November 21, 1972 (Letter from Van and Randy)

Today is Randy's and my last day of a three week vacation that we took from the Cottage.  It started out to be a two-week vacation but we liked it so well that we took an extra week off.  We both regret that we're going back. If my car was done we probably would have looked for day jobs.

Pot is picking up as far as quality goes.  There's been a little primo also.

We've been going to quite a few concerts lately.  Our night life was just beginning and now it's just part of the past since we started back to work.  But I'm going to try and hold out until the beginning of summer.

It seems like Christmas is just around the corner.  They already have Christmas decorations up in town.  It doesn't seem like Christmas is almost here, until I go to the shopping plazas and see people scurrying like ants to buy presents for their loved ones.  I guess I'm still used to seeing snow and catching a cold about this time of year.  Don't get me wrong about the weather.  It still get semi-cold at night.  It drops to the high 40's.

Before you know it school will finally cease just as fast as summer ended for you.

Well, I'm hoping you had a fine Thanksgiving Day as we will try to have a good one in spite of work.  Van

Howdy Paul, thought I would drop you a few lines too, to stretch out the letter to make it look good.  As Van said our three weeks off wasn't really what we expected since we were going to go up north until we found out that his car wasn't going to be ready at all.  Van has hassled trying to get his car together for so long we have just about given up hope.  If we are lucky we will be cruising by mid-December.

Van and I really lucked out for Christmas though.  Normally they close Christmas Eve and our days off fall on Christmas and the day after so we have three days off for holiday.  You can be sure we will be up to more than hanging around here.

It's far  out that you saw Steve Miller.  We saw him last week with Commander Cody -- a pretty good show for sure.  Van and I smoked twelve primo joints.  Whoa what a rush that was.

So when are you coming back out anyway.  School should be out for your pretty soon.

Well our hour of turmoil is just about upon us unfortunately.  Take care of yourself and write back soon.

Until later this is Randy signing off.

October 13, 1972 (Letter from Van)

It's really good to hear form you Paul.  It sounds as though you are giving yourself a real workout.  I'd hate to have to work your hours and still attend classes.  But, at lest you work alone without having someone over your shoulder everytime you turn around.  I have to keep on my toes, especially after having been given Jim Bonner's station and his schedule.  He went on vacation for the month of October.  If he comes back, I believe he will only be working on weekends.  So that leaves me pretty well off having his station.  Of course, Boyd got a little irritated Art moved me into Jim's station instead of moving Boys into it.  At least I still know I'm on Art's good side and not having to put up with the games he plays, like some employees there, is a relief in itself.

Randy and I are really getting spoiled as far as the "smoke it" goes.  In the past 2 weeks alone we have gone through $300 worth of primo hash oil.  You think you got loaded from the "Columbo" this past summer, don't you.  Well, you wouldn't ever believe how loaded Randy and I have gotten after going through two $10 joints in one day.  I'd send you a sample but I really don't want to risk it.  Being caught with oil iis like being caught with heroin.  They really hand you for it.  After all, oil is 4 times as potent as primo hash.  Approximately 62% THC content is obtained in oil, compared to 4% in weed.  It's quite an extreme, believe me.

Randy and I went to the Joe Cocker concert two weeks ago in Long Beach.  It wasn't as good as we had anticipated it to be.  John Mark Almond played also.  They were the whole show.  On Oct 23rd, we are going to see Elton John and Family at the Forum.  We also have tickets for the Moody's Nov 1st, which incidentally begins a two week vacation for us.  I asked Art for a two week vacation which we both badly need.  Between you and I, I gave him the line that we wanted to go East and visit our parents.  But actually we hope to go north to Frisco and Oregon.  The Cottage never did close down, as expected, so that completely bummed us out for sure.  So that prompted me to take the initiate and ask for a couple weeks off.

As for my car, that's another story.  Three weeks ago I had my car towed to a mechanic in Newport to have him put it back together for me.  I got tired of hassling with it.  There it sits, still waiting for the bearings to arrive.  The mechanic was having trouble locating the correct size bearing so I finally told him where he could get them.  So I hope it will be ready before the Elton John concert because I had previously planned to drive there.

The weather here is beginning to sour a bit, as it has been raining off and on lately.  But I keep telling Randy things are going to change once the car is on the road.  I say it encouragingly, continuously to keep ourselves from thinking about the boredom we are experiencing.  After all, the end of November begins the peak of all who fall under the sign of the Capricorn, of which I am a part of.  Things should start picking up soon, I hope.  It does sound encouraging, though, doesn't it!  Well, all I can say now is that time will tell.  We'll continue with an up to date smoke it scene as each month becomes a little better.  Take care and write soon Paul.

