Rock on Kansas City

Me and CJ

2007-10-21T16:33:00.000-04:00

Inspired by my roommate, I found my spot. Unlike him, I am apparently in the wrong one. It looks like New England or the Pacific Northwest are the places for me.

Baltimore, Maryland
Portland, Oregon
New Haven, Connecticut
Providence, Rhode Island
Hartford, Connecticut
Charleston, West Virginia
Worcester, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts
Little Rock, Arkansas
Salem, Oregon
Medford, Oregon
Frederick, Maryland
Corvallis, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Danbury, Connecticut
Oakland, California
Bend, Oregon
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut
Long Beach, California
San Diego, California
Washington, District of Columbia

Spring?

2007-04-20T06:29:00.000-04:00

Spray paint art.

2007-04-14T13:22:00.000-04:00

In case you wanted to see how the painting above my bed was made, or if you love trippy guitar music, check this video out.

What a swanky new blogger!

2007-03-03T18:23:00.000-05:00

One of these days, I'm going to revitalize my blogging. Not today. In the meanwhile, look at these sketches of distinctive mustaches.

Holiday Policy.

2006-11-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

In an effort to put the "fun" back in Fundecember, I've decided to try a little experiment. I will buy you a gift if I find something I think you'll like or something I just want to give you. If I give you a gift, I don't expect anything in return. If you find something you want to give me, go ahead. If I get you something of lesser value or not at all, I will still thank you and appreciate your gift without feeling guilty (in the hopes that you will do the same). Over time and across the world, it will all come out in the wash.

You'll never guess how I found this article.

2006-11-16T19:51:00.000-05:00

Starbucks, babies, etc.

Halloween Costumes.

2006-11-03T09:47:00.000-05:00

A little late, but still entertaining.

Clever Costumes to Hide Your Shameful Cheapness

Oh, and this was my costume:

This guy kind of looks like me.

2006-10-17T15:15:00.000-04:00

AAAAAAAAAH!

Opera?

2006-10-11T16:48:00.000-04:00

Opera 9 Features

I love Firefox, believe me. And extensions can get most of this stuff. But the more I read, the more I liked. Is anyone else going to make the switch?

Yuck.

2006-10-11T10:49:00.000-04:00

It's pouring rain, I didn't wear a coat, and the wind bent my umbrella handle after flipping the umbrella inside out at least 3 times. California, Singapore, Boston (well, maybe not Boston), eat your heart out!

In other news, I'm a home owner. This is an incredible thing and has yet to make me anything but happy (ok, i'm not that happy about spending absurd amounts of money -- is it my Jewish blood? -- but what can you do?). Squirrel Hill rocks my sawksors.

The Illusionist was actually a very entertaining movie despite it's excessive use of iris. Don't believe the hype!

One fish. Two fish. Back to. Work fish.

Google Book Search.

2006-08-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

Google Book Search can now search some set of libraries, though I don't know how exhaustive that list is. I just searched for a book and it told me the closest library that had it was in London.

Ooooh.

2006-07-31T09:05:00.000-04:00

I totally overheard some stuff.

Think dreaming.

2006-07-24T16:30:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been laying in bed and all the sudden you realize that you've been thinking for a long time instead of sleeping? But thinking so hard, you forgot you were in bed, or indeed should have been trying to sleep. Like all the sudden you turn or move and realize you're in a bed and you need to sleep but you were so immersed in thought that you forgot? It happens to me fairly often.

The worst part is, much like dreams, when I snap back to reality, I usually wish I hadn't. This is why I wanted to go to a monestary for 10 days and sit in a room with nothing but rice. Time to think it all through. Nothing in particular, just it all.

Gods Among Men.

2006-06-27T14:35:00.000-04:00

Sorry if you saw this already (and probably years ago).

In the Dungeon game with graphics on Homestar Runner, I entered a command it didn't know. And...

Too wide for this blog screenshot.

An email I just received.

2006-06-20T10:56:00.000-04:00

I should note, this is in white text on an inexplicably bright blue background:

Anyhow – don’t worry about rushing to see it. Wait until you can be unstressed with little trivialities (like where you’ll live) so that you can focus on what’s really important: A cheesy 80s movie with talking computer programs in gladiatorial combat with Frisbees.

Best coworkers ever.

What is wrong with me?

2006-06-10T20:39:00.000-04:00

Seriously. It feels like I have no time for anything with a full work schedule, then every weekend involves one complete waste of a day. It is 8:36, I have seen 0 other humans who weren't on TV today, did no laundry, ate only a small amount of food, practiced a lot of magic (at least that's borderline productive), and put all my documents into hanging file folders. There is so much I wanted to do today. Why can't I do it?

As time goes by, I wonder if I will ever start any of the projects I planned to embark on once I start working.

On a happier note, if you'd like to know how work is going, you can read my also-starting-to-become-poorly-posted-to work blog.

Upfdate!

2006-05-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

I'm going to X-Men III!

I may even sit with someone I know!

I'm going to the bank!

I won't sit with someone I know!

Last time I went to the bank I did a coin trick!

Then I got arrested!

The last part is a lie!

Trippy!

Also

2006-05-25T13:36:00.000-04:00

Graduation pictures.

And I got a close-up mat.

Updates from Norway.

2006-05-25T13:10:00.000-04:00

I am not in Norway. But I am mad at the world. I was having such a good day! I got up early, got all excited to hang out with people and go see the midnight X-Men III and it's sold out! Who sells out 12 hours before the movie? Honestly. It's not even supposed to be that good. Damn it. Such a good day. Plus, now everyone will have seen it, so I'll have to go on Friday with strangers. Old people strangers. I own the first X-Men movie. How many of the tools going (aside from my friends, they're cool) OWN the first movie?!? What jerks.

Ok, not much else is new. I have a big list of financial stuff and should probably go to a bank and a realtor today but I'm in a bad mood.

Another day, another waste of life.

2006-05-19T23:51:00.000-04:00

I haven't wasted so much time in a long time. Did I start the aprtment hunt? Did I put some more of my movies on You Tube? Did I watch one of the movies on my ever-growing list? Nope. No, I didn't. I woke up at 1:30 and watched TV from my bed until I realized I needed to pick up my IS commencement tickets. So at 3:40, I went to campus, got the tix, and got my cap and gown from Nina's (I met her Dad! But I was so out of it. It was probably weird). Then around 5, I got a delicious Boston Market dinner. I learned that when one doesn't eat Boston Market (I almost abbreviated it BM...ew) for a long time, one enjoys it more than is probably reasonable.

Then I sat around again. Did I read some Tom Robbins or plan my next week? No, I watched the Steve Harvey show. Eventually this led to the TV broadcast of X-Men 2. At this point, I became very hungry. Dinner plans didn't work out (only one person wanted to go and it was raining), my eggs were gelatinous and my toast had mold. So here I sit, watching South Park, updating my blog, and waiting for a pizza. Could I be more worthless.

Oh well, tomorrow I have 3 ceremonies and a haircut. Let me know if you want to hang out with or without my family tomorrow afternoon!

Unexpected?

2006-05-19T19:54:00.000-04:00

I don't believe in citing sources.

Top Ten Sites (Page Views)
1) Yahoo!, 2) MYSPACE.COM, 3) MSN-Microsoft, 4) Time Warner Network, 5) eBay, 6) Google, 7) FACEBOOK.COM, 8) Viacom Online, 9) Craigslist, and 10) Comcast. Our tracking index of the top 100 sites by page views was up 7% m/m.

Top Ten Sites (Unique Visitors)
1) Yahoo!, 2) MSN-Microsoft, 3) Time Warner Network, 4) Google Sites, 5) eBay, 6) Ask Jeeves, 7) Amazon, 8) MYSPACE.COM, 9) New York Times Digital, 10) and Verizon Communications.

Key Points
We note that Craigslist, MySpace, and Facebook continued to grow. These three sites average double the average page views of the next closest site.

Ok, fine. These are from some research firm.

Ok, so I missed one.

2006-05-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

Maybe two. But I have been traveling. I took a trip to Cleveland that no one (including myself until recently) understood. To the point that most of my family was all, "It's nice to see you. Why are you home?" Well you heard the Mother's Day story, but as I was driving from pgh, I couldn't help but think it was dumb to go home 1) for a day and a half and 2) with only a day's notice so everyone was busy. Well it turned out to be ok. There was some down time when everyone was busy, but I did some laundry, and played drums so much that I have 2 blisters and one layer of skin gone on part of my right index finger. I should get gloves.

On a related note, new skin is great. If you're like me, you've seen commercials and been like, "What a good idea!" "I wonder if it works!" or "Catchy jingle!" But I bought some after a remarkably delightful conversation with a CVS pharmacist and it's great. Painful, but great. You can walk around all day, wash your hands, eat from a pool of jello, and you have no pain from things brushing up against the bruise, no band-aids that come off, and there's antibiotic stuff on it. Great.

Without muchado,

APARTMENT: Not much news. I am going to suck at living somewhere. Where do I even start? Should I pick up one of those free real estate guides? Do I look online? Do I get a realtor? I just don't know. Eh, I'll just ignore it for another few days.

SCHOOL: Still over. This category is from now on gone.

