Went to look for a picture of an old friend, a karassmate for sure, on my computer, but realized that there is nothing of him here any more. No phone number. Nary an address. Two dated photographs and one letter are all I have.
Some of those people were tumors that I wanted excised neatly from my life, just as they were. Not him, though. Three of them stand out above the rest, and I wonder here what I can't ask them anymore:
How's life, guys?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Half Doom 2008
September 26-28, 2008.
TWSS Count: 78.
The Costars:
Donatello
Leonardo
Raphael
Michelangelo
Not pictured: The Beam Team (Beamer, Ken, Juma, Perry, Cindy)
The Day:
TWSS Count: 78.
The Costars:
Donatello
Leonardo
Raphael
Michelangelo
Not pictured: The Beam Team (Beamer, Ken, Juma, Perry, Cindy)
The Day:
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A day in the life.
Wednesday. 6:30am. Woken by an abrupt projectile pillow to the face.
7:45am. Missed the shuttle.
8:00am. Made the shuttle.
8:15am. Arrived at work to be called to a breakfast meeting with my boss, who informs me that the project we've been slaving away at for a month has encountered a "major scientific hiccup" and must be essentially rewritten in two days.
8:30am. Scrambled and stressed for hours.
2:37pm. Told off for talking to Aya about the opera. We both do this o_O and all laugh.
5:32pm. Receive yet another weird and wonderful package from odd finance manager, this time stuffed with a million different sachets of tea. I'll take it.
6:25pm. Catch shuttle the hell outta there.
6:40pm. Board BART to Richmond.
7:15pm. Arrive in Berkeley, get burger on the way to the DC. Informed at this point that the flat has secured a virtual treasure trove of Encyclopedia Browns. Rejoice aloud on the street, questioned by a vagrant, move on.
7:30pm. Arrive at the DC, which is in end-of-cycle-esque chaos. And it's Sept. 24. Do the robot, learn about the FAIL blog from Skyler, play with hermit crabs.
8:00pm. Start working. Disasters abound. News loud and obnoxious. No photos to be had. New methods for all my work but no training for me because I can figure it out.
9:30pm. Can't figure it out. Call chain of command. Chain of command AWOL.
11:23pm. Reporters also AWOL. No one to answer questions. Dance break in the newsroom. Matt swings baseball bat dangerously close to head.
Thursday. 12:25am. Start putting paper to bed.
12:31am. Matt asks for quick glance at column to check if anything is "well, you know, libelous."
12:40am. Whole column is libel. Paper pulled back, fuming fuming, Jo swings baseball bat dangerously close to Matt's head.
12:57am. Put paper to bed.
1:03am. Jo and Laura make five year plan. Year of work for Jo, year of school for Laura, year in Senegal for both, brush up on french, then admittance into LSE/Sciences Po joint Masters in Economic Development and Economic History, one year in Paris, one year in London, rest of life in London/New York with Economist.
2:00am. Put online to bed.
2:06am. Laura leaves. Matt and Sam work. Jo loafs.
4:00am. Good morning to Philly component of team Encyclopedia Brown.
5:17am. Goodbye to Sam and Matt, trudge to BART. Sky black.
5:40am. Board BART for San Francisco.
6:13am. Lose phone on BART floor. Enlist help of four strangers to crawl around on BART floor to locate phone.
6:15am. Locate phone in purse. Scuttle shamefacedly off train at Montgomery.
6:30am. Read Onion, laugh myself to tears in sleepy funny delirium, guy across from me in Starbucks does this o_O, laugh more.
7:00am. Curl up for 17 minutes of blissful sleep in big purple chair in Montgomery Starbucks.
7:17am. Emerge from Starbucks fully rested and walk down Market Street to the Embarcadero, alternating between whistling, humming, and fully singing Paper Moon.
8:06am. Arrive at work. Back to earth. Repeat.
7:45am. Missed the shuttle.
8:00am. Made the shuttle.
8:15am. Arrived at work to be called to a breakfast meeting with my boss, who informs me that the project we've been slaving away at for a month has encountered a "major scientific hiccup" and must be essentially rewritten in two days.
8:30am. Scrambled and stressed for hours.
2:37pm. Told off for talking to Aya about the opera. We both do this o_O and all laugh.
5:32pm. Receive yet another weird and wonderful package from odd finance manager, this time stuffed with a million different sachets of tea. I'll take it.
6:25pm. Catch shuttle the hell outta there.