October 5, 1971 (Letter from Tony)

It's about fucking time that I wrote to you.  I am really sorry that I haven't written yet.  I've started a number of letters lately and haven't finished many.

Well, let's see, since I last saw you in the beginning of August I have:  hitched to Boston.  It was good.  Hitching was remarkably quick and fun.  I saw Mike, went up to Maine for a few days (his father owns property there).  The whole thing was nice but a little too relaxing.  I saw Maddy for a day, we toured Cambridge and then went to Boston Common and Boston Garden.  They are both great.  They were shooting a scene from "That Girl" in the Commons when we were there.  Coming back I got a ride from a 50 year old engineer who owned his own company and then from 2 AWOL Navy guys who were going to Detroit to visit one of their girlfriends.  They were really cool, they kept pulling out a bottle of Scotch to celebrate every 100 miles or so.

Back in Buffalo, I spent a lot of time with Christine and a lot of time working at Sunshine House.

I've gone through a lot of changes of feelings toward Christine.  (I met her at Sunshine House.  She is an occupational therapist at the Cantalician Center and might be going to UB in Jan.)  Sometimes I feel really good being with her, sometimes I feel that I'm forcing myself.  I've only known her for a little over 2 months and we've really moved quite quickly.  The speed of the whole thing coupled with its novelty and my own insecurity have led me often to doubt what was going on.  Right now I feel pretty good about the relationship, I just have to take some sort of an activist role to keep expanding and widening it.  It was due in a large part to her that I took your room. The need for some sort of privacy (especially having my own bedroom) is much greater now than before.  Now, if we want to make love I don't have to worry about my roommates coming in.

It was really a tough decision to leave Allenhurst.  I didn't want to miss the closeness of living with 8 or 9 other people.  I really did enjoy that.  There was always someone there to talk to and people to do things with and we were important to each other.  But I figured after last year, here because Harvey and Mike Engel, who I would have been living with, were stuck way on the end, on Oxford, and they have freshman guys living next door.  Way it's a bad place.  I thank you for going and staying in Calif (that sounds stupid) how about I'm glad I got the chance to move in here.  (Better)

I enjoy my freedom a lot.  I don't have classes and as of yet I'm not working.  I have no set times for anything. It was great when school started and everyone came back.  I went around and spent a lot of time with people like Dennis, Donna, Iris, Maddy, Ralph, Elise, etc.  It was fine but they, for the most part, were slowly bummed out.  (I really learned the meaning of that phrase when Mike Kanter and I went out to Huntingdon for a day.  Boredom is the main ingredient.)  Especially Maddy and Iris; living with Dennis and Donna was tough cuz neither of them has a boyfriend and they are on LaSalle and somewhat isolated (as I am here and you were out on Tonawanda Creek.)  They are very very depressed, nothing they do excites them, they feel that they have few friends, etc.  I felt really bad because they were so depressed, and there wasn't a lot I could do.  I mean my sparkling wit and personality and my terribly creative mind can only be stretched so far.

I'm getting a little annoyed with them because neither one has come to visit me here.  It's tough adjusting from last year to now.  Before there always was time and the place to talk things over.  Now, a conscious and definitive action has to be taken to go see them.  I'm no longer an integral part of their lives, like we were all an integral part of each other's lives in Allenhurst.

Harvey is very bored and not very satisfied with his new roommates (he and Mike Engel were put in with 2 transfer students and a freshman).  He and I are still close and all and I don't feel uncomfortable at all with him, whereas with Iris and Maddy I fell very self-conscious.

There are blind steps and groping of our exile, the painting of our hunger as, remembering speechlessly, we seek the great forgotten language, the lost lane-end into heaven, a stone, a leaf, a door.  Where?  When?

As you might have guessed I'm reading "Look Homeward Angel".  I've been reading it for a long, long time. No concentration and no time.  It's such a beautifully written book.

Last week I went to Colden and camped out from Tues nite to Friday.  It was fine.  I spent a lot of time walking around and just trying to catch up with myself.

The week before I rode my bike to Springville (40 miles) and nearly died of exhaustion.  I'm so out of shape, I've been playing tennis.

Sunshine House has been doing at least one fine thing of late.  We've been going to concerts, setting up a tent and operating during the concerts.  We get in free and we helped a lot of people that way.

