the last ten days

Moustache Asteroids

Been too busy with work to play Moustache Asteroids. Dagnabbit.

blah.

I used to have dreams about going to yard sales and finding toys from my youth and being very excited about it.

There was this one spaceship that made ascending and descending noises depending on the angle you held it. The main section of the ship could be removed, leaving the cockpit.

It came in black or putty.

I used to have dreams in German. I had dreams that I could hold a conversation and pronounce things right. I "blended in."

Now I have dreams that I'm online, and I find toys from my youth on eBay.

These surfing dreams also allow me to stumble on the news that there is a cure for Cancer. Google unearths tasty family recipes long since lost. There's a couple other ones, but I forget what they were.

My desk is a mess.

6 years of junk scotch taped to the wall

So another fine day. How wonderful.

I started by going around the city, taking more pictures, checking out the History Museum and had lunch in Covington.

I finally checked my voicemail on the mobile phone and I had six messages starting from about a week ago.

I'm not real good with voicemail.

The best news was that one of my dear friends Ray got a new job. He and Sheila will be moving to Chicago, and this notion thrills me.

Finally I am within driving distance.

Then I went off to the studio/office to tackle my next analog project: decoupage. I have collected crap and stuck it to the wall behind my desk over the past 6 years.

It's finally driving me nuts. (Who am I kidding? I've been mad touched since birth)

Today I boxed up all the photos, postcards, and various trinkets for actual usage or digital incorporation into a 24" x 30" canvas.

Had a nice steak out at the bar later, on a patio with the last shards of sunlight, then made it home for Six Feet Under.

There were many priceless quotes.

That freak Arthur who Ruth keeps trying to molest, when asked about his music, replied in his odd deadpan way, "I used to play the violin. When i was in college, I had a very cruel roommate who threw it from the dormitory window. It was hand carved by my Uncle Günter who died of Polio." I dunno why, but the delivery coupled with the insane circumstances made me actually laugh out loud, a term I try not to abuse.

Then when Billy asked Brenda if she needed help taking care of their mother's cat, I think it was. Brenda remarks, "Who could ever see too much of mom's pussy? it's like a trip down memory lane."

Brenda has the best lines.

As said to Nate, "I'm sick of being so fucking conscious all the time. It's like i've become this watered down version of myself."

I am so pale.

I got up slovenly.

It was a mixed sky, hellbent on figuring out if it would be gray or blue. I got online, did the rounds of news and whatnot and decided, this would be an analog day. I researched decoupage a wee bit, figured out what i needed to buy, then headed out to get some vittles.

It became a blue sky day. I decided to relish and get some Chipotle and eat on their patio. Reading the free press, I was amused with the vicious perspectives of the city I've lived in my entire life. The protests from the riots 2 years ago are still taking thier toll on economics it seems, along with all the other drama our world has faced. Camera in tow, i figured, why not go around Cincinnati like a tourist and take photos.

I travel tons and always make these scrapbooks of sights, but I have none of my own city, proper.

After some tacos, I went to the craft store, bought some canvas and mod-podge, a combination of glue and acrylic varnish to slop all the stuff on the wall at the studio and compact it into one piece of potential art.

I then drove around, taking pictures willy nilly and ended up at Eden Park. Ran into a handsome bear/cub I see at the bar now and then, and we chatted, noting how we never see anyone from the bear group outta context. He was looking quite sunned and I mentioned that he might want to get some shade. We parted ways and I found a nice spot to bask a bit and read.

I'm quite pale, I realized.

I sat there with the sound of a fountain covering up the whoosh of distant traffic. The whistle from a train across the river in Kentucky mixed with the laughter of black kids playin frisbee.

I got to page twelve of my book and just laid there, trying to gauge time by the location of the sun and the warmth of my bottled iced tea.

Satisfied after a couple of hours, realizing that I couldn't feel the rotation of the earth, I packed up my stuff and went to the conservatory to see what plants were in bloom.

It was closing, but I managed to snag a few pics and headed home.

Leisurely nap.

Waking up, I decided to call Heather, only to find my phone was disconnected. No wonder no one calls me I mused. I paid the bill weeks ago, before my trip to Dallas. Humph.

Cursing online bill payment, I got in touch with her right before she was walking into the movie, House of 1000 corpses. There was no time, I couldn't make it.