6:40pm. Board BART to Richmond.
7:15pm. Arrive in Berkeley, get burger on the way to the DC. Informed at this point that the flat has secured a virtual treasure trove of Encyclopedia Browns. Rejoice aloud on the street, questioned by a vagrant, move on.
7:30pm. Arrive at the DC, which is in end-of-cycle-esque chaos. And it's Sept. 24. Do the robot, learn about the FAIL blog from Skyler, play with hermit crabs.
8:00pm. Start working. Disasters abound. News loud and obnoxious. No photos to be had. New methods for all my work but no training for me because I can figure it out.
9:30pm. Can't figure it out. Call chain of command. Chain of command AWOL.
11:23pm. Reporters also AWOL. No one to answer questions. Dance break in the newsroom. Matt swings baseball bat dangerously close to head.
Thursday. 12:25am. Start putting paper to bed.
12:31am. Matt asks for quick glance at column to check if anything is "well, you know, libelous."
12:40am. Whole column is libel. Paper pulled back, fuming fuming, Jo swings baseball bat dangerously close to Matt's head.
12:57am. Put paper to bed.
1:03am. Jo and Laura make five year plan. Year of work for Jo, year of school for Laura, year in Senegal for both, brush up on french, then admittance into LSE/Sciences Po joint Masters in Economic Development and Economic History, one year in Paris, one year in London, rest of life in London/New York with Economist.
2:00am. Put online to bed.
2:06am. Laura leaves. Matt and Sam work. Jo loafs.
4:00am. Good morning to Philly component of team Encyclopedia Brown.
5:17am. Goodbye to Sam and Matt, trudge to BART. Sky black.
5:40am. Board BART for San Francisco.
6:13am. Lose phone on BART floor. Enlist help of four strangers to crawl around on BART floor to locate phone.
6:15am. Locate phone in purse. Scuttle shamefacedly off train at Montgomery.
6:30am. Read Onion, laugh myself to tears in sleepy funny delirium, guy across from me in Starbucks does this o_O, laugh more.
7:00am. Curl up for 17 minutes of blissful sleep in big purple chair in Montgomery Starbucks.
7:17am. Emerge from Starbucks fully rested and walk down Market Street to the Embarcadero, alternating between whistling, humming, and fully singing Paper Moon.
8:06am. Arrive at work. Back to earth. Repeat.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thank. You.
I appreciate Lisa and Ashley right now, because in their own crazy and different ways, they're not afraid to come out and say it, whatever it may be!
For now, though, I have nothing to say, so I'll let Augie speak for me. A tribute to my top fives, a romp in punctuation and proudly owned contradictions, here's my number one introduction of all time:
"I am an American, Chicago born - Chicago, that somber city - and go at things as I have taught myself, freestyle, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent. But a man's character is his fate, says Heraclitus, and in the end there isn't any way to disguise the nature of the knocks by acoustical work on the door or gloving the knuckles."
Got 300 spare hours and a life that needs changing? Read it.
For now, though, I have nothing to say, so I'll let Augie speak for me. A tribute to my top fives, a romp in punctuation and proudly owned contradictions, here's my number one introduction of all time:
"I am an American, Chicago born - Chicago, that somber city - and go at things as I have taught myself, freestyle, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent. But a man's character is his fate, says Heraclitus, and in the end there isn't any way to disguise the nature of the knocks by acoustical work on the door or gloving the knuckles."
Got 300 spare hours and a life that needs changing? Read it.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
L'amour est enfant de Bohême,
il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi,
si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime,
si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
Office #3
il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi,
si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime,
si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
Office #3
Thursday, September 18, 2008
And Out
Nothing like the feeling you get when you know your boss is hurtling away from you in a shuttle at breakneck speeds (max 25mph).
My discussion with Mike yesterday has my top-fives swirling around in my head in true High Fidelity fashion. Why are we so naturally inclined to shout from the rooftops the five things we like best in a mish-mash of mundane categories? Whatever the reason, here's me on the ledge:
Movies:
1. Moonstruck, no bones about it, my one and only unequivocal #1
2. Love Actually (I know I know I know I know I know)
3. Good Will Hunting
4. Some Like It Hot
5. A Fish Called Wanda
Books(/Plays):
1. The Adventures of Augie March
2. A Tale of Two Cities
3. Ross
4. The Fountainhead
5. The Catcher in the Rye
Characters from Books:
1. Rob from High Fidelity
2. Augie March
3. Bridget Jones
4. David Copperfield
5. Helena from Midsummer Night's Dream
Songs:
1. Happiness is a Warm Gun by the Beatles
2. The Way You Look Tonight by Tony Bennett
3. In An Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
4. Kodachrome by Paul Simon
5. Weird Science by Oingo Boingo
People at the DC:
