August 31, 2004
Born-On Date
first off, i'm peeved, b/c i started this blog before and it was funnier... but a coworker came to download something and lost my entry. focker. anyhoo...
So yesterday was my birthday. Everyone, please, don't rush around to send me well-wishes and large bouquets of flowers...... because no one else did either *GASP!* i'm not whining or complaining... just stating a fact (read: complaining). This was one of 'those' birthdays. I usually plan something fun and outgoing, but decided to lay low this year....big, big mistake. note to self: plan, send invites, evites and badger repeatedly.
The day started out rather well. I got up early to head to the DMV, because my license expires, um, today. However, i took 15 minutes too long to get ready and decided just to get to work early instead of rushing off to stand in line. I decided to to look nice and wear the new silk skirt that my mom bought for me on vacation... I even dried my hair. Unbeknownst to me, my roommate stayed up late making some really pretty garland to hang in the living room, then placed a present on the couch. !Surprise! Quite a fabulous way to wake up really. PRESENTS!!!!! not even the smelly homeless man leering near my car could wipe the smile off my face. It was my birthday, I felt awake and damnit the sun was shining.
The commute was fabulous, barely any traffic. I got to work 40 minutes early to finally confront my boss about taking wednesday afternoon off. Reason being, i have the opportunity to work at the Latin Grammy Awards downtown that day (something i've known about for a week and a half). He begrudgingly obliged, after i swore that it would be OK with HR.... um well i think it will. I doubt he has any clue what the Latin Grammy's are, but that's beside the point. I didn't tell my boss it was my birthday because, #1. that's slightly rude and #2. it wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference. The man is clueless when it comes to doing nice things for his coworkers.
Bossman seemed to be in a bit of a "mood" and promptly piled a couple tasks on my to do list. I huffed and puffed, but afterall it is my job to "assist him" so i got to work. please note that i've sort of made my own job description b/c his task requests are so intermittent. i've been helping out other offices with minor projects, but don't always inform him, so he thinks i write emails all day. obviously wrong. i blog. a couple birthday phone calls came in, so i took them cheerily. A happy employee is not the sound a boss wants to hear, so he huffs n puffs and tactlessly hotlines me and sneers, "WHEN WILL I HAVE THAT FILE?!" well, last time i checked, i could multitask sir. so i'm actually filing while receiving my birthday wishes. sheesh.
Then the morning progressed with a lull. I received about three emails from my mom and two from a good friend from college. However, NONE of these emails included any birthday cheer. fizzle. Finally, at 11:30 AM (2:30 PM EST) I can't stand that my mother could have possibly forgotten my birthday so i emailed her, "um hi, it's my birthday.....is there anything you would like to say to your lovely daughter?!?!?" EIGHT hours later, at 7:03 PM (10:03 PM EST) I received this email to my work account......
Subject: Oh my poor baby!!!!!!
Oh sweetipie I am soooooo sorry I forgot it is your BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! Hooray! ....heck you got all your goodies last week...quit grouching!
I hope you made it perfectly CLEAR at your office that it IS YOUR B-DAy so that everyone could make a terrible and terrific FUSS and TAKE YOU OUT TO LUNCH!!!
Well, dear...hope it has been a wonderful day. LOVE YOU! mom.
can you feel the love? i can.
Realizing full well what has happened, i continued to email/talk to people who had obviously forgotten about my blessed day. i stopped pouting slightly to email the rest of the bunch and hoped they felt like asses for not checking their calendars. (I even had it as my instant messenger away message!)... then the college friend sent this email....
Crap. I'm an ass!!! I thought that today was the 29th!!! Stupid me. I
didn't even look at the stupid calendar! I knew it was your birthday.
Sorry. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! :)
right-o... i won't bore you with the others, but that's the gist of it all. luckily my sisters remembered and my two closest friends. so it's okay. wait a minute, i don't think i even heard from my dad. what in the hell! addendum.... dad just called five minutes ago. he feels bad, he fell asleep before he could call. forgiven. The best was my friend bess, she called to relay a minor message, chatted for a good five minutes, then asked how my day was.... well it's my birthday today. "SHIT!" it's okay, she sent me a gift. after this point, my phones started ringing and e-cards were sent as the gateway friends sent out the red alerts and carrier pigeons.