I went to the country bar and ran into and a few folks from online. I felt outta place without my cowboy hat, but the crowd was lively and there were leather folk pouring in from a contest down the street, along with drag queens and whatnot. One particular cross dresser was going for this ol' librarian vibe, and succeeded.

I felt guilt for books I didn't check out. It was gross imagining.

I decided to part ways with the handsome crew I was wall-huggin near, sorry I didn't know how to two-step or line dance.

Went to the other bar and bumped into many old friends, it was like a reunion of sorts. Like a pack of wolves, we noted a particular guy who was wandering around along, lookin' mighty woofy.

Eventually someone said hi and introduced him to the group. I found a few moments before last call to chat with him.

He wasn't put off by height, this was good. He also lived only twenty minutes into Kentucky. Hmmmm, why hadn't I seen him before. He just grew a full beard from a goatee, he said. Ahhhh.... that might be it.

He drank water.

We chatted more. Apparently he knew me from online, a while back I helped him make his photo tolerable for transfer on dialup. I cropped and color corrected it too. I felt dumb for not remembering. He mentioned that the beard makes him look different. I said it worked. I felt schmuckish, gangly.

Last call. His water was empty, I was less interested in my beer. Time to go. We exchanged emails and the night was almost over.

I drove back in silence, which is odd for me, and pondered the day. I felt somewhat of a tinge that this fella was something. What, I'm not entirely sure. Either way... Just feeling like there's a remote possibility of making a connection with a person was nice to roll around the noggin.

I drove toward home and stopped by the greasy spoon. I needed food.

It was packed with late night revelers. I sat at the bar next to a group of old fellers that had these tough stories. One just had a stint put in his heart and the bill came to 26K. Medicare was a fiasco, he was paying 5 bucks on the balance each month to avoid ruining his already bad credit.

The waitress seemed on the verge of a breakdown.

My food finally came. It was excellent. Dry scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and white toast, no choice.

Midway through my meal, a mechanic/tow-truck driver/something requiring AAA overalls, sat down next to me. He had one of those beards that went all the way up to his bottom lip - full, thick, and as I might imagine, soft. He smiled at the mayhem, glad to be off work I figured.

He didn't need to place his order, they knew he'd be having the gyro and fries. And them fries had better be fresh. He doesn't play that game. He says he eats there 6 times a week.

He pointed out some hot chicks who didn't cross their legs proper sitting in the booths.

I gave a glance and some appropriate hetero retort. They were beautiful women, I can't deny that. But there was something comforting being in the proximity of this fella. Perhaps I'll start eating dinner at 3am.

Identity is the worst movie I've seen in a long time.

Wendy and Tom came down for lunch to give Dave a pre-mini-sabbatical present and let everyone get to meet their new daughter. They look so natural with a stroller.

Quite a handy thing in fact. There are storage pockets and racks all over that thing. I never have enough pockets. Maybe I should get a poor old dog and tote it around in one of these things.

We ate at a place called Bella, since Benihana said we couldn't sit together, even if we waited. (This would've been good news when we first started waiting there 20 minutes prior.

Dave got a nice set of aviator goggles. I got to try em on and Tom took a pic with his new digital camera. It's so much lighter and smaller than mine. There was a sliver of new-fangled drool coming from my mouth. The food was decent, albeit way overpriced. I wouldn't make a point of going to Bella.

Getting back to the office, work seemed kinda lame. Heather and I decided it was a good time to see a movie and beat rush hour.

House of 1000 Corpses or Identity.

I felt the latter would be better.

I was very wrong.

Very, very wrong.

Queer quotes

The only queer people are those who don't love anybody. ~ Rita Mae Brown (stolen from mass email)

If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work. "Hello. Can't work today, still queer." ~ Robin Tyler

I'd rather be black than gay because when you're black you don't have to tell your mother. ~ Charles Pierce

In response to a reader who complained that a gay couple was moving in across the street and wanted to know what he could do to improve the quality of the neighborhood. 'You could move.' ~ Abigail Van Buren

The one bonus of not lifting the ban on gays in the military is that the next time the government mandates a draft we can all declare homosexuality instead of running off to Canada. ~ Lorne Bloch

Why can't they have gay people in the army? Personally, I think they are just afraid of a thousand guys with M16s saying, "Who'd you call a faggot?" ~ Jon Stewart

