January 12, 1996

Saturday, January 06, 1996 5:03:32 PM

So, I wrote to Joan Osborne. After hearing her song about how "maybe God is one of us" I sent her a copy of this poem which I wrote a couple of years ago. Hers is considerably better than mine, but that goes without saying. I don't know that she reads her mail, or that any of it ever gets past her publicists, but the radio is playing one of her songs, reminding me of of that mail I sent her a few weeks ago. Everything about her singing makes me feel absolutely marvelous. I haven't felt this way about a singer since I first discovered Mahalia Jackson, and sacred harp music. She's one of those voices makes me realize that I hear a lot of songs, and a lot of singers, but for all that I just haven't been listening, or have been listening to nothing for all these years. Nothing at all. Sigh...

So here's some mail from Turtle, which appears to be in response to this story:

Date: Wed, 10 Jan 96 08:37 EST
From: [email protected] (Turtle)
To: [email protected]
Subject: "Rock & Roll" transcription (12/4/95)
What JoJo said about BU girls ("guhwaz cigarettes") had to do with "Gauloise" cigarettes, which are French, cost a fortune, stink to high hell and turn the tips of your fingers a digusting color. They were also much in vogue around that time, replacing the Kretek clove cigarettes which caused some people to die of asthma attacks. Turtle
Visit the Weightless Dog Page
http://www.charm.net/~turtle

And, wouldn't you know it, the pictures meant to accompany the above story also showed up today, but read the story first.

Sunday, January 14, 1996 3:07:10 PM

The world is made of snow.

Anyway. It's another Sunday. The snow is all melting, and it doesn't look like anything has changed in my little life. Actually, you know, I say that all the time, but I notice that I only seem to say it when something actually has changed. Not to fear. So. I need to do something with myself. I'm drinking coffee, and studying last weeks' receipts. I should write up several more of my receipts, put them in there with the payphone numbers and the contents of my desk so i can have a central reference resource for this website. Kind of the Appendix to my life. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Just for a laugh.

I often pick up the receipts that people leave behind at ATM machines. Recently, Chemical Bank stopped printing your bank card number on those receipts. I don't know how much information could be gleaned from someone's bank card number, but it always kind of amazed me that banks printed it on receipts. Money is something everyone can understand. You think you have friends, well just see what happens when you take out a $50 bill.

Strangers' bank balances can be kind of interesting, though. It's like answering machine messages, or the state of their cash (is it crumpled, neatly folded, not folded at all, or is it all grubby and wadded up?). Bank receipts don't really intens it, but they have all kinds of dramas printed on them.

Found an ATM receipt once that said "your balance is now -$147.99" "Found it" ... hah. It was mine. That was MY bank balance. jeez. And it wasn't my fault, either. It was American Express's fault.

Hmmm. Slow day here in my head. Can't really think of anything to do or say. Washed all my dishes. Listening to Marlene Dietrich. Lingering flu. Or, as my 4th grade English teacher Mrs. Allyn liked to say, "Loitering Influenza."

Uh... OK, let's do this. Anything to stay awake right now, anything to stay inside and out of danger.


D'AGOSTINO SUPERMARKETS STORE #6
 1507 YORK AVENUE NY NY 10021

      BOUNTY TOWEL        NP    1.99 T
      WEL TOM JC          NP    1.39 F
      DAIRY               NP     .99 F
      LEMONS - SMALL      NP     .79 F
2 @ 6/3.29
      DR PEPP REG CAN 6P  NP    1.10 F
2 @ .05
DP    BOTTLE DEPOSIT      NP     .10 B
      PLAST FORKS         NP     .79 T
      PLAST SPOONS        NP     .79 T
      B/E FRN BEANS W/AM  NP    1.49 F
      CELESTE DLX PIZZA   NP    2.39 F
      CLOSE-UP REG        NP    3.39 T
      HORMEL CHILI        NP    1.59 F
      SAUD JUMBO EGGS     NP    1.69 F
  8.25 TAX       .66 BAL       19.15
      CASH                     20.00
      CHANGE                     .85

1/08/96  2:53 PM 0006 01 0042 629

ASK THE MANAGER HOW OUR NEW D'AGOSTINO
     CLUB CARD CAN SAVE YOU MONEY


I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! CALL MGR.
JOE MOJICA       AT 212 772-9958

OK, that was a barrel of laughs. How many laughs in a barrel? How many monkeys? I wonder if there is a collective descriptor for stupidity. A frenzy of stupidity. A torture of pinheads. An anguish or morons. A torrent of dorks. A pistol of assholes.

It's probably more gentle than that. A pastel of nimrods. An aspen of morons.

I don't know. I'm really tired, and my head hurts, but I can't think of anything else to do but sit here in the dark and do this, or maybe call somebody and just act casual. Like I had no particular reason to call. Just calling, hi how y'doin. no, tv's in the shop, who won?

head feels funny.

Speaking of nothing, here are 4 images One, Two, Three, Four, containing what is purported to be the characters of an ALIEN ALPHABET.

January 15, 1995, 12:37 AM

I want to do a lot of things tonight, but it's too late, and there's a lot of noise outside. too late to call anyone. nothing much to read. CDs all sound the same. books have all been started and not finished. stomach wants to wage war. ah well, this is getting me nowhere. i hope the world is a happier place tonight.