I’ve been folding & gluing like a madman, and I have 30 copies of the book ready to go. Just in case. Drop by and say hullo! And let’s all hope it doesn’t rain (except at night–perfectly fine).

I had to write my job description today for the office records. So, for anyone who’s ever wondered what I do at the office from 7.30 to 3.15 most weekdays …

SENIOR INSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVE
job description

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LJ Interests meme results

1. arto lindsay:
   I heard about him because of David Byrne (of course). His stuff within the last 10 years of so has been mostly about a kind of post-rock reinvention of the bossa nova. That sounds pretentious, I know. But it’s gorgeous: odd, lilting harmonies, soft at times, with electronic beats, and his trademark weird lyric imagery. “The Subtle Body” is probably my favorite album of his. I was just listening to it this morning.
2. coffee:
   First started drinking coffee because of Special Agent Dale Cooper on “Twin Peaks.” I worked at Starbucks for a few years, then at Intelligentsia for four and a half. And that’s where I became a coffee perfectionist. I drink it every day … but only two cups usually. I may be addicted, but it’s under control.
3. gato negro wine:
   Probably my favorite cheap, err, “inexpensive” wine. It’s from Argentina. If you can find it, you can get a bottle of their Cabernet/Merlot blend for $4.99. Bring it to a party, and no one would be able to guess what it goes for. Pairs with about anything too.
4. glasses:
   Spectacles just make a guy more sexy. It’s still a clencher for me. When I was 12, I used to read with a flashlight in the dark so that my eyes would weaken and I’d be forced to wear glasses. Guess it worked.
5. jimmy scott:
   Again, because of David Lynch, who featured him in the last episode of “Twin Peaks” singing a haunting tune called “Sycamore Trees.” The man is finally getting some recognition. But not enough. Here’s a guy who can outdo Billie Holliday when he wants to. His voice will break your heart. His version of “Holding Back The Years” is dynamite.
6. mai tai:
   Ahhhh. My favorite cocktail. Seductive: sweet, sour, and hiddenly potent. It takes you to an exotic yet comfortable place. Beware: only Trader Vic’s serves a really authentic Mai Tai. If the one you’re drinking has any other juice besides lime, or any other liquors besides rum and curacao, it is NOT a Mai Tai.
7. neofuturists:
   I first saw “Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind” in late 1993, if memory serves, and it marked me forever. For me it was like David Byrne, John Cage, surrealism, and Laurie Anderson all tossed together into a pungent brew. I could not have written my book without the back-of-my-head inspiration of Greg Allen’s stuff.
8. reading:
   What’s to explain? Give me a good book and leave me alone. Everyone else can keep on watching their crappy primetime TV.
9. tea:
   Tea is an autumn drink for me. But only in the late mornings and afternoons. It doesn’t have enough kick to get me going first thing in the morning. Oolong and darjeeling are favorites.
10. wine:
    Coppola Claret is probably my favorite. I’m not really a wine snob. I’m more just curious about how things taste. There’s something satisfying about two or three glasses of wine that you can’t really get from having cocktails or beer.

Enter your LJ user name, and 10 interests will be selected from your interest list.

http://www.renegadecraft.com/chicago/rcf_maps.pdf

I’ll be at my booth with “100 Spinning Plates” on the Damen side, between the fieldhouse and the fountain.

http://www.renegadecraft.com/chicago/index.html

What is wrong? I could not sleep and thus got up at 5. I did not have to get up until 6. The Lucky Charms and coffee and NPR I’ve consumed thus far have not really comforted me. Oh, and Brandon has the day off today. So it’s just me. Yeah. Gonna be a great day.

At least I had a great weekend. We saw Nouvelle Vague at Schuba’s on Saturday night. Wonderful. I couldn’t believe I was taking part in an audience sing-along of “Too Drunk To Fuck.” The version of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” that was tossed in towards the end of the show was like icing on the cake.

Yesterday we had Andy’s friends Stana and Todd over for dinner. They’re visiting Chicago from Seattle, exploring the possibility of moving here. The whole weekend I was like some demented civic booster … “Oh, Millennium Park is just wonderful–all the lakefront in Chicago is free and clear–we can walk everywhere from our neighborhood–you can either get a 2-bedroom with a back deck that’s three blocks from the lake, here in Chicago, or a little shoebox in Manhattan–so many great places to eat–etc. etc.”

We watched some “Night Gallery” yesterday and that made me happy.

But damn. I needed more sleep. Tonight is my interview at the Neo-Futurarium.

I have done intensive, side-by-side taste testing and I must conclude: gin & tonic is soooooo much better than vodka & tonic.

The weather has turned cool & crisp, and my allergies are under control! It was delicious walking down Broadway after dinner with Brandon in the soothing nighttime air, the lights from resturants and stores cheerfully spilling onto the sidewalks. The new issue of “Granta” is a delight to read. Saturday night at Schuba’s, Andy and I are going to go see Nouvelle Vague (http://www.nouvellesvagues.com) and I’m thrilled. So things are good right now.

I haven’t written a new word of the novel-in-progress for over three weeks now. D’oh.

We have not been able to print ANYTHING from our main software program since FRIDAY and Brandon’s been busy all morning cleaning/tidying up the office for our VIP British vistor on Wednesday. I’m sitting on about $30,000 of orders just because I CAN’T PRINT ANYTHING OUT. Some ‘printer patch issues’ that some ‘consultant’ has been working on since 9 AM. Gotta love technology!

Today, for the first time in about seven or eight years, all my credit cards are completely paid off. $0 balance. It may only last a few weeks, but it’s a damn good feeling.

This morning I dreamed my family was having a birthday party for me. We were all in a classroom sitting at two long tables. I was talking with my Aunt Karen about mystery writers and I said, “Well, Dashiell Hammett had better plotting but I think that Raymond Chandler is the superior writer.”

Just then Van Johnson came in. He said, “I really can’t stay but I wanted to give you your birthday present.” He handed me a folded piece of money, I couldn’t tell what denomination, and a package that he’d bought at an antique store. It was a combo pack: a bag of sesame sticks on one side and a package of “temperillos” on the other. Van explained that temperillos used to be these colored, scented cigarettes. He said, “It got so I could hardly go see a movie anymore because everyone would be smoking them. It smelled terrible.” I examined the package for awhile. He started talking to my relatives about how he was thinking of going to Hawaii and volunteering for the Mormons’ Million Man Garden Misson.

Barbara Bush, who accompanied the former presidents on a tour of the Astrodome complex Monday, said the relocation to Houston is “working very well” for some of the poor people forced out of New Orleans.

“What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality,” she said during a radio interview with the American Public Media program “Marketplace.” “And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.”