handy work

My gentleman friend found himself on ESPN Skateboarding recently—a photo in an article about cool concrete skateparks. Which is kinda funny, 'cause he's never been a rabid fan of concrete parks. But I mean how rad is this shot? Magnum P.I. shirt. Blue sky. Mt. Shasta looming in the distance. My favorite part, though, is that sneaky patch of snow. See it over there in the shade? That's the only way you know how cold it is. Garric shot this during a cold snap last December on their drive to Sacramento, and albeit sunny, and despite the Hawaiian shirt, I'm sure it was brisk.

suzanne

Sometimes it's fun to read songs instead of listening to em, that way you get to appreciate them for the little poems they are.

Here's a piece of "Suzanne," by Leonard Cohen. It's nice, right?

--

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river

You can hear the boats go by

You can spend the night beside her

And you know that she's half crazy

But that's why you want to be there

And she feeds you tea and oranges

That come all the way from China

And just when you mean to tell her

That you have no love to give her

Then she gets you on her wavelength

And she lets the river answer

That you've always been her lover

And you want to travel with her

And you want to travel blind

And you know that she will trust you

For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

very good things

Kale. Don't you think you could convince yourself to start liking the taste of something that's so good for you? According to Wikipedia: “a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties.” It's an anti-inflammatory. It's very high in beta carotene, vitamin K and C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Eat it like chips, or instead of chips, and see what happens. Maybe your knees stop hurting. Maybe you live forever. Kale: Billy's new summer project.

I'm well aware of how dangerous it is to snap photos while I'm driving, but sometimes the sun setting over the city catches you unawares and just lifts your mind. Suddenly, you can't not risk your life to snatch some of it.

A wisteria vine in bloom. For granted, take it not. Wisterias flower whenever they damn well please. Mine? Once every four years, it seems. Rejoice! Sorry, Cathy, maybe next year for yours?

An excellent backyard—it's called "junkyard chic," and a raspberry mojito. This is summer at the Coulons.

Like morning all day long

A lotta work plus endless cloudy days is like a starter pack for a shitty summer. However, all that’s about to change. Tomorrow, sunshine’s in the forecast and also I’ve made a new vow to kick more ass and take more names whilst slaving at my google machine. That way, my total work hours will be less, but my output will be the same, and my short-sleeves arm-tan should still develop nicely. Does any of this make sense? It’s summer. Procrastinating is for the birds. With that said, here's what's getting it done for me, sound-wise—nothing too hard or heavy. Let's keep it light, people.

Time Will Take Care So Itself, So Just Leave Time Alone

Been busy writing, and about to get busier. But not on the weekends. I’m traditional that way. I like to shut down the computer on Friday night and not open it again until Monday morning—with the possible exception of watching a few episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Have you seen the one where he goes to Sweden? Hilarious. You just can’t help loving the asshole things that come out of his mouth. We also have a game where we count the number of drinks he puts back in a given scene. In the Columbia episode, he bottoms half a bottle of white rum while waiting for some peasant soup to cook. Respect.

So Saturday was a beauty, the first real summer day we’ve seen yet, and it passed in a blur of yardwork, skateparks, and cottonwood fluff.

Sunday, the rain returned, but it was warm, almost tropical, so we went walking on Sauvie Island, our pant legs sopping within minutes, and then stopped by the farmers market for a pint of fresh strawberries still muddy from the garden.

Summer rain—just grab an umbrella and git out in it.

And on the stereo: Phosphorescent: To Willie. An entire album of Willie Nelson covers, what's not to love?