There was a concert on Rotary Field, an all day thing and we were there.  It was pretty poor. Cactus (boo, boo, hiss) was the second featured group.  Savoy Brown was pretty good.  There was about 8 groups there, Long John Baldry and Al Kooper.  We shared a tent with the performers and got high with them.  It rained near the end of the concert.  It seemed sort of fitting.

The day before, Saturday was "Celebration" in War Memorial Stadium with the Blues Project, Taj Mahal, Sha-na-na (they were great), J. Geils, Box Scaggs, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

The concert lasted from 2 till past 12.  The weather was great and so was the music.  Paul Butterfield was incredibly good.  I missed Boz Scaggs because I was in the tent.  We were much more organized at this one and did a fine job.  Also the music was much better than the last one.

Sunshine House has been pretty much a dominant force in my life for awhile now.  I try to keep a little distance just because too many people there (at least two) have made the whole thing into an ego trip and it's really messing them up and it's not helping the house.

We just got funded through Community Action Corps by the Student Association.  We got $8,500 and I'm treasurer.

October 15 we're working at the Blood Sweat and Tears concert in Kleinhans???  Who could possibly bum out for $4-$5-$6-$7, unless they would because of those prices.

Ok I shall wind it up now.  Speaking of money, I think I owe you $ for the deposit you made here.  Yes?  If so, please tell me how much and I'll send it to you in a couple of  years.  You're last phone bill was $5 so I paid Herbie cuz he paid the bill so please deduct that from what I owe you.   Okee dokee.

Well, write again if you get the chance and always remember the immortal words of a great California intellectual, they serve as a source of inspiration in times of need, "Let's shine this left over garbage on."

A couple of weekends ago there was a meeting of crisis center people from all over N.Y.  It was at Buff State and it was really good.  Afterward about 40 of us went into a dorm room and smoked and drank Southern Comfort, scotch, and 6 kinds of wine.  We were on the 4th floor and security was on the 5th so we broke up early.  The first 4 floors of hi-rise are closed to dorm students cuz of faulty construction.  Have you ever heard of Dr. Bronner's soap?  It's supposed to be peppermint flavored.

June 22, 1971 (Letter from Mardi)

Hi kid! I can't believe July is almost here!  I've never seen time go so fast.  Are you going home for the 4th!  Big excitement.

Nothing too new around her -- just got a call from Wendy in Denver.  We talked on the WATTS lines.  I refuse to make any long distance phone calls this summer, SURE!  After that two month bill of 54.00 I don't want to go through that again.  We have a new number so take it down -- 823-3769.  I had to register the phone in my name because they wanted $54.00 plus a $50.00 deposit!!!  The phone company will do anything to fuck you over.  Anyway Wendy is doing fine.  She's just as broke as I am.  Which is great to hear about now!  Got a letter from Barb yesterday, she got July and Aug off of work, so she's going to the Cape.  She didn't tell me any details because she was in a hurry and only wrote a postcard.  Anderson and I don't think we'll be going anywhere special, so I think maybe I'll go to Boston and see Barb.  Who knows?  I guess Foster is home and trying to find a job.  Tina's mother is busy with wedding plans my mother says!  FAR OUT!!!!!  I must write Mark a letter.  You said he was still at school for the summer, or was that my mother?  He really must be having a rough time of it with his nerves and all!

So how are the dishes doing?  You can't believe the weather here!  It's been so hot for the past three weeks and its' not even July yet!  90 every day and HUMID!

This Saturday there is a rock concert at Midway Park, all day.  The Band, John Sebastian, and Bonnie Delaney and Friends and a bunch of people are going to be there, it should be a good time, watch it rain!  Since my bike was stolen I haven't been doing much but going to the Art Institute and the new Walker Art Museum they just finished.  Went to see "Taming of the Shrew" at the Guthrie, it was really great!  Remember when we saw it at the Wintergarden in Jamestown w/ Liz Taylor and Richard Burton -- it really is a funny play. Thursday I'm going to the theater to see "Plaza Suite".. I've gotten two free tickets from work!!

Well I had better close up and get to work!  Take care.  Write soon.  Got the negatives from the pictures, sent them to Barb -- do you want any?  The next picture session won't be until Christmas, so get your order in TODAY!  Duh!

June 15, 1971 (Letter from Kenny)

Hi shithead!  Sorry I haven't written sooner but I've been pretty busy.  I've just finished mailing out 41 letters to law schools asking for applications and 21 to business schools.  Besides that I've had so much to do at my job it's beginning to remind me of school.  The job is in the same investment survey firm that I worked for last year except that I'm adjusting clients accounts this year.  The place is so disorganized and has so many mistakes that there's always plenty to do.  It almost reminds me of the cartoon with he army guy getting this huge pile of work to do in the morning and gradually lowering the pile by the end of the day.

