its been so long since I've seen the ocean

today I went to Brighton Beach to see the Atlantic. Its a pretty long train ride on the B, but once you get out of Manhattan the train is mostly aboveground so you get to see some of Brooklyn which is nice. I bet Brighton Beach is so cool in the summertime, I have to go back sometime. Today it was cold and windy and the only visitors to the beach were pigeons, seagulls, and two joggers. You're not allowed to swim there right now, gee I wonder why. There was one guy who was swimming, but he didn't swim for very long. He probably would have died if he had.

Here are some songs

Dr. Dog - Die Die Die

My Morning Jacket - I Won't Cry

Red House Painters - Follow You, Follow Me (Genesis Cover)

Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better

its in the mail.

Today I shaved my beard, no one has seen my face since October 2009. People are freaking out here... its weird. I even heard that I look like a soccer player. What the hell does that mean. Oh well. Had a good weekend, saw a couple movies, hung out. Ran into a guy on the street who wanted to go to best buy with me, that was really weird. I didn't go, obviously. He kept asking me over and over again where they sell music, and I was like, I don't know. Then he pointed at best buy and I was like, yeah, they sell music at best buy. And then he was like, hey man let me stop at an atm and we can go together! I told him I had to go home. He was bummed out, but I'm sure he'll be okay.

Watched a show on History Channel about the science of star wars. In conclusion, a lot of stuff in star wars isn't science. Imagine my disappointment.

Canyon Coming Down

I think I wrote four or five poems yesterday at the MoMa. Tim Burton's stuff is pretty unbelievable. I haven't seen very many of his films... I think the only ones are 9, Beetlejuice, and James and the Giant Peach. Also, did you know that he was on the animating staff of the movie The Fox and the Hound? I don't think he really left his mark on that one. Anyway it was something that was really enjoyable to see. Sometimes I wonder if Tim Burton did the artwork for some of The Cure's albums. I don't think he did, but he should look into it. He did a music video for The Killers... (awful band). Also there was some robot thing that had an open head, and then its head shut rather violently (scared the crap out of Taylor). That was something I had not seen at a museum previously... it gave it an element of... are we in a museum or a haunted house. Or... a haunted museum. Also, I saw the severed head of Pierce Brosnan.

listen to this song.

and then, if that song makes you sad, listen to this one

and if you don't like that one, go to this one

last night went to Opium Magazine's Literary Death Match. It was really fun. I will be thinking about footlicking for a long time. I definitely want to go to more events at the club.

green beans for breakfast

Let me tell you about "The Girl Detective." Its my favorite short story, and some people should read it. I'm not sure why, but it moves me. Also the story "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose." That one also moves me. Both of these stories are by Kelly Link, and are found in the collection of short stories called Stranger Things Happen. I think I am going to read them before I go to bed.

why would he recommend this music, its bad

Here, listen.

The Legendary Pink Dots

Current 93

Nurse With Wound

Death in June

Mind the Gap

Let me talk to you about SoHo Playhouse for a second. Saw the Emperor Jones and it was tremendous and terrifying... see it. Eugene O'Neill was really something. I'm probably going to have to see it again. Anyway, I overheard a bit of dialogue today while standing on Houston and Lafayette:

Construction Worker: "Nelson, if you don't go stand over there where I told you, I'm gonna fucking smack you."

Also, today Taylor, Christine and I made a survival plan just in case one of us accidentally falls onto the Subway Tracks. Here it is:

Climb Out

Don't touch the big electric thing (instant death)

If a train is coming and there's no time to climb out, lay down.

Or hide in the cubby thing, or possibly underneath the platform... with the rats.

Lady with Face Tattoos: Rats are people too!

Me: I agree.

I can't believe its not Fabio

This morning went to Europan, every time I go there I just look at the cake: and want it. Also this morning, saw Daybreakers. Or Daystalkers, or Daysiders, or something. Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe were in it, as well as that dude who played Merlin like 15 years ago in that TV movie. I don't remember his name. Anyway, I think that the whole vampire genre is so overdone that even if you approach it, as a writer, like "I'm gonna blow the lid off this whole vampire thing, they ain't never seen vampires like THIS..." its still unoriginal. That said, it was still a pretty good movie. Willem Dafoe is awesome, and Ethan Hawke is pasty and pale and vampiric. Also, after watching Blade and this movie... I don't get why vampires are so explosive. Is it because they don't poop? I don't know.

