p.s.  Hey.  It's that time of the month again where I sift through the latest crop of male escorts and present you with my golden triangle.  The rest is up to you.  My head cold is in a holding pattern, no better, no worse.  I'll be soldiering through the p.s. as best I can.  Yeah, that's all there is to tell you in particular today.  **  The bad news boy, Thanks a lot again for yesterday, Rene/Reiko.  It seems people enjoyed it and your music a lot, and I hope it was interesting for you.  It was certainly great for me.  Take care.  **  Dfb, Thanks for posting.  Very astute.  I just spent some time wandering around on your blogs.  (Others, please visit #1 and/or #2.) Great stuff, excellent tips.  How can I read your poetry, etc.?  **  DavidC., Hey, you put the C back on.  I hope I didn't pressure you.  Sorry you were sick (like me), glad you didn't get stabbed, sort of glad we shared that intimate blog moment yesterday.  **  DavidEhrenstein, I thought I remembered there being a big hole in the ground across from the Century Plaza Hotel during one of my visits.  I'm sure it's past the hole phase by now,  Cody's had a picture of Che Guevara on his bedroom wall since he was a wee thing.  I think he's going to help make the future pretty interesting.  **  Jax, Superb that you're so into your novel.  You know that does my heart good.  I understand what you mean about it being accessible/mainstream without your having to skew it that way.  Not that I've ever managed to have that sensation myself.  Sure, of course I'll write a recommendation thing, no problem.  I just did one for Tom Kendall, so I can manage it.  So I should just tell them what a great, deserving writer you are basically?  That's easy.  I should forewarn you that name doesn't always open doors, especially with literary power types, but if you like, I'm more than happy to try to help.  Tell me where to send it and whatever else.  Yowzer!  **  Jeff, Oh, the miracle I was hoping for was that you'd like the job.  And if it's at Target, it might take a miracle.  But I do say, yeah, take the job.  Why not?  You can always quit.  You can always try to hang on there just long enough to get unemployment benefits, worst comes to worst.  Maybe you can get employee discounts on electronics and stuff.  Go for it.  That's my advice.  You pulled back from your thoughts about Poppy's conversion, but I was going to say, Selfish?  If suicide isn't selfish then how in the world can Poppy going Catholic be selfish?  Selfish in regards to what and whom?  That made absolutely so sense to me at all.  But you eased off the issue later, and feel free to ignore.  **  SYpHA_69, Well, you do sound both revved up and quite even keeled about the Warhol book, and that is a very promising sound.  And what you say about it sounds right.  **  Bernard, I remember that McKibben book.  Everybody I knew was reading that at a certain point years ago.  I can't remember if I did.  Is this landscape painting inspired poem new(ish)?  Err, can I see it?  That Bear event thing freaks me out.  I mean it's cool you're doing it and all.  But you're just not a bear to me.  I've known you too long.  I just can't get my head around the bear thing.  Everything about it is too nice.  To me, you're still the ex-dancer, poet, intellectual, and human being you used to be.  Nayland Blake isn't a bear to me either for the same reasons.  Maybe I should do a Bear Day here as a way to work my way through my bear issues.  **  Slatted Light, That's really heavy about the emphysema.  I didn't realize.  Jesus, that's really disturbing, I have to say, although my deep optimistic side imagines you taking sufficiently good care of yourself and science/medicine making a sufficient leap soon enough that you won;t be as hampered and burdened by it as the worst case scenario suggests.  But, yes, you should try to use it as a kick in the ass or head in terms of starting to see yourself with the awe and excitement that we see you because, as I keep telling you, we're right about you.  I made note of those horror works, and I will begin keeping my eye out for them.  Thanks, man.  I know very little about the Tony Comstock films. My sense from people's mentioning them to me is that they're not so very interesting, but my memory is too vague to be sure.  If you see any of them, pass the word along.  **  Shai Hulud, Not intact is next to godliness.  No problem.  Wow, I've joined JW in the pantheon of your poetry's subjects.  I will admit to feeling a little proud.  It's interesting to see it here as a post and then see it on your blog as a poem.  It serves double duty without spilling a drop.  I'm digging your blog.  Its promise is matched only by its present tense.  Oh, I chew my fingernails.  I thought I should give your fair warning.  But somehow I don't imagine that will dislodge you from the end of my finger.  Seriously, though, you're on fire, unlike Stevie Wonder.  **  Don W., Great, great about the new book.  You don't like editing and revising?  That's practically the only part I like.  I'm glad all is well apart from the landlord.  I don't know when 'Ugly Man' is coming out yet.  It's probably going to take the standard year, ugh, so I'd guess early '09?  **  Blendin, I braved  the Paris rain.  I hope I wasn't stupid.  I fought it off with lots of double espressos.  Or tried.  Buzzing mind over freezing matter and all that.    But the Louise Bourgeois retrospective is pretty great.  Really tight and edited down.  It really emphasized how gloriously fucked up she is.  I've been blah on her most recent work, thinking it's just cool she's still at it, but there was a big new piece where she's completely exploring the horrors of her ancient body and imminent death, and it was pretty intense and amazing.  So hopefully the soggy trek was worth it.  Who's your favorite artist of all time.  Or your five favorite artists? Tell me.  **  M. Mcgregor, I love that drawing.  I'm totally honored and thrilled to bits.  Of course it's okay.  Gosh, thank you.  