ch-ch-ch-changes

ch-ch-ch-changes

(this news item posted on July.30.2005)

  In a little while I will put on the polyester suit one last time. Ride my bike 6 miles to work one last time. Work one last shift with my buddy Richard. And then I will be a security guard no more.

  Feels very liberating. At the same time, I have no assurances that I have a job when I get back from Opus. Scary enough.

  I thought Richard and I were working together last night but instead my friend/boss traded shifts with him and so we probably won't get as close to the end of my autobniography (which we're reading together) as I thought. We'll just do what we can I guess.

  And then... on monday I get to head toward Opus. I get to see HeatherK for the first time in a bazillion years (my own fault, really) and the whole Opus family. I can't even imagine what kind of wonderful things are going to happen this year, but it's fun to try.

  And here, on the home front... the most amazing things of all are happening. HeatherM (birdie) has come to visit and see about joining our Art Community. In the short time she's been here this house has changed so much. She has made this place --really the interactions between the humans (and kitties) in this place-- a thousand times better. We actually talk now. Do things together. She has brought us way out of her shell, not through any conscious action perhaps, but her presense has been very transforming.

  Tomorrow may be the day where we bring the Art Activists of Buffalo Community Cooperative into existance... no longer just an idea... suddenly a location, entity, feeling, presense.

  It is an exciting time to be alive here in this place. Here, there is limitless potential.

  Art like your life depends on it.

  be back in three weeks (or so)

be love,
-Alex

Feeling Humans

(this news item posted on July.24.2005)

So last year I wrote an eBook called How to Care About Humans. And this year I wrote a novel and I'm about to write a second part to that novel so I've been fairly well immersed in the characters, plot and promotion of that novel.

A few months ago I got a new coworker named Richard and we have lots of fun reading my books together. We really had some great discussions while reading the novel so after we were finished I was looking for something else to read and we started reading Humans (which is my autobiography).

It has been a really, really enjoyable experience. I hadn't read the book in about a year and I had forgotten how I much of it goes. Richard likes to form really strong opinions on everything so he's the ultimate reading partner. I only have one last week of working there (and we only work together two days a week) so we're trying to cram as much reading in as we can and discussing a little bit less. We're through chapter 14 out of 19 so this week we'll see how much of the rest (the Heather chapters) we can get through.

He's very adamant about what a wonderful person Dawn is. And she is. But it's odd because they've never met face to face (that I know of) and he feels so strongly about it all.

We've read a lot about our boss who's also been my friend since high school. That's probably a unique perspective to get about your boss.

It's amusing the hushed tones with which we read about *gasp* porn/erotica.

As I'm rereading it, I become more fully aware of how much more Mikey and Jim are supposed to be in it. And Bryan. Seems like I've managed to underemphasize many of my major friendships.

Last night I read the portion that spoke of my mother's death. I had no idea how hard that was going to be. I don't read it often. It was just as hard to read as it was to write.

A lot has happened to me in my kookie little life span. I did a pretty good job of writing about it.

I'm impressed.

be Peace,
-Alex

Photojournal: Spearhead Show

me





the radiant ms Christina





Spearhead





Michael Franti











Carl





big summer classic little baby





We were drawing on the sidewalk with a cool newlywed lady that stopped by





Until security stopped us. They were trying to explain to us how the people in the office building were going to be harmed by the chalk picture I was drawing on the sidewalk that would have said "Hug like there's NO Tomorrow!" if I'd have gotten to finnish it. So we went down a ways and I drew one more quick one.



Photos by Alex & Christina

The Gifts You Give

The Gifts You Give...

I'm not sure what the athiest equivelent of blessed would be. I just seems like I give of myself as best I can and the world gives back.

My co-worker, Richard, gives me an eager, enthusiastic ear whenever I read my books to him. Right now we're half way through my autobiography. I told him I was leaving the job last night. He told me he was going to be depressed if I wasn't there. The all night reading/discussion sessions will be a memorable gift for us both.

My roommate, Jesse, gave me some money toward the rent. That gave me enough to get some food. Sweet.

My fellow Spearit, Kelly, from the Michael Franti and Spearhead website gave me two FREE tickets to go see Michael Franti and Spearhead!! UNREAL!

My homeboy, Jason, from the Mass Ave community center is giving me a ride to the show out there in Rochester in exchange for one of the tickets.

The kids at the basketball court behind the Mass Ave community center are giving me some good competition, in turn, giving me a strong healthy body and much joy.

The rotation of the Earth is giving me Opus again. Can't wait to feel Opus again. Can't wait to see Heather, and the other Heathers, and the other others. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

be Love,
-Alex

Premier Party

First theing that went wrong with our book premier party for Invisible Fire is that the books didn't arrive on time and so we had no copies of the books to sell. :o(

Second thing that went wrong is that I've had almost no time to put into promoting our book premier party.

First thing that went right with our book premier party is that Anna spent all kinds of time these last weeks promoting our book premier party. She's so sincerely authentic! She made up hand written leaflets on Chinese paper and distributed them all over.

Second thing that went right was that Anna and I have made friends that love us and a bunch of them showed up for our reading.

Third thing that went right is that the poetry in our book is so awesome that giving a good reading with the poetry that's there is as easy as falling off a truck.

Which lead to the fourth thing, that we have a lot of pre-orders for when the book comes in on Wednesday.

Yay!

-be Peace,
-Alex

Almost Famous

Yeah. So. I'm not a celebrity or anything. But I find it nice being "kind of" known.

I went on the radio last week to promote my new book that's coming out. And in order to make going on the radio easier, I always manage to convince myself that no one at all is listening. It always genuinely surprises me when someone says "I heard you on the radio." My initial internal reaction is always "But I thought no one was listening."

Then yesterday I went to go help Judy Einach collect petition signatures at the Thursday in the Square free-concert series that happens here in Buffalo. I wasn't doing a very good job of it and suddenly Maria Sebastian, a friend of mine from high school, was taking the stage and playing. I've seen her in concert a few times and she rocks so I stopped and went up front and watched. I went over to the merch table to get a copy of her CD single and while I was there, three adorable little girls ran up to me and asked if I was the guy that did that thing at Ralph Nader.

That was so cool. I am indeed the guy that did the thing at the Ralph Nader thing. And they told me that they thought it was really good. So that was my almost famous moment of the day, and that caught me completely off guard also.

be Peace,
-Alex

Pay me Later

Kinda neat how life just pretty much works out for me. About an hour ago I was figuring out how I was going to turn $2 or $3 into some food. I have to work tonight so I needed to get at least a little bit to eat at work.

The food co-op is one of the nerve centers of the Art Activists community here in Buffalo. Often when I go there I will manage to sell a copy of my book, so since I needed some money for food I was cautiously hopeful that I might sell a book there tonight.

Even better though, I ran into my friend Helene who I'd given a book to on a Pay-me-Later basis. I've been so eager to have the book read that I've got a lot of books out there that way. And it just seems like those people run into me and pay me when I really need it most. It's kinda neat.

And the same thing is happening at a somewhat slower pace with loaned books for people to read. People are starting to return them and talk about how much they've enjoyed the book.

So I really appreciate my community that actually does pay me later and will read a book and give it back.

I'm gonna go eat now.