I wish I had kept a more attentive record of what I've done this past week of travelling, but I didn't. We started out Sunday morning and met up with Jess in Providence for breakfast which was great. Moved on to New York. Keeping with tradition we saw a horrible accident on route 15. First there was traffic, which I thought I had avoided by opting to take 15 instead of 95, then I saw the dead dog on the side of the road. A real cutie too, little fox. Then I saw the car that tried to avoid it, still killed it, then drove istelf through the guard rail and almost down a hill, but got caught by some trees. Comepletely destroyed. I love animals of all shapes and intellects, but I tell you, I will kill a dog if it keeps you alive. I'd feel bad, but not as bad as if I'd killed you. I love you.

After that it was pretty easy and by driving slow I got beautiful mileage. We got caught in Mets traffic simultaneously with the most beastly storm I've ever driven though just as we were getting into Brooklyn. Not too bad. We then met up with Alice unloaded out stuff and rolled out to meet Alan at some bogus heavy metal bar that wasn't. There was $2 pabststststs but whatever thats still like paying to drink unattractive water that also smells. After that we met up with Jack and his silent crew at a nice bar where I spent 7 bucks on a white russian but oddly didn't feel shitty about it. I talked to Alan about fantasy novels, games and relationships, talked to Jack and James about comics, basketball, and relationships and talked to Alice about everything else. My friend Mollie was there and she made a great new comic. In the morning we got up, made breakfast and Alice and I recorded a song. around 12 we hit the road.

The trip down was pretty uneventful since I just drove in a straight line for 14.5 hours. I got a horrible cough that I'm just now getting rid of. We stopped at a Hottle House in either Virginia or West Virginia where we got a brutal, greasy breakfast for 4 dollars tha I would later shit out in the morning in a swirling brown shotgun blast. Other than the retarded (literally) cook, there was the 300 lb 14 year old (why are you here at one in the morning?). Child Abuse I say!

Asheville is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a beautiful. The parkway on the way in constantly goes up and down hills, with big rig brake failure ramps at every turn. I almost tried one, but they're made of sand and I was too tired to deal. We stopped at an advertised scenic outlook and for the first time in my life, I saw the Milky Way. And a shooting star. They might be old news for you guys but I didn't see one until I was 20, they're still magic. We sat there for a minute then made it into town and my car started making a horrible noise that I've yet to investigate. A few days later it all but vanished, but I'd still like to get it looked at before I go anywhere of consequence. If that transmission dies, I'll die with it.

We stayed up watching Nightmare on Elm St V at Tim's brother's house until about 5 or 6. The next was spent wandering around downtown Asheville, having Tim point things that are neat and things that no longer exist. We visited his brother's roomate Eric at the bar he works at, The Flying Frog, and he gave us about ten beers and several shots for the price of three. We got trashed by 3. We think its the altitude. We stumbled around and eventually found our was back to his brothers house and passed out on the porch couches. Around 8 I got a call from this girl Emily who told me if I still wanted, I could move here:


My room is second floor, left

The place is great with a massive old stove with a built in deep fryer (obvi), piano, guitars, ukeleleleles, garden with blackberries, nice roomates who are rarely around and sweet when they are, big old yard and no smoking, which is nice. My room is massive with enough empty space that Keanne and I can both do workouts. We've been doing lots of pushups and stretches and aerobics. I feel like I've gotten weaker lately and I need to work on myself. I think it might be my proximity to Tim since he's basically my height and build, just thicker. I think I'd look wierd if I wasn't a stick, though. We'll see.

Also, Asheville's great since its hot during the day and cold at night. Perfect. We leave the windows open and get to sleep with blankets. The closets big enough for us to change in so we don't have to keep telling each other to turn around and close our eyes.

Thursday we went to Tim's parents' giant house in Charleston, SC. It was a couple days of painful leisure. We did nothing but sit around in the AC and drink and eat and read or play video games until it got dark, then we'd go out onto the porch and play cards and listen to music or go tot the beach. The water was so warm and was made out of tiny bioluminescent buddies. When you popped out of the water you could see little sparkles on your arms. Universe Arms. Standing in the water and letting glowing waves hit your chest is something you could do forever. We pretty much did. We went at night and it took over an hour for us to get cold. Kids on the beach shot fireworks over our heads. It was so nice.

But it was unproductive which bothered both Keanne and I. We understand we're not here long, but we'd rather do something with our time than sit around our lovely house, playing lovely guitar, on the filthy, horrible porch couches. So the second we got back here today we started looking for jobs both in Asheville and Boston, just to do it. I'm not sure if I'll stay. Of course, if I get a wonderful job I'll stay for a few months but I can see this place getting tired pretty quick. Unless I meet an excellent girl or something like that, but its unlikely. But yeah, odds are I'll be back in August, ready to pick up where I left off, nowhere.

Menu for tomorrow:

Walk around looking for jobs at record stores, cafes, and galleries.

I guess that's it. Maybe record some of the songs I wrote on the porch. They're pretty cute.

