I took (and passed) the editing class at ACAC (Austin's Cable Access), so I will probably be working on some shows of my own. The DVCam tapes you have to use to submit your shows for airing are really expensive, so I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do exactly. I bought ten one-hour tapes and it was over $175.00

I also plan on entering a few of my films in the Agliff "Make a Gay Movie," contest. As you may remember, I had my short film "Rector" accepted last year. I worked for over six hours with Mark Brauner to digitize, edit and add titles to two short films I made with Tim Norfolkon 8mm video a couple of years ago, "The Name Badge" and "Fifi" and got submitted to Agliff for the "My Gay Movie" local film contest on the last day.

Meanwhile, we've taped a lot of "Lube TV's" lately and we've shown several episodes of "Shaye and Kiki" on them. (I got these from someone at Indiecan pictures). Anyway, we've split up the films, sort of like a serial. They're really weird and the response has been really good. Also, Mark Brauner recently put Episode 100 up at Lubetv.org

The Hollywood Reporter Book of Box Office Hits by Susan Sackett

Hollywood Talks Turkey by Doug McClennan

The Mensa Genius Quiz Book by Marvin Grosswirth and Abbie Sainy

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Snake Pit Anthology II by Benjamin Scott

White Pills by Ben Snake Pit (AKA BenjaminScott White)

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a really good book for teenagers, especially those that seem like outsiders or disenfranchised. I really enjoyed it even though it has a typical and rather drab revelatory ending. I expected much more from the book than what I got. The protagonist is just the most wonderful teenage male character I have ever read. This book, along with Kim Platt's "The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear" and Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" would make very good reading for most teenagers.

I went to "Funny Papers" downstairs at Dobie Mall to pick up the second anthology book of "Snake Pit" and the guy behind the counter also talked me into picking up Ben White's little book "Pills" by telling me it was really sweet and heartbreaking. "Heartbreak for a dollar" was his tag line. I also realized, thanks to creative signs in the place, that the guy behind the counter is a local comic book author named Tim Doyle who does a comic called something like "Adult Alternative Comics" or something like that. Anyway, "Pills" is a nice little comic but nothing heartbreaking or anything. I really like the "Snake Pit" comic though. Ben White is like a younger, punker, straighter version of myself.

Tim also told me that Ben is now in a band called Ultimate Dragons but has jammed with his brothers band, The Early Lions. In the second Anthology, Ben is playing with a band called Children in Service to Satan and seems to be really good friends with the band Those Peabodys. He also used to work at Sound Exchange, which is now closed, I think. Seeing rock shows is a big part of "Snake Pit." (I'm waiting for Ben to go to a Hobble show in the comic. I need to remember to ask Oriah if he knows him.)

David Bowie - Lodger

Lou Reed - Take No Prisoners

Rupert Hine - Immunity

Sandra Bernhard - I'm Still Here Dammit

White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

Be Mine - David Gray

I just got a laptop (a Dell Inspiron 1100 with a 30 meg HD) and loaded up all the MP3's I could find on my regular PC (10 meg) and a whole bunch I had burned to save. Anyway, I've got like 1920 MP3's loaded onto my laptop - 112 hours of music! Wow. I have my player on shuffle. I wonder how many days it will take me to hear everything. (The shuffle feature on Windows Media Player really sucks.)

I finally found a free CD ripper program so I've been ripping a lot of CD's that I have including some CD's I made of old bands I used to be in from audio cassettes.

I also have spent some time burning CD's from old audio cassettes I have, some of them from my college days. I found some old extended mix weird type stuff I did from around '82 and '83. (These were done the old fashioned way - the way you had to do them then, on reel to reel tape with a grease pencil and a razor blade to edit). The best of these were extended mixes of The Judy's "Guyana Punch," (a 7 minute version of a two and a half minute song) which ended with a Hitler speech over the sound effect of a boiling cauldron and a extended mix of an Our Daughter's Wedding song called "Buildings." A hybrid mix of Bowie's "Cat People" (going back and forth between the original soundtrack version and the more rocking "Let's Dance" version was okay but would be better if I did it today. All in all, most of them seemed rushed and sloppy. Still, they were fun to listen to.

I'd I've been searching the net for Bowie covers, Beatles covers and stuff like that. I've also tried to download all the original versions of the songs Bowie covered on "Pin Ups" but I still can't find a couple. It's really funny to hear how they sound (all of them sound fairly similar, a style that Bowie called the Mersey sound) compared to Bowie's far superior, glam-rock send ups.