Anyhoo, i continued to work diligently and get sideways glances from my boss (he rarely speaks directly to me) so i ignored him and finished his pile of invoices before lunch. my friend here at work spilled the beans to my department 15 minutes prior, so we opted to lunch with some beloved geeks instead of just us two. On my way out, bossman tries to put on a smile and says, "SOOOO IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!" "yep, sure is." "SO HOW OLD ARE YOU TODAY?!?!" "25, bye." i handed him his folder and walked out AS i said the last part. rude? yes. deserved? yes. the man had passed by my desk atleast two times right before this and could have easily said something before he knew i'd be out the door.
i don't know what gets to me about that man....it's like, why does he even try if he has no plans to back up his attempts at conversation? he wasn't going to take me out to lunch or even consider having a conversation that extends beyond the overtly superficial. it's frustrating. i seriously doubt he could write a list of 5 things about me, (that aren't in my HR file). i've worked for him for almost TEN months! maybe it's annoying, because he thinks he's a good boss. a decent boss? yes. a good boss or mentor, absolutely not.
but forget that whining...the rest of the day brightened. lunch was tasty and filling, coworkers wished me well and one even shares my birthday, surprise! Three of my good friends out here met up with me for drinks after work, threatened to buy me shots and made me chug wine... then my roommate met up with us for a delicious dinner at The Stinking Rose (a restaurant specializing in garlic cuisine). my mother had called by now as well as a few others. it felt good to have my cell phone exploding with messages. we made fairly large asses of ourselves at the restaurant and i didn't care at all. it was really fun. sidenote: never EVER get the garlic icecream, i didn't realize it would actually be garlic flavored. sick! get the sorbet instead. i made a wish anyway and blew out my candle with a smile. I made it home at a semi-decent hour, but obviously i didn't make it to the DMV today. crap. raise your hand if you'll be driving illegally at midnight tonight! me me me.
The calls and e-cards continued to trickle in today, so i'm grateful people remembered at all. stop bitching missy. I'm 25, but oddly i don't feel old so much as I feel like now i should be mature. ugh, how boring of me. next year i want flowers.......... and my mom forgot my birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
OS X - Now approaching the 21st Century
We finally upgraded to OSX at the office last week and I am loving every minute of it! I had it on my laptop, but hadn't had the opportunity to put it through its strenuous design paces, and it rocks! Everything seems even more user friendly. When technology decides to be your friend, it is a good friend indeed.
August 25, 2004
Pearly Whites...my ass
so i went to the dentist this morning. mistake #1. i made this appointment well over a month and a half ago b/c the good doctor was having back surgery. This is the same guy becky went to when she lived in LA, so I felt it was a good place to start. I'm a big fan of going to the dentist every six months, however it's been nine, so i was anxious to shine up my grill.
side note: back in october of 2003, i'd thought i'd be a good girl and floss. well, halfway through the flossing i hear a pop, chink chink chink. look down and there's a chunk of my filling sitting in the sink. fuck! see flossing IS bad for you. mind you this is right when i moved to LA and happened to be visiting becky and jeremie in San Fran. luckily the tooth wasn't exposed so i flossed daily and waited to have it replaced by my dentist of 14 million years back in VA at Christmas time. no problem.
flash forward to today. i'm fairly confident walking into dr. dentiste's office this morning. I brush twice daily, floss when i remember and don't consume too much candy or soda. but you see dr. dentiste is a bit of a snob. the first visit is merely a consultation. i suppose this is to decide how much of a sucker you are. i was actually ontime, filled out the 75 forms then proceeded to get full Xrays, partial Xrays, digital photos, polaroids and cave drawing images of every section of my face. i was just peeved 'cause i had to take out my nose ring which isn't exactly easy to get back in. nothing like a puffy left nostril for the rest of the day....atleast the xrays are black and white (it's more slimming).
the good doctor was late. so i got to sit in subzero office temperatures, wear a bib, and read a stale issue of Newsweek for 20 minutes....all the while, wondering if a homeless man outside was peeing on my car outside. anyhoo, Shenberg arrives and talks to another doctor for ten more minutes, my meter is only good for two hours doc. He enters with a whim and immediately starts bossing his assistants around. I could immediately tell he's a great guy to patients, but very "particular" with his staff. aka, i wouldn't want to work for him.
