Greetings from Denver

Yeah, I know. It's been much too long.

Simply put, I've had too much negativity hitting my life the last few months. And it doesn't help regular blogging whenever you (very stupidly) leave your laptop on the Purple Line to Wilshire/Western. Nor does it help your sanity/serenity/stability when your entire living situation goes pear-shaped, and you literally find yourself with no place to make a temporary landing in the city you've made your home.

Hence, I took what may seem a circuitous survival path, which was really the path of least resistance: I transferred to my longtime (off-and-on) employers' offices in Denver, where I have at least four long-running pals living. One of those pals offered his couch for as long as I need it.

So, after a long bus ride through some of the reddest of American red states (I shall never forget the site of the Chevron station, just over the Utah side of the Utah/Nevada border, decorated with what seemed like thousands of deer heads!), I'm finding myself landed in the town that birthed both Jello Biafra and The Fluid, and gave Jack Kerouac residence for a spell. I shall be here several months, putting a dent in Charlie's couch and saving a considerable nest egg for my eventual return to L.A.

Thing is, I am tempted to stay here. This town seriously reminds me of the Austin I moved to and fell in love with in the '90s, the Austin that didn't need a "Keep Austin Weird" civic campaign. That funky, creative, low-cost vibe is everywhere. Mom-and-pop businesses still rule here, living is cheaper than I've seen in awhile (and the air more breathable), killer touring bands pass through, the women are gorgeous and comment favorably on my funny striped trousers, and I'm seeing lots of well-preserved '50s neon all about. My final decision will be influenced by certain musical and female factors, of course. But I'm being seriously seduced by Denver life.

Meantime, I'm only this much closer to a new laptop. I need a paycheck or two under my belt first. But this space will see far more action than it has this year so far, thanks to access to Charlie's computer. So, goodbye for now. Good to see you again, too.