Kerouac tattoos

Check out this Kerouac tattoo! Wow! Beautiful.

I've been pondering my next ink, and a Kerouac quote has been at the top of the list for a while. I just need to decide on a place for it.

Stay tuned.

Desolation Peak alternative?

If, like me, you'd love to visit Kerouac's Desolation Peak in the North Cascades but it's too tough a trek, there's an alternative that might give you a similar experience. It's the fire lookout at Park Butte, a few miles southeast of Jack's beloved cabin. You can read about it here. At 7 miles and 5,400 feet with a 2,200 foot elevation gain, it rivals the hike to Baxter Peak here in Maine, which almost did me in during the summer of 2009. I haven't tried anything nearly that difficult since, and may not again. But, it's in the back of my mind.

I plan to hike French's Mountain later today. It's more my speed. After all, I am approaching the double nickel. And, it's only a couple of miles from home.

The Beat Generation and The Tea Party

This article in the NY Times compares the Beat Generation with The Tea Party. At first blush, this seems ludicrous, but the author does draw some logical comparisons. Once I got over the initial warnings from my bullshit meter, I actually got a kick out of this article. Maybe you will, too.

15,000 visits!

The Daily Beat has topped 15,000 visits since Sitemeter tracking started on October 25, 2008, soon after The Beat Handbook was published and I started this blog. My Kerouacthusiasm has not waned, but after 100s of blog posts (see the archives to the right), it does get difficult to come up with something new to say, especially on a daily basis (as I did in the first year).

Thanks to everyone who follows The Daily Beat or checks in from time-to-time. I'm going to try to post more regularly again. It seems easier to do in the winter months, particularly in Maine where if one is not a skier or snowmobiler, one gets a bunch of "inside time" for several months.

Happy 10/10/10. Jack didn't see one of these dates, not having lived during the first twelve years of a century. And you reading this will only get two more: 11/11//11 and 12/12/12. That puts some perspective on things.

Crystal pointed out that my first full day of 57-ness will be on 12/12/12. 5 + 7 = 12. And 12 is 2 numbers that add up to 3, making 23, which is the enigma attributed to beat legend William S. Burroughs that I wrote about here and on several other occasions in The Daily Beat (click on the 23 under Labels below to read the others).

Weird.

Jack Kerouac Memorial Walk

If, like me, you didn't get a chance to visit Lowell last weekend for Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, another Kerouac event is slated in Lowell for October 21, the date of Jack's death. It's called The Jack Kerouac Memorial Walk. Read about it here. I can't make it, but I'll be there in spirit (especially if you attend and drag around your dog-eared copy of The Beat Handbook).

Jack Kerouac and fame

Here's a NY Times article about Jack's angst over his fame (the article failed to stress that he actually had a love-hate relationship with it). I have to imagine that today's pressure on successful writers would drive him farther and faster into the bottle than in his own time.

We have a new opportunity as faculty to engage with students in their themed residence dorms (communities) about a subject of our choosing. One of the communities is the Writers' Nook. I'm thinking about offering to talk about Kerouac using my book as a foundation of my discussion. However, one of the things holding me back is the self-promotion aspect of it (or at least the perception of self-promotion). We'll see . . . .

Report on Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! 2010

As readers know, I didn't get to LCK! 2010, but here is an article in the Lowell Sun about it.