To continue reading forward in time, including what happened when the boys came to town for New Year's, click here.

12/27/02
Had a good little trip to MI over the holidays. Was supposed to travel by Vespa, but a freak, spontaneous bastard of a snowstorm shot that plan to Hell. So I rented a wussy little pickup truck and spent 5+ hours driving in whiteout conditions (normally a 2.5 hour drive) along Lake Michigan. Thru Chicago and Indiana, I took the route (Rt 12) that I would've taken if I had gone by scooter. That'll be a nice ride someday when the weather doesn't shit on my plans.

Southeast Chicago had a magical quality about it, I can't wait to return to photograph the houses and neighborhood bars/stores there. Very working-class and proletarian, in the most charming way, like so many old Springsteen songs grafted onto an environment. It had a timeless feeling; slightly decaying but not yet raped by crass commercialization (fast food, strip malls, etc). And those little houses... slices of heaven. The American Dream and countless hours of Honest Work buried there.

My trip was unfortunately short, but I spent some real quality time with grandparents and other family. The holiday cards seemed to be a hit with most, (except the vegan message on the back). Highlights included playing cards w/ grandparents and uncles for quarters, seeing my cousins, and fried vegetables at the Hard Times Family Restaurant in Decatur with Paul. Goddamn flea market was closed...next time though.

I'm probably going to buy a digital camera this weekend, I've only been talking about it for 3 years. Any recommendations in the $150-$250 range? Please e-mail me.

This weekend will be spent mostly preparing the pad for a bunch of New Year's guests...We've got Ryan, Kaja, Draplin, and possibly Kurt staying with me, and Berling, Zoe, and Maniotes staying at a hotel. Other variables include Adam Michaels and Kevin Wideman. Will be a great time with lots of laughs, tears, wrestling, and hard feelings all around. Expect photos.

12/20/02
Withdrawing "unmentionables" request due to resounding failure. Bah Humbug. I went to Carol's Pub last night anticipating karaoke, but no dice. So instead I sat there and reflected on all of my regrets and mistakes while listening to country oldies on the juke. Bars are overwhelmingly negative places; I don't really care for them. I'm printing your holiday cards tonight and tomorrow. Hoping to ride my scooter to Michigan on Xmas eve, please pray for good weather. Fuck a "white Christmas." Can't wait to get these cards printed...

12/18/02
Jesus H. Christ, what is this, two updates in the space of a week?! I know, it's crazy.

Super-busy at work this week. Have a mailer to do for Scooterworks that must be out the door on friday (should turn out cool; opaque white and dark PMS brown on French Fuse Green paper), two more full-page ads for Scoot! Quarterly, and some other miscellaneous ads for motorcycle trade pubs. Then there's the Holiday card to be finished and printed by the end of this weekend, so's to have it sent off in time for New Year's. And a yet-unplanned trip to MI to see the family and pretend that I give a shit about Christ's Mass.

Temperature here is beautiful right now, a balmy 55 degrees outside...makes me want to ride the scooter somewhere far, far away. The high-way's calling my name, beckoning me out of this asphalt prairie and into somewhere that smells like nature.

Nothing bums me out more than seeing this. Help.

12/15/02
It has been a somewhat more productive week. I've got the design of my holiday cards almost finished and hope to be printing them in the next few days with my new Print Gocco machine. The theme is "Greetings From Chicago," with images that most locals take for granted but embody the spirit of the place to an outlander like me. If I know you, or should know you, send your mailing address here and I might mail you one when they're ready. Girls who attach pics of themselves in their undies will get special consideration (Kurt gets e-mails like that w/o even soliciting!). I'm not a big fan of "thongs" though, so if you're into those, just go bare ass, aka "Commando." Thanks.

Despite warnings from some, I took the plunge and prostrated in front of an unruly crowd of light-saber-weilding scooterists for induction to the Jedi Knights Scooter Club. Those who know me will think that sounds crazy since I pride myself on never having seen Star Wars...but I joined because of the people—a solid group of Chicago scooterists who have befriended me and welcomed me into the fold these last few months—and NOT the club name. Well that, and Jedi Chad is a Christlike cult-leader type who lured me in w/ his western shirts and tales of R2D2.

I was elated to receive 3 excellent video tapes and a handsome pocket-sized (full color!) book on Learning Martial Arts from Master Bill Bartolone, whose talent is showcased here. I've already watched two of the tapes and can't wait to practice more, and share them with whoever visits my apartment.

I'm still recycling outfits from 6 or 8 years ago. Some things never go out of style (mullets, eyepatches, fake hair of any kind, broad belts worn over shirts or jackets). Liz-adies?

