Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Bukowski at Bellevue

Little known avant-garde author Charles Bukowski took his first ride in a plane in the spring of 1970. His destination: a reading at Bellevue Community College in Washington State. That reading (one of his first) was captured on videotape by students, and the film was then promptly forgotten for 18 years. Now, you can see this underground literary lion in all his gritty glory during a one-hour reading that's powerful and scathingly humorous.

After being asked a few times late in the afternoon yesterday if I was going out I decided I really needed it, so it was an easy game time decision. I'm glad I did. It was fun. I was in a picture taking mood too so some of those should be popping up here. Unfortunately I am not set up to do that at work here. Not yet.

Before going out I watched this Bukowski disc I found on Netflix. If you are a Bukowski fan it is worth it. The quality is not great. The picture freezes on one shot a lot but you can understand him clearly and that is the most important part. Throughout the hour long reading he pours what I imagine is port wine from a thermos, fills the little cup all the way up, drinks it down in one gulp, and countinues reading. At one point he makes a comment in the middle of a story about how he was drinking a lot and then says, "as I am doing right now. Don't worry Ruby, if I'm happy then you'll be happy." He actually makes comments about people and places he is reading about throughout the reading. Good stuff. Mutt and Jeff hung out in the room with me watching and listening too.

I was thinking that I may come off a little hypocritical here. You see, I quite often talk about my drunken adventures and what not, but then talk about how my sister shouldn't do it. How come I can and she can't? There is a difference. I love drinking. I have fun. I don't need to do it, but I really love it. It quite often just enhances what I am or would already be doing and always makes for interesting stories and adventures. In some eyes it may seem like I over do it, and maybe sometimes I do, but really I think I usually have just the right amount for me. I still get up and do what I'm supposed to do in the morning and just about always make it to wherever it is I'm supposed to go. Us humans are allowed the occasional slip up though. Sure there is the occasional screw up or piss off, but that is part of the ride isn't it? You do that shit sober too. As long as there is no irreparable damage then you're alright. I want to always be able to drink and have a good time. On a nice sunny hot day when it seems a great idea to sit outside and sip margaritas I don't want to be at a place where I can't do it because I can't handle myself. Or not be able to enjoy wine with dinner, drinking beers at band practice, and so on. You get the drift. If I ever feel I am getting to that point I take a break from it.

My sister on the other hand gives drinking a bad name. She is a mean, nasty, violent, gross, disgusting drunk. She could be the poster child for why you shouldn't do it. When I'm around her like that I am completely turned off from drinking. It sickens me. I saved a few of the 100 messages she's left in the last day and a half to play for her if she gets sober again for a minute so maybe she will hear how awful she is and maybe it will have some kind of effect. But I really doubt it.

Ok, I'm done. With that said, let's get back to the fun and the good times. Cheers ya pricks! Hiccup! Thank you.


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