1. Skyler
2. Ashley
3. Laura Nightly
4. Bryan
5. Nathan!
Sounds:
1. The cello-trumpet combo early mornings at 16th Street BART
2. Long strong nails clicking on a surface
3. Anderson Cooper's voice
4. The door to the house from the garage swinging shut at home
5. Andi making a sound that sounds like "humph"
Words in any language:
1. Jovenes
2. Bally-hoo
3. Nary
4. Reticent
5. November
My discussion with Mike yesterday has my top-fives swirling around in my head in true High Fidelity fashion. Why are we so naturally inclined to shout from the rooftops the five things we like best in a mish-mash of mundane categories? Whatever the reason, here's me on the ledge:
Movies:
1. Moonstruck, no bones about it, my one and only unequivocal #1
2. Love Actually (I know I know I know I know I know)
3. Good Will Hunting
4. Some Like It Hot
5. A Fish Called Wanda
Books(/Plays):
1. The Adventures of Augie March
2. A Tale of Two Cities
3. Ross
4. The Fountainhead
5. The Catcher in the Rye
Characters from Books:
1. Rob from High Fidelity
2. Augie March
3. Bridget Jones
4. David Copperfield
5. Helena from Midsummer Night's Dream
Songs:
1. Happiness is a Warm Gun by the Beatles
2. The Way You Look Tonight by Tony Bennett
3. In An Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
4. Kodachrome by Paul Simon
5. Weird Science by Oingo Boingo
People at the DC:
1. Skyler
2. Ashley
3. Laura Nightly
4. Bryan
5. Nathan!
Sounds:
1. The cello-trumpet combo early mornings at 16th Street BART
2. Long strong nails clicking on a surface
3. Anderson Cooper's voice
4. The door to the house from the garage swinging shut at home
5. Andi making a sound that sounds like "humph"
Words in any language:
1. Jovenes
2. Bally-hoo
3. Nary
4. Reticent
5. November
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I hate it when people make song lyrics an entire post. Does anyone actually go through the whole post and read the lyrics? I sure as hell don't. They are cheap freebie posts to me. So, um, sorry I guess:
Honey you are a rock,
Upon which I stand,
And I come here to talk,
I hope you understand.
That green eyes, the spotlight shines upon you,
And how could anybody deny you?
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter now I’ve met you,
And honey you should know, that I could never go on without you.
Green eyes...
Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know.
That green eyes, you’re the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you must be out of their mind.
Cause I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter, since I met you
Honey you should know, that I could never go on without you.
Green eyes...
Green eyes.
Are there any other songs out there for us greenies? And is it just me, or are the blue-eyed among us disproportionately represented?
Honey you are a rock,
Upon which I stand,
And I come here to talk,
I hope you understand.
That green eyes, the spotlight shines upon you,
And how could anybody deny you?
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter now I’ve met you,
And honey you should know, that I could never go on without you.
Green eyes...
Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know.
That green eyes, you’re the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you must be out of their mind.
Cause I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter, since I met you
Honey you should know, that I could never go on without you.
Green eyes...
Green eyes.
Are there any other songs out there for us greenies? And is it just me, or are the blue-eyed among us disproportionately represented?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Piccies from the Phone
Emergency Choc.
Frida.
Crabby. Teddy Roosevelt.
Llamas and Bryan.
Flatatatat
Office #1
Office #2
Slow Food
September High Tea (I say September because High Tea is now a monthly ritual of the Finer Things Club).
Outside of having sex with men, the Finer Things Club is the gayest thing I do.
Slow Food Nation 2008
Me and Hughes on Tightwad Hill.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Bingo.
Someone told me recently that it sounds like I'm holding back in my blog, like I'm more timid and reserved here than I am in real life.
Here's me, wishing that were true. Instead, this one's the real me. Timid, reserved, trite, swayed by popular opinion, generally and decidedly ambiguous. The other one's an actress. And kind of a jackass.
Not exactly the affirming post I wish I could write tonight.
Here's me, wishing that were true. Instead, this one's the real me. Timid, reserved, trite, swayed by popular opinion, generally and decidedly ambiguous. The other one's an actress. And kind of a jackass.
