I've decided that I like Ayn Rand for the same reason I like Kurt Vonnegut. They both make me want to write.

I haven't posted in the last few days, I know, but not much has been going on. I began reading Herman Hesse's Sidhartha the other day, it's pretty good. Also, I've decided to sell my electric guitar for a reverberator, I don't use an electric at the dorm so there's no point in me having it Oh and I got my 18-135mm lens back from Sam, finally. I was supposed to go out to East Aroura today to see Alicia, but I think I'll wait for tomorrow for that.

(the title was a Beatles reference for anyone who didn't catch it.)

Christmas was good... It was christmas, normal stuff, I wont go into it except to say that my sister bought me a complete anthology of Allen Ginsberg's poetry, I was psyched.

I was talking to Gina tonight and she said to turn on channel 7, because some girl from West Seneca had died this morning, was shot to death. It turns out she was a girl I dated a few years ago, right before Mary Jo. I wont mention her name because I don't feel like having this entry tagged for it, but if you want to know look it up on google. Im not too upset for myself, of course, I haven't spoken with her in nearly 2 years and even then we weren't close, but I feel bad for her family and those who were friends with her, she was only 18... and on christmas morning...

Anyways, this entry was kind of pointless but I cant sleep and don't have anything to do.

This break has been been pretty boring thus far. Not that Im complaining, its giving me time to get some reading done, but since Chris moved to South Carolina and Sam and I broke up, Im finding most of my friends are in Oneonta, not Buffalo. In any event, Im sitting in Spot working through a novel and checking my Email... for some reason my grades haven't been posted online yet (they were supposed to be this morning.) Oh well, another uneventful night.

I'm back in Buffalo! and went to Spot tonight to do some writing. When I got a few pages written, I picked up a novel (originally Italian) which I've been meaning to read, its called If on a winter's night, a traveller. It's sort of strange but good, it's written in the second person (the protagonist is the person reading the book, and is referred to as "you".)

On the way back, I was listening to the Edge, and they commented that Deftones' bassist was moved into long term care... apparently he has been in a coma since November, I didn't know, it's sad. All the same, they played a few of their songs as sort of a tribute, which was nice.

I also got some of my xmas shopping done today, good stuff.

My back has been killing my lately, my mother says I'm too young to see a chiropractor.

I bought a macbook a few weeks ago, its really working out great... much better than my old PC laptop. Finals are this upcoming week... I'm not excited. I finished the first draft of my professional portfolio for my Education Major today, so I feel accomplished. Only 5 more days till I come home, and I can spend a whole month just working on my novel and finishing reading Visions of Cody. I've been stealing tea packets from the dining hall lately, they stock this really great stuff from Tazo called "Zen." I've been running on it all week.

Im a bit upset at a grade I got on a recent paper on Kerouac... bastard professor gave me an 85... class average was a 70, though, so I suppose it's OK. Im seriously considering transferring to Columbia next fall. The only problem, besides the obvious snag of if I would get in or not, is that its fucking expensive. An education is priceless though... or at least thats what I have to keep on telling myself.

As I go on with the semester I've found that I am no longer a messy person. My suitemates have been pointing out my organization all semester... my side of my bedroom and the little corner I usually sit in, in the living room are the only two organized places in the entire damned place.

For that matter, I've been thinking of getting plants for my room... if anyone would like to give me a christmas present, a little plant or a pot or some seeds or a suggestion on what plants to get would be helpful. (I don't have a ton of space).

I've been getting a ton of writing done lately. I can attribute that to:

1- No longer dating Sam, who took up most of my writing time and sucked my creativity

2- My "assistant," Lauren, who reviews all of my work and "babysits" me on long adventurous walks around the campus, the village, and through the country. This leaves me free to, instead of writing, narrate a chapter or two at a time of my novel to her. She takes notes of them, and recounts to me later so I can write them down. (I haven't told her yet, but I am dedicating my novel to her... whether it gets published or not, probably the later)

3- My suitemates, whose mannerisms, routines, and habits, all work to expand my creativity

4- Alicia, although she is in Buffalo, because her deep appreciation for Beat poetry, Joe Strummer, and cheep cigars has resulted in long, extravagant conversations which I don't have the time or space to get into here.

5- The second disk of the White Album, and my all time favorite record, Joe Strummer's "Rock and Roll X-Ray Style" which I listen to religiously.



In any event, Im looking forward to being back in Buffalo. Exams start Tuesday, hooray!

PS. I read a great short story by Jack Kerouac the other day, it's called "God." It is the basis for his play "There's Something About A Cigar," and I enjoyed it immensely.

I come back to Buffalo on Friday. I'm not looking forward to the eight and a half hour bus ride. This week has been a bitch and its barely started.

I need a car, or a job, or preferably both.

I've been listening to The Vines a lot lately, I like them a lot.

I called my mom a few days ago to ask her to mail me some books from home that I was going to need for a paper I'm writing in Lit. Today she called me back and told me she couldnt find a bunch of the titles I asked for. I told her to look again because I know I had all of them. She responded, "Well I threw a bunch of your books out awhile ago because they were all yucky."

Among the "yucky" books she threw out were my first edition of 2001 space oddyssey, my first edition of Sybil, my First edition of Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, my 1902 anthology of French Literature, my 19th century memoranda of poisons, some of my second edition steinbecks, my first edition of Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book, a few late 19th and early 20th centruy childrens books with color monographs, my circa 1880s Biographys of great Civil War Generals with color monographs, and several first edition books of early 20th century poetry. All of which I painstakingly collected while working at Amvets.

I'm really pissed.

I just found out that Bob Dylan is coming to play a show on campus.  BOB MOTHERFUCKING DYLAN!  I'm so insanly psyched for it.  I dont care how much tickets cost, I need to see him.  It's not until November 17th so tickets arent on sale yet.EDITI came across this great musician today on Pandora, a pianist named Tommy Flanagan; he does really laid back smooth swing piano, ussially with a double bass, high hat, and snare.

I have gotten come to this point, where I find that I can read no matter what mood or situation I am in I can read something.  This is for no reason except that instead of going at one book at a time I'm going a a set of books, about 15 of them at once; and I have, quite on accident, picked very different texts which, I have found, can match however I happen to feel.