He starts going over all the digital images with me, charting graphs, bouncing sonar waves, lasering molars and altering the direction of the barometer, all with a click of the mouse. well maybe he didn't change the weather patterns, but i was semi impressed with the technology. made me think my old doc was a bit 18th century with his little water pik and silver poker thing. Fancy pants Shenberg then grabs a digi camera wand and more flourescent light gadgets to poke and prod my teeth (all the while barking at the assistants to raise and lower my chair). I felt like my poor civic at it's 30,000 mile tune up.
I would catch a glimpse of what he was looking at every now and again only to be horrified by what i saw and heard. at one point the "laser" thingamajig, which detects tooth sensitivity or some shit was going wild. He then explained that a healthy tooth registers a reading at 10 or below.... well not one but TWO of my teeth definitely had readings of 46 and 51. FUCK ME! i won't bore you with horrific details, but the revelation is: on the surface my teeth look fine, apparently below the surface, bacteria is silenting waging an Alien Vs. Predator type war below the enamel. i almost passed out. As he explained the damage, he could tell i was about to passout, so he reassured me that my teeth would in fact NOT fall out anytime soon. phew, thanks dude.
basically when dentists of years past put my sealants on, they didn't clean them well enough, so they sealed junk in which has now started feeding on my poor teeth. fuckers. oh and that nice little filling that was just redone in december? yeah well that cracked again and had expanded so it was cracking my actual tooth. triple fuck. so he said it's only a matter of time before it crumbles and that bitch needs to be replaced. ugh. btw - this wasn't even a cleaning...that's ANOTHER appointment.
Most of the stuff he suggested was more "preventative" work, because i don't have full blown cavaties (minus two), just dark spots that will inevitably rot away. awesome. he so cleverly calls this initial meeting "co-diagnosis"... b/c "i see what he sees and we can 'both' make decisions on what to do for my tooth welfare." how about i shit a wad of money and you jack hammer my teeth? novacaine is extra i assume.
TWO hours from my arrival time, i was standing in front of the receptionist begging for appointments to fix my dysfunctional bicuspids, molars, and whatever other teeth i have. I wish this was part of a reality series, because i feel as though i was just in my own infommercial. Then it hits me, um how in the hell will i pay for all this work i need done? The lady prints out rundown of the damage which totals (drumroll please), $1,730 dollars. whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? basically whatever insurance covers, i'll get done. what insurance doesn't cover, i'll have to take up a collection for. how much do high price call girls make?!? fucking ridiculous.
everyone was really nice and convinced me that they too had similar reactions when they had their teeth "analyzed", however i probably walked out of there and they dropped their jaws to snicker at my chart.
i was so distressed that i popped open a Mt. Dew for breakfast and called becky to vent. *sigh*
so remember folks, don't eat or drink....anything. you may be harming your enamel. oh and chew Orbitz gum, that has zorbical or some bacteria fighting goodness. that's the tip of the day. I'm off to hide my hideous molars.
August 24, 2004
MMMMM.....BEER.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=817&e=2&u=/ap/beer_bear
perty funny. Bears just wanna chill out and drink beers too.
August 22, 2004
Becky's last post rules
Go to Becky's post! it rules!
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
tmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartma
ncartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanca
rtmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartm
ancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmanc
artmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancart
mancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartman
cartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancartmancar
August 20, 2004
FUN WITH TYPE!
This is so cool. Try out an image search with this baby: http://c6.org/toogle
August 18, 2004
FV, Part 4
8.17.04. Day Four.
Campaign against the snoring. You may recall, we left off with me stomping off to sleep on the loveseat... yeah well, the sunrise, along with the early rising of my parents disturbed my slumber on the couch, so I growled and stumbled back to the bed of infinite restlessness. open scene around 1 PM, when I wake back up. so much for an "early start."