Shaun Cassidy - Wasp

Jim Grady - Everything Is As It Should Be

Urban Verbs - Urban Verbs

Urban Verbs - Early Damage

Tim Curry - Simplicity

Tim Curry - Read My Lips

Tim Curry - Paradise Garage

Tim Curry - Best of

The Caroler Singers - Frosty the Snowman

Neil Young - Reactor

Hawaiian Pups - Split Second Percision

On "Wasp," produced by Todd Rundgren with Utopia providing much of the keyboard oriented new wave music, Cassidy (in his waning teen idol days circa 1981) covers Bowie's "Rebel Rebel," Talking Heads "The Book I Read," Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," Pete Townsend's "So Sad About Us," The Animals "It's My Life," and more.

The Best of Bowie

X-Men 1.5

Elton John - One Night Only

Finding Nemo

The Italian Job

Head of State

Holes

The In-Laws

The Russian Ark

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

6/3 - Animatrix (Buy the DVD)

6/3 - Die Another Day (Buy the DVD)

6/3 - About Schmidt (Buy the DVD)

6/3 - Blue Collar Comedy Tour (Buy the DVD)

6/3 - My Beautiful Launderette (Buy the DVD)

6/3 - South Park Second Season (Buy the DVD)

6/3 - S.W.A.T. (70's TV) First Season (Buy the DVD)

6/10 - Frida

6/10-Old School

6/10 - The Guru

6/10 - Giant (Buy the DVD)

6/10 - The Right Stuff (Buy the DVD)

6/10 - Brady Bunch Movie/Very Brady Sequel (Buy the DVD)

6/10 - By Brakhage (Buy the DVD)

6/17 - Heaven (Buy the DVD)

6/17 - Just Married (Buy the DVD)

6/17 - Naqoyqatsi (Buy the DVD)

6/17 - Narc

6/17 - Tully

6/17 - Happiness (Signature Series)

6/17 - Songcatcher (Signature Series) (Buy the DVD)

6/24 - Cowboy Bebop

6/24 - Dark Blue (Buy the DVD)

6/24 - The Hours

6/24 - Intacto (Buy the DVD)

6/24 - Kangaroo Jack

6/24 - Lost in La Mancha

6/24 - Punch Drunk Love

6/24 - Popeye (Robin Williams/Robert Altman) (Buy the DVD)

7/1 - Das Experiment

7/1 - Gangs of New York

7/1 - How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days(Buy the DVD)

7/1 - King of the Hill First Season (Buy the DVD)

7/1 - Chaplin Box Set (Gold Rush/Modern Times/Limelight/Great Dictator) (Buy the DVD)

7/1 - Wings of Desire: Special Edition(Buy the DVD)

7/1 - The Tennant (Buy the DVD)

7/8 - Phone Booth

7/15 - Laurel Canyon

7/15 - May

7/15 - Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio

7/15- Shanghai Knights

7/22 - Ararat

7/22 - Final Destination 2 (Buy the DVD)

7/22 - The Life of David Gale

7/22 - Nicholas Nickleby

7/22 - Spun

7/22 - The Pornographers (Imamura) (Buy the DVD)

7/29 - Daredevil

7/29 - The Quiet American

7/29 - Solaris

7/29 - XX/XY

8/5 - Bringing Down the House

8/19 - Chicago

8/19 - Bowling for Columbine

8/26 - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Buy the DVD)

(Dates subject to change)

6/5-6/8 - Let me Die a Woman - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/5 & 6/6 - monty Python films - Paramount

6/6 - Halley - Mercury@Jazz

6/6 - Jean-Luc Ponty - One World Theater

6/6 - The Scabs - Steamboat

6/7 - I Love you but I've Chosen Darkness - Mercury@Jazz

6/7 - USS Friendship - 710 Room

6/8 - Open Screen Night - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/8 - Golden Arm Trio - Antone's

6/10 & 6/11 - Butterfield 8 and Virginia Woolf - Paramount

6/12-6/15 - Friday the 13th 3D - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/12 & 6/14 - Third Man/Citizen Kane - Paramount

6/13&20&29 - Swinging Stag Night - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/13 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - VW Amphitheater - San Antonio

6/13 - Better than Ezra - Stubbs

6/14 - Manatee - Emo's (early)

6/14 - Sons of Hercules - Emo's (later)

6/14 - Third Eye Blind - Lazona Rosa

6/14 - Banned Toons - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/14 - Fastball - Cactus Café

6/14 - Halley - Mercury@Jazz

6/15 - Mondo 16mm - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/15 - Arrested Development - Stubb's

6/16 - Double Indemnity - Paramount

6/19-6/22 - Bottle Rocket - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/21 - Bizarre Japanese Videos - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/21 - Open Screen - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/22 - Drunken Film Festival - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown

6/23 - White Stripes - Stubb's (2 shows)

6/27 - Rev. Horton Heat - Stubb's

6/27 - Agliff My Gay Movie - Arbor?

