It's All Gravy

So spent the weekend chillin. I went someplace I hadn't been in over a year. That place is known as being fucked up. Played drinking games (drank too much too fast, there's a mathematical formula here I'm sure of it) and then smoked what may or may not have been angel dust. P.S. I was passed out on Pete's couch and couldn't moved. Worshiped the porcelain god, received communion and made my way to the couch. Good times. Work is sluggish at best. I feel the six month itch. I feel it's time to move on....

Saw Serge, got our dossiers on the wedding. Clockwork precision. Admirable.

Passed along some Richmond Fontaine albums to Kilfer, a.k.a. Mindflayer, a.ka. T dot Fogues.com. Got some Neil Young. The universe is back in balance.

Been thinking about joining the cult of myspace. Dunno how I feel about that yet.

Came to a realization :
Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
They have to take you in.

R.F. 1914.

Book # 4 Deadeye Dick

Currently reading this one and about half way through. First half so far seems to be exposition about the history of Deadeye Dick's family. It's different because it's not the usual Vonnegut on the verge of/post apocalyptic setting. Although the kicker in this one is that a neutron bomb has wiped out Dick's home town. Vonnegut is throwing some history at us in this one. Some WWII as well as some Haitian. I'll let ya'll know how this one goes when I'm done with. So far Deadeye Dick has just killed a pregnant woman and berated in a jail cell by the town's folk.

Here's what the back of the book might read :

Deadeye Dick (1982): A funny, chillingly satirical look at the death of innocence. Rudy Waltz, a.k.a. Deadeye Dick, takes readers on a zany search for absolution and happiness in this tale of crime and punishment that makes us rethink what we believe and who we say we are


Here a cool page about good ol' Kurt.

Book # 3 Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut

Finished this book last week sometime. I'm working on three Vonnegut books in three weeks. So far so good. Here's what it says on the back of the book :

"Slapstick presents an apocalyptic vision seen through the eyes of the current King of Manhattan (and last President of the United States), a wickedly irreverent look at the all-too-possible results of today's follies. But even the end of life-as-we-know-it is transformed by Vonnegut's pen into hilarious farce (a final slapstick that may be the Almighty's joke on us all.)"

Here's what I think. Every Vonnegut book deals with some sort of apocalypse. Having said that, what sets this book apart is that I feel it's about the human condition. Here's a story about geniuses, two twins content in their world where everything is sheltered yet they are content. It isn't until they are separated, because the rules set up by society, that they fail to function. Each ones fate is ultimately determined by what doctors, and professionals decide for them. However, somewhere in there, it's also a story about beating the odds. The main character, who shouldn't have lived past his teenage years, live to be like 100 years old. I highly recommend this book. I don't know why I didn't read it sooner.

Oh and here's the Amazon review. I know I'm getting lazy but it's late.

Amazon.comDr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, centenarian, the last President of the United States, King of Manhattan, and one-half (along with his sister, Eliza) of the most powerful intelligence since Einstein, is penning his autobiography. He occupies the first floor of a ruined Empire State Building and lives like a royal scavenger with his illiterate granddaughter and her beau. Buffeted by fluctuating gravity, the U.S. has been scourged by not one, but two lethal diseases: the Green Death and the Albanian Flu. Consequently, the country has fallen into civil war. (Super-intelligent, miniaturized Chinese watch the West self-destruct from the sidelines.) Swain stayed at the White House until there were no citizens left to govern, then moved to deserted New York City, where he writes a thoughtful missive before death.

In Slapstick, Vonnegut muses on war, man's hubris, and the awful, crippling loneliness humans are freighted with--but, miraculously, the book still manages to delight and amuse. Absurd, knowing, never depressing, Slapstick kindles hope--for the possibility of wisdom, perhaps; for human resiliency, surely.
It's best to end with a quote from the prologue wherein the author discourses on The Meaning of It All, or at least This Book: "Love is where you find it. I think it is foolish to go off looking for it, and I think it can often be poisonous. I wish that people who are conventionally supposed to love each other would say to each other, when they fight, 'Please--a little less love, and a little more common decency.'" Amen.

