"Oh come on. Cut your hair short all you want. Quit smoking pot. Eat steak and get an apartment, you'll always be a hippie through and through."
"I didn't say I QUIT I just don't have any. You really think so? Anyway I'm growing my hair out long again for a change."
"Well I'll do another bong rip then, one for the both of us, but yea, hell man, you could be a stock broker and you'd only a few heartbeats away from eating granola and watching Dark Side of the Moon with Wizard of Oz."
"What am I even doing out here?"
"Consultin' with the rain, I guess. The same thing you were doing back home, old friend, falling in love with every woman you see on the bus and in the library, starving yourself. Thank God you got a room to yourself. I was half expecting to see you on my doorstep again looking for a place to crash. I know you're bored but hang in there."
"Yea, you're right. Lately I just feel like there is always something cooking but nothing in the pot. It is good to be someplace new. Someday, I would like to get to the point where I am mature enough that I don't desperately swoon for every girl in every coffee shop and library and never talk to them. I suppose it's better this way, you know what happens when I talk to them. It's really kind of amazing the kind of trouble that can be caused simply by holding a woman's hand. It's good to hear from you again, thanks for calling. How's the little woman?"
"Well, she got a job at the library as a janitor. It's a heartwarming thing. No one ever talks to her except to tell her to clean things up, she's like a pariah there, poor little cleaning lady. She says she had a dream with you in it last night.
"Aw. What a sweet girl. I'm so happy for you both, it's really good to see you in a healthy relationship for a change. You couldn't expect to find a better one than her, you're perfect for each other."
"What can I say, I'm a fool in love. We're both nervous about living together but It's been really great so far."
"How's the family?"
"Mom and Musafare are on the rocks, he's on the east coast selling rugs and then he thinks he is going to go back to turkey for a while. Pops is on vacation, though the coup didn't really affect him much in Phuket, he's in Vietnam, surfing. Can you imagine?"
"(Chuckling) Isn't his knee giving him problems?"
"Not anymore, you know how he is so against anything metaphysical, western medicine is the only thing for him, but he went to a chiropractor and they said the problem was his hip, not his knee, just the slightest bit of work and he hasn't had any problems since! For a 60 year old man, he's in great shape again! He was getting fat back home in Wisconsin but the years in Siam have done wonders for his constitution"
"Dirty old man. I'll never be able to look at your father as an authority figure ever again. If anything I have more respect for him now, he's much more human than the guy who used to barge into your room as a kid and catch us drinking. Remember that time we told him it was your friend 'Zack Morris' that brought over all the beer?"
"(laughing hysterically) YES AND HE TOLD US THAT ZACK WAS NEVER ALOUD IN THE HOUSE AGAIN! AND WE JUST DRANK ALL THE REST OF THE BEER ANYWAY!!!"
"(laughing) Jesus Christ. I guess you're right about driving to Peru, it would be more fun but we should just fly, it would be so expensive to drive. What do you think? He'll be there for a good two and a half years, we have plenty of time"
"Steve's gotta come visit me before I do anything he'll be going to Korea soon, who knows for how long, and I'll be up to Seattle sometime soon, I'm sure..."
"Thank the heavens"
"I'm saying fuck it with this liberal arts degree and I'm going to go to school to be a chef!"
"In Seattle? I support whatever you decide."
"Nah, maybe in Portland, so we're going to go up there and see some of her friends and check out this school there."
"Well you're a fantastic cook."
"Ah, thanks dude. You're a fantastic...uh...whatever it is that you do."
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
"Right. Keep up with that. You talk with Lana recently?"
"Not since I was back home, she I was in Haifa when the bombs started to fall so she went back home early. She wanted to stay of course, but they wouldn't let her."
"Jake?"
"Phh, who knows. Last I heard from him he was being a lay discalced carmelite monk and he had just gotten back from school learning to play the sitar. I think he still has that Peruvian Torch he had been growing. It's got to be enormous by now. Matt and Hannah are still together, Matt is in that band now and all."
"Last time I saw him you were doing too much acid at the bar at the weary traveler. Just like, right in front of everyone, they didn't have a clue what you were doing, just dropping some kind of liquid into your mouth. Matt was appalled."
"Yea, uptight git. Munich is a helluva movie"
"How is your practice?"
"There isn't a zendo in Seattle! I am going to go to this Tibetan Buddhist monastery soon and start checking into that whole thing. It's all fucking God to me, you know. I am going to start volunteering teaching people English at this catholic church here in Seattle too, if I can. There is a background check but I should be good. Could you hold on for a second?"
"Sure thing."
"(flushes)"
"Blowing your nose?"
"Taking a dump."
"Atta boy."
"Alright, I'll talk to you again really soon, much love to everyone"
"Likewise bro. Good to hear from you again. Hang in there."
"I didn't say I QUIT I just don't have any. You really think so? Anyway I'm growing my hair out long again for a change."