6/28 - 2001 on the Moon! - Alamo Drafthouse Roadshow

6/28 - Ozzrfest - VW Amphitheater - San Antonio

7/3 - A Clockwork Orange - Paramount

7/4 & 7/5 - Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic (w/ The Dead, Neil Young) - Two River Canyon Amphitheater

7/4 & 7/5 - Scabs - Antone's

7/4 - Explosions in the Sky - Mercury@Jazz

7/8 - Marx Brother Films - Paramount

7/11 - Acoustic Alchemy - One World Theater

7/12 - Al Stewart - Cactus Café

7/12 - American Analog Set - Mercury@Jazz

7/13 - Spy Kids 3 Premiere - Paramount

7/14 - The Lost Weekend - Paramount

7/15 & 7/16 - Blue Velvet/Night of the Hunter - Paramount

7/17 & 7/18 - Caddyshack/Stripes - Paramount

7/19 - Dave Matthews - VW Amphitheater - San Antonio

7/22 & 7/23 - The Deer Hunter - Paramount

7/23 - David Lee Roth - Stubb's

7/24 - Sir Mixalot - Spiro's

7/24 - John Mayer/Counting Crows - VW Amphitheater - San Antonio

7/24 & 7/25 - Taxi Driver/Midnight Cowboy - Paramount

7/26 - Sing A-long "Grease" - Paramount

7/31 - Pong - Emo's

8/4 - David Gray - Backyard

8/9 - Lollapalooza - VW Amphitheater

8/2 & 8/3 - The Way We Were - Paramount

8/5 & 8/6 - Seven Samurai - Paramount

7/14 & 7/15 - Rosemary's Babay - Paramount

7/16 & 7/17 - The Producers (film) - Paramount

7/19 & 7/20 - Lady from Shanghai/Touch of Evil - Paramount

8/21- 8/30 - Agliff

8/24 - Cabaret (film) - Paramount

8/26 - El Cid - Paramount

8/27 & 8/28 - Out of Africa - Paramount

8/29 & 8/30 - Lord Jim - Paramount

8/31 - Gone with the Wind - Paramount

10/2003 - Austin Film Festival

3/12 thru 3/20/2004 - SXSW Film Festival

1. Proctophobia

2. Care Bear Stare

Okay - I only came up with two this month. Sorry.

Why I didn't go to the "Dazed and Confused" 10th Anniversary keg party? Mainly because it was an Austin Film Society function and it was way too expensive. Tickets were 30 bucks but VIP tix were a hundred. Can you imagine what the peons who plopped down 30 bucks got? NADA, I'll bet. They were probably lucky to actually see anyone who was in the actual film. Oh, maybe some damn little flunkie extra or something but anyone who was in the film and has any kind of name recognition these days was probably nowhere to be found. The VIP's probably got to hang out with them for five minutes or something.

Linklater is a fool to continue to let AFS be involved in his events. They're a bunch of fucking Nazis who ruin his name and make fans like me ("Dazed and Confused is my FAVORITE Linklater film!) Stay away from the events. I know Rick isn't in it for the money. He does it because AFS really helped him out in the early days and he's the kind of guy who gives back. But AFS is so snotty and such assholes at Linklater events that I just about refuse to go to them anymore.

As I mentioned last month, my friend Luke died a few weeks back and the funeral was held in Lufkin, so I didn't go. Luke used to work with me at one time and back then we also had two twin girls, April and Sarah, on staff. The twins are pretty big girls but a heck of a lot of fun. Anyway, they moved to California last year and I was somewhat surprised when I heard they were coming back for Luke's funeral, driving all night to get here. After the funeral they came to Austin and stayed for a few days. One night, after work, we all got together and got shit-faced drunk. The twins recently turned 21 and April, usually the more staid of the two, has taken to drinking straight vodka shots. Somehow, in addition to all the regular drinking I was doing, I got into doing this as well. Usually straight alcohol shots (except for Schnapps) make me puke my guts out but I guess my alcohol tolerance has improved over the years. Regardless, the straight shots of vodka were just horrible. I wouldn't have done it if it weren't such a special occasion.