Need more gift ideas? Why not stock that Special Someone's freezer with scalded tripe, braided marrow gut, skinned and deveined liver, or whole heads? See the full list of Pork and Beef Offals, and BE SURE to click on the "pictures" links. Nothing says "Season's Holidays" like the makings of a classic hotdog.

12/8/02
My spirits are being dragged through icy mud of late; a combination of relentless bitter cold, grey city skies, dark that falls 2 hours before my workday ends and a pining for the intangible... nature (1.5 hours away by scooter, and then mostly just cornfields), comfortable weather and time spent outdoors, old friends, a girl to sip vegan hot chocolate with. I'm in an amazing city, but lately I feel isolated by it. In Minneapolis I had my share of cold, but I also had a wonderful community of people and an art school w/ 24hr access to draw strength from. I stayed busy enough that I didn't notice the weather as much, and moreover seldom found myself thrust into it (as I do now with the scooter and the remoteness of various city spots). It'll pass. The days start getting longer in 2 weeks.

This week was a busy one at Scooterworks, we had an Open House on saturday. There'll be photos up on our website early this week, so check back. Chad Schaefer has some up already on his (quick bastard he is). Nice to see everyone who came out for that, tons of beautiful bikes here for sale.

The greatest news this week is a new and improved home page over at GeoCities. No, not LeFrenchTouch, but a totally revamped RYNO's Super Diggity Web World City. I almost peed my pants laughing, I shit you not. This motherfucker even made me TWO custom pages of all-PJ content, prominently featuring a rare pic of me chugging cow pus (milk), the year before I went vegan. What a Champ, I couldn't ask for a better friend. Don't miss Aaron Draplin, Brad Berling, or the Ninja page.

Oh, getting back to the bitterness for a moment, I want to publicly declare my deep, deep hatred for cigarette smoking. And bars, to a lesser extent, mostly because of the former. And hipsters (who almost all smoke, in bars). I'm kind of sick of all that. Smoking is totally cool when you're 13, but you're an adult now. What does it do for you, besides the obvious:

help you burn through $$$ (a lot)
make your breath stink (bad)
render bystanders unable to taste their own food (asshole)
make everyone's clothes smell like shee-it (thanks)
and fuck up your health (and mine!)

That's enough love for today. I'll leave you with a picture that Honkytonk Chad took at the Openhouse, of Luther and I. Luther's the other vegan at Scooterworks (yeah!) and I'm the creep on the left, lurking in the shadows.

12/1/02
Rode in the Toys Fer Teats Motor-Sickle Parade today. Woke up at 6am to temperatures around 7 degrees F, bundled up in a stupid amount of layers (including the Radical Ninja face mask), and rode with Glen to the rendezvous spot at Chad's. Got warm, rallied the troops, and rode 15 miles or more in bitter subzero windchill to the starting point. "I picked the wrong day to start riding in motorcycle parades." Rode the almost 20 miles of parade route in 2nd gear, stopping several times to attempt getting some feeling back in my hands and feet. Worked for about a minute each time. Dangerously cold. About a mile from the finish point, my scooter started handling funny. I thought maybe my tire was coming loose, but no, it was a flat rear. But I rode it out, wobbling all over, with 200 dudes yelling "Hey, check yer back tire!" Donated my damned toys (Acrylic painting set and Potato Gun) and caught up w/ other scooterists to warm up. Changed my tire and rode to work to do this web update. Had probably 10 scooters total today, not a bad presence. Tough mofos, every one who turned out. I imagine there'll be some pics posted on the JKSC site later today.

Fortunately, I have to retract a statement from last week: Chicago DOES have an asian restaurant w/ mock meat dishes! And it's not far from where I live! It's called Alice and Friends Vegetarian Restaurant, and it's combo Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean. I ate there with Adam Michaels (former MCAD roommate extraordinaire) and had great conversation and totally delicious vegan fare. I had kabobs that tasted closer to steak than anything I've eaten in 10 years and Adam had the Pho soup with mock ham and beef. Both were beautifully presented and tasted great. I totally recommend it. Nice little place, cute waitress, and good prices. What else is there?

Speaking of MCAD friend reunions, Maniotes drove into Chicago friday night for some dinner in Greektown at a place he's been going to for 20 years. He impressed the staff with his command of Greek please-s and thank you-s and we had a nice veg meal and caught up on each other's lives. Good to see him.

And since this week has been all about food, I can't forget my Thanksgiving Day feast at Vegetarian Express Gourmet. Ate with Kayla and Amber from PETA, who were in town to run naked in the T'giving Day parade (my job was to hold their clothes and arrange to get them out of jail, should they be arrested...luckily, they weren't arrested). That was another awfully cold day. Anyway, I wish I'd had my camera to document the feast we got...easily the best Thanksgiving meal I've ever eaten. Veg "turkey," stuffing, rosemary potatoes, collard greens, cornbread, candied yams, another tasty tofu side w/ gravy, salad, green beans, cranberries...the works. So freeking good. I'm thankful.

