I celebrated the Fourth of July this year by watching three David Lynch films back to back. We started with my favorite, Blue Velvet, followed by Wild at Heart, and finally Lost Highway. It was my first time seeing Wild at Heart, and I have to agree with some random comment I spotted on the Internet somewhere, that True Romance seems much less original and impressive after seeing Wild at Heart. Which isn’t necessarily to say that I prefer Wild at Heart… I think I’d have to see both again to make that call. Who knows, maybe it’s apples and oranges? Wait, Lynch and Tarantino? I guess that would have to be fruits and nuts.

Anyway, I spent some of my other free time this weekend tinkering around with this site, installing the latest version of the wordpress theme I’m using, and tweaking various settings and features. Feel free to offer your thoughts on the appearance in the comments section, but keep in mind that I will promptly disregard them.

I also signed up for classes for the fall semester, and can’t stop thinking how crazy it seems that in just two more semesters I might finish a Master’s degree. Probably the most exciting part about it all is that I’ve recently had some inspiration about where the story in my novel is going. I’m still not sure how feasible it will be to work on my novel as my Master’s thesis, but I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it. It’s just nice to think I may have some direction for it again. Now I simply need to get working on it…

Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo – CNN.com.

So my coworker mentioned something about Jack Nicholson kicking in to make the Lakers’ parade in downtown LA today possible, and I could help but think of this part of Tim Burton’s Batman. For the record, I don’t believe there’s any value in comparing Nicholson to Ledger; as far as I’m concerned, each performance was masterful in its own right.

the grimace was from the glare, not the pain of saying good-bye

As I mentioned in the previous post, my hopes last weekend were that I would be able to sell my motorcycle after the buyer had it checked out at the local shop. The mechanic said it was a great bike, but that the front seals would need to be replaced soon, and so I was only able to sell it for the minimum I’d set for myself, $3000. All told, I probably lost a couple/few grand on the whole experience, but it’s finally off my hands, so it’s time to move on. One nice bit about the sale is that the buyer instructs skydiving and also works at a place with a windtunnel skydiving simulator, and he said if I come early on a weekend morning I might be able to try it out free. So I’ve got that goin’ for me.

I’m not sure why I planned it out this way, but as soon as I got rid of my secondary vehicle, I dropped my only remaining vehicle off at the shop for repairs. The up side was that I brought my bicycle along to get myself to work after dropping the car off, and realized that I’d forgotten how pleasant it can be to ride the bike to work. Sure, I get a little sweaty, but I end up feeling somewhat energized, too. Unfortunately, it took all week to finish the $2k repairs on the car. I had engagements in Bakersfield on Tuesday and Malibu on Wednesday, so I had to rent a car for two days, which left me feeling like an asshole for declining rental car coverage on my insurance policy. I will be rectifying that situation very soon. I picked up my repaired vehicle Friday afternoon, and it looks good as new. Still, I don’t think I’ll be able to shake the sense that the car, which was brand new just one year ago, is now “damaged goods.” Oh well. This morning I rode my bike to work again, not because I had to, but because it feels nice. Maybe I do still have two vehicles.

And now here’s a picture of the cat who lives in my apartment, just for fun:

I see right through you

I am moving along very gradually in my efforts to take care of the damage that was done to my car three weeks ago. Today I finally called the LAPD to file a report, and then went online to file a claim with my insurance company. It turns out that my deductible is in fact $1000, as I feared, so I could end up paying for all of the damage out-of-pocket. Lame.

I am also finally about to sell my motorcycle. A guy came and looked at it last weekend, and seemed to like it. He’s paying to have a mechanic give it a good once-over tomorrow to ensure that it’s free of problems, and as long as everything’s in order he’ll stop by Sunday evening to buy it. I’ll be sad to see her go

So in the final week of May, I heard the term June Gloom used on a number of occasions, and had no idea what it meant or why people were using it at the end of May. Thanks to the Internets, I now have an understanding of this California-based term. I guess this time last year my brain was still coming out of its fog, and two years ago I was too new to California to notice any mention of this phenomenon. Third year’s a charm, I suppose.

Anyway, while it is indeed overcast today, the first of June, I myself have not succumbed to the gloom. I woke up early, went for a bicycle ride, and did some shikantaza. My goal is to make this a regular morning routine – wish me luck!

I’m back in Illinois for Memorial Day weekend, seeing family and trying to get some much-needed relaxation coming off a mind-numbing semester. Yuka and I have managed to enjoy each other’s company a bit, and we even got each other some nice bracelets, for the hell of it. Just today I got my grades back, a B+ for each class, putting my semester GPA at 3.30, and my cumulative GPA at 3.55. It’s definitely nice to know that some of the stress I’ve put myself through over the last few months has paid off nicely.

Being back in late May has been a very different experience from my usual November/February visits. I’d forgotten how green, and how humid, the Midwest can be. I got to spend an afternoon lounging around the patio at Espresso Royale with Wes, which was great. Today I went down to Springfield and spent a few hours hanging out with my brother Bob, which was also very nice, and then drove to Peoria where I’ll meet up with Esti. It was a little strange driving through downtown Peoria and then into the vicinity of the Bradley University campus, as it brings back some memories of the two years I spent here going to school, nearly a decade ago now. Funny how much things can change, and how much they stay the same.

Tonight I’ll make an obligatory appearance at a campout that’s taking place just outside of C-U, tomorrow I’ll hang with Yuka and some friends who have also moved on from the U of I, Monday I’ll hang with the McCabe clan for Memorial Day, and Tuesday I’ll be back on my way to the land of endless pavement. Life is good.