26 & 33 (jam and joust)

Yo Yo Yo, Got some lines to draw, crosses to off. All is well and well is all for all.
Number twenty-six, now crossed off, is "start a jam band". I'm very happy to report (blog) I play in a wonderful experimental, experiential, free styley jam group with my generous roommate and homegirl Monique on the miracle mic chatting and waxing wayward subjects and our friend and architect of beats Becky on the drum-um and I myself on weird 4 string blue electric guitar. We don't have a name and I set up my room real nice with x-mas lights and fake fire for our last jam. It is a fun, funny, funky group.
Number thirty-three is "develop physical balance". I will e-soon publish evidence and/or proof on this one. I assure you, bloggee, my physical balance is powerful and meaningful. Riding a bike all the day is my main practise time. I like going real slow or stopped and staying up with feet on pedals on the frame and hands on or out. Also, I walk railroad ties then and there and that helps. I will film some awesome feats e-real soon. I am marking this goal off b/c its coming along so nicely.
24 is "write down sun tea recipes". Doing that now.

Comic Book & Thief (57 & 2, Off & Off)

My newest comic book "Birth March" has been hitting hands around my way for a couple weeks (#2). Its got 11 pages and a cover and it deals with no particular themes. It contains psychedelic, nonfiction, made-up, joke, haiku, and erotic comics and I'll send you one if you send me enough stamps to send you one. I am glad to have finished another comic (my first being "Let Bo Know Peace on Earth") but "Birth March" is more of a potpourri and I want a great comic with themes and repeated imagery and repeated gags and a full color cover and 30+ pages. I better get to work, huh?

Also, I am taking #57, give $100 to somebody off my list. I paid my rent to my roommate Chuck-Chuck in cash and btwn the time I left it on his dresser and when he received it, $100 went missing. I trust Chuck-Chuck and have since paid the $100 again, but to whoever took my hundred bones, you got some ugly karma coming your way, sucka! Nonetheless, whether intentional or not, I gave somebody $100. It wasn't at all how I wanted to give somebody $100, but I may as well cross it off, right? Lastly, if you got a spare $100, send it my way, and I'll give it to somebody on purpose. Let me know.

Singularity & Being Single

That's that. I'm marking #23 (be single) off the list. I've been single now since September of 2007, longer than any other time since becoming interested in tethering my life to another's. Being single is awesome. This time around its taught me a lot. Growing up with beautiful, loving parents who love each other so tremendously, I got the idea that you sew yourself to somebody else and go about living. Well I ain't getting married anytime soon, so a(nother) long term relationship is far from a must. Being single in Austin has made me aware of a few things. 1. There are multitudes of fascinating and/or attractive folks in Capital City. 2. I love flirting. 3. Many parts of myself crave another to thrive inside me, which is strange. Being single has let me see where I most miss a partner. Then, when I miss her, I think about it, "Why do I want somebody to do that for me? Can I do it for me? Can somebody else do it for me? Do I want understanding or attention? Am I sad or lonely?" etc. 4. Many other people are single. 5. I'm quite charming when I'm not cheating.
So if you want to go on a date with me, go ahead and ask.

Growing More Food Food Food

Our garden is blowing up!
Spinach, squash, carrots, corn, herbs, herbs, herbs, gourds, greens, peas, raspberries?, tomatoes, peppers, plus lotsa things one can't eat! Hooray! And I also started a garden with the kids at my school. There we have squash, tomatoes, peppers, greens, and carrots. The kids are into it and our plot in in the courtyard with many other class projects, all growing big and strong in the sun. Hooray!

Pennies Flat (Quick Snap) & Misc (Enduring Freedom)

Howdy Y'all, welcome to the Springtime. So #27 (flatten pennies on the track) is complete. i've been flattening pennies and dimes on the track around East 7th Street. They are pretty good looking flattened, retaining lil bits of the image, and made long and oval. They make good guitar pics too. If you want one, write me (address below).
Also, i'd like to mention the plethora of list items in various stages of completion. 14 (1000 haiku), 19 (grow more food), 23 (be single), 35 (short stories) and many others are coming along slowly but surely. Don't think just b/c it ain't crossed out that i ain't doing it, right now; i am. Superduper.

Seattle, WA - Nehalem, OR

Welcome Home Y'all. i've returned from crossing off number three (3. go to the Pacific Northwest). My heart is full of joy (beating strong and loud) to have seen so many loved ones. Thanks to everybody who put me up, filled me up, held me close, jammed me out, took me in, and/or otherwise made my trip a blast. i will post photos when i figure out how (its so easy, this web-logging). i've returned to Austin with 150 more pounds of things/stuff, where to put it...

Nabbed a Dove

Today i went hiking. Climbing thru a brushy tree, my legs suspended in its branches, i found, btwn my hands no less, a dove. So i nabbed it (#13). i got photo documentation too (no this photo here tho). To tell you the truth, it was kind of a let down. Nabbing birds should be very difficult, requiring tact, stealth, and trickery; instead of those it was just a docile lil dove sitting scared in the scrub near the creek. None the less, i nabbed a bird.

Pacific Northwest United States of America

Howdy Y'all. Pretty soon herrr i'm a-gonna cross off number three (go to the Pacific Northwest) on my list. i booked airline passage for the morning of February 21st from Austin to Seattle/Tacoma. Thanks to my folks, who got me the tickets for Christmas, i will be watching my sunsets over the biggest thing on Earth (the Pacific Ocean).
The plan is: spend a week or so in Seattle, see old friends, new-ish cousin, family, music (hear), and rain. Then go camping on the Olympic Peninsula (who wants to come along?), then head to Capital City (Olympia) and see the bronze wheat and artesian well and friends & friends. From therrr i'll head to the Oregon Coast (Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler) to see more friends (a theme developing), reunite with my old band Mallet, climb Neah Kahnie and recollect my left-overs from Annie's mom's house. Then fly outta Portland back to Austin on the 3rd of March.
Got all that? So whats going on?

p.s. Some more folks (y'all) oughta make these 101 Lists and put 'em on the internet. C'mon, you know you're interested. Start the list today!

Pecan Pralines and Letters to Send/Receive

Dear Y'alls. So after fighting the flu for a week & recovering for another week, i've finally crossed something off the list "make pecan pralines." Who ever invented the machine that breaks pecans into big halves and pieces deserves her/his incredible wealth and glory. It took 2+ hours to break a pitcher full of pecans, which yielded 3 cups of "meat". The rest was easy, just lots & lots of sugar, real hot. The attached photo is not my pralines; i am working on a camera to document these list things. But mine were similar, only gooey on bottom.

The other part of the weblog post is letters. #37 is have more pen pals, & altho i now have more pen pals than any other time in my life, i'd like even more. So send me a letter first.

Grant Matthew Francis Cross
1118A Linden Street
Austin, Texas 78702-3045

i promise to write you back. i might even enclose a short story (#35), some haiku (#14), or a pieta (#53). Write about whatever you like. We could have a themed correspondence, or just a "fourth period is so boring. Well, i guess i have nothing to write. Do you like Kevin? See you after class. i have nothing to write. Your friend, Belinda!" type note passing thru the mail. So bring the mail. Fill the bag/box!