The Daily Rick

My girl has fallen ill, probably a result of taking care of a bunch of 3 year old petrie dishes. She came home a little lushy after having a drink with her dad, so I couldn't really tell how sick she actually was and is. She's sleeping it off now. Pulp Fiction is playing silently in the background, with the occasional sound of gunfire breaking the quiet. My stomach's doing tornado spins. Stupid smoothie. We haven't had dinner yet and I have no idea if we'll be dining at all tonight. Not unless you call a twist of Sweet Tarts dinner. I hope she feels better in the morning.

And I hope I don't get sick either, although I've already had my tongue in her mouth tonight. Fuck it. It's not like I'm gonna miss work or anything. The love's worth it.

Hm...I'm hungry. Might as well throw some tacos or something into the blender in my gut.

I stopped to get a smoothie today and saw something in the parking lot that screamed "Los Angeles". There were two groups of what looked like 16 year olds in two separate vehicles: one in a Mercedez SUV and the other in a Range Rover. Naturally, they all looked like they just rolled out of bed but in that Calvin Klein magazine ad sort of way, complete with 70s glasses and "Jesus, you're still wearing those?" sideways trucker hats. Not a care in the world existed inside these vehicles. It made me mad, but mostly it made my inner 16 year old jealous. That dude had to take 2 buses to visit his girlfriend. Not fun. Granted, everything I have I worked hard for and I'm not driving my mom's car like these kids probably are and I probably won't develop a debilitating heroin habit that started during a kegger over in Hilary Duff's basement during a make-out session with some 8th graders. Sometimes, though....I wonder how I might have turned out if I lived the good life like these kids do now.

Well...at least I don't have to listen to Good Charlotte.

Finally, Friday. I was supposed to work today but the folks who called me in a tizzy yesterday called back in a calm to say "nevermind". Either the job isn't happening or one of their much cheaper in-house artists freed up. Bah! They did put me on hold for a couple weeks in February. It's a night gig so I consider this a test of how my girl and I will hold up away from each other. Working at night means I'll probably see her a total of 10 minutes a day. But I let 'em know I can't work on our anniversary. I'm not that stupid. But hey...they may go ahead and cancel. I wouldn't mind so much. But I would like to continue living in this apartment.

So, yeah...Friday. I have to figure out how to look like Hulk Hogan circa 1985 by tomorrow afternoon. Don't ask. There's a kid in Donnie Darko dressed like that. I'll take my cues from him.

I feel rested today despite having only slept about 4 hours. I may go get some coffee and draw a little. I hope it's a nice day.

Man...what a crappy dream I just had. I think it's punishment for eating sub-par sushi. And so tiny bits of salmon and halibut made their way into my brain and turned on my crappy dream sensors. I should've just watched Uptown Girls.

Two months and going strong. Tonight, we shall dine on Italian cuisine and have great coffee. I remember this place having great coffee. It'll erase the memory of the horrible coffee we got at The Grove. I have to remember that just because "Beverly Hills" is in the name of something doesn't mean it'll be good.

Two months and I'm sick with love.

I miss my family...

You know, some parts of last night's Slick Rick show...I felt like I was 10 again. And 15 again. When he pulled out all that trunk gold jewelry he used to wear back in the day, I lost my mind. What a great show. Too short, too late, and too many sawed-off, half-baked opening acts, but I still had a blast. Coolest part: the dj opened the show with opening lines from classic Slick Rick songs sung by other prominent rappers. That was great. A brilliant way to open the proceedings with a master of the artform.

I had a great night with my girl, even though she didn't join me for the show. I felt her missing from my side most of the night. I think that's a beautiful thing.

"That's why God made
Bill Munroe, bondage, beer, and you.
Listen to the bluegrass, lay on the carpet and screw.
That's why God made you."
-from the Cousin Lovers song.