My lesbianism is an act of Christian charity. All those women out there praying for a man, and I'm giving them my share. ~ Rita Mae Brown

Soldiers who are not afraid of guns, bombs, capture, torture, or death say they are afraid of homosexuals. Clearly we should not be used as soldiers we should be used as weapons. ~ Letter to the Editor, The Advocate

You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight. ~ Barry Goldwater

Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? ~ Ernest Gaines

My own belief is that there is hardly anyone whose sexual life, if it were broadcast, would not fill the world at large with surprise and horror. ~ W.Somerset Maugham

Drag is when a man wears everything a lesbian won't. ~ Unknown

If male homosexuals are called "gay," then female homosexuals should be called "ecstatic." ~ Shelly Roberts

My mother took me to a psychiatrist when I was fifteen because she thought I was a latent homosexual. There was nothing latent about it. ~ Amanda Bearse

It always seemed to me a bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality.
It's like disapproving of rain. ~ Francis Maude

and, the ever famous quote

The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision. ~ Lynn Lavner

Back in the chain gang

Dave kicks back with some light reading.

Coming back into work was easy. The studio is still having heating/cooling issues. It's always the opposite of pleasant here. Sweatbox or icebox.

I'll be happier when summer is here and we'll have more control over it with the AC units.

Dave, being true to his word, is getting ready to take some time off. He was working on his Liesure Tree.

Otherwise, I pretty much just tried to line up my ducks for the week, and patch any leaks on various fronts.

Seattle, Day 3

It's hard to escape the Space Needle.

After a great night and plenty of rest, it was time to jump on the bus and down to the docks for the Brunch Cruise with the bears. Carving out a nice table near the bar and the somewhat sunny aft, I accustomed myself to the swaying motion of the boat.

It's been a while.

Beer, yes, beer would be good for this.

Taking Dan's lead, I found that Red Hook was just as good as Fat Tire. Damn expensive on this love boat though. I s'pose this is how the cruise industry makes their dough.

The weather was pretty dang good on the Puget Sound. The Olympic Range (I believe it was) hung past the horizon, faint.

I had yet to catcha glimpse of Mount Rainier, but I can look forward to that on future trips.

Food... More swaying... Patchy Sun... Disco music muffled by the grunt of the engine... Porn stars (apparently)... and good fellowship...

Once the ship docked, I headed with Dan and Brian to REI and fritter away some time. I got a ballcap that isn't orange or brown or navy! How radical of me.

Later, went to Elsian Brewing Company and learned that Boursin cheese is actually pronounced boor-SAHN. Not they they had it on the burgers, but I'm a nutcase for trying to say words right.

Too many years book-read without conversation...

Then it was off to The Cuff. Man, there were some freaks there that needed to lay off the drugs.

Got to spend a tiny bit extra time with Chris, then he was off. I proceeded to share too many red hook pitchers with Dan, and find out that I had been in the company of (who i stood next to on the packed bus on the way to the cruise) and all along. Nutty when things pan out like that.

After a brief jaunt to Dick's, sleep came easy.

It was a spirited ending to an excellent sip of Seattle. This may well be the first run badge I hold on to, if only for the fun bear/bunny mascot.

Seattle, Day 2

The Balloon Man at the Pike Place Market, downtown Seattle

It was a long night at the pizza party/cc's/Eagle... sleeping in was paramount. And so it went.

Rolling outta bed, I realized that I pretty much would have to run down to the lobby to make it in time for the fun cruise. Getting on a boat at that point seemed real unappealing.

Chatting with Darrin, he was nice enough to suggest a tour of the city. We started out in West Seattle, driving through Alki Beach and some nice neighborhoods there. (In fact, I don't think there are any "bad" Seattle neighborhoods)

Grabbed lunch at a Chinese place next to a Bowling alley. Took some vistas in of the city across the Sound, and headed back to the downtown area.

Hit the market. Boy was it crowded. Seemed like the whole city was here at once. We skirted the packed walkways as much as possible. Saw totem poles, the first Starbucks, street performers, and lots of flowers.

Seattle seems to be a gardeners' paradise. It's lush. There's a diversity of foliage while driving around, viewing folks landscaping, in street shops and at the parks.