GIRLS: Ugz bugz. I talked to Carrie last night for the first time in a little while. I am just so confused. At times, I am fine, life is good. Then I get home a little drunk one night, my graduation ceremonies beginning the next day, and I really miss her. Admittedly, I wanted to make out with her more than anything else, but I did miss her. So I called her and she is of course doing exactly what I told her to do. Even when we were dating I said she could see other people if it made her happy. She would get upset that her seeing other people didn't upset me. The fact is, it would have, it was just pain for me that seemed worthwhile because I was leaving in X months and (I assumed) Johnny Otherguy wasn't. Somehow, Gregory stings me more than he should, considering how much I truly do want her to get over me. Maybe it only stings because she really has. Ah well, life sucks right? She's probably the only one still reading this category anyway.

GRADUATION: is upon me. Let's take a tally:

Excited for: The ceremonies, listening to the non-boring speeches, my family being all proud of me, graduating.
Not excited for: the speeches that are all about "writing my own story," right after commencement when I will not know what to do, the day after when everyone who is leaving goes, more or less forever, graduating.

MAGIC: I was home, so as always, I did some tricks. Things like "so you got a trick coin" one never enjoys hearing. But how do you perform bite-away coin without everyone knowing you have a trick coin? I'll have to think about that. Maybe I should just not. Well, as always, some were impressed, most were not. My family is also primarily into figuring tricks out. I will say this though: I love doing tricks for people who are just impressed. Yet, empirically, I more often do tricks for people who figure them out. Maybe I just like trying to fool the people who can't be fooled. I don't know. But if I am going to do magic on the street, those are the people I need to learn to fool.

FAMILY: I saw them and it was pretty great. I hung out with my sister Tuesday night, saw The Inside Man and had delicious meatloaf. Lunch with lots of people Wednesday, talked to Dan about his stem-cell research, then dinner with lots of people. I had to leave early to get back to a meeting that didn't end up meeting, but just before I left, my fam all gathered around while I read my gram's graduation poem (she writes poems for every occassion) and it was just really nice. As much as I don't look forward to cloudy Pittsburgh, I am really glad to be close to them. I am even thinking of starting a new blog that they can read too, because I don't get to call them all enough.

And on that sappy note, I am off to my first potentially grueling ceremony. I think this one gets my name on a plaque in Skibo.

Did I tell you I'd update or what?

2006-05-16T01:58:00.000-04:00

What a crazy day today has been. Last night, before I posted, I wrote up to page 20 of my screenplay (I'm taking a screenwriting class). I was averaging 5 pages every 90 minutes. Yikes bikes. Before I went to sleep, I wrote an email I had been meaning to write for a week which asked my prof if we had to turn it in Tuesday or Wednesday. This morning at 10:30, I wake up to see her response: it is due by 5pm today! So I scrapped all the things I wanted to do and wrote a lot of screenplay. I managed to pump out 20 pages by 3pm, did some errands I also needed to do today, revised it for about 45 min (I looked at about 2 scenes, so it's mostly a first draft i.e. ass), and turned it in.

A failed and a successful dinner plan, some YouTube, a lot more homework (another assignment I realized was due at midnight tonight -- the 2 hours ago one) and a beer and here we are. I am done with college. I will not turn in another assignment (well that's not true, I turn in one tomorrow but it's done). All these accomplishments, and because we always miss each other's busy days, I go back home to a big empty bed.

Ok, enough mope, I have a surprising amount of updates for one day.

APARTMENT: The lease extension came through, so I am officially with shelter until August 1. Now I have to REALLY start looking for a place to live. I would also like to add "yard" to my list of things to look for.

SCHOOL: Well, outside of graduation, I guess this won't be a category anymore. But, hey, I wrote a screenplay! Well, 40 pages of one. And it isn't all bad. I think the story is good, it's very visual, and it moves. But it could use some more humor and another subplot or two.

GIRLS: Sometimes I think I understand them more than most guys. Then I realize I don't. I blame no one for myself (for not asking sooner), but my I seem to mind sleeping alone a lot more when I thought I might not have.

GRADUATION: I finally paid my PBK fee and also for that window I broke in Baker Hall, so it looks like I can graduate all fine. I am going to pick up my gown later than I thought I would because I am taking a hitherto unplanned trip to Cleveland tomorrow. Good for me.

MAGIC: So while I was waiting for NPP to come upstairs for the banquet, some kid's mom was waiting for him in UC 318. So naturally I showed her a coin trick, only she was impressed. So I did one of my standard vanish/appearance routines with a 50 cent piece and she said something like "Do you do this for audiences? My son did some magic, but this is really impressive." Naturally, I then had to apologize for not having cards on me (I didn't have my messenger bag -- now that school's out, I'll have to find another place to keep cards at all times), but I raised the stakes anyway by making her signed coin go through a table and land under her chair. I may not be a very good magician, but for those fleeting moments when they don't figure it out (or don't care to), when you really impress someone, it makes it all worthwhile. And if you're lucky, it will save you from being mugged.

Family: I called my mom on mother's day and asked her for money (I'm the worst son ever). I talked to my cousin who's in town from Florida and was all, "I keep missing you by so little. After Tuesday, I won't have any work to do." And he was all, "We're here for a week. Come after Tuesday." And I'm all, "That's not a bad idea." So I'm going home tomorrow (I should really go to bed). I hope my family's a little free despite the short notice.

All right, beer + not enough sleep + 2:22 am = me going to sleep. Hopefully I'll have time to post from Cleveland tomorrow.

I can't sleep.

2006-05-14T01:55:00.000-04:00

Why am I going to sleep so early on a Saturday night? Because then I can wake up early. Also, I was already home working on the screenplay and don't really feel like leaving. Why wake up early? So I can be productive. If I accomplish things in the morning, I start the day feeling productive, and this tends to make me more productive. But why not just work now? Good question. As of an hour ago, I was wide awake. Then I got tired, came to a nice breaking point in the SP, so I decided to go to sleep. But the whole bed routine (setting alarms, brushing teeth, etc.) just woke me up. So now I can't sleep. I also can't sleep because this blog post was swimming around in my head.

What blog post? The answer: stop asking questions.

I think I'll try an experiment. I'm bored of this blog, as I am sure you have become. So I will try to make it the kind of blog I don't like (particularly, the kind that chronicles things). Sounds dumb I know. But then everyone will get caught up on my life, I will hopefully update more, and in a week or so, you can tell me if it was boring or interesting in any way.

To facilitate your reading, I will code each section of my life. How convenient:

APARTMENT: So I have to find a new apartment/place of living. My mom (and Grandpa apparently) think I should buy a place. I called my management company today to see if I could extend my lease until Aug 1 (instead of June 15). I haven't heard back. But if not, waiting around for deals to close will suck and result in much moving. On the fun side, here are my qualifications for a place of living:

quiet area when I sleep, but noisy enough that it's ok when I (or my neighbors) have the occasional soiree
dishwasher
place for my (or Will Haines') drum set
near a bus stop, preferably near enough to downtown I could ride my bike easily

I am going to look in Shadyside and Bloomfield first, just because they have been recommended.

SCHOOL: I am in the home stretch. I had one final presentation and have to finish an accompanying report. It was for this website (click "Student and Community Resources") we designed and I think mine looks pretty, though some of the colors are ass. I also have to write 40 pages of my screenplay. I am up to page 9 and at various times I think it will be easy then impossible. Hell, I don't know how to write a screenplay. The most we've written up until now was one full scene, the rest has been spent on story. But I don't know how to fit it all together and tell the story well. We'll see how it goes. At least I (finally) like my story a lot. But I need to get away from inventing premises about protaganists who are me.

WORK: For the first time in a long time I have been starting to see some of the potential benefits of settling down into a job right now. CMU and the college life will not be an easy thing to let go of, but whenever I have had difficulty letting go, I find a become a better (or at least different) person because of it. I am still freaking out about a few things (namely having to keep the 9-5 person schedule, not making adult friends, and of course the lack of anyone to share my purchased house with), but maybe, just maybe I'll be ok. I really hope I do at least one or two of the things I think I will next year though (for details, see 2 posts ago + start an improv troupe, audition like whoa, and finish my screenplay).

GIRLS: I like them a lot. Not much news on this front. I think I have become finally comfortable with what Carrie and I are to each other. I still love her incredibly, but I've dealt remarkably well with her continuing boy saga and I think we will be excellent friends despite having dated and being a planet apart. I flirt a lot, sometimes successfully and most often not. Recently, I wonder how forward I can get away with being. I have tried to prevent myself from jumping into things because it worked so well when I didn't. But right now, most often I find myself flirting with people that I really want to make out with more than anything else. Maybe that makes me an asshole (unless that's all they want too), but if you wanted to be updated on my life, I'm kind of an asshole.

Anyway, if all I want is to make out with a person, let's call her A because I'm actually thinking of no one in particular, do I tell A this? Chances are I don't know her well. The way I see it, there are 3 states of the world:

She wants to make out with me. Problem solved, everyone wins.
She doesn't. My campaign for the AJAA will long-awaitedly begin. I probably won't even get to be her friend this way and that, at least according to Atom, is probably what I wanted in the long-term.
She might make out with me, but not yet. I'm bored with this analysis, moving on.

