Posthuman Blues

Sorry for not posting yesterday. Did I miss anything? Did the Singularity happen without me? Instead of logging on, I visited Kansas City's engagingly necrotic old-time industrial district to scout for costume ideas with Elizabeth. Then it was off to Lawrence, Kansas, former home of the late William S. Burroughs and current home of the enigmatic Mr. Jason Sheets. Despite its being a scant half-hour away, I hadn't been to Lawrence since 1996, when I saw Allen Ginsberg, Kathy Acker, Richard Hell, and -- to the audience's notable surprise -- the Great Man himself, decked out in a fedora and wielding a cane the way a inquisitive insect might flex an antenna.

I ate seafood enchiladas and watched college students massing the sidewalks. After some window-shopping, I zeroed in on a neat used-book store called "The Dusty Bookshelf," where I found a couple science fiction treasures packaged in plastic envelopes. (I had no idea Kobo Abe had penned a climate disaster novel.)

This evening I visited my aunt from Chicago, who's in town for the week. My family used to drive to Illinois every summer to spend a few days lounging by her pool; ever since, public pools haven't seemed nearly as inviting.

I'm having a persistent problem with a molar, which was doing swell until my dentist decided to drill for a shallow cavity. I've got a prescription for pain medication that's doing very little, so I'm basically snacking on ibuprofin and avoiding cold drinks in the hope that I can sleep. The whole right side of my face feels on the verge of splitting open; I have half a mind to yank the goddamned thing myself.

There's some sort of high-budget private party/charity event taking place down the street: big screens flashing corporate logos, darting spotlights and pain-in-the-ass valet parking attendants, one of whom accosted my car as I attempted to enter my parking garage, apparently deeming my Chrysler unfit.

Now playing:

1.) Blue Wonder Power Milk (Hooverphonic)
2.) Us (Peter Gabriel)
3.) The Cure (The Cure)
4.) Roseland NYC Live (Portishead)
5.) Little Wonder (David Bowie)