I love the sound of the road rules over there. So orderly. It sounds like Kakadu, but also a bit strange … I hope you and your mum aren’t driving each other nuts. Contrary to what I might have let on, I haven’t really been able to catch up with anyone yet – I spoke to Fran which was nice, but all the people I tried to ring weren’t home. Hopefully I will catch up with them next week. Anyway, greetings from Buffalo! I tell you, it is a weird place, to top off a weird day.
I went to a poetry reading in this cool old church in NYC last night, where all these poets got up and spoke about this other poet who’d just died. There were some famous ones there, but it was a bit old school. Still, fun. then I walked home and couldn’t get to sleep till about 3am due to roadworks outside the hostel.
So of course I didn’t wake up till 6.18am (my alarm doesn’t work) and I had to catch a train at 7! So I did this amazing pissbolt where i packed, checked out, caught a cab and got my ticket in about three minutes. Thankfully, I was able to catch my breath and scull an OJ before getting on the train.
The trip was really cool but very long. The train went right alongside the Hudson for about the first half of it, and the “fall foliage” (autumn leaves) was v. nice. Then I noticed this guy sitting across the aisle, who looked disturbingly like … Thomas Pynchon!!
I only thought so cos I’d seen that doco, but it was really spinning me out, the thought that it might be him, so I ummed and ahhed for about an hour and finally asked him something lame, like “do you know any good bookshops in New York?” As it turned out, his name was Jerry. Yeah, right. I could feel a “the night i met Beck” experience coming on but actually he turned out to know the poets I saw last night and was a writer of some kind. Anyway, he recommended some cool bars and bookshops and said to give him a call when I get back to New York. Still think he’s Pynchon though.
I’m staying right in the middle of Buffalo which is like Canberra with huge old art deco buildings everywhere, extremely massive. Apparently it used to be the richest city in the US. I think I’ll stay for a day then shuffle off to Toronto, as it’s only 2 hrs away, on Saturday. I’m hoping to meet this guy at the uni tomorrow and drop off some Cordites as well.
I’m about to go and have … buffalo wings! What else? He he he. I know about the jet lag/ lack of sleep/ slightly sick combo, it really does make you feel weird things. I still think this whole place is surreal. Hopefully I’ll get some clarity when I get to speak to someone about it. At the moment though it’s actually nice to just spend some time on my own. I hope I can stay with this guy in New York when I get back though. I don’t know, I’m a bit old for dorms!!
Anyway, Sean and co will be in New York too, so I’ll have someone to get pissed with. I have bene holding off on that aspect of things thus far, perhaps wisely.
I tried to call before but they couldn’t hear me on the phone. If it’s not too late I’ll call again in a little while, otherwise I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon (your time – I think I’ve figured it out) on that there mobile.
