Fare Thee Well Jack, You Are Missed

Forty years ago today we lost Jack Kerouac. If you have never read "On the Road" or "Dharma Bums" or any of Jack's other works, do yourself a favor a give him a try. I stumbled on him in my late teens as so many young searchers do and his words threw gasoline on the fire of my soul to live, to travel, to make art, to love. As I grew older and read more of Jack's works and biographies on him, I was torn between the largeness of his words and the chaos of his life. I longed for the adventure of the open road and kicks with friends, but cringed at reading of his desperate calls to his Mother for bus fare home. It was his life to live and live it he did and we're all still dazzled by what he left behind. I did this little sketch of Jack to try and get closer to him. To honor the kinship that I feel to him. To keep him alive. I strive to be that "angel-headed hipster" laying out kind and generous acts onto a world that increasingly works against the silly and the weird. The open road is medicine to my spirit and I seek it out as often as I can. In fact, will be embarking on a new adventure tomorrow morning, packing of to the mountains of Virginia for a well-deserved stomp, then onto Cleveland, Ohio to take in a competition between the Browns and the Packers. Never been to Cleveland, but I'm sure I know people there. People who have read Jack and know time. Yes, yes.

Sleep well Ti'jean...

OK HW

I am the Zombie Master

I have been helping my friend Jeff Maisey with his monthly broadside VEER magazine, mostly on the net side of things (built and help him maintain the site), but recently contributed an article. Jeff has been gently nudging me to write something since Veer reappeared on the scene in April, but a full schedule and my own negative inertia has kept me at bay. Finally, the perfect project appeared in the shape of Norfolk's Generic Theater and the Foppish Dandies putting on a production of "Evil Dead: The Musical". Jeff knows of my love for horror films, particularly the zombie genre and threw the task to me and I got it done. Check it out: Evil Dead: Zombies Come Alive at Generic Theatre. I've also produced one video for Veer as well, but that's a story for another post...

OK HW

note- Photo by Jeff Maisey, courtesy of Veer

New Kerouac Documentary

Hiking Report - The Big Catch Up

Yeah, so, fall is here and that's hiking weather to me. Brothers and sisters, I'm here to tell you that I kicked the holy crap out of September hiking-wise. 78 miles, yes indeed. Not my record, which was set also in September of 03 in Ireland and, was I do believe, 110 miles, but 78 is not bad and I am happy. Puts me up to 511 for the year and 650 is looking easy. I just might go for 700. Don't dare me...

OK HW