For the record: Bush Jr is president of America. he seems very funny to most of us. except the people who live in the middle states. but in fairness, not much funnier than Clinton seemed. He has allegedly lied, cheated, swindled, and manipulated more than anyone in recent history but no one seems to notice. (Although I confess I am not old enough yet to appropriately use the term ‘recent history’, but still, I'm not an idiot. I take that back. I very well could be, but at least I don't look like one. not yet anyway. this guy was just out for no good since the day he stepped in office.) A reclusive and reticent man named John Kerry is a Massachusetts golden boy hopeful fighting to save the great empire; or at least baby sit for a while until someone better comes along. He changes his mind a lot and vacillates on the issues. Everyone is noticing. He doesn’t seem that cool and everyone is noticing. When America has to make a choice between the quiet vacillating philosopher war-hero, and the saccharin-flavored fork-tongued snake who puppets for the dark forces, the entire world will be watching. Our economy is tanking and no one seems to notice. The great sleeping giant China has finally woken up and is using up the world’s resources faster than global industry can keep up. Commodity markets are going crazy. Gas prices are higher than they’ve been in our young lifetimes, and yet TV is still advertising SUVs every five minutes. The suburbs are still full of them. Most people don't seem to notice much. As China wakes up, America has fallen into a deep slumber. The last gasp before an empire passes on is a giant wave of illogical borrowing and spending. Like the final desperate kicking and screaming of a beast just before it is about to be slaughtered. Black music has taken over mainstream American culture and rock and roll is struggling to fit somewhere in between, becoming more of a novelty. There is someone called Courtney Love who seems very close to killing herself or someone else. Another named David Blaine has found a way to levitate, or just appear that he is. Little Michael Jackson has turned out weirder than anyone could have possibly imagined. Real estate prices are through the roof. The average sale price for a flat in Manhattan is $999,000. Interest rates at an all time low. Israel and Palestine are still fighting. North Korea is building up a nuclear arsenal. South America is starting to walk. Europe has finally united and although no one believed it could happen their currency the euro has surpassed the American dollar in value by about 25% in four short years. Gay is becoming very hip and mainstream. Reality TV is very popular. Terrorism is the word most often heard in the streets and around the water cooler. A new ‘sort of’ planet was discovered in our solar system. Black holes are no longer theory. Brain implants and neural-prosthetics, once the stuff of science fiction, are becoming a reality so paraplegics can do things by just thinking about them. Cell phones are replacing home phones. Voicemail has replaced answering machines. Email is replacing greeting cards, letters, newspapers, newsletters, etc. the Internet is replacing everything else. Advertising is replacing real information. Corporations are replacing governments. There may not be a chicken in every pot, but there certainly is a computer in every home. Usually two. The band is about to tour Europe. I have become obsessed with studying politics, world affairs, and economics in place of music, art, religion, and philosophy. Whereas the latter subjects, which were the obsessions of my youth, inspired and fascinated me, the current ones confuse me and leave me feeling a bit apprehensive. Take this excerpt from one of yesterday’s financial news column’s:

[THE FOREIGN TRADE DEFICIT. The U.S. is currently
importing about $500 billion more than it exports every
year. That's been going on for many years, so there are
trillions of U.S. dollars now held outside of the U.S.
Since U.S. dollars are only "legal tender" within the U.S.,
whether foreigners continue holding them depends on whether
they have confidence in the dollar. Confidence can vanish
like a pile of feathers during a hurricane. I would suggest
that they're becoming increasingly aware that the dollar
is, in fact, an "IOU Nothing" on the part of the U.S. Government, which is itself bankrupt.]

O.k. so there it is. a small sampling... even though on the TV here in America they try to act like everything is o.k., most experts are saying that its not. So... go figure. Same old story.

I am still male, white, straight, unmarried, and have no children. Trying to make my way in the world as best as I can. Releasing Girls, and Veronica, as our next singles. About to release the Nothing is cohesive album. The music and the art design is the best we've ever done to date. I am on a high with my music. Just totally fucking peaking. Can do no wrong; but thoroughly and entirely bored with the rest of my life. my current identity settings are set to Fishy. But he is dead to me now. When I return I will be Tobias Guess. The Cosmos is Great and Large, Darnright.    

Last screening: Concert for George Harrison. You know, its very nice to see all the boys up there singing George’s songs. Kind of comes off like if all your uncles and parents and grandparents singing their favorite songs at a family barbeque. the ravi shankar Indian music section is AWESOME. But seeing all the guys together in one room is really groovy. I think it is one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Its just a fucking spectacular moment in time. by the time Paul hits the stage its just majestic. A music feast. And George’s songs. Wow. George’s songs. Makes you cry.