11/24/02
Fairly busy weekend it was. Ate dinner at a mexican place on Friday to celebrate the birthday of a fellow PETA alumnus, RaeLeann. Good food, party favors, etc. Then went to Pick-Me-Up for some people-watching and vegan chocolate cake eating. They don't have very good coffee. And the waiter, by putting on airs of being my buddy, charged me an extra 75 cents for about 1 oz. of fucking soy milk, which I didn't even want, but accepted since he offered it in a way that implied it was free. Snake. That's a HUGE fucking pet peeve of mine, charging extra for soy/rice milk. Hello? What year is this? It doesn't fucking cost more for them to buy it (depending on brand/quantity).

On Saturday I came into work to check e-mail come on, grabbed the digital camera and took a beautiful (and fast!) scooter ride down Lake Shore Drive—in between the skyscrapers and Loch Michigan, to a near south side convention center where the Chevy VetteFest was being held. Spent a couple of hours trying to observe how people did tradeshow booths (I have to design one soon for Genuine) and covertly snapping pics of Hessians who'd crawled out from the woodwork to attend (see left). After that I headed to Chinatown for some vittles...I went to Jade Garden based on this recommendation, but wasn't super impressed with the orange tofu. It's simply unfathomable that a city this big doesn't have a dedicated, all-veg chinese place w/ mock meat dishes. I am very grateful for us having TWO Soul Veg's and about 20 all-veg Indian places (on the same block), but c'mon. This is ridiculous. And I finally saw Bowling for Columbine last night (yes!); I highly recommend it, along with all of Michael Moore's other work. Go Michigan!

Today I went to Belmont Army/Navy to find better winter gloves, and found a pair. But upon riding 3 miles here, with pellets of ice stinging my face at 35mph all the way, I realized that these new gloves, while looking less shabby and embarassing than the old ones, don't offer much more warmth. Goddamn winter. I also had a fruitless search for some new shoes, but it's no easy task finding cool ones that don't contain leather. My options: big clunky skate shoes ($65-100), Doc Martens-style Vegetarian Shoes ($100+ and not my style), ugly-ass shitkickers that are grotesquely "modern" looking (space boots), or Chuck Taylors. Fuck me. I keep expecting that every time I go shoe shopping, the world will have somehow "gotten it," and that I'll have several cool nonleather options to choose from. I guess dog and goat skins from third-world countries are just too cheap and "luxurious" for hip shoemakers to pass up on. So here's a giant "fuck you" to: Diesel, Ben Sherman, Adidas, and 100 others.

11/16/02
Holy Shithouse, two updates within the space of a week. What's the occasion, you ask? Let me tell you. We're celebrating. Last night, as I enjoyed a slice of good ol' vegan pumpkin pie and a strong cup of mud at Earwax Cafe, a lovely young lass came over and introduced herself. That alone is newsworthy in my life, but here's the best part: She recognized me from my website! This very website. I was dumbfounded, honored, embarassed. So Jordan, thanks for checking out the site and thanks doubly for introducing yourself. Sorry for my social awkwardness.

Goddamnit, I'm going to see Bowling for Columbine one of these days. I've gone twice to see it w/ no luck; the first time I got stuck in traffic and ended up being 20 mins late, and last night I couldn't find the sonofabitching theater, so freezing and late again, I changed plans. No worry, I ended up going for coffee and saw Easy Rider at the 3-Penny Theater for $5 at midnite. Not a bad deal. Also showing was a 70's porno, in 3-D. Peeked through the door and saw some hot cocksucking action. Yikes. A great theater at a great price. We'll be back.

11/13/02
Short and sweet today, I wanna go home. I just spent the better part of 2 hours assembling this fucker for your enjoyment. Longtime "fans" of the site will have already seen most of 'em, but what the hell. It's good to reminisce. Some of that stuff is outdated, so take w/ a grain of salt.

Working on (logo, etc) designs for Chicago Diner; that's going well. Also working on a new stencil typeface, booth designs for "Powersports" tradeshows, and keepin' it real. The Stella brochure (slightly modified since this image) is being printed right now, hope to have 'em in my hands by Week's End.

11/6/02
That trip was great. A taste of beautiful old Minneapolis (and some good food at some of her finer eateries). Hours around the table with my grandparents chain-smoking and sharing both embarrassing family stories and juicy truck-driver lore. Looking at old photos, bowling, and a trip to the Casino with my mom. Driving across endless miles of nondescript, flat prairie farmland to get to the next town of 308 or so in search of adventure with Ryan. Catching up with long-lost highschool friend Ben from Ashley, ND. Talking shop about the current state of the design industry with the old Master Chiefs at CSA.