Finished with the crowd, we headed up to the Capitol Hill area and walked around Volunteer Park, hitting the Conservatory for a great orchid display, and skipping the asian art museum. My dogs were barking, it was time for coffee.

Hit the Fremont area for some non-starbucks independent brew, and saw the statue of Lenin, window shopped and that was that. We toured a few more neighborhoods and then it was time for the Spring Thaw dinner.

Darrin dropped me off and I got some spiffy saturday duds on and headed to the banquet room.

I really didn't know anyone there, so I mingled some, made a little chitchat, pondered leaving and napping, then a few familiar faces started to appear.

Afterward, decided that, instead of a packed bar, it'd would be a good idea to hang out in a mellower place. Followed Dan over with Brian to hang out in Redmond.

Everyone had a comfortable chair, there was plenty of wine to choose from, and the web was at our disposal for answering any questions we may have had - like, "Where do real girls go build strong bodies and strong minds?" Why, Cool-2b-real.com of course! Very informative. Very beefy.

I'm a little disturbed that someone in our party knew of this site.

After a bottle of big wine, it was time to wrap up this fine, fine day number 2 of Spring Thaw.

Seattle, Day 1

Whadda weekend.

Got into Seattle late Thursday night. As the cab approached the city from the airport, I was slightly taken aback by the skyline. This place was bigger than I thought. The skyline was all aglitter and I was slackjawed looking out the window at the lights and heights.

The hotel is a field-goal kick away from the space needle, likely the best icon i've seen for a city. It's jetsons cool. The hotel, hmm... I think it hasn't been renovated since the '62 Worlds Fair. (Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration)

After pondering goin to the pre-mixer in West Seattle, I figured a good nights sleep would be best. I settled in, frustrated that my data port was a dud, and managed to get some work done offline.

I woke up Friday and ate the uninspired hotel restaurant breakfast, used the wireless network uncomfortably nested by the elevators in the lobby, and fired off some emails.

Met up with Mr. Pratt and a buddy of his from San Jose and quickly felt at ease. Bumbling around the city, I found the scale of the place wasn't as daunting as originally thought. Broken up into neighborhoods and ample greenspace, Seattle is a trick to navigate with steep hills and the strangest street grid I've ever seen. Of course, with all that water surrounding the place, I can understand the challenge.

A trip to Redmond, peeked at the future Chalet, drank coffee, trip to the Microsoft company store (dang, they can't seem to give away them xbox games)... then back to the temp apartment to meet up with Marmot and hit the evenings festivities.

Honda Elements are cool.

Not sure where the evening went, but it was pleasant enough. I decided I wasn't wearing appropriate undergarments to maintain proper dress-code at the Eagle's Under-Bear party, but I had a good time.

Lots of new and familiar faces. After being accosted by the most handsome daddy bear as the bar closed, i gravitated to a kind furry faced fella, and we wandered away from the crowd filing into the bus headin back to the hotel. We walked around the city and checked out views of the needle and whatnot, strolled thru a few parks, and gushed in general at our happenstance meeting. Exhausted, it was time to go back to the Best Western.

Day 1 of Spring Thaw was good.

argh

here i am crammin work and laundry in, tryin to get outta dodge. have changed my flight for the weekend twice, only to have to do it again cause a client squeezed a meeting in on me. i'm embarassed to call delta.

i need a calendar on hand at all times to nip these things in the bud.

i need a personal assistant.

then again, they couldn't get haircuts for me.

Green Beans

My mom and bro, hamming it up, waiting for me to sit down and eat my vittles.

Sunny day.

Taxes, done.

Two proposals out the door.

Ate ribs on the river for lunch.

Bought maid gift certificate for Heather's birthday.

Boxes removed from common storage area (about 20 tower, laptop and CRT display boxes) and put on the street.

Warm evening.

Dinner with my mom and bro. Green beans and ham, cornbread, coleslaw, sweet corn on the cob, and yellow cake with chocolate icing, all homemade and delicious. Oh yeh, and sweet tea.

Yummy.

i killed an ant

Driving back from Columbus it was a gorgeous day. I got my in-truck country-karaoke on and made the decision that I need to work outdoors, in the fields, lifting heavy bales of hay (or something to that effect). Computer work alone is not good for me. I also made the decision that I'm going to bite the bullet and buy the introductory silk screening system to start making t-shirts, prints and whatever I can swipe the ink upon (so i can spend more time inside, of course).