Not exactly the affirming post I wish I could write tonight.
Language Barrier
When I voiced my concern that I might not be able to watch tomorrow's much-anticipated tennis match, my mom earnestly replied,
"Well, we have the DVD, so can't we just Skype it or something?"
???
Love you mum :)
"Well, we have the DVD, so can't we just Skype it or something?"
???
Love you mum :)
Friday, September 5, 2008
The Seeds
"Remember how I always told you you'd understand when you're older? Well, now you are."
I will never tire of trying to exhaust the water boys at restaurants or of treating the house like a gymnasium. I will forever strive to be the best statistician/pipe dream player/sudoku master of the three of us. Stream-of-consciousness emails from Ross will never get old, tearing up Clay to Win on Ben's team will never get old, walking to Thrifty's or bombing down a mountain on the rare occasions when all three of us are together will never get old.
Right in the thick of missing Ross, getting ready to start missing Ben, all I feel is appreciation for two people I have to love so much to miss so much. Here's to Christmas and a snowy happy reunion of the scattered seeds.
I will never tire of trying to exhaust the water boys at restaurants or of treating the house like a gymnasium. I will forever strive to be the best statistician/pipe dream player/sudoku master of the three of us. Stream-of-consciousness emails from Ross will never get old, tearing up Clay to Win on Ben's team will never get old, walking to Thrifty's or bombing down a mountain on the rare occasions when all three of us are together will never get old.
Right in the thick of missing Ross, getting ready to start missing Ben, all I feel is appreciation for two people I have to love so much to miss so much. Here's to Christmas and a snowy happy reunion of the scattered seeds.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Recently, in lieu of working...
Benny: thats actually part of the class notes
me: read act one of twelfth night, one paragraph on shakespeare's original playhouse, fall in love with girl next to you
Benny: aviod exhibition of pretty piece of flesh, etc.
me: LOL
Mike: jim-pam is awesome
i'd settle for a dwight-angela at this point
me: HAHAHAHAHAHA
Mike: dont force it, dont force it
Regarding my status (Joanna Copley doesn't REALLY believe that a foam peanut and an anvil will fall at the same rate in a vacuum):
Lisa: i'm with you on that one
bull frickin shit
me: encyclopedia brown is an indie rock god
check out those pants!
and the ironically small sweater
Lisa: encyclopedia brown could kick nancy drew + the hardy boys' ASSES
where are his glasses at
didn't he have glasses
Lisa: o_O
me: WHY DO I GET THE SQUINTY EYE
Lisa: i take back the eye
Lucas: did you ever read encyclopedia brown?
me: DID I EVER READ ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN
Lucas: the one where he solves the problem of who cheated at the word fair because the bookkeeper lady pretended she didn't know any words that had three double letters
AND BOOKKEEPER HAS THREE DOUBLE LETTERS
A ridiculous exercise in group copy-and-paste:
me: me: REALLY
you REALLY like peas??
Juliette: i LOVE peas
i'm cooking some up right now
they're a tie for my favorite vegetable with spinich and green beans
me: ?!
wtf
CORN!
CORN, HUGHEY
WHERE IS CORN AT
Juliette: um...i mean it's there
it's okay
not my favorite
i like the green ones better
me: ?!!??!?!?!?!?!?!
Juliette: hahahahahaha
so jo, what's your favorite vegetable
me: hmmmmmm
Juliette: it better be corn or you're going to be harped on by lisa
watch out!
me: does the humble onion count?
Juliette: nope
me: ok then hmmmmmmmm again
Juliette: okay fine
me: i suppose the answer is...
green beans.
Juliette: if you like the onion...then you can have the onion.
me: my favorite veggie is greenbeans
Juliette: oooooooooooooh GREEN BEANS
Lisa: lol
OMG
hahahah
i'm doing the ian laugh
which means it's hella funny
me: did you know michael phelps eats 12,000 CALORIES A DAY
Juliette: yes i did
me: hahahahaaha
"did you know michael phelps's ssn is 274-827-8836?"
"yes i did"
Lisa: lol
"did you know michael phelps likes to take long showers and moisturize 3 times afterwards?"