The party started at another friend's house but when her roommates started bitching about the noise, we went to my place, after all my roomies are about the best you can ask for. The Oblong Boys (AKA the Lube TV Arkestra) came over one night and jammed and were loud as hell. Patrick was screaming vocals like a banshee and my roomies never even flinched.

After drinking all night, everyone was pretty much passed out accept for me and the twins. We decided to let everybody else; all of them pretty much had to work the next day; sleep a bit and went to Taco Cabana in my car at about 5:30am.

When we get to the drive thru speaker, April is leaning over me ordering as we're still drunk as hell, and my car's electronics just start freaking out and then it dies and won't even start again. It doesn't even click when you turn the key, let alone try to start. I start freaking out, of course, but the twins are so drunk, they just keep ordering and laughing and stuff. It was horrible.

We finally push the car around out of the drive thru and April goes tot he window to get the food. I'm still paniced trying to decide what to do, so I try to start the car again and it fires right up. I decide to park, because in the panic I haven't ordered any food, and go inside and eat. The twins get a table and I order some food and we chow down. While we're eating, the twins and I are eyeing this somewhat cute guy who works there and he finally comes over and says, to me, "Are you on TV?"

We go back to the car after eating and it starts but there are no lights or anything, so I assume it's the alternator, which it turned out to be. The next day I went to Auto Zone to have then check the battery and it's a nightmare getting over there. (I'm hung over and tired). I realize it's voting day for the mayoral election and that I'm not going to be able to vote because I've got to deal with my car, which pisses me off. (It wouldn't have mattered, Will Wynn won by a landslide. I think Iprobably would have voted for Mark Katz).

The guys at Auto Zone, who usually do everything for you, tell me there isn't enough charge to check my battery, so I'll have to take it out so they can charge it and check it. Thus begins a three hour ordeal, the majority of which is gay-ass old me trying to be a man and get my battery out of my car. It's a huge hassle as there are braces and air filters and all kinds of electronics in the way and I am using the cardboard box full of random and useless tools that they have loaned me. This became a test of masculinity for me and I busted my ass getting the battery out. It was a nightmare. I had huge scratches all over my arms and bloody fingers and everything. It was horrible - but I fucking got the battery out! Fucking Auto Zone assholes. They did charge it and check it and I bought a new alternator because I called a friend of mine who told me it was real easy to change and if I brought the part out to his place the next morning, he had tools and would help me put it on. He did and it took about 20 minutes, far less time than it took to take out the battery. (I know how to do it now, though, and with the right tools I could do it in 5 minutes.

That night I had no car but that didn't keep me from going out and having a blast. Amanda and I started the night by going to Melissa and Robert apartment for "poker night." Melissa has started to have these since Russ and Loren don't really have them any more. (I've really started to like Robert a lot more. He's a real nice guy and not the jealous type, which is cool. I guess he just takes a little while to get to know).

Robert's little brother, Alex, who is 13 or 14 or so, is at poker night as is Melissa's old friend Artie (whom I don't care for, really), Russ (who shaved and looks really cute again), and Loren. Alex was so cute and I was flirting with him like crazy and making goofy gay jokes as is my wont. He showed us this hilarious DVD of animated shorts called "Happy Tree Family" that had me laughing my ass off. Then Melissa showed us the DVD she got at the Alamo thing we went to last month. This was old anti-drug films that they showed to kids in school in the 60's and 70's. The one she showed us was about this girl who takes LSD and goes and orders a hot dog and it starts talking to her and stuff. It was hilarious. It was made of up still frame shots with groovy visual effects overlapped on them (like the old liquid gels from the hippies days). It was insane. I wish we could show DVD's on Lube TV. I'm working on figuring out a way to make that happen.

Anyway, after an hour or so at Melissa's, we go to Taos Coop, where Amanda used to live with Khahn to hook up with my friend Phatt Matt, who lives there still. We meet Khahn there and head to Matt's room. It's full of pretentious fucks drinking and smoking cigars and stuff, but we gab a beer and join the party.

The plan is to go to a party somewhere else because the band Ass and Money, which is made up mainly of Matt's friends from Taos, are playing. It turns out this party is at the 21st Street Coop and we're going to walk. After 45 minutes or so, we start to head down the street. Amanda and Khahn take a care but Phatt, me and some of his friends (including his GF Merry Death) hoof it. As we're walking, Johnny Oh! calls me. I forgot that I had invited him. I try to give him directions as best as I can and he starts walking from Taos too.

