A little reefer's good, a nice wine...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

You gotta stop the pain, right?


Wrong...

It just gives you a different view. To yourself and others.


Actually, I'm just trying to fill a (very) few prurient interests in my writing habits.

There are those of you that (like me) protested against Nixon and went ballistic over Kent State. There are those of you that went agog over the invasion of Panama or the Iran Contra affair. There are those of you who can't believe that what Bushco is doing to this country can be real.

And then there are those who step back and watch with amusement at those who think they're the first ones down the road. And those of you who still are afraid to not wrap yourselves in at least a little bit of the flag. Those of you who don't want to see the rest of the world in another view that "America is the best and strongest (as long as we don't eventually manage to piss off the rest of the world to the point of believing that we REALLY are the Antichrist)?

I type this with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth while wearing a denim shirt to go with the jeans... On a second thought, the cigarette is sticking out of the right side of my mouth clinched in teeth to keep the smoke out of my eyes while I type in front of a nice mahogany desk and 21" LCD monitor...

I've worked restaurants, retail, construction, manufacturing, blue collar and white collar to the point I've had offices that looked down upon the clouds...


I've been homeless, hungry and in jail. I've lived in mansions and on the streets... I've partied with folks from Timothy Leary to Charlie Daniels and I've Jammed with Earl Scruggs. I've won writing awards and have had lunches and talks with other authors in the halls of academia... I've been married and a father and have lost a child and a sister... And I can honestly say that for the first time, I am honestly worried about the viability of America. It's going to take some hard work to fix and I can't do it alone.

And I wrote the same way during a 15 year self imposed world od puritanical abstinance...

And I never changed a bit and that pissed off beter paid people than myself....


:evilgrin:

[4morewars]

1. Write on !

Right on you old hippy !

:smoke:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. You damn right! I was jamming to Dylan and CSNY on the way home from

work tonight... Had th sunroof open and the Bose blaring!

[4morewars]

12. That's what I'm talkin about !

I saw CSNY a few weeks ago, it was a thing of beauty !
A bunch of goobers walked out when they did 'Impeach the President.' I laughed my ass off, it's called the freedom of speech tour ! lol
Don't these people realise who they bought a ticket to see ? I guess not. A few of their roadies told me that in Ohio the night before the fans were booing and running up to the stage and giving them the finger during the same song ! IN OHIO ! Hello? Four dead in O-hi-o ? They don't know what that song is about ? I guess not.
Anyway, it was a great show, and a real nice bunch of people to work with. Real professionals, they know how to put on a show ! Days like that, I realy love my job !

We have Dylan in a few weeks, with the FooFighters? I think. Should be another good one.

Rock on Tom Yossarian Joad, rock on !

[Rex]

3. Nice

America lives in a collective delusional state. Unaltered minds never expand beyond the phenomenological world.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. Too spot on for comfort. n/t

[Rex]

8. It hits very close to home for me.

Just think of where you were at age 35.

[IChing]

4. I do agree with you brother on most things

and your life mirrors mine in some ways

Long terrible day to see this country have to vote on if we want do torture
and let war criminals go free for their crimes against humanity.

PEACE

:) :pals:

[Swamp Rat]

6. "... I don't think I can carry on... carry on this cold and dreary life!"

I'm listening to Rush: 2112. :smoke:

Keep writing, man! See you on the Dark Side of the Moon.

[Vexatious Ape]

9. Masterpiece

[Swamp Rat]

10. I'm listening to Rush Radio

http://www.rushradio.org/

Now they are playing a bootleg of Hemispheres. :headbang:

[IChing]

11. Doobie Brothers here

"You''re made that way"

Livin on the fault line CD

speaking of doobies

[Vexatious Ape]

13. They can play,

to bad much of the lyrics were inspired by Ayn Rand. I can overlook that--I had my brief Randian phase too. Unlike a lot of other bands these guys learned how to play their instruments.

[Swamp Rat]

15. And they can STILL play, more than 30 years later.

I went through an Ayn Rand phase too, but heck, I was just 11 years old. :D

[IChing]

17. No shit, I did too but at 13

We read a lot more back then didn't we at an early age.

No 1000 channel TV, only 3 channels
if you were lucky and nothing playing late at night or worth seeing
just like now.

[Swamp Rat]

18. I watched Star Trek on an old black and white Zenith, the Moon shot,

I Dream of Jeannie, and Bugs Bunny. Most of my time was spent reading, building Estes Rockets and models, climbing trees, smoking weed, painting, sculpting, making batik and tye-dye shirts, singing, playing guitar, drums, trumpet, clarinet, piano...

Have you ever seen Terry Gilliam's "Brazil?" ... we're almost there.... in a few more generations...

[Rowdyboy]

7. Those of us who strongly remember the late 1960's share a bond...

We knew an America where the congress was functional and at least moderately progressive. The federal courts were rational and even the worst president of the era, Nixon to my mind, looks wonderful in comparison.

I've worked poultry plants, construction, restaurants, radio, business and state government offices.

I've never been homeless, rarely been hungry, and my two brief stints in jail have been very easy-my life has been a piece of cake comparatively speaking (for a truck driver/lunch room lady's son).

But I'm also very afraid for the future of the country that I love. I remember an America that (at least somewhat) deserved loving. We did many bad things, but we did many other good things. Now, its only the bad.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

14. Shit... I can add cold to the point of worrying that I would be dead by

morning...

I think it was poultry plants that made me think of that... Or maybe the general feel of it.

[Rowdyboy]

16. I had the best job in the joint the summer of my junior year in college

I spent 10 hours a day, 4 days a week alone, in an air conditioned environment, putting cartons of fresh eggs on trays and into 6'X6' units that I rolled into huge incubators. Baby chicks came out a few weeks later.

Now my mom had two horrible jobs there: vaccinator (pick up chick and push needle into neck to protect us from diseases) and de-beaker (pick up chick and press its beak into red-hot metal the melted the nib of the beak. That way, the birds won't peck each other to death in frustration.

Mom had 5 kids and a trucker husband. She did what she had to do, but she didn't always like it. Life is what it is.

[bigbrother05]

19. Tom you ole Rebel

love reading your post. Bringing up the good old days.
You probably met my brother along the way, your stories sound like his.
I wonder who is going to step up to the job to fix this horrible mess we are in.

[havocmom]

20. :-)

just :-)

got some spunky back, did ya? Good!