mondojohnson

Readers of the site will know that I often rip on the miseries of living in Jacksonville, Florida, but today I must sing the praises of our hometown zoo, which has announced the birth of a baby bonobo. Bonobos are our most awesome genetic kin, and the family resemblance is clear in this tender photo of mom, dad and bubba. Zookeepers have reported that the new mom, Kuni, is tremendously proud and shows off her little bundle to everyone.

I plan to visit the zoo soon; I’ll snap and post some of my own photos of our endangered little cousin.

In case you needed more evidence that I am indeed living in the heart of redneck darkness, I just spotted this sticker on the back of a truck. The driver was straight outta Central Casting, with trucker sunburn and broken teeth.

I feel compelled to note that it is August 5th, and the moon is full. The full moon is the best moon.

I arrived here in Florida, still very rattled by my skull-crackin’ spiritual sojourn in L.A., on the 5th of February, which was also a full moon. I looked up at it and swore that it would take no more than 3 moons to get my shit together and return to my urgent, mysterious obsessions in southern California.

Of course, time makes fools of us all. Here it is, a full SIX moons later, and I am quite stuck in the steamy southern hell of northeast Florida. I’m rolling with the flow, though, and am not as miserable as I feared I might become when I first got here. But, trust me, I am scheming my escape….

Just a quick note to let my many fans know that I am actually working. Still here in Jacksonville, Florida … (though it should really be called “Jacksonville, Southern Georgia“….)

Today I began my volunteer service at the very cool Fort Matanzas National Monument, here in Saint Augustine. This dinky little fort was build by the Spanish over four hundred years ago. It kept watch over the “backdoor” access (up the Atlantic coastway) to Saint Augustine (the nation’s oldest city, in case you didn’t know!).

I am working as a volunteer deckhand on the ferry that takes visitors to the tiny island where the fort stands guard. I have the rope blisters and sunburn of an old salt… it feels good to do some physical work, it’s a welcome change from the anxiety of my endless, fruitless job hunt.