspended DJ table, mylar sheets, communal cigarettes ("the height of party civilization!") at first weird vibes but better as party gets packed, zach's curiously peppy sister, light rain sprinkle. dancing to good house & so nice to see gigi again (postal war is on, I've got postcards & lyrics to go) & her smile is lovely. Even layla was smiling when we were dancing & layla hates me, or at least is coolly indifferent. (wait for it...) DON'T HATE THE PLAYA, HATE THE GAME! several beers & too many cigarettes later, fateful moment of truth (or not) as dakota extends invitation to get lifted @ 5th yard line. the sane choice of No is made, back to hotel w/ mariel & sandeep & laura. dead baby jokes told, to her eternal credit mariel giggles.

sunday din w/ umbie & naveen & vicki & bill. more excitement could not be had. indian food too bland, then bill suggests starbucks. my anti-corporate hue&cry,snobbery, foiled @ the gates, no choice but to sullenly sip double mocha latte & ooh. caramel is nice. (darth vader breathing) JOIN ME

dinner w/ chuck & mary, well mannered & enjoyable ladz. garlic ravioli sent shivers up & down spine, & there was the patting of stomachs.

out to Brazil's w/ Maria in evening. incredibly revitalizating conversation, haven't had one like it in a while. (don't know whether or not that's pathetic but think it was just an uncommonly excellent conversation). discussion of

1. role of critic ("solidarity w/ artist" vs other schools of thought)
2. aesthetics, impossibility of separating 'pure experience of liking/disliking' from surrounding baggage e.g. is it cool, is it modern, what do friends think
3. tattoos
4. driving phobia (in this we are one)
5. summer comedic hijinx w/ Dr. Fabion and his groovy lovahboy G.W. (who has a name like that? G.W? or was it is G.R.? don't confuse w/ guy from Dallas)
6. hip hop
7. line between art / art crit, increasingly blurred esp. w/ contemporary art
8. drunken rowing parties @ cam.
9. gossip
10. etc etc etc etc!

i temporarily abandon all cynicism & say, maria is a peach of a girl & i am still sort of giddy days later from all of the possibilities our talktalk reminded me of. I do want to write about music, I do want to criticize & vex, I do want to keep working on manifestos & be creative & shoot shots of pure chewing satisfaction into Artforum & skater mags & every outlet that will have me. She's working on art crit for the summer, good luck & feed them weird things

Mon, hanging w/ Nick, desultory but kinda touching in spite of antipathy & hangover from days past & squabbles. his apt full of cat hair, sneezing fits drive us to Intergalactic ("you're going to Hobby?!") & then long u-turn to hobby but it's ok because it's the scenic route & Houston is a lush verdant oilsick fuckin masterpiece of monstrosity, it has its points & for a moment I feel vastly in love with this place where I used to live.

oddz & ends... mondro is cultofme, how odd. saw danl again, we all reminisced about that time we went to chop veggies at hare krishna temple for veggie club & then aftewards the donuts, the GREASE of donuts, jelly dripping from our ravenous mouths. what would krishna krupa say. (old rumor about krupa-- he once killed a man & had to change his name & that's why he joined the hare krishnas. don't know if it's true or not)

back into town Monday night, angi kindly provides ride. which brings us to now, & i have lots of work ahead & lots more to do in the nxt few weeks. I've got the juice & more writing ahead. & even though I dislike quotes, I saw a good one in somebody's grad card.

"We will either find a way, or make one." -Hannibal