Book # 2 Post Office By Charles Bukowski

Ok so here's the second book of the year. Guess what? I'm done with it already. Post office chronicles Bukowski's career working at the post office. Along the way we experience his adventures at the race tracks and the various women he gets involved with. Humerous and at times depressing due to the stark reality it presents of working at a job for 30 years it's always honest and simply written. That's not to say it's not intellegent. Bukowski's wit and humor seep through every sentence and observation.

There's something going on in this book about the way he beds all sorts of women from all walks of life. A wealthy socialite, a drunken bimbo, an anti war revolutionist, a scam artist. Women are represented so many different ways here. It's almost as if Bukowski never changes but the women in his life do, and they reflect the changing world he lives in as years pass him by.

Some Facts :

• 208 pages, first published in 1971. Takes place in Los Angeles.
• Bukowski "One of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and porse, and, many would claim its most influential and imitated poet. During his lifetime published more than forty-five books of poetry and prose..." Died March 9, 1994 in California.
• Story is told through first person accounts of Henry Chinaski.

I'll do a wrap up soon for this one.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Wrap Up

Ok so I finished this book last week but I'm finally get around to wrapping it up. I don't know the best way to do this but I'll throw out some observations and see what happens.

Some Main Themes and Ideas

• Hero Vs. Enemy -Using the hospital as the setting, Kesey depicts life as a constant struggle between good and evil, heroes and villains, humanity and technology. The book as a whole is a protest against the Establishment; it shows the downfall of humans by both machines and dehumanized humans. Kesey's conclusion is that the individual can have an impact on society, but cannot alone change the system.
• Men Vs. Women - Most of the patients in on the ward are there because of their shitty experiences with women. And of course, all this is made worse by the presence of Big Nurse. Kesey shows women as 'Ball cutters' , prostitutes, or characters that exercise great control over weaker men; overall acting as repressors of men. Bromden, a 'Big man' takes his name from his mother, who controlled and 'shrunk' his father. Billy Bibbit, 31 years old, lives beneath the shadow of his domineering mother. Dale Harding is a man ashamed of his effeminacy and criticism by his wife. And Big Nurse is a strong female out to destroy male sexuality and morale.
• Christ Imagery- Doesn't everything seem to have this? Anyway in this book Mac has '12 apostles' that he takes fishing. The table for electrocution therapy is like a cross the way the men are strapped on it. In the end the patients temporarily betray McMurphy (think Judas). And lastly as Christ died to save sinners, Mac sacrifices himself so the men on the ward can go to the outside and live their lives.

Four Key Parts In The Novel

1. McMurphy scores a victory with Big Nurse in the TV scene, but becomes passive when he realize he is ultimately at Big Nurse's mercy
2. When Cheswick drowns himself, McMurphy realizes he must act for the men, ruining his hope to get out of the hospital quickly.
3. McMurphy battles against the orderlies to show the inmates that he is on their side, this dooms him to Electro-Shock Therapy.
4. McMurphy refuses to allow Big Nurse to belittle Billy, he attackes her and is punished with a lobotomy.

Anyway I think that's about it for this. If anyone has something to contribute feel free to comment and post.

Getting There

Almost done with One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, I had planned to blog more about it but it went kind of quick. I'll wrap up it tomorrow, during my commute. So before I do wrap it up I ask :

Has anyone else read this book? What are your thoughts? Likes or Dislikes?

Playoff Eve

It's like the night before Christmas. Only this is more serious. It's the eve of playoff football for the New York Football Giants. Watched football all day, smoked out, ate and watched boxing. Overall I have no Complaints. A day of sports. How about you?

