broadcasting now from chicago, at what is the halfway point in our 26 day trip. the day to day is increasingly more awesome than i ever expected it to be. from giant bugs marching around millenium park in chicago to massive electrical storms at four in the morning in south dakota, america maintains its breathtaking reputation.

have some more haikus!

—-

11. super kind lady
mountain market and deli
gross ass sausages

12. sweaty boys breathe deep
work-out regimen gone wrong
push-ups in the night

13. discs sail through the air
at Whispering Pines campground
still no hole in one

14. MRE - meal pouch
all the nutrients you need
don’t enjoy. CONSUME.

15. they call you a tease
you’re the butt of naughty jokes
… Old Faithful’s coming.

16. Wyoming, you say?
enormous rock formations!
more like, WHOA-yo-ming.

17. our world cup scramble
three bars closed, fourth’s the charm
hooray, pub ‘n grub!

18. night with modest mouse 
in sioux falls south dakota
isaac brock, hero

19. double exposures
plus gender roles when hunting
fun at mt. rushmore

20. as the sun goes down
roll it, twist it, start it up
major lazer tag.

—

working working working. living living living. 

see you all soon.

Here be the first ten haikus from Great America, my summer 2010 road trip. They are intended to encapsulate the first one thousand miles, or one hundred miles per haiku, roughly. In the interest of full disclosure, I have broken 2,000 miles, but haven’t finished the last few haikus of the second group, so here are the first ten.

—

1. let’s talk about girls
crushes, dances, romances
the first one hundred.

2. IN - fries and burgers
fries - N - familiar fast food
before we head - OUT

3. URUGUAY - THE DUTCH
the final score was 3-2
goal! goal! goal! goal! goal!

4. weather decorates
cloudy calico mountains
we want summer rain!

5. last call for showgirls!
stock up on liquor and beer
see ya, nevada

6. shadows streak the sky
salty lips taste salty lakes
land speed record: set.

7. descent to provo
refreshing sobriety
mormons and ‘twilight’

8. hey, sister denny
your looks make me read that book
how about marriage?

9. banana cream pie
and ice cream in blender - WHIRRRR
delicious milk shakes

10. how to pass the time
alex farts while kevin snores
just us and the road.

—-

i hope you enjoyed! i am currently broadcasting from sioux falls, south dakota at the end of day seven. i’ve seen modest mouse twice, traveled over 2,000 miles, and had some of the best times. i have the rest of july, still, and am unbelievably excited.

here i sit, mere hours away from a 5,000-mile, 22-state, international road trip. i’m in the process of burning CDs for the trip and organizing some clothes and wondering which shoes to bring.

i have several pairs to choose from! there’s a yellow pair and a blue pair and a brown leather pair and a running pair.

anyway, this road trip comes at a nice time for introspection. a time for Innerward Thinking and Future Planning and Bulletpoints for a Successful Tomorrow.

creatively, i will write a sonnet for each state, a haiku for every hundred miles, and take a lot of pictures (working title of the album: Us Silly Americans). gastrointestinally, i will indulge in the most delicious sounding food from each locale, unless there is something that’s spicy, in which case, the spice takes precedence. athletically, kevin and i are playing a national basketball tournament, with stops at courts across the united states and canada.

i hope all of your julys are wonderful and sprawling and splendid!

here i come, america!

Party Hat

  • Abraham: Where are you going?
  • David: Just a little get together.
  • Abraham: Is it a party?
  • David: It's not a party.
  • Abraham: Do you want to take your yarmulke? Just in case?
  • David: In case of what?
  • Abraham: In case it turns into a party. Here, take my yarmulke.
  • David: Dad. Why would I bring your yarmulke? Or my yarmulke? Or any yarmulke, for that matter?
  • Abraham: You'll want a party hat in case it turns into a party, David. I'm only looking out for your best interests.
  • David: Why do I need a hat at a party?
  • Abraham: A party hat.
  • David: ... Why do I need a party hat at this party?
  • Abraham: Have you considered the alternative?
  • David: The alternative to wearing my hat to a party? You mean, not wearing a party hat?
  • Abraham: Exactly. With the exception of your brother, I've made very few mistakes in my life, and they've all been related to hats.
  • David: Wait. Robbie? You made a mistake with Robbie?
  • Abraham: Huh. You know, I guess that was hat-related, too. Well, look at that! Every single mistake in my life, every single embarrassment... it's all tied to hats.
  • David: What the hell are you talking about, dad?
  • Abraham: I'm talking about Linda Marlene's Cowboys 'n Indians birthday! Jenny Garland's weekly Conehead night! Gerald McGovern's Inaugural Address Soiree! Alexander Coffer's Sombrero y Salsa Celebration! Each one a terrific party, each more hat-centric than the last. And each time, I got caught with my pants down.
  • David: Are we talking about Robbie again?
  • Abraham: ...
  • David: Can I go now?
  • Abraham: Is that your dress yarmulke, or the -
  • David: It's the Spiderman one.
  • Abraham: Go on, get outta here. Have fun.

