28 February

Facebook

A while back, I joined Facebook, just to see what the hub bub was all about. I'd been hearing that it was the 'new myspace' but was much more involved. You could play games, and there were lots of treats. It seemed intriguing. Well, I checked it out, and got bored in about two seconds and so I never returned.  

Anyway, I hadn't given it much thought, until recently, when I got a notice in my Gmail from Facebook that said I could automatically add every address I had in my Gmail account, to my Facebook account - that is to say I could REQUEST everyone to be my friend. So I thought I'd make an experiment and see just who would accept my invitation. 

You see, my gmail is filled with the detritus of failed relationships galore, and let me tell you most of them ended on the bad side. Still, we're all grown ups, and I feel if you're a mature person if someone extends to you an olive branch, you should take it. So I sent out the mass invitation, and was interested to see who would respond first. 

It was no surprise, that amongst the first to accept were some old friends of mine, and various artists that I'm friendly with. There were also a couple instant responses from a few ex-girlfriends that really were always more friends than girlfriends, so that was no surprise. So I kept waiting. There were a few people specifically that I was particularly curious about. These were some of those relationships that ended on the bad side.. well..

Not one of them accepted the invite. Not one.

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, if only because it didn't surprise me. I'm rarely surprised by anything anymore, and subsequently I'm in a perpetual state of boredom. You need surprise!. Surprise is what it's all about. It's probably the most important necessity for any kind of quality of life. Of course I'm talking about good surprise here, not the kind that winds up with you in jail calling your lawyer on some trumped up embezzlement charge! 

The more I thought about it, the more it bugged me. I mean, was I really so horrible that I didn't even deserve a response? Certainly these women must've gotten SOMETHING positive out of the time they knew me. It couldn't have been ALL bad. Surely, I deserved some kind of acknowledgement! Apparently not so.

I found it all so typical. I'm sure if I'd been another ex, they would have responded. It's funny sometimes what women classify as 'unforgivable crimes'. I've known some women to be friendly with exes that have treated them like total shit.. abused them, cheated on them, in one case even raped them,   but for me? Nada. 

Jack squat.

One interesting thing did come out of the Facebook thing though. I noticed as I looked through the profile of an old friend of mine, that he was Facebook friends with a girl I was totally crazy about when I was a kid. We actually sort of got involved right before I went away to college. She was at a party, and got totally wasted. Later that night I held her hair as she puked her guts out. Anyway, I was a baby, completely inexperienced. I thought I was in love with her, but it was just teenage angst turned awkwardly towards the heart. We 'went out' if you could call it that for a couple of weeks, and then she dumped me. I can still remember her words 'Take it like a man…

I took it badly.

Funny how when you're a kid, these minor relationships seem to have all the sturm and drang of a Wagnerian opera…

Years later, while I was recording our album at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan, I ran into her. We decided to meet up for coffee later that night, and it was unrewarding. I must admit, I was probably showing off. I wanted to shove it in her face that I wasn't the pathetic geek that she last remembered. I was a rock star, recording for a major label, hanging with rock legends, I had MADE IT!!.. I got no satisfaction at all, she acted as if I told her I was working at McDonalds. In fact, all she did was talk about her current boyfriend who was in a band. I got the feeling that she actually had the balls to think that I might help him in some way to get a deal.

The whole incident made me feel foolish and kind of grimy. I threw out the memory, and hadn't thought of this person for years, until I saw her on Facebook. I sent out an invitation, and she accepted me. We exchanged a few e-mails back and forth, she told me that she was living out in Arizona, that she was going to school, and that she was happy. I told her what was going on in my life, and it was all very pleasant. Then she wrote..

'You held back my hair and just held me on the couch. i remember, until i got better.i never forgot.. sorry if i ever made you feel bad. I didn't mean to. I am glad you got a hold of me! You were such a sweetheart!'

She had remembered. It wasn't some insignificant event in her life. I must admit I was… surprised.

Isn't that what it's all bout?

Note: Management has asked me to mention that from this catch-22 on you will be able to leave comments..

It's all about Uno… I've got Uno fever.. The 15 inch beagle that's captured the heart of New York City… Spent the past couple of days watching the Westminster Dog Show… I've been fantasizing about getting a dog for a while now…  

When I was a kid I was deathly allergic to dogs.. I had to go get shots every month from this guy called Dr. Kornfeld.. I can still picture the brownish liquid being injected into my flabby arms.. The mosquito bite annoyance.. I don't know how much good it did in the end.. Probably none..  Everytime a dog came my way my lungs would seize up and I'd collapse in a mess of mucous and wheeze that would last for hours..   

So in lieu of the a canine buddy, we had a bunch of cats..  One after the other of neurotic unsympathetic bastards that brought about as much comfort to your soul as finger covered in hot sauce stuck up your rectum… 

As an adult, I've become much less allergic to dogs… I go through which breeds might be the best for my lifestyle… They say Bulldogs hate being walked and mostly just like to laze around watching tv with their master.. To me that sounds like a perfect fit… They also say the Great Dane, despite it's enormous size actually takes to apartment living quite well as it's a low energy dog… Then there's the New Foundland, a gentle giant renowned for it's sweet temperament…  Of course the Golden retriever is always a fantastic option..  I've never met a golden retriever I didn't like…  

It's all just a fantasy.. I know I'll never own a dog…  Too much of a commitment… They kept reiterating during that dog show how, when you decide to get a dog remember that it's a 10-15 year endeavour and personally I can't think that far ahead… The idea of sticking around another 15 years  is too much of a commitment…  

Aside from all my dog watching, I also watched a couple of movies on netflix…  Netflix has the watch instantly option, and it's getting to amass a pretty delightful selection of movies lately.. I re-watched 'The Omega Man'  with Charlton Heston(the movie which was re-made into I am Legend) and 'Cruising' with Al Pacino..

The Omega Man was far better than it's re-make with Will Smith, however it was far from a perfect film… The 'ghouls' in Omega man were not the CGI disasters from IAL, they were presented as a gothic, hooded, cult with an aversion to light who spoke as if they were servers at Medieval times.. They got that way because of a Sino-Russian war that wreaked nuclear havoc and caused everyone to either die or turn into ghouls.. I'm not sure why it changed their speech into a strange old English affectation, but apparently it did… Anyway, it wasn't bad.. another Heston, apocalyptic effort, which was quite watchable… I'd place it 3rd after planet of the apes, and soylent green… 

Cruising was a very interesting viewing… I found it actively uncomfortable, yet hard to turn away from.. It's about a cop that goes undercover in the gay/leather community to try and solve some murders… There's a lot of oily muscle, fisting, lisping and the crunching and squeaking of sweaty leather… There's also some great music, particularly the song 'it's so easy' by Mink Deville..

Al Pacino seems a bit lost in the flick, and as a viewer you're not sure what the film is supposed to be about? Is it a slasher film? A sociological study on the deviant sado masochistic queers? Or is it merely existential anti-hero 70s fare? You never really do get a true bead on it, but it's definitely interesting… 

I'm tired… Started doing my gym again after a long lay off and now feel creaky and squeaky like sweaty leather… Feel like crawling up in bed and dreaming of uno the 15 inch beagle soft and warm at my feet…