Outside of work things are OK.  Lauren's fine.  We've seen two Met games so far.  I saw the Braves in May (Hank Aaron hit a home run) and last Wednesday Lauren's father got us tickets to see San Diego.  They aren't too exciting but we had seats 2 rows behind the Mets dugout.  Last Friday I saw Elton John at Carnegie Hall. It was strange.  I had never been in the place and had $5.50 seats which were pretty cheap for that concert.  The place is so high that you really can't see the stage from where we were.  Anyhow, he came out and sat at the piano at the beginning and didn't say a word outside of announcing the names of the songs.  He fist played "Your Song" and followed with everything else.  It was really good, he sounded exactly like the record but you felt like you were sitting in on a recording session.  He played for a little over an hour then intermission.  Second half he came back with a drummer (Nigel Olsson) and bass and tore the place apart.  He sang "Friends", "Country Comfort", etc. along with Honky Tony Woman and Mercedes-Benz (Janis Joplin's).  He was dancing on top of the piano and jumping in the air while playing.  Despite the showing off it was really amazing how well he can play.  He really overcame the lack of closeness of the hall.

The Mets right now are losing 2-0 to the Dodgers.  Guess what?  Herbie's in Germany.  I really can't believe it.  I saw him the day he left and he was really scared.  Oh well I'm sure he'll do OK.  How's the job and everything?  Do you see Tony at all?  Sorry I can't write longer but I've got to get some sleep.  Take care and write back.

April 16, 1971 (Letter from Gail)

It was really great to hear from you.  I started to write to you once, but when I went to address the envelope I couldn't find your address, so that blew that.

It's been a long time, I was really glad to hear that things are going good for you.  I guess I could say that things are going ok for me, too.  It's been a rough semester though, course wise, that is.  I've got two math courses, Coll Alg., and Psych Statistics and they are really getting me down.  It makes me mad, because last semester was so good for me.  I'm a psychology major, and it's just a bit rougher than I thought.  But I guess if I make it through this semester, I'll be ok.

I went to see "The Grateful Dead" at Allegheny College last nite.  They played from 8:00pm to 1:00am.  It was unbelievable, all the kids that were there.  You'll never guess who sat in front of me -- Gary Porter -- remember him -- he graduated with us?  He's gotten really freaky, he's letting his hair grow, has wire rims, and was even with a girl!  He was up dancing and clapping his hands!  Right on Gary!  A couple months ago I saw "James Gang" and "Steel River" at Gannon in Erie.  They were really good too!  I liked Steel River best.  "Chicago" was at ESC in February.  They gave such a horrible concert.  I think they played for a total of an hour!  It was really poor.  But that's Edinboro, always bringing in the best groups.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think I'm going to be in any exciting places this summer.  I applied at the State Hospital for a job, which I hope desperately that I get.  If I don't, well, I'll probably end up back at Tiny Town (God forbid) or commuting back and forth to Edinboro (with Barb Check) taking a course or two.  As it is I'm not going to graduate till August 1972 anyways so it doesn't matter what I do this summer.  I would really like the job, for the money, but things are tight and I'm afraid I"ll be squeezed out.

I'm going down to Penn State tomorrow morning to spend the weekend with Leslie.  It's going to feel good to get away from this place.  I wanted to go to Florida over Easter but we only had 5 days off and I couldn't afford to cut classes, so I didn't go.  I went home and helped by uncle out in the store and sat on my ass the rest of the time.  It was Passover too that weekend and my sister and her husband and baby were home, so I guess the vacation wasn't a total loss.

What's with Mike and the rest of the gang.  I guess Renee and Morrey were home for Passover but I didn't get to see them.  I guess Renee lost lbs.  Good for her.  I hope she keeps it up.  Right!

Well Paul, I guess that's all my news for now.  Write back when you can. I'll be here till May 21st. Take care.

February 15, 1971 (Letter from Anne)

I've written about 5 letters to you but never got around to mailing any of them.  By the time I got around to mailing them the news was old.

Not really too much has been going on.  Mason Profit played at my school last Saturday nite.  They were really fantastic.  Mountain and Fleetwood Mac are coming along with Rod Stewart and Savoy Brown next weekend in Chicago.  I"m planning to go to both concerts.

