happy halloween

a long, long time ago, i watched some television talk show host interview some male actor about some upcoming movie.  as always, there was a clip.  obviously, the details of this have been lost in the mists of my memory, but the important bits were practically burned into my brain: there was a creepy guy; he walks up to another guy and says something to the effect of 'i'm in your house right now'; second guy is in disbelief and calls his own house; creepy guy's voice comes through on the other end, while he's still standing there.

this scared the shit out of me.

the smile on the creepy guy's face, the being in two places at once, all of it.  if you asked me what terrified me most, i would probably probably try to describe this scene.  years later i even tried to google what movie it came from, but all i had to go on was basically 'SCARY' in flashing neon lights, so that was fruitless.  then one day last month, i stumbled upon it, that very clip on youtube. it was Lost Highway, by david lynch.

of course it was.

this movie came out in 1997.  it has haunted me for thirteen years.  i watched it last night, because finally here was something guaranteed to be worthy of halloween, and i will admit that i understood not a bit of it.  but i was still terrified.  the fact that it makes no sense only makes it scarier.  as i sat in my chair i thought robert blake and his kabuki makeup would appear outside the glass patio door at any moment.  it was an irrational fear that i can only compare to my experiences in iowa this past fourth of july, which is also distantly david lynch-related, but that's a story for another day.

if that doesn't convince you of its quality, it was also richard pryor's last film.  so there's that.

better than waterboarding

torture is gazing at this:

while eating a lunch of this:

only four weeks, and i have a date with a pound of pastrami and my favorite egyptian..
["why would you go on vacation to new york?  who would do that?"
"i would."
"i'm sorry, it's been a long time since we've talked.  i forgot you were weird."]

alternative careers, part two

if i were to pursue what my boss believes my outfits look like:

- secretary
- chef
- member of the latin kings

another day, another john cage quote

[Five years later, when Schoenberg asked me whether I would devote my life to music, I said, “Of course.” After I had been studying with him for two years, Schoenberg said, “In order to write music, you must have a feeling for harmony.” I explained to him that I had no feeling for harmony. He then said that I would always encounter an obstacle, that it would be as though I came to a wall through which I could not pass. I said, “In that case I will devote my life to beating my head against that wall.”]