I stopped at the house knowing full well, I would not be making the remainder of the trip down to the studio. I called Dave and he said the steam heat was still on and it was unbearable.

Sitting on the back porch, i found the wireless signal improved with the laptop I got in December and I tried to position myself in the sun to lose some of the shocking pasty glow I've worked up over the winter.

Dave popped online, told me to cover up the pasty skin, he was leavin the office and pickin up beer.

Ah well. It was hot and boring just soaking the rays without a reclining chair and good book.

So Dave comes over and we chat about work and whatnot. He thinks a sabbatical of sorts would be most valuable for him, and i agreed wholeheartedly. Pondering options evolved into a good discussion about how Flight School is going.

Apparently his teacher isn't the best at pre-flight expectation setting, or post-flight debriefing. Dave's mind works best with a plan, so I can imagine how unsettling it was when the instructor said that they would practice pulling out of an emergency fall and then jumping right into the maneuver.

More intense than any roller coaster, the plane drops abruptly about 3000 feet until it reaches a red-line speed (crossing that line means the wings will rip off). Pull out before the threshold and regain control.

This is something I'd like to know beforehand too, although in hindsight, for an emergency situation, sometimes we just can't expect these blind punches. Maybe on some level, its a good way to teach. *shrug*

Dave pointed a few good things he's learned. While circling a point he found he wasnt banking hard enough and conversely, gaining altitude. With his eye on the center of the turn, he would fail to look at the altimeter. The instructor told him to listen to the engine, and how it grabbed the air. In essence, use other senses besides the instrumentation.

Also, when dealing with turbulence, there's no reason to fight the controls. It simply exacerbates the situation, making the plane jerk more violently as it tries to correct itself while the pilot freaks out. A firm touch, but just two fingers, should be all that is necessary to allow the plane to settle into a pocket of air. I tried to imagine how this could apply to other instances, where things get all funky and I overcompensate.

Sitting there in the late afternoon was great. My porch is relatively secluded as the surrounding trees somehow just leafed overnight it seems. We surfed a bit at funny sites, drawn to tears from The Diary of a Cat.

A tranquil scene with relatively no frets and some grins.

An ant crawled along the concrete porch ledge, toward my beer. I squashed it with the bottle.

A few minutes later another ant came along and scooped up the carcass. Was this for an ant burial ceremony, or was the ol fella reduced to vittles... I dunno.

Hooky

Tom browses wax at Shake It.

The first time I met Tom, we ate at a Deli with big hunks of bread and chatted about music. A mutual friend said we'd get along, and he was right. Years later, we still talk about music.

Getting into the work-mode today was tough. It was likely one of the nicest days of the year, yet. I was not really in the mood to focus. Tom popped online and asked if I wanted to grab a bite for lunch. Then he mentioned something about visiting Shake It records, the best independent record store in Cincinnati (they say thank you, and mean it).

Closing my laptop was easy. Ate lunch downtown around lots of suits then headed off to spend way too much on music. (Swatting my knuckles, though it's therapeutic, so I allow it)

I'm now the proud owner of:

The New Folk Implosion CD	I dig this band, we'll see if platter this continues those feelings.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks "Pig Lib"	Previously stolen via iPod, now I legally own it...
Liam Lynch "Fake Songs"	Hilarious and genius, simultaneously.
White Stripes "Elephant"	Nice dirty sound from what I've heard...
Kristen Hersh "The Grotto"	I suppose this will sound good at a mass suicide.
Toby Keith "Unleashed"	Worst CD cover of 2002, "Who's Your Daddy" makes up for it
The Polyphonic Spree "The Beginning Stages of..."	Nutty. Still trying to figure this one out. Beatles+Chorale Music?

Spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping for digital cameras, eating ice cream and then back to the house to hold a baby that didn't scream once in my arms.

Rest Area

I spent most of the night with my panties in a bunch, fretting a meeting I had today with a real estate company about their website. IT said they could handle the "graphics" in a previous meeting and were questioning our involvement. It got me flustered. I had every intention, if there were any hard feelings at the meeting, to go off on a rant:

I didn't go to school for "graphics." I have a bachelor of science degree, not an art degree. We learned a process oriented approach to design, yes, but we also consider human factors, semantics and usability... Things not common with all graphic design programs.

