Yeah, I know...haven't updated this in what a certain friend of mine would call "a coon's age" (does anyone really know what tthat means?!?) and here it is JULY and the year's halfway over...made my annual pilgrimage to what another friend refers to as "the land of my forefathers", namely, Oregon both to see the family & a REAL ocean & to do some writing (or at least talking about writing) at the Tin House Workshop...Over the past few months, I've managed to get some writing done, some even published (though only small stuff so no, I still can't buy you a beer)...managed to also make it through six months w/out succumbing to the marriage frenzy so many of my friends seem to be going through & no, no babies either though some of the men in my life could probably qualify...starting the MFA in Fiction program at the New School this fall - just reading through the faculty/course descriptions/required reading is making me salivate - in an intellectual way of course...Tin House rocked this year as did my workshop's leader, Anthony Swofford ("Jarhead").  There have been some other highlights during the last few months but my brain is slow and the weather is hot... I'll be posting a writeup of my little trip to the Coast and this year's Tin House asap...

Books: I'm about half way through my annual goal of 52 books in 52 weeks - standouts so far include, "Shade" by Neil Jordan (yes, THAT Neil Jordan), "Theft" Peter Carey, "Dead Fish Museum" Charles D'Ambrosio, "Gilead," dideon's "Year of Magical Thinking" and "Where I'm From," Alice Greenway's "White Ghost Girls," more more more but that's all I can remember right now...

Music: live - Jimmie Dale Gilmore free in Madison Square Park at some nasty nasty BBQ fest - he was great though;  iPOD rotation stuck mostly on Cash, X, Nick Cave, old '40's jazz and lots & lots of Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker. Apparently I've reached that age when "new music" bores the s**t outta me and the old blues guys are all I really want to listen to. That and anything even remotely reminiscent of New Orleans...

TV & Film: I've been away from TV for a few weeks now (shock!!) and um...I didn't miss it...Movies that I've seen since last I posted here that didn't suck included "V for Vendetta," "Walk the Line," & lots more that I can't remember right now...so much indie stuff I find it hard to remember it all...