In general, though, I think I have been doing well. I haven't buckled under the strain of loneliness and I generally enjoy my days. I certainly, as always, enjoy flirting.

GRADUATION: I have so many questionnaires to fill out and emails to write it's silly. I can't believe that in 3 days I will be picking up a cap and gown. Senior Week looks like a bit of a bust for me because few of my friends are seniors and they generally aren't going to much. But I'll at least go to this silly Heinz field thing I guess. I find it hard to do a lot of it though. Write 2-4 sentences summing up my college career to be read as I walk. Answer questions like "What are my most memorable CMU experiences?" Who can do that? Well, I forgot to pay a membership fee, so I might not be in that ceremony anyway.

MAGIC: How do I love this so much? It's a weird hobby because I'm not that good and I don't have enough time to practice. Yet I keep spending money, watching trick videos online, and showing tricks to people that they almost always immediately figure out. I'm a shame to magic, but I love it. And at least I'm improving. It's the kind of thing (like acting) that I wish I could focus on for a while. But alas and alack... Whatever, I made Alex Aspiazu's signed coin go through a table and of the 8 people who ended up watching, at least she was impressed.

FAMILY: I haven't seen my family in such a long time. I am 2 hours away, but I really do feel far here. I was supposed to go home for Mother's Day, but it's looking like I have too much work to do (I say at the end of an 18 page blog entry). Well, I'll see a lot of them for graduation and then try to go home after. The little word I get is all positive from them, though. My sister's looking at law schools, my cousins are happily learning in Florida, my other cousin just got a real job for next year, my mom's all moved in and has a phone line in the new house. What a crazy time.

Ok, I'm finally feeling a little bit tired again. If I manage to keep this up for a few days (they won't be as long as I'll only have one day of new things now), let me know if it bores you out of your mind. Goodnight.

Reflections on an endangered existence

2006-05-07T17:05:00.000-04:00

It sometimes seems to me that life, in its infinte wonder, must take away the good it brings. What a strange time to grow up in. It seems that finally we have the power to do and be what we want, yet we spend so much of our early years letting go. Letting go of histories whether we like them or not (and indeed most are bittersweet). I have seen so many shows close, graduated from so many levels of schooling and begun so many others; I have seen relationships fall and crumble and begin.

As I get older, time periods just get longer. I have friends I haven't talked to in time periods I can only measure in years, family members I haven't seen in something resembling a decade. I spend my days changing and craving stability. But the worst part is, I don't know if I want it. There's some air of opportunity that gets continually crushed the more choices I make, the more decisions become permanently inked. The next job, the next apartment, the next crush, the next shirt I wear all take away from the world of infinite choice that I once struggled to make sense of. So many whimsical ideas (culinary school, London, directing film in India) are fading into obsoleteness.

And in the end, all I wonder is if my plight is to be expected. Is there no way to avoid this? How do some people feel so comfortable in this transition? Or maybe no one does. I am left wanting something but every something I imagine doesn't seem to be the right one. Well, another day, another blank.

Things I want to do in the near future.

2006-05-05T00:14:00.000-04:00

Sky dive.
Make up a bike tour of Pittsburgh, then ride it.
Practice so I get good enough, then buy a little portable table and do magic tricks for passersby on a treet downtown somewhere.
Invest more.
Nerf war.
Go to lunch with Jeff Hinkelman.
Watch my Delicatessan DVD!
Travel and Philosophize with Ram Subramanian, esquire.
Live in a place with a drum set and a front yard.
Change everything.

2006-04-08T18:51:00.000-04:00

No particular reason, but I thought this guy has some good things to say.

Though in another article of his and some stuff about his book, he mentions Changi Airport a lot. Let's just say that did not leave me with feelings of unmixed delight.

We'll see where I am in a month.

2006-04-06T01:42:00.000-04:00

I used to have the world's best kind of problem: a beautiful woman was in love with me. Sure, we couldn't be together, so it was actually a problem. But not a bad one to have. Now, it's just a problem.

I envy people who live life without regret. It seems all I've done in the past 2 years is regret what I did.

The world is cruel in its perfect balance? I have so much. My mom asked what I wanted for Chanukah and I told her I had everything I wanted and I meant it. Now I have everything but that which I want most.

Maybe I should stop complaining. Maybe I should start believing all those things that, when I was leaving, were so easy to believe.

I don't regret Carrie. I wouldn't take back one day I spent with her. I would just take back every day since then. I would have faith in our feelings. I would for once appreciate what I had instead of using logic to deny it.

How was it that when I was with her everything seemed clearer? I knew what I wanted. I felt for the first time in a year that I was happy about life in general, regardless of my relationship status. I couldn't imagine being so depressed.

I feel like I might be starting another bad year.

Puzzlestorm.

2006-04-01T16:55:00.000-05:00

I spent part of the morning doing puzzles. Here's one:

1.  Your philispophical musings.
2.  Talking to your friends while they smoke on campus.
3.  My bright orange orientation t-shirt.
4.  William's "summaries."
5.  Avoiding my roommate.
6.  The 7-11 guy.
7.  Dried mangos.
8.  Card tricks on a train.
9.  9:45 dips in the pool.
10. Bounce.

Ok, maybe it wasn't a good puzzle.

Cell Phone!

2006-03-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

My phone got destroyed! I have a new one! Call me so I have your number!

Sometimes I wish I had this kind of drive.

2006-03-06T14:04:00.000-05:00

I got an offer!

2006-02-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

They made me an offer I can refuse if I want. Which is at first really great. I mean, now I have a job. I hadn't really been prioritizing, but it was one of my top choices. But the problem is: it's a great offer, but the excitment she had over hiring me inflates my ego and leads me to believe I could get some of the others. It was tied with a few, and I just applied for this Google position I actually have a shot at (it was added to their DB by an employee and I have been told I will have a phone screening though it hasn't been scheduled). It's also a fair amount of money and benefits, but that's not really big enough a deal to make me take it so soon. No one could possibly find reading this interesting.

Argh! I only have 30 days to decide!!?! Am I supposed to tell the other companies so they hurry up the process?

2006-02-27T00:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think this world is too big.

Authorama

2006-02-26T11:11:00.000-05:00

Does everyone else know about the existence of Authorama? It's a site where you can read (or print) public domain books in full. I don't know if there's much useful on it, but I found it because of this gem.

I got rants in my pants.

2006-02-24T14:39:00.000-05:00

1. I have, since returning to this wintery climate 2 months ago, lost: 3 winter hats, three gloves (a pair + 1), one scarf. Of them, I have managed to find the scarf. This is not only leaving me cold, but also a bit sad. One of the hats was this blog's namesake.

2. I just had a "technical" screening. It is impossible to try to impress someone you have little respect for. As it was my second technical screening of two, it left a sour taste in my mouth. If the company wasn't so gigantic, I would probably reconsider wanting to work there. Why was it so ridiculous. Well,

He was on AIM. Not only did I know this because he would pause mid-sentence, but he would dictate what he was typing into the window.
He said the number one thing he likes about his job (besides money, because it's a job and everybody works for money)...
He indicated that he enjoyed travelling in the past to get away from his wife
The technical questions were not only easy and 2 in number, but one of my answers led him to ask me for more information, not as part of the question, but because he "just got a Java certification and wasn't sure." Further, the question was not really about Java so much as about a data structure you can write in any language.
He ended the interview indicating his client was trying to get in touch with him, so if I didn't have anything further to say...
Luckily I didn't.

3. I am sick and very tired and don't want to ever do another interview. Or do any of the 1800 things on my list for the day.

Oooh...this seems fun.

2006-02-13T18:42:00.000-05:00

Tell me what you think I'm like!

Johari Test

Thanks helen!

Some advice from a cheap pack of Thank You cards, uncut and unedited:

2006-02-07T23:30:00.000-05:00

Some Idea Starters for Saying "Thank You"

You always do the nicest things.
What you did warmed my heart.
Thank you for remembering me in such a nice way.
Your thoughtfulness was sincerely appreciated.
Your kindness meant a lot.
So nice of you. So appreciated by me.
Knowing it came from you made it even more special!
I'm so very grateful.
Think about how you would say "thank you" in person, and your sincerity and warmth will come through in your note.

Also to note: for as many logical reasons as this cheat sheet is not ridiculous, all of the "idea starters" are in small caps.

"If you know where you're going, you'll know where you're at."

2006-02-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

This isn't a post. Someone just said that in a presentation in one of my classes and I wrote it down.

I guess it's a post.

Who knows?

2006-02-01T01:04:00.000-05:00

I assure you that the train of thought that led to this post was infinately positive. Not that this post is negative, but, like The Laramie Project, its hopeful outlook is mediated by sadness.

I was enjoying my night through and through. Got some things done (no homework of course but that's beside the point). I then began walking home and my mind was a blur. All day, I've been having particularly interesting if not scattered thoughts: I immersed myself in the audio soundscape that is Oakland circa 2006, I thought much of improv as I frequently do, ... well etc.

