Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
-The Dalai LamaThat is my thought for today. It's been a long and very sad day here. Hence, another relevant quote from Hunter's long lost brother:
Sleep is the best meditation.
- The Dalai LamaYour friend, on her way to meditate,
Anita Thompson
Quick update from the GonzoStore front: Gonzostore.com is finally back online! If you're looking for official apparel with Dr. Thompson's famous Gonzo logo, signed copies of Anita's Gonzo Way, or a couple of decals to brand your car's rear windshield or bumper, point your browser to gonzostore.com. We've streamlined the shopping experience to make it easier to browse our items.
-Pete B
GonzoStore & OwlFarmBlog Webmaster
HI. I'm back at Owl Farm. I've been trying to catch up on emails and file papers and send out bills, and invoices and forms and well, there's a word for it... but I forgot. Oh yes, administrative stuff. I don't really know anything about it, except to move piles of paper around to other piles. If anybody has any SIMPLE and serious advice about filing papers, or administrative skills, PLEASE email me.
Anyway, here is the link to the lecture I gave last Thursday (i moved the link to the bottom) at the Lab at Belmar. I am so lucky to have the best brother & sister in law in the world who took my word document with all the points I wanted to make, and he put them into a Powerpoint slideshow with graphics and everything! (Peter is a graphic artist). I was also lucky to lecture with the wonderful Professor Art Jones and be in a room with people who love Hunter. Huge crowd: 280 laughed at my jokes (very sweet) but also took the future of journalism, and gonzo very seriously too. Successful night..
More good news! Ralph sent the cover of the the Convention Issue of the Woody Creeker! It's fantastic. He is also writing for it... will knock you politically correct socks off! Lucky again! This issue, along with Interview with George McGovern, Gary Hart, etc will be in the hands of thousands of protesters, delegates, bartenders et al. Should be interesting. Much of this will be made possible by Hunter's long time friend Tim Mooney (an my dear friend too!) who has decided to print the few thousand extra copies with me, and get them to THE PEOPLE.
It's late, and I'm sleepy. It was fun to be in Denver, where singles are as common as cars. And being single in Woody Creek is nice too, especially when I can sit around and look at what some people call my "baggage"... my two siamese cats, Peacocks, German Shepherd, and a spirit that travels with me everyhwere on the most beautiful and spacious land in the world: Owl Farm. I am indeed lucky. Lucky to be single again? Sure, why not. (I did have a wounderful brief romance this spring!) But we agreed it's better to be single when ya need the space. And to have space, or romance for that matter, you must be willing to be lucky.
Here is what Hunter had to say, however, one night writing here w all this space at Owl Farm, about Luck, re his letters:
These letters are not the work of a wise man, but only a player and a scribe with a dangerous gambling habbit....That is a risky mix that will sooner or later lead you to cross the wrong wries and get shocked, or even burned to a cinder. On some days you will be lucky and only break your fingers and make a fool of yourself. But luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their ballance on it.
I have never believed much in luck, and my sense of humor has tended to walk on the dark side. Muhammad Ali, one of my very few heroes, once took the time to explain to me that "there are no jokes, The truth is the funniest joke of all."
Hunter S. Thompson, August 20, 2000 (intro to Letters II)
I'm sleepy and it's time to go to bed. I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow - busy busy (Arianna, I promise to have my post up by afternoon!) Another lucky person to have in my life... So anyway, let's all sleep like babies and have cheeky dreams,
Until next time, Your lucky friend,
Anita Thompson
p.s. I was also lucky to get a really sweet set of wheels this week. A great deal with great gpms. I first met with my mom's favorite dealer. If you're in the area, and want a great deal on a Volvo, go to Zach
Also
Also was waiting for me was the intro for the Ancient Gonzo Wisdom book of Interviews that I have edited from Christopher Hitchens. He is indeed a brilliant writer. I'l be adding several more unpublihsed interviews this week from the early 6os and from me and Hutner talking here in the kitchen. It's looking good! I think we're releasing an affordable paperback here, and hard cover in the UK and Australia. More details TK.