Jarrod's drawings are great, but so are yours.  If he could see them, he'd wax enthusiastic.  I know him.  He would.  **  Scunnard, That eye gleam puts a whole new spin on you.  I'm afraid when I finally meet you, I'm going to worship you.  **  5stringsA, Me, complicated?  It's an illusion.  I'm just a nice guy like you, and the tractor's in my skull, but the axe broke it.  Machine fucking isn't my thing either.  There's that porn site where guys get fucked by a mechanical dildo machine.  I forget what it's called.  I think it's way lame.  I have a big scar on the top of my head.  It's more like a dent, a little valley.  If I shaved my head, little kids would hide behind their mother's skirts.  Well, no, they wouldn't.  I've never seen the scar, but I can feel it with my fingers.   **  Richard Eichmann, Hi, man.  That Easter sounds to have been pretty okay.  Especially the snow part.  Hooray about your wages leading to your Manchester plans.  We're finally going to get to hang out.  Not bad.  Yeah, those graveyards are totally open to the public.  Big tourist places, especially Pere Lachaise.  The Montmartre one less so.  It's really run down and creepy.  **  Joe M., What would be a big advance to you?  I'm trying to figure out if your quest for one is realistic.  I've never gotten one, duh.  I think Dale Peck got six figures for one of his novels.  I think that's the biggest advance anyone I know has gotten for a novel, but then I don't know what, say, Bret Ellis or Pallahniuk or Foster Wallace get for theirs.  Might be hefty in those cases.  **  Ignacio, Hey, man!  It's great to see you.  As I think Bernard said, I did a Harry Mathews Day a while back.  If it was on my old, dead blog, I'll restore it and post it again.  Another coincidence, I was just talking about Harry Mathews to a friend yesterday because my French publisher POL is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, and Harry Mathews is the only other living American writer POL publishes, and I was hoping he'd come to the anniversary event because I've never met him, and my friend is the girlfriend of the head of POL, and she said he's in Key West right now, so I won't get to finally meet him.  Amazing that your novel's close to being finished.  Talk about long awaited.  I'll try to find a copy of the magazine you're in.  You sound really good, and that's GBV to my ears.  **  Steevee, Well, do let me/us know, for sure.  **  A Festering Gesture, Thanks for the link.  Well, if Ballard was diagnosed in 2006, and he's still writing and giving sharp minded interviews, then he's hanging in there, at least.  A close friend of mine played the young Ballard in the film version of his novel 'Empire of the Sun', and my friend has always said what an ace person Ballard is.  Yeah, don't feel guilty for skipping around in the Sade.  He's a great genius, but he's also quite a windbag.  A brilliant windbag, but nonetheless.  **  Dungan, A green burial sounds okay.  In fact, why aren't all burials green burials at this point?  Because of mortuary lobbyists?  Is the human body eco friendly?  **  JW Veldhoen, I talked a bit about the Louise Bourgeois show to Blendin up above.  It's quite an excellent show if you're interested in her work.  It really emphasizes how brave an artist she is, and also how smart she is.  The work looked really tough and punchy and forceful.  I've been on both sides of the multiple submissions issue, as editor and writer.  Yeah, you're not supposed to submit your work to more than one magazine at a time, but life's short.  You risk ill will if two places want the same piece and you then have to pick one of them. That's the risk, and it is a risk.  But life's short, you know, like I said.  That writer question is a tough one.  I'm not totally confident of a good answer to give you on my end.  If I have to choose, I choose view over technique.  **  Winter Rates, I'm listening your show right now.  I think it's curing my cold.  At the moment, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks.  Nice pick.  Lots of nice picks.  Sparks!  Very interesting Public Image choice.  Etc.  I understand there's some Heldon and Kylie Minogue in my immediate future.  Will I survive that daring combo?  Oh, and excellent about the new job treating you so well.  I love that 40 minute walk.  **  Will Decker, Gosh, well, you should totally bring your friend to see 'Jerk' in Houston if it happens.  In fact, I'm hoping to know one way or another this week.  Last I heard, it was looking pretty good.  Take good care.  **  Craig, I'm about the same, health-wise, neither here nor there.  Well, probably slightly more there.  There as in sick.  Or sick-ish.  Sick lite.  But it's always nice if sad to know I'm not alone.  You get vulgar when you start to lose?  Me too.  Doesn't everybody?  Actually, Yury doesn't.  He has very good manners.  I guess in Russia good manners are a must.  He thinks everybody else in the West has bad manners, and I guess we probably do.  You can contribute anything that ever strikes your fancy to the blog, and I would honored.  **  Dynomoose, Oh my God, I want a nacho so bad.  The only place in Paris where you can half-decent nachos is the Hard Rock Cafe.  Is that not pathetic?  Okay, your defense of Poppy's conversion from your position as her friend is a big relief.  I don't know Poppy well enough to grace myself with the title of friend re. her, but as her penpal and fan and comrade, I feel as you do about it.  I was hoping you'd say something.  Belligirence is okay, Dyno.  It's one of the colors in the blog's rainbow.  Well, yuck, but you know what I'm saying.  **  Tomkendall, Have a great time in Berlin.  That's a nice bonus.  I figured Mysterio as champ was like a little reward for all his years of hard work, etc.  I just love watching him zoom around.  **  I think that's the totality.  I think you know what to do with today's post, don't you?  Me, I'm still catching up on my email, and I'll go continue doing that now.  Watch your backs until tomorrow.