Okee doke. Also, if you haven't done so, go to my website and give me feedback. OK. Goodnight.

So I guess things are going well when you live in a town for two days and you already know how to drive your friend's blackoutdrunk friend back to their house in the middle of the night from across town. And you wind up driving them to another bar first. I think I'm doing well.

More later. Asheville's great.

Hey! Major redesign to the website! Check it out!

www.matthewgiuffre.com

Feedback is greatly appreciated. Granted, if you use Internet Explorer, it won't be as neat, which is why you should take this oportunity to download Opera. Much better in every way. It actually just got ranked as the most secure browser, and its just superior. Read about it. I've been using it for four years. Do it. Do it. Oh and for you dorks, its also better than Firefox, which stinks. Although, for mac users Opera isn't as great, since a lot of its beauty comes from having two mouse buttons for navigation, but whatever.

When you go, your computer might still have the old site up, so just hit refresh. I'm very pleased with it.

In other news, zero hour is closing in. I'm moving to North Carolina for no reason in two weeks. First stop is CT to shoot guns with Clay, then to NYC to see everybody. Then NC to paint houses or bus tables for a month, then return and hopefully get an actual job. Who knows. I'm feeling good, even though I drank a lot of cheap Mexican agave liquor last night and my stomach hates me. Its not tequila... its something else.

Oh and I didn't get my grant. Looks like its back to the old ways. Small runs and submiting the comic to publishers and artists. A long-ass road ahead of me.

My problems are becomming redundant so I think that means its time to fix them.

In other news, its hard to find a place to work that you are interested in.

In other news, I'm becoming interested in things I never really thought I would. Like web design. Its really floating my boat right now. I wish it floated my boat about five months ago when I had absolutely nothing to do all the time other than sit around and mope.

I'm trying to learn a chord a day. I think a chord a week is more probable. I cannot make an F minor for the life of me. At least not on the Tiny Guitar. And the big guitar is missing two strings, one of which is integral to the construction of the F minor. F being my favorite note, minor being the mood I've been in.

Auntie Lee put me in touch with a great lady who's going to give me advice in the long hard road of becomming a real-life illustrator. You know, my dream job.

I've been teaching kids lately. Its been great. I got a few stories already. My job is basically pushing kids down and calling them stupid. Pushing them down hard. On concrete. Then ripping up chunks of concrete and putting it on top of them so they can't get up. And if they did I'd do it all again.

And now, I'm going to break out that whiskey Tim got me and code for a little while. Maybe work on the comic I scripted a month ago.

Gabby came back for no reason. I gave her her watch back. I need a new watch.

Another sleepless night. No matter how much time passes its always for the same reason. Oh well. I got a few good ideas for drawings and photos while I struggled. I think I'll start one tomorrow, but we'll see. It's hard to work in JP. The house is madness. But its getting better.

I'm realizing the Seagull is a wonderful camera and one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. I'm going to use it in staged photos and one day blow them up so they're not trapped as 3x5s.

Here's an illustration I did for the MA Family Law Quarterly. Bogus, yeah? At any rate its nice when people remember you from things you did almost a decade in the past.



Whatever. It's nice that while I mostly do the gross and vulgar now I can still pull out the cute when its called for. It was for an article about parents mooching off their successful kids. Vamparents. I'm happy I didn't have to go through that during my good times as a small, lovely boy.

In the morning I'm going to work on something for Brian's book and finally get it off to him. Its been like two months. One day at a time, dog. One day at a time. I'm grossing myself out at my increasing interest in web design. I never wanted to be that guy.

I found a watch in my car. I think it's Gabby's. I'm wearing it. I need one anyway.

The other night Tyler couldn't sleep so I lulled him to bed with guitar. I think that means I'm getting better.

I rode Mel's minicycle the other day. I want a motorcyle real bad now.

I'm done with deviance. All it took was a fight and a few ugly parties to put it past me.

Time for sketch and hopefully sleep. Good night.

She Had Casey's Eyes

So this is what I've been working on. Much more to come, hopefully enough to propose a show by the end of the summer. If the large hadron collider winds up making a small black hole in Europe, remember I love you.

So I guess one fo the most difficult things for a person who strives more than anything to be more altruistic than anything in his life is to experience someone who refuses help. When from your perspective you observe someone gradually getting sadder and colder as time passes and no matter how honest and true your intentions, they just can't accept them. It kills me. Its why I can't sleep. Like right now.

I'm planning on moving away for June and July and getting back in time for JIll's wedding. I'm scared and excited all at once. We went out eight years ago which is insane all on its own, but this is just one of those critical events that show that you're growing and aging. I need to call some people.

I discovered today that that wierd thing I had in September is called Exploding Head Syndrome and I have it, or at least have experienced it. Twice in one week. Look it up, it was terrifying.

My head is swimming. I think I'm going to do what I've never done and take some valerian.

I have two episodes of Waterbear Evwywhere scripted, and I think I might make them comics before the next step. I think I'm going to try to start and finish a comic this week. Maybe the one with the ghost. We'll see.