CURRENTLY
as reported at Kennedy Arpt., NY.

Fair
Temp: 15°F
Wind Chill: -17°F
Wind: From the West at 21 mph gusting to 26 mph
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Back in Chi-town, I used to regard the overall winter in the Northeast as sorta wimpy compared to that encountered in the midwest.

Once I saw a picture of a NY woman struggling against snow drifts with the low temp as minus 3 that day.

I laughed bitterly as painful feeling came back in my frostbitten fingers, having had to deal with minus 35 degree temps and ungodly windchills that day....

Since Ive been here. the weather here has been fairly balmy, overall.

Now, Im just fucking miserable.

I have not shivered uncontrollably like this in over ten years.

Add that to me not getting any sleep or having a 'normal' routine.. this 'hump' I need to clear is painful.

Talk about a reality check.

All I want now is a warm room, hot showers on demand and a bed to get a lot of uninterrupted shleep.

Thats all.

Anything else for christmas is extry.

I will never look at the folk riding around the subways to get a place to get uninterrupted sleep the same way again.

The cars were iceboxes tonight, the subway tunnels being painfully cold - any latent heat long having been overwhelmed.

I noticed there were a lot of them tonight.

A lot.

All ages and races.. with that blank stare telling me they dont really have anyplace to go.

Shit, for me - there are no rooms at the inns or the rooming houses. Guh.

At least Im able to afford one.

Damn this cold and this crowded city.

Hmm. Being online wit a fast connection is no fun if your Napster file downloads are being throttled.

After the first fast gulp of bytes, my downloads slowly drift downwards to zero throughput.

All of them. The strictly technical term for this is "fucked up".

I dont know who to blame here.. the brand new version of Napster.. or the network folk for the Internet Cafe who found out that far too many people are using Napster to *gasp* download massive amounts of muzik and burn them on those cheap-ass CD's (25 cents) they offer.

*grump*. My bet is on the new and 'improved' Napster, as the staff here are just as pissed......

I want my dollar back, dammit.

Holy light speed, batman!!!

This fucker is FAST.

I had built the Plentium II in '98, with the intention of making it a Win2000 server eventually.

I never got around to it, but as I prepped it today, I can now see what it can do when its finally unfettered (ie: not running Win98).

On one hand, Im sorry I wont be using it the way I intended when I built it, but it's almost ideal for the film student buying it.
This is the perfect machine to get her started on part of her dream.....
Which is why I wanted her to get it, inspite of selling it for about half of what its currently worth.

Things like this isnt about the money for me.

She's way excited about getting it (yes, she knows the deal she's getting) - but Im actually more excited for her.
She'll be able to run hard-core animation and video proggies without batting an eye.

She asked me if the machine is akin to a Porsche...
Heheh. Being the carr geek that I am, I puffed out my chest and said "No".

"Nah baby.." pausing for effect.. "this is a more like a fwuckin *Range Rover*. No, make that a m*%&*#&%*$%^ EXPEDITION! It'll fuckin haul anything you throw at it without coughin up blood."

Shit, more like an obscenely deep-breathing Mack Truck. :-)

*grunt*

But jeezus.. I didnt realize that it had this much giddyup to it.

Wait till I put in those twin Xeon CPU's innit for her next month... heheheh.

Whoo, doggy.

Goddam, tis cold in this here parts.

50 degrees below zero, with a balmy wind whipping it down to 95 degrees below.

I know, right?

Hey, I know of these things.. I grew up in Chicago where we use winter AND summer to freeze-dry the meat of our polar-bear herds....

Even Florida is getting in on the action, to wit:

McClint: hehehe i'm freezing my balls off
McClint: i ran out of Kerosene sometime during the night
JPennant: I feel yer pain, brother. :-)
McClint: shit i better go find some more kerosene now before i suffer hypothermia. wish me luck! :-)
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Checking out the Philly-based Mountain Brothers on Napster.

These fuckers are GOOD. Their old-skool flow is tight.

Id heard Josh mention them, and I first heard them in the acclaimed Nike ads doing the custom rhymes for Jason Williams, Tim Duncan and Kevin G.

Now, Im taking the time to check them out.

Deep. On the head-nodding tip.

Ive heard them acclaimed as the cognoscenti's pick as the best hip-hop group that youve never heard of.

I wonder if its because these brothers are asian?

Or mebbe theyve just got shitty management...

Bleary-eyed and eerily un-depressed.. blogging from the EasyEverything internet cafe in Times Square.

I am unofficially homeless right now, so now Ive taken my nights to wandering the city.

Dont worry, my stuff is safe, there is a bed and a shower available during the day and I have a bona fide apartment coming in January (thank you GAWHD). Waay sooner than I expected.

But - I am doing what countless students, artists, musicians, clubbers and other intinerant New Yorkers have had to do since New York was god's green cowpatch.
Wander around at night, sleep during the day.

STILL havent found a room, as the cold snap and the holiday season have made rooming places scarce..

You fucking cant find a place unless you know someone here. Sheesh.

If New York didnt have so many ways to while the night away, this would get old rather quickly.....
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On Napster right now:
- Best of My Love, Dont ask my Neighbor - The Emotions
- Cheryl Lynn - To Be Real
- Lisa Stansfield - All Around the World
- Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn The Beat Around
- Tisha Campbell and Jasmine Guy - Be Alone Tonight
- Earth, Wind & Fire - Sing a Song
- Groove Theory - Tell Me

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This HUGE internet cafe is a GREAT idea.

Feeling like a warehoused size college computer-lab cum student union, this 24/7 british-based operation kix ass.

800 PC's!!!!!

Yeah, I think theyve hit on the formula for success.. volume, location.. and volume.

They serve excellent coffee natch. :-)

Its like one giant computer lab/coffee shop/student union/library.

In fact, I see mostly young folk in here, student, artists and young travelers.

Very eclectic.

It seems to be undiscovered by the painfully hip, who seem to have a knack for fucking up things that are truly cool and useful.

Now, if the fucker several rows over will stop surreptitiously smoking that goddammed Marlboro light.

Ive grown to hate the smell of that crack-addict cigarette with a passion.
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Now.. lessee...

Yesterday, I finally moved everything outta the Manhattan place, Tito giving me a midnight hand.
Events that have conspired to indicate to me that I got outta there at the most opportune time.

God does look out fer fools. :-)

I still havent taken up the kind offers of my friends to crash on their couches.
Im sorta loath to do that unless absolutely necessary.
I wanna KEEP these people as friends.

Man, Ive gotten some concerned speeches these last few days.

Of course. This is far from ideal.

But, it is the choice Ive made.. and believe me - these are conscious choices, not happenstance.

Sometimes, I wonder if I havent lost my mind, doubting my own judgement.

Even tho this a hump, Ive been in far tougher situations before, and so far.. Im doing far better than even I expected.
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One way you can tell youre on the right track - is when things fall into place seredipitously.

Id been hoping for a room.. instead an apartment fell into my lap with the words.. "Funny you should mention that youre looking for a place...."

Lets hope that its all good.

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