The point is, if you have managed to read this far, that I began reflecting on things I do and want to do. I have a lot of big plans. I can work for this company or that, direct this show or some other, start an improv troupe, build a jam space, record a sitcom, etc etc ad nauseum ad nauseum. But then I thought of all the people (e.g. my acting professor, the lecturer who spoke on film as a global language, Oz Pearlman) who have dedicated their lives to something or another. Sure, I have a lot of ideas and things to say, but on too many subjects. I can play DDR and improvise songs and develop an IT architecture and perform card sleights but I never give anything my all and so there is always someone doing it better. Caring about it more. Someone who inspires me, but only until I get bored.

This all works into a general realization. When I first came back to campus, I was well-received by those who missed me and those who love me. I was introduced by reputation as well as name to those I had not met. But I am no celebrity. I am not someone to listen to. I'm washed up. I'm a CMU has-been. I am living in the past. All I do is think about what used to be, what could be, and occasionally complain about what is. The Royal Society, the cooking club, fencing all help me look toward the future, but it is a future that is doomed to an inevitable end in May. My time at this school feels over; I've done what I can do and am left as the old man with a lot of stories.

But maybe it just means that this is really the time for me. I love college and CMU and Pittsburgh, but maybe it really is time for me to say good bye.

2006-01-29T12:54:00.000-05:00

How do you get over someone who loves you as much as you love her? How do you get over a relationship with which you found only enough faults to remind you it was real? How do you solve what may arguably be one of the best problems to have, despite its still being a remarkable problem?

Where are Matt and Darren? I need a drink.

I found my place in the world.

2006-01-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

I need to work for these people as soon as possible.

Without a Foil.

2006-01-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

My classes started and thus far I've only taken two. Style was fun and Marshall Roy is in it. I think it will be a good class for me to take but I am not as excited as I was before I took it. Don't know why. My screenwriting class was slightly dissappointing because I didn't have the prof I thought I did and the assignments are all different then the ones I thought they would be. But it also seems like it will be a good class and I shouldn't worry too much about the grade.

Right after screenwriting a checked my email, suddenly remembering one of my class times changed. It was 10:22 am as I was 2 mins out of class. I looked and apparently beginning fencing was moved from 10:30-12 as scheduled to 10-11:30am. What?!? I was crushed. I had even bought warm-ups! :(

In other sad news, I am going to be going solo to the CAKE concert this weekend as it is SOLD OUT and Tasse didn't buy his tix in time. :( :( But nonetheless, I am going to see CAKE!!!!!!!

Unrelatedly, anyone know where I can get samples of bad writing? I tried to look up things I don't agree with and only learned 2 things:

1. No one wrote a positive review of S.W.A.T.
2. Reading right-wing blogs makes my brain hurt.

Caught in the act of irony.

2006-01-11T23:44:00.000-05:00

I always find it so funny/Seinfeld-esque when one of my family members walks into a situation that provides strong evidence that I am watching porn. But the kicker is I'm not watching porn. Like when I watch the Colbert Report and someone walks in the front door during the 4.16 minute long commercial for Girls Gone Wild Games. Or like when my uncle knocked on my door to find me sitting on my bed watching my laptop screen with headphones on. Either he thought the playing cards were a kinky addition or figured out that I was merely watching a card magic video. Maybe I should just start watching more porn. Then it's not frustrating.

Anyway, I've been incredibly sick this week. I missed my Silicon Valley recruiting event, and I've watched more TV than possibly ever before in my life. I see no new commercials. Sometimes I call people but end up not being able to talk for long for various reasons. It's frustrating. But at least now I know what it's like to have absolutely nothing in my Gastrointestinal (sp?) system.

I went on a field trip today (my first time out of the house in 3/maybe 4 days) to my grandma's house. We watched the end of Jeopardy, played GHOST and then Boggle. It was the most intellectual stimulation I've had since December. I need to start thinking again.

Next semester's going to be wacky. I miss Singapore. Ooo ooo.

Morning Report.

2006-01-08T06:11:00.000-05:00

I decided since I've been vomitting once-delicious sushi all night, I might as well post while I wait around to see if I feel safe going to sleep again.

For the first time in as long as I can remember I actually feared death last night. To the point that I almost cried. I never usually worried about it much. The train of thought took some turns, but eventually went something like this. We have spent much of my time home since Killington celebrating my father's life on this, the 4th anniversary of his death. I was thinking about the somewhat consoling fact that he led such a full life; we had a happy and loving though as always dysfunctional family, and he had a job he loved. So many people told us that only the good die young. Then, morbid as it may be, I began to think about the members of my family whose health is declining. My uncle Marc, still quite young, has been on the list for a second liver transplant for years now. His belly gets so full of fluid in a week or two that he has trouble walking up stairs. And my grandma who I saw at least once a week growing up and have just kind of come to expect being around can't do half the things she used to. She was always so incredibly independent and now she lets me drive if we are running an errand right down the street. Then we watched this movie called Paper Clips which had, among other things, Holocaust survivors describing their experiences and I started to think about how I don't even have to be unhealthy to die. Someone in a car or robbing a store or the result of being drafted could take me at anytime.

So what's the big deal? Well the big deal is this. Over the past semester and since, I have been becoming more and more "good". Not in the Mother Theresa sense, but in the sense that a number of people told me I have had a greatly positive impact on their lives. I am honestly so happy with my life right now that I really wouldn't want anything major to change (well, almost anything). I feel like I am well-positioned to make some kind of difference to at least some company and a few people in the rest of my life. Which makes me start to fear the aforementioned addage. I just can't imagine it all stopping. It really does scare me and I don't like it.

I even had a dream a few weeks ago which involved me falling to my death and oh, the thoughts one thinks when one is falling to one's death.

Guess who stopped sucking?

2005-12-22T23:42:00.000-05:00

Before I get going, I uploaded all my pics from Kuala Lumpur (what the cool kids call KL) to my flickr page. Also some of snow for those who haven't seen it.

Well I've ended a marathon of lethargic relaxation with: practicing card tricks, applying for real jobs, being helpful, and hangin' with the fam. Let's take these one at a time.

Lethargic relaxation: Hah! Bet you didn't think this was first! Anyway, it's a bit of a misnomer. I was sleeping a lot and in my pajamas all day, but I have actually been doing this stuff for a while. Just not as much of it.

Card tricks: I refuse to comment. But check this site out if you want to learn some new ways to shuffle.

Applying for real jobs: the tally is now Boeing (failed!), metacritic (will probably never turn into someting), Progressive (2 apps in today, no news yet), WebFinance (this company just emailed me -- is that a bad sign?), and a resume I sent to my employer last summer to forward to some friends of his who have a startup software company in PGH. A custom resume for each (+1 for my networking event in Silicon Valley), toss in a few cover letters, and it's been keeping me busy.

Being helpful: I've revived a philosophy I discovered in high school and really almost always follow (though sometimes to a lesser degree). It's basically that I should help people. Not because of karma or anything but just because I can and it makes them happy. I'm not talking about starving children or anything. It basically came about because my mom would always ask me to do things like walk our dog for example. And I always tried to weasel out of it or just plainly not do it. Not for any real reason. So one day I thought she works all day and I'm just watching TV, why don't I walk the dog? She was impressed, happy, and it turns out I enjoy the solitude of Bainbridge streets at night. I've extended that at various times to walking across campus in the winter to help Boss 2 pick a lock, always finding anyone who's upset, and going with my Grandma to return a heavy panini maker to William Sanoma. I've done it a lot lately because I really have little pressing to do and it's been nice. I guess Aaron Tarnow's been all over this one for some time.

Hangin' with the Fam: So much more fun than Mr. Cooper. This has been great too. My gram cooked dinner (which she used to do every Friday) on Wed which she hasn't apparently done for some time. I've been shopping with cousins, meeting up with my sister, eating with my aunt and uncle, watching movies with various extended family members. It's been nice. Especially considering that I saw Jeanne for the minute she was in town and I feel no burning desire to see most of my friends from high school.

Coming up: A coffee that's been brewing for four years, holiday gaiety, gift exchanges, gaiety in my voice on the phone?, skiiiiiiing, and suits in San Fran.

Wow Double Post.

2005-12-20T22:19:00.000-05:00

I am like the Ken Tew of blogging. Anyway...

Sometimes I do wonder what it's all for. Authors, poets, musicians, scientist have tried to give answers to why we struggle with pain, love, and the pain that comes from the problems of love. But lately (and by this I mean the past 6 months or so), it's been hard for me to tell if it's been the happiest or the saddest time of my life. I have only been sad because I miss things or people who made me happy. I am only happy when I find new things or people who I will eventually be without (temporarily or permanently) which I know will make me sad.

But at the end of the day, I am really glad to be alive. I am so grateful to whom or whatever deserves my thanks that I am intelligent and that I do things for a reason. I may be bored or angsty or feel lonelier than ever shortly after feeling happy to be back around those who love me, but at the end of the day I feel like this time is really shaping who I will become. Good or bad, I feel glad that I am here to experience it. Maybe it's just hard to explain.

As was said by the main guy in Motorcycle Diaries, "Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land."

This is not meant to be an insightful post.