I don't like the idea of sitting in meeting and being berated about my value, almost as much as I hate puttin a label on what I do. I do this work for a reason... I inherently believe in the concept of a global community. It can be good or bad. We have to make a choice.

If information is ubiquitous, if we communicate, share, and organize, then we can change our world. Our communities. We can solve problems. We can accomplish lots of things. Maybe one day if we collect data properly, we can cure cancer. The only way to do that is if we play nice.

The first step to getting there is to make it easier. To make it easier we have to bring the scientists and the artists and heck, even the marketers together. Magic happens when diverse groups work as a team.

I don't need this job. I can walk out and down the street and find some nice lady in antique store, work on a site for her hometown to unite businesses and get a homemade meal and a place to sleep.

Life's too short.

Fast forward to today. I had concepts to share with the team and was tired from the long night and long drive. For some odd reason, with all the various heads of departments in attendance, along with the president of the company - everyone was agreeable. In fact, jovial.

One particularly fantastic lady, who i'd never met before, was there representing her company. She said, "This can be fun." and I said Amen.

She eventually warmed up further and gave me the moniker Farmer Glass, I suppose my flannel and suspenders surrounded by suits made it appropriate.

With a common vision to plow forward as a team, my qualms were unnecessary. I spent all the time furrowing my brow, working on the presentation til the wee hours for no reason. Wasted a good two hours in fact, wondering about the whole job/career.

The ride home was like a sigh of relief, and I note this because I need to not worry about things out of my control. I need to not fret about things that haven't happened yet.

It was a nice drive home from Columbus. I pulled off at a rest area to get a candy bar to reward myself and went to the overlook to soak in the budding trees and breathe. Of course, there were two minivans and a truck there, with suspicious characters looking longingly for a wink or nod i guess. But I had my camera, and cameras scare folks that are up to somethin. I took my picture in lieu of finding some interesting fauna, and headed home.

Music Memories

What was the first record you owned?

• 1st Record: The Disney Dumbo read-along storybook with 45.
• 1st Tape: Violent Femmes "debut"
• 1st CD: Prince "Sign o the Times" and The Smiths "Louder than Bombs" (I thought i was getting the maximum amount of music for my intial CD dollars)

Is there a song that reminds you most of your childhood?
Captain and Tenille "Love Will Keep Us Together"- I have to thank my mom for having that 8-track within my reach, (also included could be any ABBA single)

If your life was a movie, what song would play over the following:

• Opening credits: Billy Joel “Oh What a Night” (get the spirits up, then BAM!)
• Love (?) Scene (Very likely this scene would be cut to keep the storyline going): Crowded House "Into Temptation"
• Driving scene: Pixies "The Happening" or Blue Man Group "Rods and Cones" or Beethoven “Symphony No. 7 Allegretto” or REM "Half a World Away"
• Closing credits: Israel Kamakawiwo “Under the Rainbow” (yeh, that eToys song) or Clem Snide "Chinese Baby" or Grandaddy "So You'll Aim Towards the Sky"

Name a song or concert that moved you to tears shivers:
Sinead O’Connor : “Sacrifice” from the Two Rooms tribute album or REM "The Wrong Child" as for concerts, seeing Genesis at Ohio State blew my mind, but I think that was the acid.

Name an Album that is perfect all the way through - No filler, no bad stuff:
Beastie Boys “Pauls Boutique”

Music you like that could be considered a guilty pleasure:
Hell, my whole collection, but I could say They Might Be Giants, just to sum it up.

If your music collection was about to go up in flames, which 5 CDs would you save?

• Pixies "Doolittle"
• Beasties "Pauls Boutique"
• and three others i chose at random

Is there a song that describes you or a situation well?
Ryan Adams “Come Pick Me Up” darn him for bein a so hip now.

Which underrated artist deserves more attention?
Ugly Cassanova (Modest Mouse), Flaming Lips (though Intel did catch them), Dandy Warhols, Soul Coughing (RIP), Trash Can Sinatras

Has a song or artist changed your life in any way? If so, how?
No single song or artist changed my life, but many shaped it...

What is your favourite soundtrack?.
The Muppet Movie

What is your all time favourite music video?
I don’t have a favorite, but currently Missy Elliott’s “Work it” is fun to watch

Current favourite radio hit:
Shania Twain, "Up" (gulp) - Hence, I often keep my radio off.

