November 29, 2002
It’s official, I’m thirty. If
It’s official, I’m thirty. If I were a wine, would I be valuable? Many, many thanks to my good friends who wished me well on Wednesday – Allie, Jen, Sorch, Leanne, Wendy, Leslie, Frank, Juan, John, Mark – you guys rock. And, of course, my family – Mom, Dad, Mamo, Jason. Thanks for taking time out of your day to make me feel special.
So far, I think this qualifies as the best birthday I’ve ever had. I’m trying to recount others – the wonderful special dinner my dad made once, the year I got an entire prime rib roast and a huge stash of parmesean cheese (yes, I love food, yes, my family is strange), surprise parties, fabulous dinners, drunken revelries – but this one was really special. Deneb and I went to see Beck on Tuesday night, and he played a schizophrenic but entertaining set with The Flaming Lips. After the show as we were walking to BART, d. revealed the first part of my birthday surprise: I didn’t have to go to work on Wednesday. He’d asked my boss for the day off so he could kidnap me and take me on a surprise adventure.
Woo! I was definitely surprised, and excited, as he refused to reveal any more details. The next morning after he made me a wonderful breakfast we drove – across the Bay Bridge, past the wilds of Vallejo – until we pulled up at a charming spa in Calistoga, where we were both treated to mud baths and massages. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. As we made our way back to The City, all rubbery and soft, d. informed me there was still more – a birthday dinner that required snazzy dress. As we wandered around downtown, I kept guessing, incorrectly, until we pulled up at Fleur de Lys. Mmmmmmmmmm. Needless to say, we had an outrageously wonderful dinner. Anyway, if turning thirty was supposed to be hard, d. completely cushioned the blow. (d., can I thank you again? Yes! THANKS!)
Now it’s Thanksgiving evening, I’m at my dad’s in Orange County, typing to the smell of two Butterball turkeys, the biggest ham I’ve ever seen, and the wild turkey my dad shot last week in Northern California. I want him to wear a pilgrim hat when he carves it. We’re expecting around 40 people and the house is full of chairs and people speaking rapid-fire Chinese. I’m being haunted by the sound of Madden2002 for PS2. It was soooooo warm when I got off the plane today, but somehow since then it’s gotten cloudy, which is just NOT FAIR since the only thing I like about SoCal is the weather. It’s good to be home, even if there isn’t any room for me here (too many guests) and I’ve had to stake out a tiny space on the floor in my dad’s office, which redefines the word “crowded.” (Actually, the entire house does a splendid job of that.) Tomorrow I get to have a birthday party with my family and Jen V., whose birthday was last month, so we’re sharing the pain of the big 3-0 together.
Actually, pain is kind of a lie. I think my 30s are going to be great. It’s wonderful to finally feel like you’ve got your shit figured out. More rumination later – now it’s time for mastication and digestion. ;)
November 22, 2002
Apropos of nothing, but here
Apropos of nothing, but here at Yahoo!, they've installed those auto-flushing toilets and those auto-on faucets you see at airports and fancy hotels. Well, as you can imagine, seeing as I spend, oh, nine to ten hours a day here, I've gotten really used to those stupid things. I don't do this at home, but whenever I'm in a public restroom, I keep finding I forget to flush the toilet because I've gotten so brainwashed by the autoflushers. That's all. It's Friday.
November 20, 2002
Well, friends, should we talk
Well, friends, should we talk about the weather? Should we talk about the government? Impending war? NO! Distract yourself with entertainment. I give you this, from today's NYT: "Tonight, on the finale of "The Bachelor," Aaron chooses between the golden-haired ingénue Brooke and the sophisticated brunette Helene, who was cast as the brainy contestant. (In the land of the blond, the dark-eyed one is queen.)" Heh.
My carpool friend told me today he got word from his friend, stationed in Panama (not sure what branch o' da military), that his unit is expecting to be deployed in January. So, it looks like we won't have any nasty wars ruin our biggest shopping holiday of the year. Fun, fun.
I'm not even sure what to stay, so I'll let Michael Stipe speak for me:
Hang your collar up inside
Hang your freedom higher
Listen to the buyer still
Listen to the Congress
Where we propagate confusion
Primitive and wild
Fire on the hemisphere below
----Welcome To The Occupation, R.E.M.
November 19, 2002
I am listening to "Beat
I am listening to "Beat It" and it's all Leanne's fault. Once, in sixth grade, I performed a dance routine in a talent show to this song. My friend and I wore homemade Flashdance style sweatshirts (with the necks cut out -- they had them at K-Mart, but our parents wisely resisted letting us buy them) which we handpainted with "Beat It" across the chest. I refused to wear a bra back then, even though I needed one, and I recall giving people a free show everytime I leaned over.