Here's A Guilty Pleasure

Saturday morning. Got me a can of Pepsi and a Johnny Cash special on cable. Ok Here's a guilty pleasure we all have. Ok well maybe I have it. I like to see couples arguining in public. I'm not alone, I've spoken to people and others agree. Tonight I witnessed two. Two of my favorites. I saw a husband and wife in a parked car arguing outside a bar. I love it because they are doing conversation kung fu waving thier arms. Then I saw a personal favorite, one I like to call "Turkey Day" (named after this usually taking place on road trips around the holidays). A family, Mom Dad kids in the back, all erupting in a Volvo. They were stopped at a light and you know it's getting intense in that hot box when the Dad has to turn around, impaired by his seat belt to show the kids he's serious when he's yelling at them. I love it. While there's nothing as fun as actually hearing what people are arguing about, it's also mysterious to see them behind that glass, imagining the dumb shit they are wasting oxygen about.

The book is going good. I'm almost done with it. I'm up to like page 150 something. Hopefully I'll have it done this weekend. I was going to blog about it half way through which is about now but I'm debating just waiting to the end and giving a wrap up.

Picked up the new Q magazine this month. James had an advance copy from England and told me about the free book it came with that has rock and roll trivia. Here's a tidbit for ya'll :

BACKMASKING

Do records really contain secret backwards messages?

Roger Waters put a backwards message on 'Empty Spaces' (on The Wall) Saying'Congratulations you've just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to old Pink, care of the funny farm, Chatford'; ELO's 'Fire on High' has a secret message saying 'The music is reversible but time is not - turn back! Turn back! Turn back!; andChristian rockers Petra recorded a message on their song 'Judas Kiss' that said: 'What are you looking for the devil for, when you ought to be looking for the Lord?'

Book # 1 One Flow Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Ok Let's get this party started. First book of the year is going to be One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Everyone has seen the movie, and nearly everyone has read the book. Not me this is a first. I'm about 70 pages in and here's some info for you.

• Author : Ken Kesey (once was a volunteer subject for government drug testing. Arrested for marijuana possession in 1965.
• The book is fiction/novel of rebellion first published in 1962.
• The setting of the novel is the Psychiatric ward of a hospital in Oregon. 272 pages.
• Novel is told through the eyes of Chief Broom, a deaf, dumb 6 foot 7 Indian,so all you kids trying to watch the movie instead of reading the book, look out for this one.

So there's all these patients. The chronics and the acutes milling around the Cuckoo's nest. Their very lives run by the dials controlled by the motherly hand of Nurse Ratched, and her henchmen the Negro Boys. Then one day ex-con gambler Randle McMurphy comes strolling in and decides to shake things up a bit. I'm just now getting to the part of the book where the exposition of life around the ward has been explained and McMurphy has bet the other patients he can shake up old Nurse Ratched and get the best of her.

So far one of my favorite parts has been when McMurphy has squared off with Harding, an intellectual patient who so far has run things on the ward. Harding breaks it down to Randle that all the patients are just rabbits, they have always been rabbits. Inadequate ones at that, and it up to the wolf -- Ratched -- to basically keep them in check. See, I liked this because it conjured up some imagery of how the hierarchy is structured in the ward. A hierarchy that McMurphy tries to convince the patients is bullshit. McMurphy starts off by saying the ward is a pecking party to which Harding explains they are rabbits. A light should be going off here telling us that Kesey is saying they are all just treated like animals either way.

Some quotes thus far:

• "Failures, we are--feeble, stunted weak little creatures in a weak little race. Rabbits, sans whambam; a pathetic notion.
• "...That's the first thing that got me about this place, that there wasn't anybody laughing. I haven't heard a real laugh since I came through that door, do you know that? Man when you lose your laugh you lose your footing.

2006

Here goes 2006. A new year, a new batch of filth to involve myself with. Some of you may be wondering about the new look of the blog. I decided to change it up a bit, both in look and content. Sure they still be my wit and wisdom, but as an added bonus this year you'll be able to follow me on my journey through "THE 2006 BOOK CHALLENGE." That's just a working title, but I plan on blogging and discussing in some manner every book I read this year. Of course, suggestions will be appreciated. Any ideas you have for books, discussion topics, or anything to enhance the blog will be greatly appreciated. I know everyone is eagerly awaiting to find out what book will the first one creaked open in 2006. To that I say, check back and I'll let you know, I haven't decided yet.

Peace out.