Excerpts from a Notebook

Tidying up the front room this evening after boxing up some books for storage, I came across an old notebook from January-March 2001. Not all of the contents were notable -- most of the notebook was blank -- but the following fragments might be worth documenting. Text in parentheses was added at the time of posting.

(Aphorisms)

• You can't time comfort.
  
• I can't tell if it's strange because I'm myself.
  

(Song Segment)
There's a man by a table and he's willing and he's able to eat that cake
There's a cat and a dog and a rat and a hog and they're on the take
And I

Snowfall in Chinatown
Squid's the worst dish in the house, he says. It's made of Cream of Wheat. The chicken, duck, and beef are made with gluten/tofu: "meat."

(Song Segment 2) 3/9
If we want to build tomorrow, then we've got to build a bridge
between this stage and the floor
between the band and the audience
Because music has become, has become a commodity
And music making has changed from an art to an industry

No matter how hard we try
we cannot sell out
It's a matter of do or die
We cannot sell out

(Song Segment 3) 1/25/2001
I saw a man walking down the street
w/ a mop n his hand, going to make a clean sweep
and tidy up, everything in its place
If you spend your whole life cleaning, you always will be late

Is it true that if a tree falls down
It doesn't make a single noise if no one is around?
A silent death, forest for the trees
Or is the world a collective perception of reality?

(Editor's Note from an Imaginary Magazine)
Lost in a world that encourages being a "tough guy" or a "strong man," the editors of this sterling publication steadfastly promise to promote tactics, tecniques, tips, and -- yes -- even tricks (oh!) for being the "best boy" you can possibly be.

We, as professional journalists -- and as your best friend -- endeavor to take the "male" out of "malevolence" and the "guy" out of "guile" in order to...