"yes i did"
cuh reee pyy
me: hahahahahaha
Juliette: NEVER TURN AWAY
it's like death
Lisa: it's like DEATH?!
wtf
Joe: hahahh
Juliette: okay. not true
Lisa: HOW IS IT LIKE DEATH
Joe: haahah
so outraged
me: in the same way that alan parish "dies" in jumanji
Lisa: JULIETTE HASN'T SEEN SANDLOT
just gonna throw that out there...
me: IT'S HIM!
and i'm a freaking master actress
oh god he sounds real hot
Ashley: oh GOd!
me: hahaha
Ashley: what did you say?
me: he said "chronicle this is damien"
Ashley: hot!
me: and i was like oh i think i have the wrong number
and he said (get this!): "wait, are you sure? i just called some numbers and was hoping for a call back"
Ashley: that's soo cute!
all reporterly
me: so then i was like, "umm i'm looking for peter ashbury, is this 415-778-7228"
Ashley: niice
me: and he said "ah no it's 777-7228"
totally well played and totally going to steal him from you
Ashley: you are my hero
me: yeah pretty much
me: read act one of twelfth night, one paragraph on shakespeare's original playhouse, fall in love with girl next to you
Benny: aviod exhibition of pretty piece of flesh, etc.
me: LOL
Mike: jim-pam is awesome
i'd settle for a dwight-angela at this point
me: HAHAHAHAHAHA
Mike: dont force it, dont force it
Regarding my status (Joanna Copley doesn't REALLY believe that a foam peanut and an anvil will fall at the same rate in a vacuum):
Lisa: i'm with you on that one
bull frickin shit
me: encyclopedia brown is an indie rock god
check out those pants!
and the ironically small sweater
Lisa: encyclopedia brown could kick nancy drew + the hardy boys' ASSES
where are his glasses at
didn't he have glasses
Lisa: o_O
me: WHY DO I GET THE SQUINTY EYE
Lisa: i take back the eye
Lucas: did you ever read encyclopedia brown?
me: DID I EVER READ ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN
Lucas: the one where he solves the problem of who cheated at the word fair because the bookkeeper lady pretended she didn't know any words that had three double letters
AND BOOKKEEPER HAS THREE DOUBLE LETTERS
A ridiculous exercise in group copy-and-paste:
me: me: REALLY
you REALLY like peas??
Juliette: i LOVE peas
i'm cooking some up right now
they're a tie for my favorite vegetable with spinich and green beans
me: ?!
wtf
CORN!
CORN, HUGHEY
WHERE IS CORN AT
Juliette: um...i mean it's there
it's okay
not my favorite
i like the green ones better
me: ?!!??!?!?!?!?!?!
Juliette: hahahahahaha
so jo, what's your favorite vegetable
me: hmmmmmm
Juliette: it better be corn or you're going to be harped on by lisa
watch out!
me: does the humble onion count?
Juliette: nope
me: ok then hmmmmmmmm again
Juliette: okay fine
me: i suppose the answer is...
green beans.
Juliette: if you like the onion...then you can have the onion.
me: my favorite veggie is greenbeans
Juliette: oooooooooooooh GREEN BEANS
Lisa: lol
OMG
hahahah
i'm doing the ian laugh
which means it's hella funny
me: did you know michael phelps eats 12,000 CALORIES A DAY
Juliette: yes i did
me: hahahahaaha
"did you know michael phelps's ssn is 274-827-8836?"
"yes i did"
Lisa: lol
"did you know michael phelps likes to take long showers and moisturize 3 times afterwards?"
"yes i did"
cuh reee pyy
me: hahahahahaha
Juliette: NEVER TURN AWAY
it's like death
Lisa: it's like DEATH?!
wtf
Joe: hahahh
Juliette: okay. not true
Lisa: HOW IS IT LIKE DEATH
Joe: haahah
so outraged
me: in the same way that alan parish "dies" in jumanji
Lisa: JULIETTE HASN'T SEEN SANDLOT
just gonna throw that out there...
me: IT'S HIM!
and i'm a freaking master actress
oh god he sounds real hot
Ashley: oh GOd!
me: hahaha
Ashley: what did you say?
me: he said "chronicle this is damien"
Ashley: hot!
me: and i was like oh i think i have the wrong number
and he said (get this!): "wait, are you sure? i just called some numbers and was hoping for a call back"
Ashley: that's soo cute!
all reporterly
me: so then i was like, "umm i'm looking for peter ashbury, is this 415-778-7228"
Ashley: niice
me: and he said "ah no it's 777-7228"
totally well played and totally going to steal him from you
Ashley: you are my hero
me: yeah pretty much
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