The afternoon perked up with SPA DAY. Tammy and I went to Faces Day Spa, where I had a deluxe facial and Tammy got a pedicure. Quite a delightful effort to relax. Nothing exciting happened today…quite average actually. Rain prevented a swim in the pool or walk to the beach. Had a quaint little trip to Walmart with the fam, followed by a fatty dinner. Yep we’re all American. Just couldn’t handle having the day end, so we topped it off with some Blockbuster and a stop to the Hilton Head ice cream shop. Forced everyone to stay up late for a lil’ “Starsky and Hutch,” then happened to catch the late showing of “Grease” on AMC…it’s all 80s all week. In bed around 3:15 AM. Woohooo. Maybe I am relaxing somehow, I’m so lame now. My apologies to the audience.
August 17, 2004
FV, part 3
8.16.04. Day Three.
I’m a worthless piece of shit. Or at least I feel like it. After my sleepless night, I managed to snooze far through 1 PM. So much for a full day of active relaxation. I’m an anal Virgo….relaxation doesn’t occur in 24 hours, especially when I only have five days for ultimate, extreme vacationing. Most people love being a worthless slug at the beach, however this week I feel as though I need to pack in as much family time, sun time, shopping time and eating time as possible. Sleep must be strategically planned.
Today’s entry is short. Basically my family was just as lazy as I was and none of us went down to the beach… well Tammy took a walk down to the water, but I opted to set up my mom’s new laptop and suck everyone into watching “When Harry Met Sally.” Eating cheetos and little powered donuts was also an intrigual part of today. I only got off my ass to drag Tammy down to the pool for a half hour and then off we all went to eat massive amounts of rich, delicious seafood items at Catch 22.
Becky, you should be here, it’s AWESOME, good food, cable and the beach… yes I know this is a cheap shot, but seriously….f your job! Come play with the family. Dad still continues to flip wildly between CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. He’s a crazy crazy news addict. It’s 1:18 AM. S’pose it’s time to meet the snoring machine... Lumbajack Tammy.
addendum to day two: the snoring was unbearable tonight. I was forced to take my pillow and blanket to the short couch where I dozed uncomfortably for about four or five hours. poop.
Family Vacation, part 2
8.15.04. Day two.
It’s all in the details. It’s 2:10 AM and I forgot my sister snores. Becky and my oldest sister snores like a friggin’ freight train. A habit that’s occurred with age. It’s remarkable that such ferocity can occur during her hours of hours “rest.” I mean, how is oxygen even transferred amidst all the racket and gargling. At one point I heard her nee like a horse. An unusual whinney that should be accompanied by some hoof stomping (insert horse sound here).
As I’m quickly remembering, snoring is very complex. There’s an innate range of tones, snorts, hmphs and sighs. Wait hold on…. there’s a break, she’s shifting. I think my typing is affecting her slumber. We’re even. (Muuahahaha) I’m not necessarily awake b/c she’s snoring, but I also can’t fall asleep since I’m not used to it. Maybe if she could work on getting a consistent rhythm down that would help out. Hey Tammy, STOP SNORING!
It’s now 2:15 AM, only 11:15 pacific time, but I usually adapt pretty easily when traveling. Not tonight. I’m not even tired. I think it’s the bed. The owners of our condo have decided to get new mattresses during the “remodeling”…. and apparently the “hard as a rock” mattress brand was on sale. It’s unbearable. My parents are paying good money for me to sleep on plywood covered in pink sheets. Too bad I can’t write this up on expedia.com.
In all fairness, I’m just not a hard mattress type a gal. I like ample amounts of feather comforters and goose down pillows. This bed could be heaven for someone say, from Uganda or Japan; someone used to sleeping on dirt floors or wicker mats. But I’m civil and spoiled and would prefer a bed that even remotely responds when I kick it. An unsuspecting child could seriously hurt themselves, should they bounce during an innocent game of 10 lil monkeys.