"Well I'll do another bong rip then, one for the both of us, but yea, hell man, you could be a stock broker and you'd only a few heartbeats away from eating granola and watching Dark Side of the Moon with Wizard of Oz."
"What am I even doing out here?"
"Consultin' with the rain, I guess. The same thing you were doing back home, old friend, falling in love with every woman you see on the bus and in the library, starving yourself. Thank God you got a room to yourself. I was half expecting to see you on my doorstep again looking for a place to crash. I know you're bored but hang in there."
"Yea, you're right. Lately I just feel like there is always something cooking but nothing in the pot. It is good to be someplace new. Someday, I would like to get to the point where I am mature enough that I don't desperately swoon for every girl in every coffee shop and library and never talk to them. I suppose it's better this way, you know what happens when I talk to them. It's really kind of amazing the kind of trouble that can be caused simply by holding a woman's hand. It's good to hear from you again, thanks for calling. How's the little woman?"
"Well, she got a job at the library as a janitor. It's a heartwarming thing. No one ever talks to her except to tell her to clean things up, she's like a pariah there, poor little cleaning lady. She says she had a dream with you in it last night.
"Aw. What a sweet girl. I'm so happy for you both, it's really good to see you in a healthy relationship for a change. You couldn't expect to find a better one than her, you're perfect for each other."
"What can I say, I'm a fool in love. We're both nervous about living together but It's been really great so far."
"How's the family?"
"Mom and Musafare are on the rocks, he's on the east coast selling rugs and then he thinks he is going to go back to turkey for a while. Pops is on vacation, though the coup didn't really affect him much in Phuket, he's in Vietnam, surfing. Can you imagine?"
"(Chuckling) Isn't his knee giving him problems?"
"Not anymore, you know how he is so against anything metaphysical, western medicine is the only thing for him, but he went to a chiropractor and they said the problem was his hip, not his knee, just the slightest bit of work and he hasn't had any problems since! For a 60 year old man, he's in great shape again! He was getting fat back home in Wisconsin but the years in Siam have done wonders for his constitution"
"Dirty old man. I'll never be able to look at your father as an authority figure ever again. If anything I have more respect for him now, he's much more human than the guy who used to barge into your room as a kid and catch us drinking. Remember that time we told him it was your friend 'Zack Morris' that brought over all the beer?"
"(laughing hysterically) YES AND HE TOLD US THAT ZACK WAS NEVER ALOUD IN THE HOUSE AGAIN! AND WE JUST DRANK ALL THE REST OF THE BEER ANYWAY!!!"
"(laughing) Jesus Christ. I guess you're right about driving to Peru, it would be more fun but we should just fly, it would be so expensive to drive. What do you think? He'll be there for a good two and a half years, we have plenty of time"
"Steve's gotta come visit me before I do anything he'll be going to Korea soon, who knows for how long, and I'll be up to Seattle sometime soon, I'm sure..."
"Thank the heavens"
"I'm saying fuck it with this liberal arts degree and I'm going to go to school to be a chef!"
"In Seattle? I support whatever you decide."
"Nah, maybe in Portland, so we're going to go up there and see some of her friends and check out this school there."
"Well you're a fantastic cook."
"Ah, thanks dude. You're a fantastic...uh...whatever it is that you do."
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
"Right. Keep up with that. You talk with Lana recently?"
"Not since I was back home, she I was in Haifa when the bombs started to fall so she went back home early. She wanted to stay of course, but they wouldn't let her."
"Jake?"
"Phh, who knows. Last I heard from him he was being a lay discalced carmelite monk and he had just gotten back from school learning to play the sitar. I think he still has that Peruvian Torch he had been growing. It's got to be enormous by now. Matt and Hannah are still together, Matt is in that band now and all."
"Last time I saw him you were doing too much acid at the bar at the weary traveler. Just like, right in front of everyone, they didn't have a clue what you were doing, just dropping some kind of liquid into your mouth. Matt was appalled."
"Yea, uptight git. Munich is a helluva movie"
"How is your practice?"
"There isn't a zendo in Seattle! I am going to go to this Tibetan Buddhist monastery soon and start checking into that whole thing. It's all fucking God to me, you know. I am going to start volunteering teaching people English at this catholic church here in Seattle too, if I can. There is a background check but I should be good. Could you hold on for a second?"
"Sure thing."
"(flushes)"
"Blowing your nose?"
"Taking a dump."
"Atta boy."
"Alright, I'll talk to you again really soon, much love to everyone"
"Likewise bro. Good to hear from you again. Hang in there."
isolation can be rough, but i also think it can teach you a lot about yourself. and sometimes you don't even realize how much until you start to "emerge" again.. in my experience, anyways.
hang in there, indeed.
by the way, i found thelist of books and such that i told you about earlier.
i miss them.