In other news, Draplin is reworking his site. The guy is a king for all of his updates; the journal puts mine to shame and keeps his constituency well-fed but wanting more. Inspires me.

Many thanks to recent penpal Sarah for some awesome Texas-style vegan cookies. They do things well down there in TX.

I'm working on some more substantial updates to the site, here's a half-assed attempt at archiving all past frontpage "weblog" entries. More archiving awaits us, please be patient.

10/29/02
Preparing to go visit my mom and grandparents in S. Dakota, flying into Minneapolis and driving remainder (7-8 hrs) with Ryan. Should be an excellent road trip; it's long overdue.

Spent some of last weekend exploring my neighborhood. It's fairly dirty and sketchy, but it's chock-full of character and I love it. Expansive thrift stores, a video store carrying several hundred martial arts titles (many obscure), a great used bookstore that has something for all tastes (incl. old porn)...

Ate some curry tofu thing at a neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant and realized that, while it wasn't bad, curry is best left to our Indian and Thai brethren. Good fresh spring rolls.

Took a new staff photo at work today. Here it is. In other work news, the Stella brochure I've been working on is almost done. Very excited to see that printed. I'll post it here when it is.

10/21/02
Got that loveseat thing. Nice to have somewhere to plant my ass for some video-watching...new movie reviews coming soon.

Big news this week was my trip home to SW Michigan. I'll tell you, it's amazing how much can be sqeezed into a weekend visit home. I took the digital camera with me, and since I'm too lazy to make a seperate web feature about it, I'm just going to make nice text links to the various images. Sorry. Here goes:

Left Chicago via Amtrak 6pm friday. Arrived in Niles, MI 9pm local time. Visited w/ dad and Ronda for a bit, then drove to Kalamazoo. Met Isaac and went to The Space, but found no Brennan. Saw lifelong friend Angela at her graveyard-shift job ca. 3am. Visited for a while and called it a night.

Started sorting through boxes of "treasures" Sat. AM (needed to purge some stuff, dad is tired of storing it). Hard work for a pack rat like me. Found some good stuff. Put on shirt/tie and went to Thomas and Anne's wedding. Beautiful ceremony. Bobby was in it (w/ Aubrey here). Went to Lawton to visit w/ grandparents and family for a bit, then stopped in Paw Paw and exchanged words of wisdom w/ Joe German (he declined a photo this time, but here's an old one). Always a learning experience, Joe is a good man. Went to wedding reception in Kalamazoo, hosted by MC Jammin' Jerry. Did some visiting with the Coles family and Bobby. Bobby/Aubrey. Bobby dancing w/ Allison. Left reception and drove back to Paw Paw, met Isaac and Paul at Big Boy and then went to Paul's to watch movies. Sat through Equalizer 2000 and part of another one about Ninja Kids vs. Devil somethings. Both incredibly bad, but not in a great way. Called it a night.

Woke up for a trip to the flea market; easily the best thing about my town. Made a special point to photograph The Record Guy, who screams at Isaac and tells me "you don't want those, those are Colored records...Country-n-Western's over here." Quite a mean old motherfucker, and I expect him to be dead every time I go back. But I have purchased dozens of good records from him (C+W of course). Here's an accordian man, a typical vendor, a shot of Isaac w/ Elvira, another random shot, and a nice sign on one of the doors. I would've had more but my camera batteries died. Next trip: the martial arts vendor, sketchy camouflaged rednecks selling guns, the concession area, etc. It's unfortunate that smells can't be transmitted through the web, because Busy Bea has one that there's no mistaking...

10/14/02
Spent the weekend looking for a suitable (small, comfy, inexpensive, non-infested) couch; think I may have found one. Nothing to compare to Leathermaster Draplin (sittin' on skins ain't for me), but probably practical enough (has a hide-a-bed deal for visitors). 100 bones and it's mine.

Did some tidying up around the house and also acquired a free 1960's Vespa frame (bent and therefore unserviceable, but still looks pretty good) which I'm turning into a piece of furniture. Pictures to follow later as it takes shape.

Excited that I found an asian market within walking distance of my apartment that carries a bunch of vegan meat analogs (Veg Lobster, Veg Ham, Veg Ribs, Veg Chicken, Veg Fish, Mock Pork, Mock Duck, etc). Speaking of apartments, here's a shot of the front of my building (my apartment is way in back, not visible here...I'm right over the alley and dumpsters. But you can see my scooter in this shot.)

Took an evening and finally recorded Aunt Lottie answering a long list of questions about her life. "Questions You Should Ask Your Grandparents" thing. Time very well spent, she's such a character. I hope to do this with all of my grandparents; I'm very very lucky to have most of them still. If not NOW, when?
If not YOU (me), who? One of my favorite quotes.