The bed is so damn uncomfortable, that I felt the need to stay in it until 3 o’clock, yesterday afternoon. I just kept trying to find a comfortable position. But I’m pretty sure that just doesn’t exist. Perhaps this is one reason that I can’t sleep now. It’s now 3:13 AM. It’s a good time to ponder the important things in life, like, should I get a facial or a massage while on vacation? Damnit Tammy is snoring again. It was so peaceful for 45 minutes.
Zz zzzz zz snortle.
August 16, 2004
Family Vacation
8/14/04. Day one.
Exhaustion. I’ve yet again experienced traveling hell…and I didn’t even leave the country. I am flying to Hilton Head, South Carolina to meet up for the annual Bochatey Family Vacation. We will be one short, since becky refuses to quit her job and roast in the sun with us. >=-0 Send her hate mail if you get a chance.
I Went to bed at 3 AM and arose at 5:10 AM. My friend Lara, aka ride to LAX, arrived at 6 AM… hmmmm I owe her something, how many pounds of saltwater taffy does one person need?!? I flew via AirTran, so comfort and quality were not a possibility…not even a crappy movie. My cross country flight from LA to Savannah, GA would have three legs. I came prepared with my fruit cup, croissants and apple juice. Not too mention my computer bag as well as a box containing four very heavy and delicate bottles of Firestone Wine (for my mom). I looked like I slightly had it together, but felt like a chump. I may as well have been carrying a superfluous child’s car seat, just so I’d have the full “poor bastard” look. It finally became clear why celebrities pay people just to carry their shit. Reason #4,362 why I need to make a lot more money.
Flight leg to Dallas, TX was uneventful, but I was seated around the cutest family ever. The dad and 5 year old son sat next to me and the little girl and mother were behind us. Their constant chatter and genuine stories actually kept me quite entertained, then I dosed uncomfortably for an hour or so. Missed the damn drink service and pretzels. I hate the pretzels, but I’m entitled to them.
The stop in Dallas was a short layover and we got to stay on the plane, trapped in our aerodynamic prison, seat 25C. Mind you a huge ass hurricane was blowing over the entire lower east coast at this point, so I was trying to stay on top of all developments, to avoid being stranded anywhere. During our layover, I check my messages while stretching out my legs. The only way to stretch your legs without getting OFF the plane means leaning them up on the seat in front of me. Nothing violent, dangerous or defiling to AirTran….however the new flight crew, who apparently trained in the fifth level of hell, came raging down the aisles, knocking people over (verbally). So when the slut-whore named “Vicki” passed by me, she spits out “GET YOUR FEET OFF THE SEAT, ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!! Then fire shot out of her eyes. Well maybe she didn’t roar, but she certainly caught me off guard and made me want to bitchslap her…..and steal her AirTran wings pin.
The dad next to me thought this was slightly amusing and kept suggesting that I should fight her. His son laughed and I plotted a victory (and possible jail time). The two and a half hours to Atlanta were uncomfortable, but I busied myself by reading a script and choking down the 1 ounce bag of pretzels. (I got TWO packs of pretzels this time). The cutest family ever continued to be cute and look forward to their trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. (*ENTER KILLJOY*) I then informed them of the Hurricane/Tropical Storm currently blowing through their sunny dreams (I worded it better than that though).
Atlanta Hartsfield Airport is a dump, so I felt right back at home in LA. Talked to my mom and dad who had sadly agreed they would not make it to Hilton Head due to bitchass “Charley” and it’s wrath of pain and destruction, so I made plans for a rental car and a boring night alone at the condo. Begrudgingly, I boarded another flight to Savannah. But to my joy, I got to sit next to a nice lil' grandma, who obviously spilled the entire bottle of perfume on herself that morning. Nauseaus and tired, I dosed for the hour flight.
Savannah was gray, drizzly, small and quaint. Just as it was last year and the year before that…. Not to mention slow as all hell when it comes to baggage claim. I wasn’t sure if there was a security breech or if I was gonna soon see airplane mechanics prancing around with my underwear on their head. 25 minutes later, I was on my way to HHI in a shaky 15 passenger van with Fat Albert in the driver’s seat. I’m two weeks shy of turning 25, so the rental car place tacked on the lame “underage” fee, of 25 bucks a day. That pissed me off, but I was too tired to care. I realized I was starving and had no food….so a stop to Piggly Wiggly was in order. Why are all rental cars shitty? Atleast I didn’t get a Kia.
