Midnight Thunder And Cold, Wet, Skin

Strange thing for this time of the year in Tulsa....Rain. When I got off the bus from San Francisco rain was the last thing I thought I'd run into but there it was, soft, grey, and cold as beautiful skin from the sky. Kinda nice. It helps ease the ridiculous heat. Cleans the stifled air. All things good that came out of Oklahoma have one thing in common...They left. I'll be doing that, too on the 5th.

I'll spend about two weeks in Florida visiting the old folks then it's off to the whirlwind tour of the Orient. I'll return just in time to put on a Halloween costume.

What fucking beauty.

Robot From Future Realy Clerk At Liqour Store

Something straight from the talkies happened to me yesterday a coupla hours before I was to participate in a poetry reading to be held at the hostel in which I am currently staying. I went to the Chinese liquor store on the corner for some limes and a bottle of Sir Henry when the old Chinese buzzard behind the counter asked me where I'm gonna drink the stuff.

"At the hostel.", I replied. "Hostel?", asked he, "Hmmm. High class! Where you from?"
"Tulsa, Oklahoma. I rode my bicycle here from there."
"AAhh...Like a pilgrimage?"
"Sorta."
"Destination?"
"None."
"You must go two blocks up to Grant to the monastery. THAT is your destination."
With that he hands me this big-ass hard-bound book entitled "In Memory of the First Anniversary of the Nirvana of VENERABLE MASTER HSUAN HUA and the Twentieth Anniversary of the CITY OF TEN THOUSAND BUDDHAS".

Pretty nice book. Lotsa pictures. Beautiful poetry. I even read some of it at the event.

I'm pretty much over it now. No callings found today.

I guess I will have to go to the monastery tomorrow to give them their book back.

Maybe they'll give me caligraphy lessons when I get back from Asia. Maybe the liqour store was never there. Maybe Florida works like a couch, only bigger and less soft. Sure, I can ponder the big stuff 'till my stool petrifies in my guts. Why bother?
I guess the Buddhists are hurtin' for members these days.

Wind Tickles The Lantern Ghost

As you can see, if you're looking, I've changed the name of this rag once again. I did so because I'm ditching the bike and all its periphials and have taken to wandering on foot. Being so close to Asian ways here in China Town as well as being a hop-skip-jump from Japan Town, has got me going in those mental directions. I even bought another pair of geta ( like my old ones that I made myself a little better).

The new title includes "Miyamoto" because I realy like M. Musashi not just because he was with it concerning the art, but because he was such a slob about it. I totaly identify. "Okie" because I'm from, of course, Mars.

That's the way, bitches.

I've changed my itenerary just a bit...

I'm gonna tie up a package containing Thailand, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, and Japan. It's actualy cheaper to do that than going to Japan and Australia only. This is after a trip to Florida to visit Gramma and a trip to Tulsa to visit and party a bit. Then it's off once again to mow the BBY (big back yard).

I feel sorry for you all...