i am going to write things on whims this month, daily.

so far, i wrote some ‘lyrics.’

it’s complicated to think about it

so you might as well forget about it

smile and have some drinks about it

lay out and get sunburnt about it

for the trip, i will be doing ‘hundred mile haikus’ as well as casual observations and photo-takings. hopefully i can work on the tv/film stuff, but i don’t want to distract from what should be an Eye Opening and Mind Enriching Experience.

it’s been two weeks! i moved, i went to some concerts and some parties, and i went swimming in the lake. these are very summery things! i also grabbed my two film cameras from my apartment and will have them at my side to document what will be a decidely analog road trip for the month of july, from sacramento to new york, with stops in utah, minnesota, the dakotas, chicago and canada. hopefully i’ll find some one-hour photos along the way so i don’t have to wait a month to share everything.

but, i do have a few more days at home before setting. i’ve ben getting into a familiar pattern of reading books, writing jokes, working on a television script, and thinking about songs (a note on the latter: i have access now to a piano, so i’m tossing together a song at some point this week).


cheers, everyone!

hodgsona: List of things to do. My oh my some people are good at photography.

hodgsona:

List of things to do.

My oh my some people are good at photography.

via hodgsona

i am all moved in to santa monica and i already moved out. kinda. i’m actually back in loomis for a few days, hoping to catch up on reading (finished curious incident of the dog in the nighttime!), writing (two projects, finally), running (a lot) and being (human).

—

sports revelry. watched the lakers win their second championship in a row on thursday night at sepi’s. pitchers of beer, tasty sandwiches, and an excitable crowd. joanne, as a non-sports fan, even got sucked into the fist-pumping and beer-drinking and high-fivin’, and left with as big a smile on her face as anyone. it was a great series, and i’m excited for the kings to get back in it (“it” being not 2nd-worst) next year.



this was followed by a few hours of sleep before returning to barney’s in westwood to watch the usa v. slovenia world cup game. breakfast burrito, beer and coffee with george, charles and emerson. first time i’ve ever done a ‘usa usa usa!” chant, but there’s nothing like the passion for a nation. when that third goal was taken from us, the devastation was palpable; joyous hugs turned to disbelieving stares. truly, these people care. it shows in lining up for the bar before 7am, in standing for their team when there are no seats, and sticking through the pains of terrible calls to see america to its next game. see you all wednesday morning!

—

home is trail running, lake swimming, movie-watching. home is starting on a ‘community’ spec script. home is a refreshing break that allows me the perspective to be way enthused about most everything going on right now.

—
currently listening: crystal castles’ crystal castles

currently reading: infinite jest (book)

"If you do creative work, there’s a sense that inspiration is this fairy dust that gets dropped on you, when in fact you can just manufacture inspiration through sheer brute force. You can simply produce enough material that the thing will arrive that seems inspired."
Ira Glass.

this morning i woke up, put on my running shoes and hoofed it to santa monica beach. i ran past black babies in strollers, latino kids with matching hats and single-speed bikes, and awkward white girls on cruisers.

then i made myself peach tea, ate some cheez-its (breakfast burrito is on deck) and am making plans to bike to westwood to watch the game. don’t worry, kings nation, i still love you! it’s just the celtics are such cocky bastards, i can’t help but root for the lakers.

in between peach tea and sports revelry i’ll read some book, and write some pages of something. maybe tv? maybe feature? maybe sonnets for a simpler time?

i hope everyone’s having as peaceful a day as this one!


currently listening: two door cinema club’s tourist history

currently reading: the curious incident of the dog in the night-time (book)