2005-12-20T22:10:00.000-05:00

I was just brushing my teeth to go to bed (yes, at 10:10pm*) and after a very long tooth brushing session (I feel guilty and start having proper oral hygiene every so often) I rinsed my mouth with water from a plastic cup on the counter. Now I have always been of the camp to have a real cup in my bathroom because I always use it and using plastic cups always involves so many cups. But alas, I am only a guest in this bathroom, so I use the plastic. Nonetheless I am an avid reuser of my cup, as are a few of those I share the room with.

After placing my now freshly wet cup back on the counter, I realize I had used the wrong cup (mine is above the sink not to the left). However, the fresh wetness clearly shows my guilt. My first thought is to switch the cups, but this would mean my cousin using my cup innocently thinking it was her own and that can't be right. I could throw out the cup and replace it, but that defeats the whole purpose of saving the cups in the first place. So I decide to leave evidence of the mistaken identity and call it a night.

Anyway, I finally sent out some resumes! Look at me not wasting my life!

*Well, I was planning on reading for a bit, but I have been going to bed quite early and waking up between 7 and 9 with no alarm clock. Weird, huh?

I can't believe I live in this world sometimes.

2005-12-20T16:42:00.000-05:00

My exchange friend from SG is in Australia now. He posted this to his blog:

IMG_2928

Wow, Mr. Pope.

2005-11-29T01:18:00.000-05:00

Hey! Homosexuals can be Catholic priests now. Well, provided they have gotten over that silly "gay" phase of theirs.

Life changes really fuck you up.

2005-11-27T04:39:00.000-05:00

Studying in a foreign country for 4 months, impending graduation, marriages of friends and family members, an inevitable "growing up" can really throw one's center of gravity off. It's so hard to remember the past yet not live in it. It's equally as hard to think about remembering the present as the past in the near future. I am starting to develop core philosophies on life that on occasion contradict one another. Or at the very least are seemingly impossible.

Is it possible to survive in life without care for money? I read the teachings of the Buddha and generally think working for money is stupid. Then I get a massage and dip in a jacuzzi with what are essentially chaise lounges in it and I think "this is the way all should live." I want a job that gives me benefits and allows me to buy a house but I also want to work for an employer who would hire me even with an afro. I want to spend my life in academia and get out in the "real world" as soon as possible. Am I to think that I can never have what I want or always have what I want. Further, I don't even like wanting things. I just want to let things happen to me and accept them as they are like Sri Krishna suggests. But it is hard when you love people in different countries, and games that only certain people want to play. If one loves information systems and ML and filmmaking and film criticism and improv and theatre and cooking with friends and making Chinese food omlettes and eating Yong Tau Foo and Teh Ping and playing Betrayal and playing GHOST and bowling on teams and learning magic tricks, how can one ever be satisfied?!?

Unrelatedly, I have some WICKED ideas for Woodscotch Spring 2k6. No, they don't involve the show WICKED. I don't even know why I capitalized those letters. But yeah, super wicked. Why did I not participate (really) until last year. Woodscotch is the best thing ever.

An a side note, what do I want this holiday season? Does Toys R Us sell contentment?

The Proper Words Song.

2005-11-24T05:57:00.000-05:00

I can't get this song out of my head.

Warning: do not click above link if your speakers are turned on and you are in an office or other place of potential embarassment.

Dreaming of Ohio.

2005-11-19T02:09:00.000-05:00

Apparently LJ is down, so I will post this here during my limited window of Internet access (yeah, it's annoying) in the mean time.

---

Whoever thought anyone would make that the title of an LJ post?

Well, it's true. I decided to take advantage of the first of my entire week of currently blank slots in my calendar due to it being the "study week" here before exams. Much like the recess week, the study week is an excuse to do a lot of work: I have 1 paper to complete, 1 whole project to finish, review sessions to attend, and 3 exams to, well, study for -- but nonetheless things have calmed down a bit. But I had been low on sleep and had a 6 hour project meeting last night, so I slept in.

I just awoke and was, for the first time in a long time, jarred to find myself in Singapore. I had a few dreams I remember (all involving food) but the last took place in Ohio. I can't say it was actually a place I had been to, or even actually Ohio, but the merchandise led me to believe I had returned to the state in which I was brought into this world.

I was driving along when I passed a huge sort of fair / bazaar type thing. The whole tented area itself was much to large for Singapore to waste land on, though the corporate sponsorship and marketing extravaganza feel to it all was much reminiscent of my current island home. I stopped and walked around for a bit. There was one shop that had incredibly oversized t-shirts. I remember thinking they were large even for Americans. They were hanging on the wall and taking up at least 2/3 of the entire tent wall and had American flags or slogans about Ohio on them. As I walked around, I thought only of things I could buy for my friends in Singapore.

I walked around a bit more and saw all kinds of little novelties and such. One store had musical instruments of all sorts: guitars, synths, etc. I started to see all kinds of hand drums and thought of my excitement to play them, then turned the corner and saw four or five teenagers rocking some of the drums. All together and all better than me. I listened for a while.

Finally I made my way over to the candy and ice cream sellers. I looked and looked and thought and thought and ended up ordering one scoop of ice cream. The flavor I don't remember but it didn't describe the flavor of the ice cream anyway -- it was something like James Dean Slept Here. The guy at the register told me they were running a special and 5 scoops were only $5 (my one scoop cost $1.15), but I told him no. The deal was ridiculous. I reached into my wallet and was horrified to see that I only had Sing money. I looked all through it in every pocket, remembering I had just bought something else. At long last I found exactly one dollar, a dime, and a nickel (though they were a bit warped, I really have some trouble remembering even now what American money looks like), and paid the man.

Quick sidebar: you may not associate ice cream with Ohio or Pennsylvania, but there's a reason. Singapore and the US present a tradeoff: sushi for ice cream. In the states, good sushi is not too commonplace and quite pricey, but delicious ice cream is everywhere and pretty cheap (unless you want to treat yourself to Coldstone). Here, I can get pretty decent sushi on every other block for next to nothing. But good ice cream is hard to find and quite costly.

Just as I was about to indulge, I awoke. My first thought was about how odd it was that I dreamt about Ohio. Not my family or friends, but the state itself.

Hey another guy named beej does improv...

2005-11-12T22:24:00.000-05:00

which one would you rather know?

the other beej

Two emails.

2005-11-12T22:17:00.000-05:00

The following were the subjects of two consecutive emails I received from different people, neither of them in any way related to cmu:

brian the mcbri-ster
brian mcgingleheimer

further, they each featured such delightful messages. the first included the paragraph:

twitterpated...have you ever seen bambi? thats what they call the state all the animals are in when they're frollicking around and having babies. twitterpated. it fits, if you ask me.

and the second, after the author had described a conversation she was having with someone who was fighting with his sister, a young Japanese exchange student said:

"i don't like fighting, i like peace."

What a way to start a Sunday! Course scheduling tonight!!!!

Cake = Spinal Tap?

2005-11-02T01:36:00.000-05:00

Man, Cake can't hold onto a drummer:

Paulo Baldi - drums, percussion (on tour, not official member of band)
* formerly Pete McNeal (left during the recording of Pressure Chief)

Who knew Pete McNeal left during the recording. At least they aren't getting killed off.

2005-10-27T13:34:00.000-04:00

Please tell me you want to see this movie as much as I do:

Plot Outline: A workman gets some unexpected help from two people of vastly different sizes.

I am the same height as George W.

2005-10-26T22:45:00.000-04:00

And Herbert Hoover. How depressing is that?

U.S. Presidents by Height

Still Life with Woodpecker.

2005-10-24T03:22:00.000-04:00

I've decided since I've started posting reviews occasionally, I should post them in one place. So this is it.

Wow. I mean, like, wow. I really liked Villa Incognito, as you know, and thought it rocked my mind about life, government, and idealism. I had not seen anything yet. Still Life pumps up the sex, the philosophy, and keeps elements of mysticism and fantasy (though perhaps not as much as Cognito). At times (namely, part II), I felt like I was reading porn. His treatment of sex was mostly tasteful, but it pushed right at the border. But unlike Villa, in which he told a bit of an actual fable, this was a modern fairy tale. Princesses and pyramids, but most of the fantasy was merely in the minds of the characters and their eccentricities. But it affirmed some of my beliefs, refuted others, and explained some thoughts that had been on the tip of my mind in words I am incapable of. Basically, it really did make me think about what's important, which is a lessen I am learning more than any other on exchange. The importance of love, new experiences, travel, discussion (about anything and everything) as well as listening and generally just enjoying the soundscape as it unfolds around you, comic books, and sleepovers. To quote the book, learning the difference between "a life acutally lived and a wimpy shadow cast on an office wall."

And Tasse, the last part destroyed me with reasons you should read this book.

I am not saying everything in it is true or even not silly. But I think that's the point.

Need a job?

2005-10-19T23:24:00.000-04:00

Buy a Search Engine!

Unrelatedly, this is an entertaining list of domains owned by Google.

2005-10-19T07:01:00.000-04:00

When asked if I believe in God, I have come to answer that I believe in love. Am I destined to forever be distanced from the one thing I have desired in this world more than any other? Am I cursed to have loved so many times I forgot what love is?