This goddamn town and the people in it are driving me crazy.  I can't wait till I can get the hell out of here.  I'm gonna finish up this semester and leave.  I hate it.  The cops area always hangin on your ass for something.

There's really not any new gossip I can think of.  This town is so dead.  It figures there wouldn't be much.  So write soon.

July 25, 1970 (Letter from Kenny)

How has it been going?  Sorry I didn't write sooner but with my mother leaving for Europe things were pretty hectic.  She left Thursday night on a 747 and it left a half-hour late which is pretty amazing.

I don't remember whether I told you about the Sly concert (7/11) but it was very good but not great.  Rare Earth was also there but they were only pretty good.  The next week was Simon & Garfunkel and naturally it was what you would expect from S&G.  The only problem was that they were alone and played for 2 hours which is a lot but the concert seemed short.  When they finished "Bridge Over Troubled Water" the house came down and were given a 5 minute standing ovation after that one number.

Now that my mother isn't here I have the car all the time which really doesn't excite me overwhelmingly.  Yesterday I bought my new stereo, the same on as you except that instead of "50" speakers I got "50A" which are the same size but the new model.  They had a sale and for the same price I paid ($180 with tax) I could have gotten these huge, great speakers.  They were the same height but twice as wide as the "50A" and sounded really great.  I couldn't figure where the hell I'd put them so I didn't get them.  It's just as well.  Last night after I set up the stereo I got stoned and listened to most of my records.  I haven't gotten many new ones only Melanie and Let It Be.

I've tried to call Michael a few times but he's never been home.  I still have his check.  I see Herb and Chris pretty often and I've seen Eric a couple of times.

So when are you going to come to the "Big City"?  Let me know so I can contact and mayor and maybe he'll give you a key to the city.  On Aug 5 outside concert in Manhattan will have Chicago and Guess Who and I'm thinking of going even though I saw Chicago last month.

Oh yeah, a while ago we went to the track and in one race a horse name Fort Nelson was running so I bet on him for win (1st) and show (3rd)  Herb bet him to win and Chris to place (2nd).

The whole race we were all screaming "come on Paul" and everybody around us thought we knew the jockey or something.  You did pretty good, a photo finish but came in second, so remind me to hit you when I see you.  Well that's about all for now.  Take it easy and write when you can.

P.S.  I read Catch-22 also, and the Godfather which was great.

June 25, 1969 (Letter from Herb Kleinberger)

Sorry it's taken this long for me to write -- but it's been pretty hectic around here.  I've got a job.  I started 3 weeks ago.  I work in the city as a parking lot attendant.  It's really wild all I do is park cars all day.  I drove some really beautiful cars, even a Rolls Royce.  The money is fantastic.  I gross $102.50 for a 50 hour week plus tips which comes to $6 a day.  So it comes out real good.  Believe me I'm so deep in debt I'm gonna have to work ten years to pay it off.  The only bad part of the job is that I have to work Sat and Sundays.  I've got Tues and Wed off though.  Sometimes it's good, but most of the time it's horrible.

My car's been running well since I've come home.  I just hope it lasts. Hey -- I got the last phone bill -- last week -- you don't owe me any money though -- remember -- you paid.

Otherwise things have been fine around here.  I've been seeing a lot of Barbarra (not the right parts).  I bought tickets for some concerts.   Jose Feliciano, Flip Wilson, Blood Sweat and Tears, Led Zeppelin, B. B. King.  They're all coming up soon -- it should be great.

I spoke to Kenny last night.  He's kinda upset cause his social life isn't exactly the way he'd like it to be.  So I told him Barbara could set him up.  She did -- we're doubling Friday night to see Finian's Rainbow -- I think it's gonna be Kenny's first date since before he hurt his leg.  I hope he remembers what a girl looks like.  Anyhow it should be pretty funny.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Everything else is par.  Chris is his same normal obnoxious self and I've spoken to Eric a couple of times -- he's fine too.  I think he and Kenny call each other every once in awhile and just cry to each other.  They're both in pretty bad shape.

So how's things in Buffalo.  I was listening to KBW last night.  They said the weather was dismal.  I'm sure glad I'm not there.  How's the apartment holding up -- How's mine -- is Big Ralph taking care of it.  Keep an eye on it for me.

Oh by the way I got my transcript -- I got a 3.0, straight B's. Surprising isn't it.  How'd you do.  I also got a letter from the computer science dept.  You know that program I applied to.  Well, I got accepted.  Pretty good!

Write soon and let me know how things are socially up there and what's been happening with your job?  Take care -- see you in September.