The Wind Walker

Dang Nintendo for not releasing Zelda during Christmas, like they were supposed to. Spring is not a good video game season. Thanks to a cold spell though, outdoor activities seem less attractive.

It's likely the finest videogame I've seen on my tv screen, if anything for sheer style and attention to detail. With its release but a few short weeks ago, I've been sneaking in late hours entranced by the game, getting a small kick out of sneaking around a castle under a barrel.

On top of all this, the whole wireless controller Nintendo makes is quite solid. Nice to sit back untethered.

The newness is starting to wear off though, I'm beginning to find myself backtracking and sailing around a lot in a boat. Spring better come soon so i can just put it away unfinished, with all my other unfinished videogame quests.

Augusta Kentucky

Met up with Gretchen and Larry at 1800 hours sharp to make it across the river in a ferry to Augusta Kentucky. Shopped at a little antique store and felt superbad because the owner was there and lamented the horrible week in sales. Perhaps a ploy, but a good one. We dropped a good amount on things not needed and invited her to dinner with us.

Happy as a clam she joined us for a purdy good meal, but i'd say the company was better. Made it back the long way over the river (the ferry was closed by this point) and parted ways.

Mixed evening

So I started the evening off meeting up with Dave at the Northside Tavern. Listed as a 'folk' band, Jake Speed and the Freddies were more what i'd term bluegrass. Great vibe and interaction with the crowd. Never been to that place before. It was awash in hip folks with Beatlesesque hairdos and funky european style glasses.

The bartender used to be a waitress at the bar/eatery next door to idio. Last summer she caught me and said, "I stiffed you last summer, 10 bucks... Here it is." So of course it was great to see her again. Especially at this cool find, where music was free and drinks were reasonable. I saved that 10 bucks for the longest time, thinking i'd use it when i was in a jam. Turns out that jam was last january, when i was at the Phoenix Rodeo and needed a beer.

I parted ways with dave and went to my usual dives, only to feel strangely outta place.

kids are neat

So work was the normal cacophony of construction noises. I was the only one in the studio and i opened up all the windows to let the nice day in. My to-do list is daunting and there's no real way to offload it and this concerns me greatly. Top it all off, that feeling that I could be working alone, anywhere, twists my innards more often than not.

After making no headway, I decide to drop everything and drive to my friends house to see the newborn. There on the porch of their house, mama was rocking the infant looking radiant in the spring afternoon (both mother and daughter were radiant). I sat there and got to hold her while hearing all about the child-birthing process. Everything went swimmingly and there was nary a complaint about the whole experience.

Not yet 6 days old, a quiet 9 pound baby girl. Full head o hair. Perfectly content in the nook of my arm, stretched out with the occasional pawing outward. Apparently she has none of her father's features; he has resorted to saying, "She has my sense of humor." and i'm sure these things will surface as she sprouts.

I've had great friends who have had kids before, but this little one, this one I feel might be the one that warms me most. Perhaps it's because I enjoy the company of her parents so darn much. They're great individuals, and an inspiring couple.

It's a beautiful day.

Back at work, the studio is filled with the pleasant aroma of joint compound and fresh paint from the renovations happening next door. My eyes are burning with joy.

Between the bangs of hammers and shrill of the 'lectric saws, a warm summer breeze pours in with nice light through the window. Keeping the windows open brings some fresh air into the place, along with the sounds of jackhammers four flights below on the sidewalk.

A concrete mixing truck's backup beep is constant as they add streetlights and trees across the block. I suppose it's necessary to pour concrete while backing up slowly - this isn't something that could be done going forward.

Serenity now. Serenity now.

UPDATE: ACCIDENT

As the quittin bell was about to ring, a loud crash on the street level brought Heather and me to the window. This corner always has car accidents. In fact, there were two motorcycle cops there to witness the event. Likely they were hoping to prevent an accident with their presence. They almost got hit by the vehicles. Sirens blasted soon thereafter, and just in time. The Grand Cherokee burst into flames. A very unexciting video of the incident.

odd superstitions

I've created some weird superstitions or OCD-isms in my lifetime.

The earliest I remember was as a teenager, it stemmed from the whole phenomenon of a pididdle (a car with one headlight out) - I came up with the notion, if I saw I vehicle I liked, i'd wink at it, once with one eye, then the other. This would mean I would get that car. Simple eh? (I should mention this totally does not work).

