There's three
stories to touch upon in this entry, and
I figured why not make it one big title. It's a
lot more fun to read then: Lotsa News! Click
Me!
First and foremost
J-dog is alive. And lemme tell you it was damn close.
All day Sunday I stewed on it. Talked to everyone I
could think of. The majority of the people said it was
time to put him down. It was the only humane thing to
do knowing that any place that could afford him the
freedom to be himself, would most likely lead to him
trying to come back. And lightening doesn't strike
twice. He may not be so lucky this time and get hurt
or killed along the way. I was set to take J-Dog in on
Monday and have him put down.
I was talking to
Marshall late that night and lo and behold an option
appeared. He lives in a complex that is completely
open. No hallways to piss in, just little "bungalows".
As well Marshall's got a tiny deck that is RIGHT on
the pool that no one ever uses. If there was a way we
could make J-Dog consider this area home (food, love,
ME being there from time to time) - it just might
work. If not, well he was gonna die anyway, so taking
chances seemed a pretty safe bet.
So
Monday I found J-Dog all curled up under a
bush takin' nap (goddamn he's cute
sometimes) and I picked him up and threw
him in the truck ready for the cry-fest.
Nothing. He just sat there, watched the
road and looked attentive. He was totally
making notes on how to get back. LOLOL. He
even SAT ON MY SHOULDER
to get a better view. Happy as can be.
Incredible really. This is not the J-Dog I
know in a car for SURE. LOL. It really hit
me how much I'd be crying had he been
acting this way on the way to the vet.
Whew.
We got there, I
dropped him down by the pool (enclosed in 7-8 foot
fencing), and waited. He checked shit out, hissed at
some bushes that smelled pissy I assume (there are
other cats in the area) and basically chilled.
Marshall and I thought we were gonna be all "McGyver"
and build a little ramp for J-Dog to clumb into his
patio for food - but then J jumped the friggin fence
from the pool and that answered that. A helluva jump
really. He ain't just jumpin' to touch something, he
has to jump and make his back FEET hit the top. Not a
problem. He looked around, came back. All looked good.
I came back that night, found him checkin' shit out
way far away - and he came runnin', followed me back
to his place by the pool. Giddy-up. Came back 2 days
later which was the true test and couldn't find
him....so I thought. I called for him around the
neighborhood, then sat and talked to Marshall for a
few minutes - then on my way back out J-Dog had jumped
the fence and was sitting by their back door as if to
say: "Dude, I was here all along". LOL. Bottom Line:
this is now his territory. He knows it, and digs it.
And my heart is completely melted. I love this fuckin'
creature so goddamn much it's scary. His adaptiveness
and adventurous nature has got to be the coolest thing
I've ever seen. For him to be so mellow, and want to
be loved so bad when you're around him throughout all
the SHIT he's been through is just miraculous. Of
course I'm totally jealous that Marshall and Mary get
to see him everyday like I used to - but I think of
him everyday and smile at the amazing life he's
leading. So cool. And now I'm going to get in my car,
drive down there and pet him. LOL. Be back in an
hour...
1:46 PM - ha HA!
Some lady thinks J-Dog is a girl. I must've made fun
of him for 10 minutes on that one. LOL. It's all a
little hush-hush about where J-Dog came from. We just
"don't know" - heh. Just to keep heat off Marshall and
Mary. But this lady saw me pettin' him and asked if I
knew him. I said no (which is more than strange to say
to someone) - and she talks about trying to give "her"
food and he wouldn't eat so obviously he was fed. She
said she'd ask me to take him but he was so nice and
cordial to people that she believed he was already
someone's. I snickered a bit, and then when she left I
kept callin' J-Dog Julie. Hahaha. I'm gonna put his
collar on him so no one gets any ideas like taking him
again. He was sleeping INSIDE an outdoor cabinet that
has gas meters in it when I found him. It's slightly
broken so he made his way in there. That rules. What a
nice shaded place to sleep. God love him.
Now, moving on.
The DVD. Good LOOOOORD the DVD. It's the project that
never ends I tell ya. I am "almost" done with the
cover art...
I say almost
because I've tinkered with it for friggin' weeks now.
