May 2003 (Vol 2., Issue 5)

Welcome to my monthly blog-zine and the "Vegas Reprise" edition of Truckin'! This month's issue includes six stories from me and three of them, Betty's New Shoes, Crispy Lineta, and The World Series of Poker, were inspired from my second trip to Sin City in less than a month. You can read about my attempt to get into the World Series of Poker. This month marks the debut of Haley Slovin and her first story: Ingrid. I also wrote some new fiction. Baby's Steak Knife and Winky's Salad brings back characters from a story I wrote last month. In addition to the subway story: May Flowers, I also reviewed five more flicks for this month's Indie Film Review. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! Be Sweet, McG

1. Subway Story: May Flowers by Tenzin McGrupp
She closed her eyes after she bent her head and smelled each one, taking the time to individually check out every flower. I was enamored by her technique. Somehow she got intoxicated by the sweet aroma of each sniff, enthusiastically drifting off into her dreamland, like a Lower East Side junkie getting his morning fix plunging a spike into his weathered vein... More

2. Baby's Steak Knife and Winky's Salad by Tenzin McGrupp
There was a couple of seconds after she stabbed me and before the blood started squirting out where Baby and I calmly stared at each other. Our glances lovingly locked onto one another and we had a tranquil moment. Our symbiotic original connection only lasted for a second maybe two, but it was one of those eternal seconds that seem to last forever and you never want to end... More

3. Crispy Lineta by Tenzin McGrupp
The first time I saw Crispy Lineta was in Spring of 1993. It was 2 AM and he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts. Crispy was being dragged out of the Casino Magic in Biloxi, Mississippi by three oversized security guards with uneven buzz cuts that wore mirrored sunglasses... More

4. Betty's New Shoes by Tenzin McGrupp
She rambled on for a page about a weird dream she had where she lost a pet tarantula in her Aunt Margaret’s bedroom. She was desperately looking for the hairy arachnid, which surprised her since she didn’t have a pet spider and hated creepy things like bugs, tape worms, cockroaches and fashionably challenged guys that wore white pants after Labor Day... More


5. Ingrid by Haley Slovin
Ingrid was always ten minutes early. She was scheduled to meet him exactly at Noon. She waited in front of the diner until 12:15 before she took a deep breath and went inside... More


6. The World Series of Poker by Tenzin McGrupp
The World Series of Poker is not for amateurs. I found out the hard way. But if you’re a dreamer and a disciplined gambler, you shouldn’t miss out. The game is No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em. All you need is $10,000 and a pair of balls... More

7. Indie Film Review by Tenzin McGrupp
I wrote up reviews of the films: 13 Conversations About One Thing (2001), Todo Sobre Mi Madre (1999), Timecode (2000), Roger Dodger (2002), and Seceretay (2002)... More