The 21st Street Coop is totally cool. The buildings are neat little treehouse looking apartments with huge panes of glass for walls and tress everywhere. Amanda and Khahn call it "Ewok Village" and this is an apt description. Matt and Merry Death and his friends all disperse as we wait for Johnny Oh! to catch up. There are tons of people in the place and it's a full blown party. Matt and Amanda have both told me that 21st Street Coop parties are too wild (and I thought Taos was a party place!) And that the cops may come bust up the party befor ehte band even gets to play.

Johnny eventually arrives and we go looking for Matt. I can't get him on his cell (the noise in the place is deafening), so we deicide to just walk around and look for him. Eventually we see a band playing in some room, so we go in there. We don't see Matt and the line around the keg is humongus, so we just settle and listen tot he band for a while. We notice an old homeless man sleeping in a chair right next to the stage and the bombastic sounds eminating from the speakers right next to his head do not seem to bother him at all. This is one of the craziest parties I've ever been to.

After a bit, the band takes a break. I call Matt and he comes tot he room. He tries to get a beer but finds out that they're out of cups. He tells me Merry Death was feeling ill, so someone took her back to Taos. (I was really pissed about the beer. I would have gladly brought some alcohol for all of us if anyone would have suggested it. I just didn't think I needed to. And we all assumed the party was going to get busted, so I figured if I went to buy some, by the time I got back the party would be over. Plus it was pretty close to midnight anyway).

The band finally starts playing again and I realize it's the Free Range Bastards, who I just saw with Hobble a few weeks ago. They were okay but sounded like a bad 70's rock band imitation (like Honky) as they did a Dead Boys cover band (which would rock). They did a song called something like "God, Drugs and Cunt," apparently thneir magnum opus, which is a perfect example of this problem.

I thought Ass & Money would play next but some horrid little band called General Disaray got up instead. They were boring as fuck even though their lead singer used all kinds of crazy vocal effects. They just weren't very fun. And the fact that there was now no beer made it even worse. At least there was lots of eye candy for me and Johnny. The place was loaded with cute young guys.

At 2 oclock, we were done, even though I still didn't get to see Ass and Money yet again. I just couldn't take the music and party atmosphere with no buzz any longer. Khanh had already left and Johnny, Amanda and I made our way back to Taos. We decided to go next door to Kerby Lane and grab a bite before heading home. The place was packed but we didn't have to wait to long to get a table and there were lots of cute guys there too.

My roommate Mike had some Axe Body Spray sitting out in the bathroom and, being in an adventerous mood and inspired by their creative ads, I decided to try it. It didn't smell very good to me. Now I know why they call it Axe - If you were it in public people constantly Axe you, "did somebody spill a bottle of Listerine?"

Johnny Oh!, Mark Brauner, and I recently went to see Lee Eddy's one (wo)man show at the Hyde Park Theater a few weeks ago. I have only seen Eddy in Courtney Davis' short film "The Interview," which is hilarious. Mark worked with her on a comedy troupe project called "the Hyper Jackson Chamber" a few times and knows her a little better.

Mark was supposed to meet me at my place and was late as usual, so Johnny beat us there and got the tickets. In the end, the place seemed sold out but we were early enough to get good seats. The tickets were only eight bucks or so, so that was a pretty good deal. While we were standing outside waiting to get in, we noticed a flyer for a piece called "Toilet Works" with Andy and Leon, the "Delirium" guys, and Brendan Walsh, whom Mark calls "the Second Funniest Man in Austin, since he apparently came in second in that contest this year. Inside, there were a few cute guys poking around an d a real simple stage. I noticed this female stand-up comedian that I've seen a few times at events Brandon Howe has organized but couldn't remember her name so I didn't say hi. She does a bit about getting medical advice on-line that was funny but I can't remember much about it now. Brendan Walsh sat down in front of us (He was also in "Hyper Jackson Chamber) and Mark introduced me to him.

Eventually, Eddy comes on stage in a T-shirt that says "Tis Herself" and introduces the show. She's so boyish that I find her attractive. She tells us that the piece we are about to see, "The Ladee Leroy" (pronounced Lady) has two parts, Menu A about her day job and Menu B about her love life. She told us that in week one she did Menu A and in week two she did Menu B and since this is week three, we get to vote. Menu B won by a landslide.