It's not the best layout for the back - it's alright,
but not perfect. The front and side are cool. But even
though I've been tinkering with it forever - that's
been the easy part. The DVD itself has just been
tedius as hell. Notice the "Special Features" on the
back. Here's the menu for 'em:
Putting all that
together and authoring the DVD has just been a
nightmare. Seriously, I love all things Video
production, but making DVDs is a friggin bitch. The
consumer programs are so bad right now - it's like
pulling teeth. But as of this moment I am "basically"
done. I'm gonna add a few more pictures and a few
little audio things when you click on a page. 2 of the
most time consuming things to do in this FUGGIN'
PROGRAM, but for all intents and purposes it is done.
If you bought it right now, you'd be happy. All
sorts've cool shit on this DVD. Remember:
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2002
Comfort
Inn Club Room 161 & 71
Actually, what the
hell am I thinking - here's the flyer:
All props to my
father (I just said "All props to my father" - lol)
for securing everything. Dawg's got the TVs lined up
(I just said "Dawg'd got the TVs lined up" about my
dad - HAHAHA) - Anyway, he's kicking much ass. TVs are
ready to go, shelving is ready to go - free food -
it's gonna be one helluva party. Thanks to H.H. Gregg
for the TVs and so far Dante's for the pizza. Trying
to find one other establishment to donate a bit just
for the advertising. I am HELLA-pumped. I know it's
fabricated excitement, but it's excitement
nonetheless. I say fabricated because I basically
decided to BUY my own memories. LOL. It's been a
baaaaaaaaaaaaaad year - so I rent out a room, throw a
party and hope to make the year a little happier.
Funny thing is - it's working. HAHAHAHA. I have a
feeling I'll remember this night for a long time. Just
got off the phone with marty MOOOOOOOOSE - lookin'
forward to havin' him help set-up 4tvs one more time.
How cool is that. Ahh the memories...
And finally, I
will be an extra on the set of the John Wayne Gacy
movie starring "Francis" from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
tonight from Midnight to 6 AM. How odd. Even more
peculiar is that I'm going to be a male prostitute
hangin' out on a street corner. Even more pathetic is
that they need me to wear Jeans and a wife beater -
which is what I wear anyway. LOL. Kerry, a girl that
moved in about 6 months ago was doing a PA gig
and they needed some extras so there ya go. It's
unpaid work but it's something to write home about.
Called up Paddy and he's gonna be a prostitute with me
too. Cool. LOL.
Anyway, I'm in
probably the best mood I've been in since the crash of
early 2002. I am very, very proud of this DVD. I know
there are many of you that are happy just to support
my projects, you'd throw $20 towards me for anything,
and that's why I like to suprise you. I don't put my
name on it unless it oozes hard work. I want you to
see quality in every inch of it, and with this DVD you
most certainly do. That alone gives me reason to be
happy. To take pride in myself and what I stand for.
That's what people don't realize about this whole
LA Journey - you lose that. You lose your
identity, you lose your self worth, you basically lose
faith in everything when you're...well lost.
I still am for sure. But this DVD project
reminds me of what I do value and take pride in, and
that's a job well done. Period. No matter what it is.
That couldn't be more telling then when I filled
in for someone who quit at Boston Market a few weeks
ago. Trying to help out Jess. I was making salads and
filling catering orders. It was the first time I had
done a "real" job since 1999. If you can even call a
production director in radio a real job. LOL. But I
found myself being "the best salad maker" I could
possibly be. My head was buzzin' wtih ways to do it
faster and better, and honing my skills at the task at
hand. I had no problem thinking of nothing but
how to do that job faster, more efficient and better
then ever before. I actually wanted to continue
working, but I can't really work there because we're
married. I completely would though, just to help her
out. I work for a cookie anyway whenever
I help out. But the point is I took pride in it,
and THAT made me feel good.
It's amazing what
happened to me in the past year to strip so much of
who I was. I was shattered into so many pieces. I was
told I was so many things by someone who had only her
best interests in mind, and it's gonna take me a YEAR
to remember who the hell I was before. Whew. This DVD
Release Party in Columbus will mend many holes. I
really hope you all can make it. The room holds a
BUNCH.