Tom Robbins, when attempting to answer the question of how to make love stay, says, through Princess Leigh-Cheri, "The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the mediocre and the vile can be transformed, and (c) that doing that makes it that. Loving makes love...We waste time looking for the perfect lover instead of creating the perfect love."

I feel like this is a truth that I have long considered but never quite understood. Why must the world be so full of potential failure masked as opportunity. I can't turn off my heart and that's not the only organ. I am so happy it makes me miserable. Everytime I think I have something my mind uncontrollably questions it, especially when fictional characters feel it more passionately in less time.

People ask what the meaning of life is but to me love is the only question worth asking. And the only question with no answer. To me, all questions are a variation of the one.

And on top of all this, I have to write a paper.

Job update.

2005-10-16T13:54:00.000-04:00

Total resumes submitted to potential employers: 2.

Total number of evil potential employers: 1 (i hope they don't read this)

Total number of likely prospects: 0.

I'll keep you posted as things progress. (If you referred to my blog, is that a pun?)

A gift from Adam Shlian.

2005-10-16T09:59:00.000-04:00

Man, this makes me never want to film anything again. Because whatever I do, it won't be this good.

Pi.

Love the Turkman.

2005-10-10T22:19:00.000-04:00

If you have ever clicked on the link labeled "Turkman" at the right and/or have read the wonderful musings of my friend Steve, please email me. There's a way you can send your sentiments of appreciation to him. (if you don't know my email address, you suck. i mean post a comment with a way of contacting you and i'll send you more info).

in other news, SWEET CANS OF ALBACORE.

Blog Site Stats

2005-10-07T01:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, I've been freaking out a bit about the sheer amount of information available on the Internet. Even if it's information that wouldn't exist without the Internet, it is still unbelievable.

Put your blog URL here!

It shows you (among other things), how many people link to your blog (inlinks), how many sites you link to (out links), and a graph of your posts per day. That is some crazy stuff.

It's also on the site of PubSub, a pretty interesting search engine. Instead of searching a static-esque Internet index once, you subscribe to a set of search terms. It is constantly getting data from blogs and feeds, and whenever it gets a new match (we're talking near-real-time), it lets you know, somehow (I haven't really done it).

This is so cool.

2005-10-06T11:13:00.000-04:00

Why do I keep posting?

But seriously, this is cool.

World Beard and Moustache Competition.

2005-10-06T05:43:00.000-04:00

My favorites:

Why I love Charlie Kaufman.

2005-10-06T05:15:00.000-04:00

These quotes are about the newest Jonez/Kaufman collaboration:

"It's a movie about the breakup of a relationship. It's about everything that I write. It's about bad relationships. I probably have about 50 titles for it, so I won't give you any." (www.beingcharliekaufman.com/articles/symkustalk.htm)

"It's something that Spike and I talked about in a very vague way and we were able to sell it in a very vague pitch because the studio was the studio we did Adaptation with and they wanted to do something else with us. I'm writing it in this way that I'm not even clear on what I'm doing. I'm just kind of compiling stuff right now. I don't even know what it's entirely going to be, which excites me, but it's scary, I guess." (http://www.chud.com/news/mar04/mar7spot.php3)

Oh, CK.

Some people are so much smarter than me.

2005-10-04T03:21:00.000-04:00

So this guy just wrote a fascinating-looking book that I would really like to look into getting a copy of. I don't know if it's the whole point of the book, but he wrote it do the revelation written about in this post on his blog. Basically, he sees the collective databases of Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. as a digital record (therefore, analyzable record) of the collective intentions, desires, and wants for at least information by the Internet-connected population of the world. So cool. It's basically a record of our culture; what we care about as a world.

Ok, so Britney Spears has been the annually most popular query since 2003 (i can't find the overall data for 2002, but she was the top image search woman), so maybe this isn't a good thing. But still, pretty interesting.

Fun Facts.

2005-10-04T00:42:00.000-04:00

Apparently, about 1 in 3 people who view my blog (not LJ) come from Dan Tasse's blog or Chicken's. Crazy talk.

I want this job.

2005-09-27T00:52:00.000-04:00

Stress Testing the iPod Nano

surprise surprise

2005-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

You have:
55% SCIENTIFIC INTUITION and
85% EMOTIONAL INTUITION

The graph below represents your place in Intuition 2-Space. As you can see, you scored well above average on emotional intuition and about average on scientific intuition.Keep in mind that very few people score high on both! In effect, you can compare your two intuition scores with each other to learn what kind of intuition you're best at. Your emotional intuition is stronger than your scientific intuition.

Your Emotional Intuition score is a measure of how well you understand people, especially their unspoken needs and sympathies. A high score score usually indicates social grace and persuasiveness. A low score usually means you're good at Quake.

Your Scientific Intuition score tells you how in tune you are with the world around you; how well you understand your physical and intellectual environment. People with high scores here are apt to succeed in business and, of course, the sciences.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 12% on Scientific

You scored higher than 94% on Interpersonal

ink: The 2-Variable Intuition Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

Ok.

2005-09-08T01:58:00.000-04:00

I have seen a lot of the Internet, but this has got to be one of the strangest pages I have ever encountered. What is going on? And if you're wondering, I found it by searching "Mongolian jacket" in google.

Overworked.

2005-08-30T12:41:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine at SMU just sent me this in an email:

Overworked

Not worth posting on the LJ.

2005-08-19T02:42:00.000-04:00

Singapore.

2005-08-18T06:40:00.000-04:00

Friend me if you want more posts. I think I might send the link to the fam as well.

Oh, and update: I saw 2046 in L.A. Suckas!

And there you have it.

2005-08-10T11:04:00.000-04:00

I left Pittsburgh and it was weird. I realize I am coming back soon compared to some (Atom, for example). But it is still weird to think that I won't be there for a fall semester at CMU. I was driving home from a delicious home-cooked Indian dinner and thinking about how worried I was that I wouldn't make friends at school. It seems silly now, but at the time it didn't. I only had a handful of good friends in high school and really I didn't have any really good friends (i.e. people I could talk to about anything sort of deal) until my junior year. And now, I almost didn't go to Singapore because I didn't want to have to leave this place and these people for a whole 4 months. For 1/8 of my college career.

But I am very glad I am going. In the shower yesterday, I thought, "Man I really just need to get away from the world for a while. Maybe go live with monks for a week or something." Then I thought, "I could just go to another country that is far away and will give me a lot to concentrate on without worrying about the rest of my life back home. Like Singapore!" Everyone that has been there tells me I will enjoy it.

Wow, this post has quickly deteriorated into stories about thoughts of mine. Ok, let's move to bullets:

Pgh was, and always seems to be, amazing. Thanks again Scoot, Katie, Tarnizzle, Julie, Zach for providing food, shelter, or lending me things. And thanks everyone I saw for seeing me!

Between Dan Tasse's halfway to Singapore CD and Zach's "open for the taking" iTunes, I now have 346 new songs.

I am so freaking excited to spend 3 days in L.A. with the two best ladies who have never been to CMU.

Yesterday my mom and I dropped her car off at the dealer and I was leaving and there was a line of perfectly shiny SUVs right in front of my 4-ton death machine of a car. Oh, the wandering mind.

I just made a birthday card. It took me a number of hours and 3 photoshop files.

Nina, without realizing it, pointed out that yesterday was an anniversary of mine. I guess my uncle was only half right.

I made up a thing!

2005-08-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

I think this is silly. My iTunes tells me I have:

cake - 4.2 hours
ben folds - 3.6 hours
sufjan - 3.4 hours
beatles - 3.3 hours
jon stewart - 3 hours
ted leo - 2.8 hours

i only included 6 because i really don't count America the Book -- The Audiobook.

Moral: i need to get more beatles.

2046.

2005-08-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

It looks like this may be a summer of crazy futuristic foreign movies for me.

2046

This comes out tomorrow. Maybe I can see it in Pittsburgh?

Dear M. Truffaut

2005-08-04T10:38:00.000-04:00

You never cease to amaze me. I have now seen two of your films, and I consider them both in at least my top 50 films of all time, maybe even top 25. To think that at 25, your first feature would win Best Director at Cannes, receive an Oscar nomination for writing, and be renowned as one of the cornerstones of the French New Wave. I only have 7 years left before I reach that age, and I see no such critical success in my future. Your portrayal of adolescence through the careful observation of youth is amazingly accurate. It made me desire the carefree life of mischief that I now assume all young French boys had.

I won't even begin to touch upon my introduction to your work, Day for Night, your largest critical success by far and a film near and dear to my heart as someone who has worked on a production (albeit theatre instead of film). Your talent inspires awe.

I have recently learned we existed on this Earth together for 7 months, which cast doubt upon my hopeful theory that perhaps you had been reincorporated as me. I hope your enjoying yourself where ever you are, and stealing all the typewriters you desire.

Sincerely,
Brian Gray

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

2005-08-02T11:47:00.000-04:00

The next time I hear someone tell a dead baby joke, I am going to remind them of this article and ask them kindly to stop. This is horrifying. I can't believe this actually happens in the world and in the ways it seems to be happening. I don't know why I am even posting this. I just can't believe it's true. Don't read if you are weak of stomach. Especially the last part.

oh my god

Bam!