It's getting goddamned cold here. I'm not ready yet.

10/8/02
Went to Milwaukee this weekend. See many pictures here.

Saw Mark Denardo at Danny's last night, and he rocked his ass off. Really great stuff. Thanks to H3RO for the invite.

10/3/02
Being the bitter sonofabitch that I am, I spew a lot of negativity in these table cells...but yesterday I had kind of a revelation and realized how nicely things are falling into place in my life. I live in a great city, I have an awesome job working with really good people, a wonderful family who loves me, two "special" cats, some fantastic friends here there and everywhere, some decent porn for "love," (don't e-mail me inquiring about this; I'm not asking you about yours) and really no reason to complain. So here's my goddamned "Thanksgiving," a little early this year.

Footnote: above appreciation of life's gifts came to me over a huge "Seitanic Caesar Salad" at the Chicago (veggie) Diner, where I had just met with Mickey the owner to discuss doing some freelance design for them. "Will work for food" sorta deal. They've got a good thing going and I'm excited at the prospect of doing some new stuff for them. That salad was one of the best fucking meals I've ever eaten and I can't reccommend it highly enough. Seitan/Mock Duck/Wheat Meat, whatever you call it, it's GODDAMN good.

Put on my mullet hairpiece and rode down to Hogs and Honeys again for some more bull-taming action. I thought the mullet would give me confidence, but all it got me was some cross looks from "real bikers" with real mullets. Racked-up the "jewels" pretty good and ripped my goddamned denims getting tossed from that motherfucker last night.

9/27/02
Let's see... scooted many many miles out to Butera Family Get-Together-and-Gnarled-Old-Biker-Gathering on Saturday, had a great reunion with long-lost cousins and met a bunch of their previously-unintroduced progeny, stayed the night with Angela and José and their two cute kittens; got to hang out with Vanessa and Co. on Sunday for "The Dinner" (on Sundays apparently you don't have a choice, it's "The Dinner" or "hit the fuckin' road") at Soul Veg (excellentante) and some other meandering; went to the California Clipper on Monday for bingo with other scooterists, very nice place with great decor and atmosphere; kicked that freaking bull's ASS at Hogs-n-Honeys (see aside Featured Image) for a good 25-second ride (am now seriously bruised about the legs, but that's the price you pay in this line of work), went to Earwax Cafe yesterday for vegan baked goods and some reading, and that brings us to this weekend. We'll see what happens, I've got a few potential directions to go. Starting to finally get out there and do stuff now that I'm getting settled in the apartment.

Brad Berling did an overhaul to his website, and he cites Draplin and I as inspiration, so here's to Brad.

Here's a link to an article about my neighborhood and a site featuring found objects, very cool. Thanks Matt Partridge.

9/19/02
My ass would love to be at home in bed sleeping right now, but I know that I owe y'all mofos a goddamned update. Short/sweet: I'm pretty well moved-in now, thanks to the help of 2nd-cousin thrice-removed Joe. Still a lot of shit in boxes, but at least I've got silverware. I'm finding that in keeping w/ a longstanding tradition, my new apartment Dumpsterview has an energy-sucking force about its walls that drives me to sloth, I can tell this after only one week. I think I really need a roommate around to keep me in check in order to get anything done.

A busy-ass week at work; designed two full-page color ads for Scoot Quarterly...makes me nervous, and it was a rush, but I think (pray) they'll turn out okay. No color proofs...roll the dice. Making plans to go to Milwaukee (by Vespa) and South Dakota (by aeroplane) in the coming month. Maybe Michigan, too.

9/10/02
Sorry for the lapse betwixt updates, it's been a busy week. Where to begin... Friday I rented a car and drove to Iowa to pick up the cats and visit Keiko. That was a nice trip, but a boring drive, as most in the midwest are. Stopped in Paw Paw, IL, to see the town, and it was smaller than Paw Paw, MI. No good signs there, sorry. Nice to see Keiko and really glad to have Tatsu and Yu back raising ruckus under my roof.

Saturday I started moving into my new apartment, which I'm calling "DumpsterView." (more details on that later). Still have a shitload of moving to do; I have no furniture and am cursing myself for my vague, inaccurate labeling of boxes. On my one trip to the distant storage space, I managed to only grab boxes chock-full of the most useless and dispensable items.

Sunday I drove up to Madison, WI in my little red rental car to visit Ryno and Brad, and their beautiful twin girlfriends (no kidding!) Kaja and Zoe. A great goddamned reunion between old friends. The testosterone was raging as Ryan greeted me with a bout of wrestling and Brad repeatedly showed me his biceps, but it was outstanding to see those two fuckers anyway. Just like old times at MCAD, raising hell and talking shit. They'll all be coming to Chicago for New Year's, so I'm thanksful.