I now have this odd fixation with digits. If the clock reads the same numbers across the board, say 2:22, I can make a wish. This is not all that uncommon... but I morphed this into an insane ritual for setting an alarm clock (in the rare event that i do); none of the numbers can match.

It gets nuttier.

Now, when i pump gas, I let the thing fill up and stop naturally. If the numbers stop at the price all different, say, $32.09 - I will have good fortune. If some numbers match (like 34.44), I pump until they dont (35.01). This is a way of controlling my destiny and avoiding bad fortune.

Maybe these OCD things are a way to pepper an easy "win" throughout the week.

It's messed up. I just know all of it is completely ridiculous and I shouldn't even mention it, unless to a therapist.

Weekend recap

Saturday : Online Party at the Throckmorton Mining Company at the 'crossroads' in Dallas. A room full of men with little nametags with numbers on them so small, you had to put your eyeballs mere inches from them to read. The gist: write a little note and stick it in their numbered mailbox. Giggle. Then mingle.

At this point I realized I had slightly sprained both ankles while recovering from a potential fall the prior day on the tour. (ouch)... I sat and nursed a beer, hopin to get outta there and over to the rodeo. It was a brief affair. I won the largest stuffed polar bear at the end of the shindig. Perhaps, I thought, my luck was changing.

Left there with my friend Chris from Oakland and got thoroughly lost en-route to Fort Worth. After many u-turns and miscalculations, we decided the rodeo was best skipped, and my ankles were swellin up nicely.

Back to the hotel I stuck some pillows under my legs, took an advil, and slept. That was a smart move.

Later, I felt like shoes were reasonable enough to wear and I could walk. I got in a cab with two fellas outside the hotel and split the fare to the Eagle. The bears weren't there yet it seemed, but the faux cops were out in full force. It was dark. Too dark. I called my friends from the area to rescue me and the evening got better at the Roundup country bar. It switched over to bump and grind music at midnight and we moved over to TMC. Got on the dance floor, created some flopsweat. Went back to the hotel, bid my friends adieu and did the advil + legs above my heart routine.

The weather broke into a great blue sky day with reasonable heat. Took the shuttle to the BBQ and met up with my friends to get some mexican food. Ran into a throng of LJ'ers and finally bumped into after thinking he didn't make it. Took a snapshot, way too brief hellos, then time to grab grub. The mexican joint, Busters, provided a great patio to watch the passers-by and I had a good time mixing with old friends and meetin new folk. The margaritas were tasty.

A brief stint there led to some Bear Tunes thing. I bumped into yet again for a warm hug and smile. Got packed there and it was time to snag parking at the Hidden Door. Quite the bar-crawler I was.

The Hidden Door was bittersweet. Great folks, worst beer lines ever. EVER. I have few triggers in life, one is: standing in a line. Especially when some forethought and planning could avoid it altogether. Grrrrr. After a few trips outside to pee behind a minivan (the bathroom lines were equally atrocious - and I wasn't about to pee in the trashcan, as was the popular second choice), it was time to go and grab some vittles with and a couple of his friends. Dinner was delicious, conversation was lively and it was a great, albeit brief hilight of the weekend. Exhausted, I rode back to the hotel and decided, I was spent. Tried watchin Harry Potter 2, and went to bed a measly 20 minutes into the dang flick.

The Bear Run, was over. I'd gladly return to Dallas on some less frenetic weekend and explore the city proper and hang out without any schedules or hoo-ha. I'm thinking with my personality type (and build for that matter), I'd have a better time saving those registration fees and long beer lines.

Monday : A wonderfully lazy morning. Packed and headed down to the crossroads area for a bleucheese burger with Chris and headed off to the airport to head our different directions. Was nice sittin in the fancy Delta Crown room and gettin free beer as his guest, but time passed all too quickly and it was time to hug and hobble to the gate.

I got bumped to First Class as they canceled the return flight. The fella next to me had this horrible cough, and after seeing way too many news reports in the airport about SARS, I was really fretting some airborne disease. I played my GameBoy and breathed through my nose as little as possible. I figured puttin my shirt over my face to form a protective mask woulda been too obvious.

Happy now, to be home, but some bright spots and good folk made the trip worthwhile in the long haul.