2005-07-31T15:19:00.000-04:00

I just expunged and what was 54 messages became 8. That's a good feeling.

I continued reading a book I put down last year that contains interviews from 20 "celebrated" directors about the experience of shooting their first movie. Kevin Smith is asked, "Do you think you're progressing as a director?" He lists his improvements, ending with "I have learned more about the camera. I learned the difference between a 50mm and 100mm lens." He has learned this since he sold his first feature-length film for $270,000. A film which was a gigantic financial success and did not do bad critically, either. I know the difference between a 50mm and a 100mm lens.

He also said that Clerks contained "subtext of not knowing what to do with one's life. And complaining about it or feeling lost and realizing...that you just have to do something...All the whining in the world isn't going to produce results." I can't even make a movie over 2 months in the summer. I miss it. I want to direct films. Maybe I should go to film school. Ang Lee applied with a Super-8 film he had made. I have one of those (his was better).

I suppose I will always have the option of Culinary School.

2005-07-31T09:36:00.000-04:00

Is this really a joke to the rest of the country?

More like...Clevelaaaame.

2005-07-31T00:19:00.000-04:00

This conversationlet first greatly excited me, then instantly dashed all of my hopes and dreams:

(00:17:29) me: wow.
(00:18:05) _______upthathil logged out.

*Screennames have been changed to avoid IMs from crazy stalkers.

Anyway, life has been pretty good. So many people are awesome. I am seriously going to miss everyone soooo freaking much in Singapore. I already can't believe how long it will be before I'm back in Pittsburgh (ignoring possibly next week). Thanks again for the kick-ass send off! Amoeba tag!

I want an island.

2005-07-26T21:32:00.000-04:00

When I grow up I want to own a house on a private beach. Then I will build my bathroom in such a way that the shower has a curtain on one side and a large sliding door/wall on the other. Then instead of toweling off, I can open the door right out onto the beach and dry in the sun.

It would also help keep sand out of the house.

Emo.

2005-07-26T20:55:00.000-04:00

Mozilla just auto-completed the word "Emo" in the title field.

Every post I read of Courtney's or Zach's or anyone feeling an unfillable void in their spirit right now makes me want to scream (not in a bad way i guess). I feel like their thoughts are coming out of my head. But I still envy them because I am incapable of seeing anything good in my life. Zach's pain turns into beautiful (and seriously, this shit is amazing) poetry, courtney's turns quickly into happiness, and what do I do? I spend my time bitching. Not working. Not packing. Just talking. It's fall semester visiting me from its recent grave. And Kristy Swanson is unavailable this time.

[This part got a little too personal]

What's even more sad is that everytime I think of every conversation I've had and thing I've done it all seems so happy. Things are going well for me. I am actually afraid of Singapore right now. At least leaving the country has deemed me worthy of a turkey covered in bacon.

Oh dear.

2005-07-25T12:18:00.000-04:00

I am not going to admit whose blog I took this from (let me just say it was definately NOT Grant Van Nostrand's). It's like loaded questions online.

Anonymously post the following in a comment, and I will try (poorly) to guess who you are.

1. Something about you that I don't know.
2. One compliment (i assume of me, but do as you will).
3. One criticism (again, me or as you see fit).
4. Something you love.
5. Lyrics to a song (excerpt please).
6. The city that best sums up your ideals.

The week of disbelief.

2005-07-19T18:27:00.000-04:00

Some highlights from last week:

1. Wednesday - Aaron and I arrive at 7-something Liberty Ave, the stage door of the Benedum. The security guard lets us in and directs us toward the stage. We walk for a few miles and reach the stage. Aaron correctly assesses that he could put up 2 shows in the amount of the stage that Tommy's not using. We see our new friend the Lighting Designer and he shows us around and introduces us to some people. We see the booth and the light plot, have an awkward conversation with an usher and return home.

2. Friday - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory rawked my sawks.

3. Friday - We meet Dr. Jearl Freaking Walker. He is SO cool. He lent us the only copies of his show, the Kinetic Karnival and talks to us for a bit. Dan Tasse got an autograph.

4. TMBG 1 - Corn Mo opens. Then "They Must Be Giants" opens. Then they come back and play the real show, followed by 2 encors. Wowzah.

5. TMBG 2 - We missed this one. It wasn't our fault.

6. Chubby Checker - So I'm sure everyone's heard this story. Here is the best picture from my phone. If you look carefully, you can see Chubby (middle, denim), Ram (the dark one, top right), and Aaron (the smudge behind the cymbal.

7. TMBG 3 - This one we saw. It was awesome. I stood to the side of the stage and could see Dan Hickey (I believe)'s bass drum pedal, which was most exciting. We also talked to this Dan.

8. Harry Potter. Yeah, this kicks ass.

9. Sunday - I helped my cousin move all day. I also made delicious cookies.

Ok, back to work.

2005-07-19T18:23:00.000-04:00

Nina (in reference to her friends not inviting her to the shore):

"Then I remembered that everytime we go to the shore I just complain the whole time. They bring their books and their headphones because they are just there to tan. But I'm brown! My egg is cooked!"

Pop goes the redneck.

2005-07-11T18:45:00.000-04:00

Reading blogs confirmed my growing suspicion that I fell off the Earth for the past few days. I might have fallen off with Sara, Katie, Scott, and Mike Yin, but I fell. Sorry, Earth.

Something about Amazon selling organic food online seems weird to me.

The website I am making this summer is coming along. Not fast enough, but it is still exciting.

After realizing that Fellini's 8 1/2 was alphabetized under "Fellini" instead of "8 1/2" or "eight and a half" I watched it. I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly incredibly amazing this movie is. I feel like I have lived Fellini's life -- making his mistakes and going his insane -- while at the same time learning more about myself. I want to direct movies. And I want them to have been "8 1/2".

Blockbuster doesn't have Woody Allen's Stardust Memories and I am REALLY upset about it. What the fuck do I pay a horribly stupid piece of shit national conglomerate of suck $24.95 a month for when they have nothing on DVD and no fucking movies I want to see?

If you are wondering, things are good. I prefer to answer questions in person if you require more information.

I don't care too much about fireworks.

2005-07-05T17:49:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've been sitting back and wandering through these days while wonderful things keep happening to me. I know it's a poor time to feel so good about my life and obviously everything is not the way it should be. But I used to have to work so hard to find stuff to do and people to talk to. Now, every minute it seems as if I am doing something, talking to someone, preparing to do something, or taking a well-deserved break from doing anything (read: playing Myst III: Exile).

Maybe it's a sign that Singapore is coming way too quickly. A month and 6 days and I will be halfway across the world. On the plus side, the inevitability of my departure means I have a lot of places I am finally going to (Toronto, NJ/NYC, LA, maybe Nashville), a lot of people I am finally seeing (or seeing again) (Nina again, lots more of the pittsburgh crowd, my sister, other family members, Hannah).

Ok, I've become bored with this post. On to Showers and Shells!

But She is My Baby's Mama

2005-07-05T01:21:00.000-04:00

(If you get bored, skip to the 4th full paragraph).

LQA told me she would cut my hair. Jelly Bean told me she would cut my hair. Kaitlin said, hey I'll cut your hair. Long story short, none of them cut my hair. I am not mad; I mean, who am I to ask for a free haircut? Nonetheless, I have been wanting to cut it, and I knew my mom would be SO happy if I came home for the 4th with short hair. So I was disheartened when it was late at night on the 3rd and I had to leave Pittsburgh by 10 am.

I'm walking out of my apartment at 10:15 or so the next morning when my mom calls. She wants to know when I'm coming home for the picnic at 5. I really had thought it was at one, so now a big wad of time fell into my lap. I began the journey anyway (after some Apple Cinnamon Cheerios) and was past the airport on 60 N when I remembered I forgot to stop by the ATM to get toll money. I had spent my last 50 cents on sparklers, so I had no cash on me at all. I got off at the next exit to find nothing. After singing along to the White Album and calling Ram to ask historical trivia about it, I was almost at the first 50 cent toll. Realizing how sidetracked I had gotten, I exited and quickly found a mall. It looked like there were cars in the parking lot, so I went in.

After asking the girl at Kaufmann's (which I swear only had women's clothing making me seem very out of place and mostly creepy), I headed down to the ATM, passing awesome clothing, a movie store, and a place called "Hat Emporium." I had 4 hours to kill so I got some money then went back from whence I had come. The hat place turned out to be wall-2-wall baseball caps, the clothing was all 'spensive as hell, and after 25 min in the movie store (did you know Terry Gilliam is directing a movie of The Brothers Grimm?), I was on my way out.

Just as I was about out the door I passed a Men's Haircut style barber shop. A quick look through the glass revealed 3 barbers, all bald or having buzzed hair. As my normal hair cut experience was having my hair cut by the cast of Will and Grace at a salon on Craig, I figured this would be a nice change of pace. You see, I have never once liked a haircut I got, so I had nothing to lose. I walk in and the younger one (must have been shaved to 1/4" with a pencil-thin beard to hide his obvious whiteness) told me someone would be right with me. As I was walked to the chair by a man who looked like a Vietnam vet with scissors I overheard a bit of the younger guy's conversation with the mustached gentleman in the chair.