update: sorry I put the wrong uplink on. THe video of my lecture is coming I guess, but this is from last year at an interview... to the lecture I gave last Thursday
Hola. We had a lovely evening back in Denver. After class (I stayed in Fort Collins with my mom last night), I drove to pick up my dearest roomate Jerri Merritt, (as you know, she's been hosting me in her gorgeous home while I finish summer classes at DU) to meet friends Jackie and Bill McGreevy (happen to have the same name as my Thursday night host, Kevin -- yes, I get around!) to see the long-awaited show by our sweetheart Lynn Goldsmith. (Hunter started to write the intro to her Rock and Roll book FYI).
It's been a long weekend with many exciting ups and downs. Hunter said "WE is the most important word in politics..." well, I think that maybe WE is the most important word in the english language. You agree? My family and friends that I've spent the weekend around made Hunter's birthday that much easier and more beautiful. Indeed, what would we do without friends?
Owl Farm interns Liz Yount and Laura Doty, pals Jeff Kass, Michelle Baldwin, Andrew Travers, Michael Goldberg, Nicole Miere, and new friends Professor Art Jones, Adam Lerner, Sarah Kate Baie et al mean the world to me this weekend. Not to mention Peter and Sarah, Shelby, Ann, Patti and George, Peg, Natalia miss jax, Brandon Wenerd, Don Fleming, Ralph Steadman, Doug... even grumpy darlings like David Frank and Edward Hyde. k. I'm a lucky girl. And, yes, I had a cosmopolitan at dinner (mmm, in a "trendy restaurant"), and now am sipping biffs at Jerri's house. She's the blogging guru -- and explains tonight in better detail than yours truly.
lots of love to ya'll.
your friend, tipsy in Cherry Creek,
Anita Thompson
Dear Hunter,
It's 1 am. I'm spending the night in Denver with friends after a wonderful tag team speech with Professor Art Jones. As you know, he spoke on Motown, I spoke on AP vs Gonzo and you. Do you know? Were you there? I find myself fearing your absense again and questioning everything again.
People in the audience love you dearly and was good to be with that kind of crowd -- even if it was a LARGE crowd! Lots of interesting discussion and laughter. Oh Hunter. It's been 3 1/2 years without you. And now, with the election, it's so hard to make sense of it. I wonder if I'm moving on, or sliding back in my own life, let alone political and media analysis. Jesus. Your voice is so important now. We will deal with your absence as the campaign and life in general come at us.
But now I'm curled up with my laptop under the covers thinking of you and writing to you.
Sweet dreams, I love you and miss you more than ever.
Will check in with readers later,
Love, Anita
Anita's on her way to Denver for tonight's sold out lecture at the Lab At Belmar on Gonzo versus AP style journalism. For an example of AP style journalism, check out the front page of the Aspen Daily News, Anita has an AP style article about Woody Creek.
For everyone that was unable to get tickets to the sold out lecture, Anita will attending Lynn Goldsmith's gallery opening later on tonight after the lecture.
-Pete B
Good morning. I'm spending most of my day at the library learning powerpoint to give a lecture in Denver, tomorrow, at the Lab At Belmar on Gonzo versus AP style (pyramid lead and the 5 Ws vs Gonzo and the 5 Cs).... If you want tickets, you should get them today. The auditorium only holds 250, and apparently they've sold 200+ already. It should be interesting as I'm lecturing after Arthur Jones, a terrific
professor from the University of Colorado at Denver who is talking about MOTOWN, then, we do a Q&A tag-team after. Links? Coming in the next hour...
Okay. Anita Thompson
3pm update: here are the links as promised: http://belmarlab.org/mixedtaste2008details.php#motown_gonzo">The lab at Belmar -- starts at 6:30 pm tomorrow.
