The Suburban Sisyphus

The calendar tells me that it's November but as i stood outside today i couldn't have told you what month it was, all i knew was that it was warm and windy and that normally at this time of year i'd be wearing a coat but instead there i stood in short sleeves, rake in hand, Nick Disaster riding his little bicycle around the cul-de-sac, big smile glued to his beautiful, little face, he was happy for another Monday with his old man and since it was to gorgeous to stay indoors we went out and tried to find something constructive to do cuz if you ever been on the dole and living under the same roof as the fairer sex you better at least make it look like you've done something other than sit on the back porch and drink beer all morning...

And here in this place i so lovingly call Pennsyltucky we have alot of fucking trees, in fact i think when old Bill Penn named the place he took that into account and loosely translated it means, Bill's huge tract of land with tons of fucking trees and so i stood and tried to keep up with the Joneses, see out here in the land of the lily white it's like some medal of honour to keep the yard all neat and tidy and what not and though i try i don't go all apeshit about it and to be truthful most of the neighbors have lawn and landscaping services or leaf blowers and hi-tech machinery, El Kono? i have a fucking rake and a broom and a good set of shoulders and the strong hands of a working man and the soft hands of a writer-type, and of course i tend to gaze about the hood and wonder what all these lily white types are up to, wonder when one of these lonely housewives is going to stroll over and ask to borrow a cup of sugar but then again maybe i've watched a bit to many porno movies in my life, i'm guessing the neighbors don't want to come out when i'm roaming the yard, rake in hand and attempting to do the impossible...

And what is the impossible you ask? well that would be raking all the leaves up on a windy day, i've never claimed to be a smart one but even i understood that this was an impossible task, seemed every time i got all the shit raked up and ready to bag or pile in the street for the big leaf sucking truck that roams these parts the wind would blow and i'd shrug and start all over again but in the end it was good fun for Nick D. and i and we spent the better part of the day raking and bagging and then we moved to the backyard where i startled three deer and the boyo and i built huge piles of leaves and jumped and ran and laughed... and then i poured my first black pint of the day and made Nick D. some lunch and then poured the second black pint and opened up the back door and turned on some records and somewhere in between i somehow washed these huge windows in the front of my gaff, the windows that birds keep bouncing off of and then the clouds moved in and Nick and i retired to the rumpus room to watch cartoons and read and nap, a fine morning and afternoon indeed...

On Thursday i will have spent one month on the dole and i can honestly say i've got no problem hanging around and cleaning and cooking and running the boyos all over town, i know it won't last but i'm enjoying it, of course i'd be lying if i said it was all stress free cuz it ain't and let's just say shit ain't all copacetic on certain fronts but that particular front has been a bit fucked for ages now and at some point you just learn not to worry about it, shit's gonna play itself out now matter which was you slice the bread so in the word's of Bill Shakespeare or somebody else, so be it...

Of course this ain't the most exciting post i've ever written and one of these days the Wilderness Years is going to make a roaring comeback but for now it's hold steady you know?  About the most exciting thing that happened lately was that after much procrastinating i finally set up my turntable and boy do i fucking love it, god knows it took me long enough but after spending the weekend listening to the sweet, sweet sound of analog music, with all the pops and hisses and crackles and yet the music sounds better, crisper, clearer than ever, digging through all the records i bought way back when, some still unopened, putting the virgin vinyl on the platter and watching the needle drop, oh yes kids i'm a fucking nerd when it comes to my tunes, looking at all my cds i was lost thinking how i should sell or trade them all to get the music on vinyl, of course most of the stuff i really love i already own on Lp but there is the stray record or two out there i'd like to snag and maybe tomorrow or the next day i'll mosey on down to the record store and see what i can find, maybe sell a few things back and come home with a new record or two, a play list you ask? certainly, played the first 10 Smiths 7"s in order of  release cuz i was daydreaming my way through my teenage years, a couple of White Stripe 7"s as well.... as for lps- My Morning Jacket- It Still Moves, Spoon- Girls Can Tell and Kill the Moonlight, Jane's Addiction- Nothing Shocking, The White Stripes- De Stijl and White Blood Cells, Wilco- Summerteeth, Son Volt- Wide Swing Tremolo, Dead Kennedy's- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, The Dead Milkmen- Big Lizard in My Backyard, Black Flag- Loose Nut and i'm sure there's a few i'm forgetting but i'm thinking tomorrow after i drop the I-mac off at school Nick D. are gonna come home and do some art project and listen to Hendrix's Electric Ladyland... cheers.