The Wiggly was packed. All island vacationers must have arrived late b/c of the storm, but still had to do a week’s worth of shopping at that very moment. The deli line was out of control since every midwest mom and their gaggle of roaming children HAD to get at least 4 pounds of every deli meat and cheese at 9 PM on a Saturday. The man in front of me had steam blowing out of his ears, b/c he couldn’t understand why it was taking so very long to get his turkey slices. I told him to relax, afterall he’s on vacation, and the south is inherently slower. This was not a plausible answer for the Chicagoan. He was also perplexed b/c he felt everyone should just eat out for every meal, like he does. Um well, maybe we don’t shit money like you sir, so please stop whining...or gimme 50 bucks. Little kids started running into me or shoving carts around, but I pleasantly smiled, avoided the twitch in my eye and desire to throw them across the vegetable aisle.
The condo that we’ve been renting for almost a decade has been remodeled, so that was confusing. I spent ten minutes just trying to find the damn trashcan. Alas, I was there and could finally rest, but soon found I was bored and wished I had someone around to chatter with. TV’ll do. Around 10:40 my curse set in…..the second wind. Since I finally had nothing to do, my body thought it would be a great idea to stay awake until 2 AM. Damnit. Maybe I’ll hit the pool and Walmart tomorrow. A big day indeed.
Über List
If you were ever into Industrial music, this is the Music Database for you.
http://kzsu.stanford.edu/eklein/
August 15, 2004
Kurt, I promise
I promise I will make you and Iccn kurt.
I promise I will fix yours missy.
This week has been nuts... crazy company shtuff and I was at siggraph in l.a. for most of it
Hey matt... I saw christian there. Tell him to read the blog once it a while. I miss our 3am dunkin donuts man. Oh the egg cheese and sausage croissant.
Anyway - I will be pretty out of touch for the next month or so. The project I have been working on for 2 years is wrapping up and it is major crunch time.
Anyone watching the olympics? or more aptly, the "aliens that look sort of like humans but more like a freak show" people? The swimmers look like fish
August 12, 2004
The Campaign to get Kurt A Face! (and a cool link)
Hey,
My friend Brandon is a camera-a-holic and wants this polaroid camera. Go to the gallery section to see the cool zoom through the polaroids.
http://shop.lomography.com/supershooter/
PS - Speaking of pictures, Kurt needs some flesh on his bones. Let him be anonymous no longer!
From the steps of university
hello all,
I write this to you from the conveniance store at my university. It blows my mind how rufly 80 percent of this school has full, beautiful wireless at my disposal, and on top of that it is totaly secure from what i find. Needless to say, im stolked! Im thinking of having a quick game of counterstirke right here right now. Wouldnt that be wicked.
On my life:
I took a bit of a trip to the recruting office yesterday, (jer will love this) :P I got to talking with some navy chick and she said that i could be somthing called an MPO after university. Its interesting that this "Military Police Officer" position requiers nothing but the degree program im currently enrolled in. Again, stolked! So im sure jer will call me to see what the catch is. :P anyways, unlike other military positions, this one doesnt require me to move around alot, i can just stay in one place. Again i will be an officer, and the position includes a command... Which rocks lol ...
Hopefull this breif expose of the past few days is somewhat coherant
|J|
____________________
Free Your Mind
August 9, 2004
Poo
uuuuuuuuum, there is definitely something wrong with this world. can't quite put my finger on it, but this could be an intrigual part of it. while i'm disgusted by this site, it sucked me in and i designed poo. I feel others may be able to enjoy it more than me....that is why I pass this valuable link on to you dear people. sick.
http://www.calumm.uklinux.net/vdsc/index.php
John Beam
I ran into Beam at the local art supply store. I was like, "Whoa, he looks the same." Okay, maybe I didn't sound THAT stupid, but I WAS really surprised. He, of course, didn't recognize me, so I re-introduced myself.
