teacher appreciation thanks vcu professor nick sharp i am very grateful for the opportunity i got in richmond as i've repeated it was maybe the most fun of my entire life when i was 18-19yrs old

 ok so the other day i heard some kennedy center ad saying something about teacher appreciation and i thought i'd participate and share some kind words about my undergrad actually to be honest these past years since the army at thanksgiving when we say what we are thankful for i have really been thankful for getting to go to vcu it was what i've actually said a few times was that it was one of the best times of my entire life as far as fun too

ok so the whole visual um i was in my apartment i had innumerous connections for socializing my life was one fun thrill to the next but so his lectures were really helpful and powerful to learn about media or communication like the phones history the english the literature the references john donne anthony kiedis the watchmen bob dylan

um so the office hours when i was manic or the other stuff back then when i was going to set out to write a great novel to write the great american book like f scott fitzgerald and the lost generation hemingway salinger other big famous names

so the cafeteria the campus the school and the outlaw stuff from my cousin when i'd do illegal drugs and be a rock and roller the cigarettes and coffee talking outside the big dreams and unbeknownst to me how it'd all work out somehow and i'd come out just fine the obama election

getting to teach myself and be a boy having the time of my life the black dwarf he adopted the strength and detailing the weight of it all heavy lessons and getting to the core of it learning about my goals as opposed to just the degree getting through all that before shipping off with the army other stuff back then bukowski dylan truly getting guided about what mattered most to me my heart and inoculation with producing my own material movies paintings photos music writing lots of projects

all the stuff that built up to that climax public school concerts grand dad before he died um my old apartment sleeping on a couch the artschool neighborhood my army field jacket being alive getting laid drinking in the seasons so close to the edge but so sheltered and taken care of designer products and my parents coasting along before it came to and end

so hungry and riding my beatdown skateboard to work being a host at each moment trying to jot down book ideas in my mini notebook my used leather jacket clothes that fit like a skinny punk chance spottings of the professor his suggestion of henry miller getting booze from the gas station looking out from the fire escape balcony nights in the college town getting driven to the further away walmart to get what little food i'd be able to get the ralph lauren polos from my parents previous times with my cousin whose mom was a librarian him 'smoking me out' and his sister and my brother in their townhouse that fortress walking to the thrift store the different people around the city academic suspension months earlier when it'd be walking to the river belle isle the rva holidays too slaughterama best friends day and later seeing gwar live the breast pocket of my jacket the layers sweaters button downs banana republic used pants suede boots getting coffee and that stinging my stomach and waking me up the immense sadness of having failed out and gotten into what seemed like impossible debt but fortunately no other loans no credit um the time taking lsd the oatmeal my parents sent me that emergency fund and when they brought me sandwich supplies from safeway olive oil mayo salami bread scarfing that down and the last days around richmond where to walk to over by oregon hill and my old pal who was a dealer his townhouse and what i avoided heroine um the coeds i'd know spooning panties masturbation um later the army fort meade dinfos getting thrown under the bus back then the shoppette foods the chow hall before being rejected and sent off to fort gordon the pulp and the publishers knowing a stripper too the alleys the streets the landmarks the mall too before being returned home again the nicotine miasma some great project i'd set out to do even too when i returned and saw my bud in henrico jack kerouac stuff video games a sleepover