currently reading

Whores for Gloria - William T. Vollmann

...and then they got to Gloria's grandmother's house and in the guestroom Gloria said what do you see? and Jimmy said I see a bed and a lamp and a dresser and Gloria said now turn out the lamp and we'll sit here and pretend we're watching movies all by ourselves now what movie are you watching? and Jimmy closed his eyes and saw a man trying to strangle Dinah and Dinah sobbing and struggling and pulling her knife out and stabbing the man deep in the chest so that his blood sprayed into her eyes and he came at her clutching at her to kill her laughing and bleeding and saying I am the Green River Killer and Dinah stabbed him again and again and he pushed her through the window and Gloria said why aren't you saying anything Jimmy why do you look so strange what movie do you see? and Jimmy said I see a movie about someone who likes people to walk on his face but that's because he's made out of grass and he likes it when the rain falls on his face so he can grow taller and greener, and Gloria said that's a good movie and Jimmy said what do you see? and Gloria said I don't know it's all stories and oh look here's grandmother's kaleidoscope now see how the pretty things keep getting changed into something else.

my speed metal office mate 2

Ron (I've mentioned him before) sits next to me. He just got up, looked at the radio playing the same classic rock tunes we hear everyday, and changed the dial to 90.3 KRNU. "I'm so sick of hearing the same things." Ron is 55 years old and sits next to me. We're listening to Fleet Foxes right now and I can see Ron's foot tapping.

i can't

tell you how often people ask me about my desktop at work.



I'll often tell people the truth: "Two of my favorite poets." to which, occasionally, people will ask if they were gay. "Yes!" I say smiling. The ambiguity of whether or not they were in a relationship (they were not) is left. It sort of just hangs in the air.

a new case?

I was almost out the front of the door when a middle aged cashier picked up her intercom phone and casually said, "Code 44 to the front of the store." Code 44? I thought. I looked up and noticed a 14 to 15 year old, young, female employee grabbing a 13 to 14 year old, young man by his shirt and throwing him vigorously. Left, right, right a little more, this girl was really planted in, her stance was properly shoulder width apart; the kid she had in her control wasn't going anywhere. He was cornered in the entry way of Super Saver. The cashier continued to her passive pleas, "Code 44 to the front of the store." Slowly, an older male Super Saver employee jogged from the back of the store, reluctant to involve himself in the situation at hand. It was at that point, the cashier must have noticed the ridiculous amount of determination shown by the young, female employee desperately trying to hold on to this apparent shoplifter. She began raising her voice, "Code 44! Code 44 to the front of the store! CODE 44! CODE 44!" Out of nowhere, approximately seven large, male employees were sprinting past me toward the exhausted girl going above and beyond any possible expectations set forth for her by her employer. A scuffle ensued and the mob of Super Saver employees grabbing and holding the young man were out of my direct line of sight for an instant. I was standing directly in front of the exit. I turned to Carrie and said, "Code 44 must be code for 'All male employees to the front of the store.'" The mess of employees dragged the young man, along with a bottle of Southern Comfort (red label mind you--little punk) back into the store where I'm sure they were going to call the police. Kid wanted to have some fun, I guess. That young, female employee needs a raise. Or some time off.