Not like the asshole of existence that was yesterday but still pretty cold out there. I made the ill-adviised trip to the ATM and to the laundromat, nearly losing my face in the process. The jaunt ended on a strange note. The laundry woman wanteed to make sure that the moline wool socks I got a couple of weeks ago, and which I sent to laundry for the first time, were actually mine. She thought that maybe they got into my bag after being left over from someone else’s wash. “I memorized all your socks. Most of them are white. Some of your underwear is white, too.” Her guillessness preemptively absorbed any embarrassment. I mean, we’re talking about my underpants here. I guess I should not expect to have any secrets that are safe from the laundry lady. If I did that job I would get to know people’s clothing habits and idiosyncracies. I would learn not to question or dwell on the stains to explain.
This sounds like prime material for a Joe Frank riff. I’ve been listening to a lot of Joe Frank the last few days, though, so a lot of things are starting to sound like him. Such a shocking talent, really. He’s like the brother of Ben Katchor, in spirit. I have not listened to him in a while, and I have no idea where I obtained a stash of a couple dozen RealAudio files of his programs from the 1980s and 1990s. His stuff is not to be found on Usenet, and I am close to treating myself to the $99 one year membership to his site, to listen of course but also just to show support. Maybe we will connect, as I kind of did with Ben Katchor when he friended me on FB. I remember being a little disappointed with JF when I noticed that he spends a lot of his time and energy these days posting long and oftentimes substantive ramblings to FB. Why give it away like that? Eh, I should talk.
I listened to his short story about eating dirt over a dozen times. Here it is.
Cleaming out closets today, throwing away cardboard boxes saved in anticipation of selling crap on eBay. Only a few items left and I might just scotch those listings any day now. Would like for that Sallinen opera score to find a better home, though.
I ordered a custom-made rubber stamp that I have used to mark my slides with name, website URL, and a cry for help. i have scanned all the slides i purchased on eBay and at stores. i don’t need them around any more but i don’t want to give up my claim to them, nor do i want to release them into the wild in such a way that whoever finds them thinks they have something unique or undiscovered. Branding them with my URL is intended to lead people to my web site where, if they spend the proper amount of time, they might discover that those slides and thousands more were scanned and posted there. Or they night not. I don’t know, but slapping my name and URL on the slides should diminish their resale value. Or maybe it would increase it. Hah, I don’t know but it’s a harmless and easy way to manifest fresh and directionless OCD. I could end up being known as the slides guy who tagged thousands of other people’s slides with my name and web address. Like PRAY.
At a place now whence I am reminded that it is Valentine’s Day. I had no idea, though I should have known after hearing a thing on the radio a few days ago that this is the #3 money-spending “holiday” after Mother’s Day and Christmas. The story ended saying how everyone hates Valentine’s Day but we are culturally trapped into observing it, and that people just go out and spend hundreds of dollars on it anyway because if you don’t then you are an asshole. Everyone knows that nothing expresses true love like ponying up $300 on dinner and chocolates.