Also went to the Museum of Natural History. I noticed they neglected to mention how UFOs built the pyramids. I thought that was pretty important. Anyway, I really like aquatic life, I don't know why. Fish with lights on them, fish with mouths bigger than their bodies, jellyfish are way cool. If I could be reincarnated, it would be as a jellyfish, or a seahorse. (Thank you Devendra Banhart). I also learned that there were some pretty legit ways to get water in Africa before there was... people anywhere else. Like you dig a giant hole with a giant wheel and the cattle pulls the wheel which makes the pots go in a circle and pick up the water. The moral of the story is that if I lived in prehistoric Africa, I would not make it. Then we saw a space show with supernovas and stuff... narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. It was awesome and disorienting. I'm holding out for commercial spaceflight.

Later.

oh no oh no

Sorry for not updating for awhile.

Went to the Lincoln Center tonight for some ballet. Fancy Free, The Prodigal Son, and Fire Bird. Fire Bird was far and away the only one worth mentioning... it was probably one of my favorite things I've seen while in NYC so far. Also, saw the sale of illegal DVDs, saw people protesting the Pope... saying that he was the devil and responsible for the earthquake in Haiti: those people were stone cold crazy. I don't care how much you don't like the Pope, he's not responsible for an earthquake. The man can barely tie his own shoes. Went to the Strand which is a bookstore, 18 miles of shelves there. The most crowded 18 miles of shelves you will ever peruse. Went to Forbidden Planet which is a comic book store... never have I read / liked comics, but it was still cool. They had Twilight Action figures. That's troubling. Even more troubling: there are people that buy Twilight Action figures. Went to New Wave Cafe for breakfast, that's a good place. Got pooped on by a bird which is supposedly really good luck.

I have yet to experience any remarkable good luck.

Best,

me

being underground

After a few encounters with New York City's underground public transit system collectively known as the Subway, I think I am getting the hang of it a little better. The best way to do that is to do it wrong and then stop doing it wrong and then by process of elimination you'll be doing it right. Anyway, its like you walk down some stairs and through a gate into a big room where there are a bunch of moving doorways, they arrive and then open. You walk through the doorway and you wait, and eventually the doors open again and you walk out and you are somewhere else. Sometimes the doors open and you walk out and you walk through a tunnel and down some stairs to another set of moving doorways. It's a labyrinth, it truly is. Many times the Subway is super packed and its shoulder to shoulder underground traffic. Everyone is running for those doors before they close. Also, I don't get cell phone service underground, I guess that makes sense.

I think these paintings are giving me synesthesia.

Today it was off to the Guggenheim to see a few paintings by Kandinsky. The Guggenheim was built by Frank Lloyd Wright who is perhaps insane. Give me a skateboard or something, because this museum would be fun. Its basically an enormous ramp that spirals downwards towards the lobby. One thing that Frank Lloyd Wright and Kandinsky had in common was A) They both resisted the confines of time / space, and B) Some sort of affinity to circles. Frank Lloyd Wright successfully fit an extremely long hallway in a very small space. Also: You could get dizzy. Since it was the last few days of the show it was pretty crowded, and it was very fun to listen to the remarks of school children, and also: the elderly. Some children thought that the circles looked like a DJ setup, with turntables and all that. An elderly woman griped about a title. The painting was called "Several Circles" or something like that. It was one of my favorite, but she complained that it wasn't a very good title. Of course, some of his other paintings are titled 'Composition #2' or 'Work #2.' Obviously, the man wasn't very concerned with titles. Anish Kapoor had an enormous metal sculpture covered in rust. Its hard to explain... it looked like a huge steel balloon, you have to walk into another room, and down a corridor, and then there's a hole cut in a wall and you can look inside of it. I know that doesn't sound very cool, but it is extremely cool. The security guard almost had to 'calm me down.' Anyway, ate at the City Market Cafe with Bear, and that was really good. There was mayonnaise on the sandwich, and somehow it was ok. Anyway... bye

concrete jungle

Last night I walked thirty blocks to Times Square, this morning I went for a run in Central Park. Times Square is nuts, I've never seen anything like it. I'm not a city person, I guess. So many lights and enormous ads and shops. The M&M store was three floors, of all M&M-themed stuff. I sprung that tourist trap. The Toys'R'us had a Ferris Wheel. inside. Maybe this is just because I'm from Colorado but, I've always thought that Ferris Wheels belong outside. Oh yeah, and the biggest Apple Store ever was on the way to Times Square. It looked kind of like how I'd imagine the inside of a UFO would look like. All stark white and fluorescent... with little operating tables. This morning there were so many people running in Central Park I felt like I was part of some sort of spontaneous 5k race. It was really fun, I look forward to doing this every morning. We have our first meeting soon, so I guess we'll figure out what's going on this week and hopefully I'll get my schedule figured out at the Bowery Poetry Club.

So basically I guess I'll use this to journal about my time in New York, sounds fun.