I'm not saying he stole my idea, but...

a national road trip to support and promote an independent alternative? This seems eerily familiar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrIqVGL0g4

https://www.votenader.org/forms/action/

_Juno_ wins big at 2008 Spirit Awards

I enjoyed watching this evening’s Spirit Awards, if for no other reason because it filled up my queue, and by queue I mean, of course, my handwritten list that I will take with me to my local independent movie rental store. Ellen Page (Juno) won best female lead, and Juno took best feature. Philip Seymour Hoffman won the best male lead for The Savages. He represented my people (full-figured men) well, with something white—a T-shirt? Underwear?—drooping out of his pants.

Congratulations to the winners and all others who keep the proud tradition of nonconformity alive.

Leg One of Proposed Route

Okay gang,

Despite the many actual responsibilities that occupy my "to do" list, I'm finding it necessary to chart out a course for this summer's trip. You can see the graphic above thanks to mapquest.

This is always how I begin to imagine road trips, from above, an animated line making steady progress across the continent. The next step is to begin formulating a montage of hijinx and misadventures, meaningful exchanges, nights of debauchery, romantic trists, narrow getaways, all aboard a steadily deteriorating vehicle. You say cliche; I say the summer of a lifetime. Who's in?

Book News

Good day today! I received, from Ohio State University Press, the uncorrected proofs of my book: one hundred seventy-nine pages of my own words. Is that all, though? The better part of a decade's work so easily contained? No matter. My favorite part is the copyright page. Jahna, Ric 1971- ... a living contemporary author. I have an ISBN, something also that looks suspiciously like a Library of Congress call number. No part of the text may be reproduced without expressed written permission. Further, the paper used "meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences." I was not aware of any such standard, but I find myself supportive of it, satisfied that some organized entity oversees these matters.

In other news, the social life even seems to be taking off. Today I had lunch with my supervisor. Chinese. He had shrimp in lobster sauce. Me: chicken and almonds.

And of course, there is other news

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/?gclid=CIOI7PGP0pECFQkegwodrCusZw

Pop-Culture Note

Last week NBC replayed a Law & Order episode titled "Bottomless." It features a multinational corporation called SavingsMart, a corporation that values moral practices less than the financial bottom line. This fictional company is not above violating employee rights, bullying wholesalers, engaging in cover-ups, and endangering consumers--all in order to maintain low, low prices. What will these crazy writers come up with next?

This is a funny quotation.

I heard this on IFC. It's from Laura Dern at last year's Spirit Awards:

"Thank you for continuing the tradition of non-conformity!"

It's going to happen

It has been a long time coming. Many, many times I wondered if the day would come. But it appears that The Ohio State University Press will be publishing my book, officially titled True Kin.

I'm practically goofy with excitement about this summer's trip. For many years I wanted to take a cross country journey, that legendary rite of passage so important to any American artist worth his or her salt. That I'll also be able to promote my book and independent booksellers along the way makes it even sweeter.

Look forward to seeing you out there!