The other day on the freeway I saw a fella driving an Aston Martin Vanquish. It's one of those cars you only see in the movies and maybe doesn't even exist. Then there he is: Michael Knight driving K.I.T.T. Not that my car sucks, but my car doesn't have even an outside chance of having a rear-grill missile launcher.

Then yesterday I was behind a Toyota or a Honda or some other rice burner with a license plate frame that said somethin' like "I'm a spoiled princess." or some other adorable phrase cute Armenian girls have on their lincense plates. I looked in the driver's seat. Some bald guy with a trucker hat.

Somehow that put the whole driving experience in perspective.

I made some incredibly minor adjustments to the ol' website today. So minor, in fact, that I'm not even sure why I'm telling you (whomever you are).

Upcoming shows:

Slick Rick at the Key Club.
Elvis Costello at Royce Hall.
Damien Rice at the Wiltern.

How's that for diverse? I'm excited about all these shows, but I'm pretty goddamn giddy about Slick Rick. I've been listening to his stuff since the 4th grade. (That's 20 years, for those keeping score.) I still remember rapping along to Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh's Lodi Dodi with my friends watching way back when, I think during class even. Hell, not two months ago a friend and I did a drunken Lodi Dodi at a party, with my then not-yet girlfriend watching. (I'd like to think it's the performance that brought us together, but I don't want that to be the story I tell our maybe-future grandkids.) I'm gonna have to brush up on my Slick Rick library before next Wednesday. I wanna be in complete rappin'-along readiness.

Damien Rice is for my girl, although I've grown fond of his stuff as well. Part of that stretches back to when we first started dating. She put the cd on loop in her room and we listened to it all night. Literally, all night. So it stuck, beautifully. I'm looking forward to it. I wanna watch her pretty little face as she whispers along to his lyrics.

Ah...and then there's Elvis. Although his new album North has grown on me nicely, I'm hoping the Elvis Costello/Steve Nieve duo ventures back into EC's vast library...and often.

Go listen to:

Elvis Costello - This Year's Model, Imperial Bedroom, Mighty Like A Rose, When I Was Cruel.
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.
Damien Rice - O.

Goddammit. Sucked into another stupid-ass survey thing. What can I say...I'm bored. From a Friendster bulletin board message:

LAST LONG CAR RIDE: Probably Vegas, but driving back from Venice yesterday felt like fucking forever.

LAST GOOD CRY: Probably during "Big Fish".

LAST MOVIE SEEN: "Monster".

LAST LIBRARY BOOK(S) CHECKED OUT: I haven't checked out a library book since high school. But I buy a lot of books.

LAST PHONE CALL MADE: Linds.

RECEIVED: Linds.

LAST TV SHOW WATCHED: Hm. Probably Soviet UFO Secrets Revealed on the History Channel. UFOs rule.

LAST TIME SHOWERED: Yesterday morning.

LAST SHOES WORN: My worn-out but comfy tennis shoes.

LAST CD PLAYED: Elvis Costello's Mighty Like A Rose.

LAST ITEM BOUGHT: Hm...a sandwich, I guess. From Salerno's. I have a feeling it made me sick.

LAST ANNOYANCE: Fucking migraine I suffered through all night.

LAST CRUSH: I don't remember.

LAST KISS: I kiss my girl a lot.

LAST COUNT OF HOW MANY OF YOUR FRIENDSTERS
YOU'VE KISSED: A few of 'em...I don't remember. I'm a whore.

LAST ICE CREAM EATEN: Haagen Daaz Vanilla with Chocolate bits or something.

LAST SODA DRANK: Mug Root Beer.

LAST WEBSITE VISITED: This one, dopes.

LAST REGRET: I have no regrets.

Tired beyond reckoning.
Weary beyond words.
The night is beckoning.
Vision stands blurred.
I await her here reclined,
Awash in warm water.
I am more than inclined
Toward this goddess, love's daughter.
She clangs as she finishes
Lights flicker and fade.
My need slowly diminishes
Under night's blue shade.