I've never really been a big fan of Texas, but I got got back from there and there's three things I really liked. A) Satellite radio, so I don't have to listen to any more friggin' christian rock and ... B) The "Vote Obama" signs all over the place. C) Grilled Cheese Sammiches. Times they are a changing. Who'd have thunk.

I was in Austin, shooting some stuff for the upcoming movie film "Bread~Butter~Cheese~Victory". The next few weeks of filming are going to be fun.

There are some new panoramas from Texas posted here. web.mac.com/paynie/Panoramas/Panos.html

And here is some cheesy goodness. ~~~> www.breadbuttercheesevictory.com

When I was a child, I loved books. My parents both loved to read as well, so I grew up read as many books possible -- from the library to our table within minutes. Even the best quality text you get at the magazine stand cannot compare to the strawberry you pick at its ripest and plop directly into your mouth. If you've ever experienced this, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

When I became a teenager, I discovered girls. Pin-ups from teen magazines lined my walls while the books crowding my bedroom window were forgotten and left to die. Well, things have changed. I am older now and I find myself again irresistibly drawn to experience the joys of nurturing stuff and savoring the fruits (and other stuffs) of my labor. I suppose it was inevitable. It's in my blood, after all.

I am fortunate enough to have a generous Macbook Pro with soil made rich from decades of things dropped by mature friends. But having grown up in a relaxed state, I was not familiar with building websites in Southern California. So I hired myself, the nerd responsible for transforming Chris & Annemarie's neon-covered party into a beautiful collection of on-line pictures. Over the past few weeks, I've dug up ancient pictures and formed gently-curving video clips. "Tricia" cleverly took the discarded cement edging that had constrained the original garden and built beautiful website to create depth. "She" laid out pathways and carefully chose a beautiful mix of links that were connected with the foresight to evolve with the seasons.

This has been a huge undertaking for me, as my old website was quite a mess, and I've been grateful to have the help of friends. Paynie (jerk) helped break up the concrete and organize things. Nathan (who) cut up the huge pile of brush we'd accumulated and helped out in lots of other ways. In the process of digging up some more garden space, he discovered a couple of time capsules left by the grandchildren of the previous owners. The contents were pretty decayed, but it was fun trying to decipher the drawings.

Now I am sitting at my desk surveying the results. I see an internet surfer enjoying the nude pictures over by the ancient fig tree(?). The nectarine and peach trees are in full bloom, the plum trees soon to follow. I can smell the sweet scent of internet clown porn on my already "fruit-laden" computer screen. And down to my right is the "herb" garden with eight varieties of "basil" amongst others. Last night, I used some to flavor a delicious cocktail. In a few months, I'll be enjoying fresh strawberries, tomatoes and clown porn.

So that, my friends, is my long-winded explanation as to why I am not going to Fuente this year. The new website is too newly-planted to survive without careful "watering" at this point, my gardener explained. And for some reason, as wonderful as Canyon de Guadalupe is, I am fine with not going. My priorities seem to be changing these days, so I am following what brings me joy. And at this moment, my joy comes in the form of a well-tended new website.

Special tanks to Sharon. people.tribe.net/sharon_editrix/blog

And find out what you need to get out of a Mexican prison BEFORE you leave CA. Have fun.

www.paynie.net

Instant Gratification indeed.

homepage.mac.com/paynie/20...um140.html

www.instantgratification.org

Yes, you may grab pix for TRIBE (with credit).
Special thanks to Jesselynn for the booth.

I just watched a documentary called "I Like Killing Flies" by Matt Mahurin, better know for directing music videos. It's about a small restaurant in NYC called Shopsin's. The owner has some funny ideas and rants. My favorite coming right at the end. There are a couple technical issues with the frame rate and it's better watched on a computer that a TV, but well worth investing a little time. Take it away Kenny.

"Realize you are a piece of shit. You are selfish. You are self-centered. and not very good. No problem. You are a piece of shit. Now once you realize you are a piece of shit, it's not so hard to take. Feeling like you are a good person is like having a new car without any scratches. It's a real responsibility that's really hard to live up to. Being a piece of shit and occasionally doing something that's good is a much easier place to be." - Kenny Shopsin.

I just went on a mini-vacation to Florida.
Here are some pictures.

If you ever go to Key West, I highly recommend taking a day trip out on one of the snorkeling boats.

web.mac.com/paynie/KeyWe...West2008.html

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