Thursday, August 31, 2006
The Greatest Guitar In The World
Before I forget it, I have a dream to record.
I dreamed this just before waking up this morning. I dreamed I was riding a bicycle and the guy across the hall from me in my Freshman dorm in 1978 was riding a bicycle, too. There was a growth of trees to the left and he said, "Fred. I'm going to show you the greatest guitar in the world."
We got off our bikes, put them in the grass and walked toward the thicket. In the middle of everything was an intricate stonework cage with curlicews. Within it was a gleaming instrument of the sort a metal maverick would play. Dave was fascinated and actually said, "Aww!"
I was amazed to be seeing the top-rated guitar stuck in a cage Michelangelo might have designed.
"This is ours!" said Dave, and he walked toward it. I began walking toward it, too.
In real life, Dave was from Long Island, although I met him at college in New England. One semester, before vacation, he said I should call him in Deer Park and go with him to the grounds of Pilgrim State Psychiatric in order to climb the outside of one of the many abandoned buildings. He convinced me it would be the moral equivalent of rock climbing.
"When's the best time?" I said. "Midnight?"
Dave's mod glasses almost popped off his nose. "Midnight? Climb one of those at midnight, and be snuffed by a junkie?"
He never mentioned climbing a decrepit building again.
But grabbing an electric guitar from a rennaissance stonework cage in broad daylight might have been up his alley.
I dreamed this just before waking up this morning. I dreamed I was riding a bicycle and the guy across the hall from me in my Freshman dorm in 1978 was riding a bicycle, too. There was a growth of trees to the left and he said, "Fred. I'm going to show you the greatest guitar in the world."
We got off our bikes, put them in the grass and walked toward the thicket. In the middle of everything was an intricate stonework cage with curlicews. Within it was a gleaming instrument of the sort a metal maverick would play. Dave was fascinated and actually said, "Aww!"
I was amazed to be seeing the top-rated guitar stuck in a cage Michelangelo might have designed.
"This is ours!" said Dave, and he walked toward it. I began walking toward it, too.
In real life, Dave was from Long Island, although I met him at college in New England. One semester, before vacation, he said I should call him in Deer Park and go with him to the grounds of Pilgrim State Psychiatric in order to climb the outside of one of the many abandoned buildings. He convinced me it would be the moral equivalent of rock climbing.
"When's the best time?" I said. "Midnight?"
Dave's mod glasses almost popped off his nose. "Midnight? Climb one of those at midnight, and be snuffed by a junkie?"
He never mentioned climbing a decrepit building again.
But grabbing an electric guitar from a rennaissance stonework cage in broad daylight might have been up his alley.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Bookmooch [Dot] Com
Folks, check out a new site by a person (not me) who loves books and believes word should be spread without a profit motive.
Bookmooch is a site devoted to the giving away of books. You list ten books you'd be happy to send to people who want them and you create a wishlist. This is not like ebay. This is like listening to speeches in Hyde Park. There's no fee.
I have a link to the site in my sidebar. (Would like a twist of lemon with that?)
I'll list it here as well:
http://www.bookmooch.com
I have written for free. I may as well send books for free and get some for free.
First, there was the word.
Last, there was the word.
Dollars have nothing to do with the Word.
Bookmooch is a site devoted to the giving away of books. You list ten books you'd be happy to send to people who want them and you create a wishlist. This is not like ebay. This is like listening to speeches in Hyde Park. There's no fee.
I have a link to the site in my sidebar. (Would like a twist of lemon with that?)
I'll list it here as well:
http://www.bookmooch.com
I have written for free. I may as well send books for free and get some for free.
First, there was the word.
Last, there was the word.
Dollars have nothing to do with the Word.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Mediocrity
"Is the glass half-full or half-empty?"
"A disgusting question. I do have an answer, however."
"What's the answer?"
"It's neither half-full nor half-empty. It's just a half-a-glass of water."
"You can't answer the question that way."
"I can't?"
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"Well, then, I won't answer."
"No?"
"No."
"Well, that's stupid."
"Life is stupid."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"No, of course it's not. But a life lived having conversations like this is not worth living."
"Then what sort of conversations should we have?"
"Anything that's not a quiz."
"Is this a quiz?"
Bradley didn't answer.
"A disgusting question. I do have an answer, however."
"What's the answer?"
"It's neither half-full nor half-empty. It's just a half-a-glass of water."
"You can't answer the question that way."
"I can't?"
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"Well, then, I won't answer."
"No?"
"No."
"Well, that's stupid."
"Life is stupid."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"No, of course it's not. But a life lived having conversations like this is not worth living."
"Then what sort of conversations should we have?"
"Anything that's not a quiz."
"Is this a quiz?"
Bradley didn't answer.