9/2/02
Had a busy weekend. Saturday I spent the whole day at the scooter rally, which started w/ a ride around the city, stopping in Chinatown and "Little Italy." From there it moved into Wicker Park(ingLot) for a BBQ and lots of standing around. Eventually it wound up at a cheezy venue called North Beach, which is a frat-buddies' dream sort of place w/ multiple bars and lots of indoor sports crap. They raffled off some stuff and I called it a night. Standing in the hot sun and breathing 2-stroke exhaust fumes all day takes its toll on a body. Great to see all of those beatiful bikes and meet some good people, thanks to everyone.

On Sunday, Paul and Isaac paid Chicago a visit. We met downtown, walked around there for a bit and then headed up to the Chicago Diner for some strength food, followed with some book-browsing around Clark/Belmont. As evening approached we headed back downtown to ascend the Hancock building (known locally as "Big John") to take in the view. We had to wait forever in a goddamned slow line, pay $9.50 for a 45-second elevator ride, and had a digital photo taken by some scam artists at the bottom, which we had the "opportunity" to buy for $10 at the top. I bested those horse thieves though by taking a film photo of the TV monitor that displayed our pic. :) It was hazy outside, so the view was good, but not spectacular. Took photos up top of various things and spent 90 mins. or more waiting for night to fall. Saw the lights after dark, and content, headed back down and on to Chinatown. Ate some dinner at a nondescript restaurant (General Tso's Tofu; not as good as Chen's Wok version but decent) and then back downtown to retrieve Isaac's car Road Boss (only $19 for parking!). They drove me up to Jefferson Park station via Milwaukee Ave and we parted ways. Very nice to see youse two, thanks for coming.

8/30/02
The first week at Genuine was cool. It's a fun place to work and I'm excited about the job and the top-notch people I'm there with. Still no apartment confirmed, but probably going to take a 1-bedroom in Uptown; should know by next Weds. My roommate search has been fruitless and pathetic, so I've given up.

I love aunt Lottie, but I'm anxious to move in someplace & get the hell out of Hard-Wood Heights, into a real neighborhood where I can go out and do things w/o the 40-min. travel ordeal of fighting a bunch of dangerous assholes in traffic. Been pretty melancholy lately outside of work; combination of loneliness, worry, and geographic isolation. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, it's just a matter of time. Yeah, we can make it.

8/24/02
Saturday night and I'm updating the website; speaks volumes about my social life. Didn't want to go out tonight since I'm worn-out from apartment hunting. Trying hard to find a place or roommate before Sept 1, but my efforts so far are fruitless.

In much better news, I have a job! Very excited to be working with Scooterworks / Genuine Scooter Co. Another fortunate combination of work and passion; thanks to Philip for the chance. Monday starts a new chapter in life, so wish me luck.

And also in the good-news category, I got to spend the day with Kurt and Vanessa yesterday. We did some art-seeing at the Cultural Center, some high-dollar shopping (strictly window for me) at Diesel, some incredible vegan BBQ, cornbread, and greens-eating at Soul Veg on the south side, and some coffee-and-vegan-baked-good indulging at Pick-Me-Up Cafe. A thoroughly fun day; many thanks K+V. Come back again soon.

8/17/02
Quarter-Centarian. The birthday was decent, but I don't get worked-up over them. Just another day and one step closer to the grave. Went to see a play (I don't ordinarily like Theater, but it looked good) and celebrated with truly delicious vegan french toast from Pick-Me-Up Cafe. The play was well-acted but the writing disappointed me, because it sounded promising.

8/14/02
No job yet, but working on it. If it goes another week or so with no promising leads, I'll take a temp gig like being a waiter or something, just to have "a job" and income, to facilitate moving into an apartment for the 1st of September.

Went to Gerhard Richter show at AIC today and it blew me away. I don't even know how to react...much of the work was unspeakably beautiful and it was all skillfully executed. The man is a master technically, and the work covers a stunning range of subject matter/execution/genre. Oil paints. Incredible.

Received an envelope full of goodies from Draplin this week. I don't know how he does it all, but he never fails to astound with his wit, his personality, his design and his output. I'm humbled and thankful to count him as a friend and a brother.

Scooter rally here this weekend, but it's a city rally, so it's all spread-out and not as cohesive as a camping rally. Going to check it out tomorrow, "see what it's all about."

Staying w/ my 83-year old aunt in the middle of nowhere, I'm not in a position to have a ladyfriend, so I shouldn't be thinking about it. But there are temptresses here whose (deliberate or otherwise) siren songs are sweet music, and it's hard not to. Christ Jesus. However, if past performance is indicative of future results, I should avoid love relationships altogether.