Lee takes a short break and soon the lights dim and she is back onstage and begins a dialogue where she plays the narrator, herself and a Britsh guy. This is Lipman, who becomes her beau and appears in many of the monologues that follow. Eddy does a wonderful joke where, playing both parts she say:

Lipman: (in bad British accent) I'm Australian you know Ladee Leroy: I thought you were British Lipman: (with accent) I have a British mother and an Australian father... Ladee Leroy: That explains the muddled accent

Hahahahahaha - That's fucking funny.

"The Ladee Leroy" has projected film piece to introduce each segment (which only serve to allow her breath between pieces) which are announced by a unseen narrator off stage behind her. In anohter piece, he is seen in shadow behind a sheet at the rear of the stage and in another he actually appears on stage with her as a dancer.

There seemed to be a few segments that may have been in both shows including two sequences in which she pays tribute to food products (Thundercloud Subs and The Whopper) and a monologue about looking for a new apartment and how her old apartment knows that she's cheating on it. The sequences about her relationship with Lipman, including her jealosy of some guppies, an interesting argument they have, and how special he makes her feel at breakfast one morning, are delightful, warm, honesty and funny. Eddy has a gigantic assuredness on stage and delivered this one-person show with numerous characters and tons of stories with aplomb.

This is a real show with real characters, not just Eddy doing stand-up in a theater setting. The ideas presented are compelling, interesting and unique. The relationship she describes is often quirky and absurd and tinged with a brutal honesty but it's also just as likely to be loving, sweet and tender. Eddy always deals with ideas that evokes laughter and humor first but she isn't affriad to be honest, poignant or even sappy. This is a well rounded presentation and one that proves Eddy is more than just a stand-up comic. Her work here is nothing short of phenomenal.

After the show, we hung out near the front of the theater and eventually got to meet Eddy. Even though she called me Roger (I ususally don't correct people when they do this), I found her to be sweet, polite, charming and real. There's no ego here. She's just adorable and I am now officially a huge fan!

After saying our goodbyes, the three of us headed to Kerby Lane on the Drag again. I was in a loud and goofy mood and enjoyed getting sidelong glances from the stodgy folks next to us. We had a waiter with a shaved head who was as gay as I am but, when he took forever getting us our check, told us that his ex-gf was calling and harassing his manager. Right. In the parking lot, some goofy college girls we're running around and exercising and stuff. They were really stupid but not bothersome. I guess I pissed them off though. I said something to John when they were running around about "That's why they are skinny and I'm not" or whatever and as they drove off, after acting like complete dumbasses, one of them yelled "Bye asshole" out the window at me. Right. I'm the asshole.

The first day we got to go to Schlitterbahn on South Padre Island for free which was really cool. My roomie Mike's mom knows a guy whose running the place and she got us in fro free and we even had some pizza for lunch and it didn't cost us a cent. It was great. I found the swim-up bar and preceeded to spend the entire day there. First off, the water in the swim-up bar is warm. Not hot and definitely not cold. Just a nice piss warm which, coupled with alcohol, makes you feel really good inside. We had a few drinks and when Mike and Amanda went off to swim, I asked the bartender what his specialty was. He told me Long Island Ice Teas and, yes, he could make them where they really tasted like iced tea. I got drunk as fuck. Everytime I thought he was going to cut me off, he'd ask me if I wanted another. They had to practically pour me out of the pool. I don't really remember too much about the evening or the ride home. I know we shopped at a couple of local gift shops but that's about all I remember.

The next day was Amanda's graduation party (she graduated UT with a degree in Mexican-American Studies) and Mike and I spent a little time in some downtown area shopping. I got a Spy Kids 2 lunchbox and a couple of shirt which I'm pretty sure are Mexican knock-offs.

We went to help Aanda and her parents set up the hall the rented for Amanda's party and Mike bitched all day about how Amanda had to set up her own party. Amanda was in a shitty mood all day because she had to spend time with her annoying parents. It was not fun.

The next day, our last day in the valley, I wanted to go over to Mexico for a bit, just to say I had gone but we had a flat tire and instead spent all afternoon at Sam's waiting for this fat, lazy asshole to fix it. It was a nightmare. To make it worse, Mike bitched all the way through it.

The trip to the valley in a car is only six hours from Austin but it is six of the most achingly dull hours you will ever spend. There is nothing - NOTHING - between San Antonio and they valley but trees, tress and more trees. It's sheer boredom all the way.

I love Mike and Amanda but I'll never take that trip again without a bottle of aspirin, a bottle of Tequilla and a young man sitting on my lap!

It's fucking June 2003 already - Jesus!

Lodger 2003

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