Hahahahaha. Don't have much time
Hahahahaha. Don't have much time at the moment, but this is great. And truthfully, do you think Jesus would drive a BMW SUV? A Hummer? I see him in a '79 Nova, myself. Best quote: "How can I love my neighbor as myself if I'm filling their lungs with pollution?"
November 15, 2002
It's Friday night, 7pm, and
It's Friday night, 7pm, and I'm still at work. Can you say LOSER? Well, I did get in at 10, but still. Aren't we supposed to leave early on Fridays? I thought the economy sucked and there wasn't enough for us all to do. That's what I get for working in two recession-resistant industries -- first test prep, now pimping. Love never goes out of style.
Make sure you check out Leslie's post about the meeting she attends where she shows off a bit more than she anticipated. Heh.
So, my 30th is drawing near and still no monster truck rallies. Damn. I've got to come up with Plan B, but I'm drawing a blank. Slot-car racing? Drunken minature golf? Bowling? There's gotta be some distraction in this entertainment saturated society. Can I admit that I really enjoy Dance Dance Revolution? Even though I suck at it?
November 13, 2002
I'm ashamed to admit that
I'm ashamed to admit that I've fallen off the Molly Ivins bandwagon over the past few years. Something about working at MoJo for half a year numbed my desire to read political commentary. But she's one of my Greatest Heroes, and I was incredibly heartened today to read her column on Working For Change (GREAT site, check it out, and sign up for Working Assets long distance!) Anyway, I nominate her as the Official Cheerleader for progressives everywhere (Yes, by default that means the Dems, but that's reality, folks!); she's not afraid to lay blame where it needs to be laid, and still get us worked up and ready for some good 'ol defensive politics. Thank ye gods, because I really need some inspiration right now.
November 12, 2002
Gasp! Breathing room! I have
Gasp! Breathing room! I have ten minutes, and I'll make 'em good. Well, brief, at least. Here's a few shots from Yosemite, which I visited for the first time this spring and again two weekends ago. It was the final weekend before the first winter rains, and it was dry, dry, dry. But still gorgeous, and quite cold.
The last shot is of Mirror Lake, which, normally, IS a lake, but was totally dry. D has some more shots on his site as well.
So, you come here looking for incisive, sprightly commentary? Well, go somewhere else today. I've got nothing. My brain is flatlining. (Yes, that is different from usual.) I blame my new haircut, which is much, much too short. I should know better than to let my hairstylist be "inspired." But the Dems get to stay in power for two more weeks. Woo! Can we get universal health care by then?
November 08, 2002
This news is enough to
This news is enough to make me want to form my own Symbionese Liberation Army of sorts to kidnap and terrorize CEOs. That extra $22.50 we're giving PG&E most likely lined the pockets of Kenneth Lay and Andrew Fastow and the rest at Enron and their ilk. I'd love to reduce them to tears and pants-wetting and then drop them, penniless, in an absolute ghetto and let them find their way home. Or force them to live on welfare for the remainder of their pathetic lives. This sucks.
November 06, 2002
I think if I could
I think if I could pick an ideal career it would emulate that of They Might Be Giants. This Boston Herald story does a good job of summing up their place in the pop/art world, and I completely respect the fact that they've established themselves by doing things on their own terms, being strange, and caving in relatively little to major labels. They've got good lives -- not obscenely wealthy, not obscenely famous -- just doing what it is they love. Damn. That rocks. (Note: the first time I used the link I could get the story, but now I can't --- the Herald is demanding money. Hopefully it works for you.)
I'm in denial today --- we don't really have a Republican majority, do we? Tell me this is just a really bad dream, and not the beginning of a nightmare.
November 04, 2002
Everyone's got a theory
Everyone's got a theory about why we're on the warpath (besides the fundamental truth that, you know, those Iraqis are just, like, evil), and this one's about as close to the truth as I think we're gonna get. Thank ye gods that we can read the foreign press (no comments from the Contois gallery about my working for a company that's voluntarily censoring itself in China). Also, as I catch up with my reading, I've been taking in a fascinating article about Condoleezza Rice in the New Yorker from a few weeks back --- I only wish I could have the moral certitude that she and that bastard Ashcroft have (actually, I don't, but am amazed nonetheless that they can be so convinced that their morals are intrinsically right). Maybe what we liberals need is some good old moral righteousness of our own. Although for some reason when it comes to liberals, it gets translated into wimpiness. Maybe mdc is right --- we need to be liberals, Texas style. Would you fuck with a liberal with a shotgun? I think not.
Went to Yosemite this weekend. Ah, fall beauty. Pictures coming this week. Until then, I really like this fuzzy shot by Leslie, of yours truly and d. I wanted to throw in a link to sexy girls with glasses, but that would send you into a porn spiral with no hope of exit. ;)