8/4/02
The short trip to MI was refreshing; it was great to see the friends and loved ones. Growing up, I loathed living in such a small town, but the older I get, the more I appreciate time spent at the old homestead. Little things, like the familiar action and sound of doorknobs, the chorus of crickets and cicadas filling the air at night, looking up at a big sky full of stars and breathing clean country air...there's something vital in that which made me feel very real, alive...connected to the place.
Time marches on, but it's inspirational for me to know that some things never change and that my family is there for me.

8/1/02
Really crankin' away at these updates now Boy. Watch out. The city-exploration continues, as does the portfolio-taming and filmgoing. Got new photos back today, mostly shots of Chicago signs...some really nice stuff that I'm eager to share as soon as I can scan them. Look for a writeup about this site in the new (Sept?) Yahoo Internet Life magazine, (or so I've been told).

I saw a crazy thing today on N. Broadway: A wild knuckle fight between two young black women in the middle of the street. At first I thought they were playing, but then one tore the other's shirt off; then both fists and boobs started flying w/ no mistake about intent. It went on for a minute or two; they got a bit bloodied-up, kicking and charging and rolling around on the dirty street as they were (TRIVIA: about 1/3 of the streets here are torn up for resurfacing, making a dirty, deadly, grooved and totally hellish surface for both scooter-riding and wild, no-holds-barred bouts of fury). It was 99 degrees hot outside.

7/27/02
Ahhh. Finally an update, after all these weeks. I know you've been waiting w/ bated breff. I made it to Chicago, alive. The kitties are vacationing w/ Aunt Keiko in Iowa City until I find an apartment. I'm delighted to be staying w/ Aunt Lottie, looking for jobs and getting to know the city. Unfortunately my internet situation is pathetic, forced to rely on either public libraries or free AOL for a connection. But I'm thrilled to be in this fantastic city, back in the goddamned beautiful Midwest and close to family. Hell, even the weather is nice. Bought an Epson color printer, to whip the portfolio into shape after 3 yrs of neglect.

Suddenly faced w/ the problem of too many options for things to do... last night I had to decide between live (free) Cajun/Zydeco music (and dancing!) and the premiere of a local filmmaker's digital film at the SAIC Film Center... I chose the film, since it was a one-time showing w/ director Q&A afterwards. Called Ghost Cities, it was a pretty good flick overall, and the extras made it worth seeing. So many films playing everywhere that I want to see... Between films and food, I'll be broke soon.

Going to Michigan this weekend for a brief but overdue visit to family and friends. Looking really forward to it. Only downside is, we have to drive thru god-damned Indiana to get there.

7/7/02
Had a party at my place last night. Here are some photos. Thanks to all who came, and thanks for not trashing the place.

6/26/02
This is an exciting time in my life, but I don't have much juicy news to share with my constichency. Not really doing enough in preparation for my move next month, tho' the clock is ticking away. Going to be buying a new (used) computer soon, a G3 laptop. I'm getting a good deal on it; excited to be back in action and ready for the world of coffeeshop pomposity.

For as much joy as I reap from this site, a prominent link is long overdue: Sharpeworld.com, America's No. 1 Website.

Saw George Jones in concert, thanks to Matt. Another fine performance by George, and great crowd-watching to boot. Also saw Danzig at the Boathouse. Not a huge Danzig fan, but thought it'd be worth it to see Glenn, and it was. Good show, rough crowd. Maybe more rednecks at Danzig than at George.

6/5/02
The Florida trip was good. That area, and the people there left an impression on me... the adjective that comes to mind is "raw." The landscape was torn out of massive swatches of dense forest, exposed earth laid bare like a scrape. Many people were burned red and had an air of danger about them, as if ready to snap. Lots of juvenile hoodlums grown up too fast, and scores of teenage mothers being led around by tattooed older guys who looked like they'd just served time for rape and/or manslaughter. Then there were all of the old people, who started to blend together after awhile. Maybe they just needed rain. Regardless, it was a new place.

5/23/02
Finally got my NYC photos back from Clark Color lab. I don't really recommend Clark, but I'm kind of stuck with their mediocre service since nobody processes/prints 126 film. They're really sketchy about the order, no invoice, everything just thrown-into an envelope...

So, here are some shots from this latest roll. (NYC photos)

5/15/02
Big news: I have decided it's time (in July) to leave my position at PETA. No, there's no trouble w/ job, co-workers or PETA's methods—I simply can't live in Norfolk any longer. I've been in this strip-malled, characterless town for almost 3 years, and that's just about enough for me. I will miss the good friends I've made here and the good work that everyone does. I'm moving to Chicago to start a new life of less computer, more screenprinting, a different kind of activism, and big-city adventures. It's a scary but exciting time. Wish us luck.

