Lately I've been very much enjoying The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami. Many of the short stories are both cryptic and detailed at the same time. Some of them are beautiful and others unsettling. They did evoke in me the need to read another one, and another one. Not particularly good going-to-sleep-stories, but extremely thought-provoking and unique. Quiet. Precise. Compelling. The thing I love most about all of them is that they never quite lead up to the exact ending. He gives you most of it, but the ultimate essence of his stories are the endings you find in your own mind.

The only other things on my mind are the following: going home to visit family and meet my nephew Oren, The Simpsons Movie opening on Friday, and the Beastie Boys at the end of August. I know it's still over a month away, but I can't stop listening to their album. Play it soft and it's great to chill to. Blast it loud and you'll have a spastically funky time.

Alright, time to grab tickets to the Friday 12:01am showing of the Simpsons. I gotta do it. I just wish there were a Kwik-E-Mart nearby! (and thanks Michele for the photo!!)