He's still at MICA, but now in the illustration department. He's apparently working with Ken Krafchek in a visual journalism class.
We reminisced about Core and his old-time string band.
Oh yeah, and apparently someone shot bullets into the all-glass fascade of the new MICA building...
August 6, 2004
The Lost Art of the Mix Tape
Last week my iPod started acting wonky, so I had resigned myself to listening to music I already had in iTunes on my computer at work. To get me back into my early morning walking routine, I went for the stop-gap measure of buying a cassette player walkman (until (fingers crossed!) I get a new iPod for my b-day from my mom). I knew I still had some tapes lying around from the early ninties.
I dug into the dusty tape cases in the top of my closet and found a lost treasure trove of goodies! I found mix tapes that Becky, Ric, Kurt, and Matt had made for me during college, as well as some tapes some other friends from GA had made me.
I dusted off these little gems and have been strolling down memory lane for the last couple of days.
There is something special about mix tapes that the cd compilation cannot quite capture. The essence of the process is captured on the tape - the timing of the songs on the tape, how you try to squeeze as much on without cutting a song off at the end each side. And it is impossible to listen to the selections in a different order than was intended by the maker. It holds the narrative thread of song selection that cds cannot (thanks to random).
Thanks for the memories!
August 4, 2004
Dangit, I was going to get my Board this weekend
Shark Sighting, SF:
On Saturday, July 24th, at 10:30 AM, Rob McArthur was about 30 yards from shore in the lineup at North Ocean Beach. There were about 10 or 12 other surfers in the area. Rob reported, "I observed a dorsal fin moving parallel to the beach, essentially swimming down the lineup of surfers. The fin was about 10 inches in height. I only observed the tip of the shark's tail once. The fin would submerge below the surface for a few moments then reappear. I went ashore, along with the other surfers. While on the beach I watched the shark for about 5 minutes before leaving."
? ^ 2
--
So just like that i return. With some discussion i have heard that this wonderful community is drifting apart. I understand that the Talblog needs to be rescued and THAT ladies and gents is what i am back for. Ah yes, like my brother, i invisioned a blog in which a mere hour could not go by without another post. For a spell that very dream had come true, alas, now it has but dwindeled into memory... NO MORE I SAY. The RENNISANCE is at hand and a new beggining afoot. Oh yes my fellow bloggers the time has come for the Talblog to be REBORNE!
How do i intend to do this you ask ... ?
Well, i dont, i was just kidding... I am back tho...
Indeed back with a new computer, armed with 2.8 Ghz and a shitload of RAM...
HAHA if im anything I AM back!... Anyways over the past few weeks ive been really getting back into some art stuff mainly things i find on the net and man o man have i got some awesome background stuff that you can all take a look at. = depthCORE
http://www.depthcore.com/v4/core.php
________________
Free Your Mind*
|J|
Packrat Project
This is a pretty cool collection of premiere issue mags - someone has a lot of free time. Perfect for the dezine unit. http://www.pixelyn.net/projects/01issue/collection.html
August 3, 2004
Custom Bulge
Weep no more gentlemen, you can now put the socks on your feet. http://www.2xist.com. 
August 1, 2004
Attack of the Fifty Foot Squids
Went to the Berkeley Kite Festival this weekend with brett and loren. It was really freaking cool, I have pics up, click the pic:
Bunch of cool things to see. Big ass barbeque tent full of polish "fuck up your stomach good" hotdogs and saurkraut. Kids with little kites, dads with big kites, dogs with sweaters, and an old man flying three kites at the same time in formation.
Loren was at the ozone kites booth demoing... really cool stuff with kites and mountainboards. A few JACKASS showoffs kept zooming around cutting off kids trying to learn for a few seconds - why are there always scenesters in every freaking scene? Lameness... they were wearing fox racing pants and oakley glasses with ponytails. Enough of that topic for right now...
I got to fly a kite with a bar handle like they use for kite surfing. It was pretty cool... I want to replace the one I lost when my stupid car was broken into. Anyways, now I am just rambling. Check the photos. Hope people had a good weekend.