That means that my position is open, if anyone wants to move down here and do some high-quality web design work to benefit animals and social progress. Job description here.

5/8/02
My long weekend in NYC was amazing in every respect. Great food, visiting w/ long-lost friends, Kiyo dancing, Coney Island w/ Hudson. Even the bus ride wasn't too bad. Thanks to everyone I was lucky enough to see.

Here are some random links that you should visit:
Will Chris Holley and Crazy MIDI Man; two fine examples of what one person can do on the web. Warning: these sites go DEEP.
Curious Lucre at Lileks.com; some very striking money designs
Great Mobile Homes of Mississippi; name speaks for itself
Store-brand Dr. Pepper packages; Dr. Radical, Dr. Gulpster, etc.

4/30/02
Virginee taxes due tomorrow, gotta do that shit tonight. Going to NYC for Kiyo and Ulli's wedding on Friday, staying with Gracious King Hudson. Be there until Sunday. Can't wait. Tatsu is feeling almost totally Better, but still looks like Hell.

4/22/02
Okay friends, here's the Deal:
Tatsu had 3 weeks of Sickness, 6 trips to the vet, a Score of inconclusive tests, and finally "Exploratory Surgery" with the final price tag around $1,500. Good News: he's Alive and Well. Bad News: The coffers are Empty. I myself have been Sick for the last Week. Couldn't go to the Scooter Rally because Tatsu needed Care. Home computer still Fucked w/ no Hope in Sight, so the updates will be Scarce for a while until I'm back on my Feet financially and can buy a new Machine. Thinking of taking a second Job for the time being...

4/10/02
Jean's Homepage is coming along nicely. My computer at Home is Fucked, hence the Lack of Updates to this site. Desperately need a new One, soon. Old one is Slow as Molasses. Here's a picture of Ryno and his new Rig.

3/31/02
Kurt has a new front page. I think I broke my goddamned big Toe whilst kicking a chair because I was Angry about hitting my Head on something. Stupid ass, that'll Teach me. Back in the Saddle with Bridgett.

3/27/02
Too much Crap piling up, I'druther Escape. Loathe the Computer more with Each Passing Day. Wrists sore, harder to Focus. Sloth. Come on Spring... Tatsu is ill, Throwing Up a lot. Trips to the Vet. Pills. Resistance.
I Myself just threw up some Quotes, finally.

3/4/02
Bridgett and I rec'd matching Shirts from Kurt today, Photos forthcoming. You and your Significant Other could represent either the Pirates or the Fireflies; just click Here to check out the Goods Kurt has for Sale.

New photos in 5 Signs sections.

3/7/02
Still working on Kurt's site. Very excited about my new Instamatic X-15 camera, which Matt picked up for me for 45¢. It came with a roll of exposed film in it, which I had developed...suffice it to say, web feature coming very soon. Also sent off for film and flashes for this obsolete gem, so's I can start making old-timey photos.

2/13/02
The new, improved FurIsDead.com website went live today, after almost a year in limbo. Thank god it finally happened...too bad the fur season's almost over. :(

2/5/02
Finally got a working version (still in progress) of Kurt's site up. Other than that, it's just been lots of time w/ Bridgett, a fair amount of movie-watching, some scooter-riding, and a bit of arm-wrestling for good measure. Soon this site will undergo some much-needed updates (portfolio, quotes, etc.). Thanks for hanging in there. Safeway campaign launched today.

While staying at the White Pig, we enjoyed some fine strolling in the refreshingly active pedestrian mall and used-book stores in C'ville, and did some window-shopping in Carytown (and of course the vegan buffet at Panda Garden) in Richmond on our way home.

Roadside stuff: A few new sign photos forthcoming from this trip. Took mostly by-ways rather than Interstate, which is always refreshing and good for signs. Try to check out Columbia, VA, before it's too late. I wish I'd taken some photos...but it's a relic for sure. A cross between a ghost railroad town and something off the set of Gummo, with tons of great buildings on the main drag. Take Route 6 west from Richmond to find it.

1/28/02 (after-the-fact entry)
Went on a nice scooter ride down Dismal Swamp way. Purchased a great, very detailed map of this area, (I should've done so immediately after moving here) which makes riding much more of an adventure, as it shows all kinds of tiny roads that aren't on the regular map.

1/16/02
Infrequent updates... Jesus Christ. I apologize to you five or so people who visit the site regularly, I know I've really let you down. Well, I've been sending my cards out, and while it's a slow process, I'm making some headway. I'm also working on a font and website for Kurt, and that will debut around the beginning of Feb. My trip to NYC was awesome, it was so nice to see Kiyo and Hudson.

To read some really old and basic web updates from 2001, click here.