Barber: "So she always had these guys texting her and stuff and she was like, 'I'm not flirting'"
Customer: "Hah! Yeah."
Barber: "And then one day I'm sitting by the computer and her AIM is on logged into her account so I look and this guy IM's her"
Customer: "Oh, she is caught..."

I stop listening for a bit while my barber asks me what I want done. I usually just let Will (or Jack depending on the day) do what he thinks will look good, so I say "I am not sure."

"Well, you better decide." He walks into the other room.

Younger barber: "I mean, she's a bitch which is why I broke up with her. But she is my baby's mamma."

Now the stakes have been raised. He is not creepily jealous and over protective of his girlfriend. Noooo. This is his baby's mamma. They continue and I try not to listen.

My barber returns and I tell him I just want it like it is but shorter. He attaches his blade to the kind of trimmer that buzzes as it rips curly locks from my head and begins the carnage. Though a lot of hair is falling, I feel ok about it. Less time before I have to get it cut again. As I awkwardly try to describe how I impulsively walked in on my way to Cleveland, he asks me why I was in Pittsburgh.

Me: "I go to school there."
Barber: "Yeah, what do you study."
(a pound of hair drops to my lap)
Me: "Information systems."
Barber: "Wow! That is great! I mean we need more people like you in this country. Especially now with all the terrorists."

Excuse me?

Barber (continues): "It will be so important to have information to be able to get those terrorists before they attack again."
Me: "Yeah, dirty towel heads."

Ok, so the last sentence didn't happen. But I swear the rest is true. I felt frightened for my head. I must have said something. Probably just agreed nonchalantly. But that was not the kind of company I prefer to keep on the birthday of this nation.

So I sat back and let the cutting (into what he called a "fade" and then later "shaped") finish, all the while imagining our founding fathers with smirks on their faces, signing a document and thinking, "See Britain. We can make people feel unjustly unwelcome and persecuted too."

The sad part is, I kind of like the haircut. It's kind of short, but it's not too bad. It's been shorter. So if I ignore all the rest of it, I can take comfort in the fact that I will never see either barber again and that my $12 was $12 well spent."

29 Helens agree

2005-07-01T20:34:00.000-04:00

So apparently I haven't updated this in so long that my password cookie expired. So here's the past few weeks in lists:

read:
dress your family in cordoroy and denim by david sedaris
a scanner darkly by philip k. dick
some recipe cards with aaron tarnow
the first chapter of the gita

accomplished:
not much work, but enough that jeff is happy
made my server work (even tomcat now!)
got to the last age of myst iii: exile, failed, will try again
managed to get a 20-person whirly ball adventure to happen

cooked or helped cook:
delicious broiled lemon chicken (well, mostly cooked)
pie soup
tabouli
apple, craisin salad
hawaiian stir fry
crepes
eggs
thai peanut noodles with chicken
probably more stuff i forget

games played:
betrayal
candy land
not scotland yard
spank the monkey (the card version, well...)
probably more i forgot

movies watched:
pee wee's big adventure
batman returns
ed wood
sleepy hollow
spinal tap
annie hall
2 dvds of kids in the hall episodes
lock, stock, etc.
the first 4 min of the prophecy
buffy the vampire slayer
sky captain

emotions felt:
love
anger
jealousy
sadness
surprise
awkwardness (is that an emotion?)
pride
bitterness
sympathy
comfort
contentment
a need for space
loneliness
full.

I have too much to do.

2005-06-10T17:16:00.000-04:00

And I don't do it. Hey, at least I'm not dead!

Thanks Alex Aspiazu, I like these things because people are either like "yeah i remember that" or "wtf fo shizzle."

x = yes
o = no but i seriously wish i had

(x) smoked a cigarette
(x) smoked a cigar
(x) smoked a joint
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
(o) been in a fist fight
( ) snuck out of my parent's house
(xx) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) made out with a stranger
( ) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
(x) had a crush on a teacher
( ) been to Europe
(x) skipped school
(x) seen someone die
(x) had a crush on one of your lj friends
(x) been to Canada
(x) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
( ) rolled a blunt
( ) thrown up in a bar
( ) purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) eaten Sushi
( ) been snowboarding
( ) met someone in person from the internet
(x) been moshing at a concert
( ) been in an abusive relationship
(x) taken painkillers
(xx) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
( ) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
( ) gone puddle jumping
(x) played dress up
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(xx) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school
( ) used a fake id
(x) watched the sun set
( ) felt an earthquake
(x) touched a snake
( ) slept beneath the stars
(x) been tickled
( ) been robbed
(x) been misunderstood
(x) petted a reindeer/goat
( ) won a contest
(x) run a red light
( ) been suspended from school
(x) been in a car accident
(x) had braces
(x) felt like an outcast
(x) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
( ) had deja vu
( ) danced in the moonlight
(x) hated the way you look
( ) witnessed a crime
( ) pole danced
( ) cheated on a boyfriend/girlfriend
( ) squished barefoot through the mud
(xx) been lost
(x) been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swam in the ocean
(xx) felt like dying
(xx) cried yourself to sleep
( ) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
(x) sung karaoke
( ) paid for a meal with only coins
(xxxxxxx) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( ) made prank phone calls when you were younger
( ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) been kissed under the mistletoe
( ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) blown bubbles
( ) had a bonfire on the beach
(x) crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) had a wish come true
( ) humped a monkey
( ) worn pearls
( ) jumped off a bridge
(x) screamed penis in public
(x) ate dog/cat food
(x) told a complete stranger you loved them (i mean not complete, but i just met her)
(x) kissed a mirror
(x) sang in the shower
( ) have a little black dress
(x) had a dream that you married someone
( ) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
( ) kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex's clothes
( ) been a cheerleader
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
(xx) talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
(o) didn't take a shower for a week
( ) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
( ) are scared to watch scary movies
(x) believe in ghosts
( ) have more than 30 pairs of shoes
( ) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
(o) gone streaking
( ) played ding-dong-ditch (excuse me?)
( ) played chicken
( ) pushed into a pool/lake with all your clothes on
( ) been told you're hot by a complete stranger
( ) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused
(x) caught a fish then ate it
( ) caught a butterfly
(xx) laughed so hard you cried
(xx) cried so hard you laughed
( ) mooned someone
(x) had someone moon/flash you
(x) cheated on a test
( ) have a Britney Spears CD
(xx) forgotten someone's name
(xxxxx) slept naked
( ) French braided someone's hair
(x) grown a beard
( ) belong to the KKK
(x) rule at life

hmmm...i forgot about the o's for a while. hopefully none of those ended up as xxx.

Look ma! I've been grifted!

2005-06-04T11:41:00.000-04:00

If you just want the grifting part (not the back-story), skip ahead to paragraph 3 (this being paragraph 0).

So my exitement had been somewhat overwhelming to get my cable back. As you may know I've been living in the lap of luxury for most of this year, enjoying the high life of standard (perhaps even extended) cable with all the music channels and whatnot, while paying only for basic. Then on a stormy May night I flipped to channel something-or-other and it wasn't there. As the tears swelled in my immediately bored eyes, I looked through my mail to find a notice. Yes, Comcast had done an audit and, a mere 6 months after I downgraded service, realized I was getting more cable than I should be.

I figured it couldn't be too bad. I've lived without cable before. But this is the summer. I work out of my apartment. I take lunch when I want, make a delicious sandwhich, maybe some soup and watch some quality spongebob, yu-gi-oh, or at least an episode of roseanne. But I know how expensive regular old cable can be. So I lay in pergatory, not knowing which cable-setup will be my final cable setup.

Then the call comes, as-if-from above. I thought it was going to be another me-be-unusually-rude-and-hang-up-mid-sentence-to-a-telemarketer call, but this one enticed me from the get-go. The offer was: for $5 more than I pay now for Cable (it was Comcast, or say they claimed), I could have my regular cable back. That's right for 6 months (in 3, i'll be in singapore mind you), I can pay a mere $5 more a month for standard cable. Well, for the first time in my life-time career of hating telemarketers and trying to come up with clever ways of dissuading them from calling me, I accepted the phone-style invitation. "Yes," I said, "I think I'll do it."

So the lady gets all excited like no one ever says yes and she sends me to Bob or Phil or Juan or whoever it is that has to set up my installation. So I get this guy instantly and he verifies my information and sets up the appointment. He says make sure an adult is home on Friday May 3 from 12-4pm. "Ok," I say, "No problem." Little did I know, it would be a problem.

Let's recap. Things I told them phone convo:
* My name
* My phone number
* Maybe some other trinket (last 4 of the ssn or something)

Things they "gathered" from their "records":
* My address
* My current billing status (what cable I had, etc.)

Long story short (too late!)^*, some days pass, and my excitement grows. Enter the wee hours of the morning Friday. Atom, Tarnow, hospital, vacuuming, IV, CT Scan, buffing, Morphine!, Rx, and I'm spent. I get home at 8am and sleep until 4:30pm. Yep, asleep from the precious hours of from 12-4. I remember faintly hearing my answering machine pick up, though no message was left and the ringer was off on my phone, so I didn't wake up enough to care.

Last night, I'm on the phone and start exclaiming profanities when I realize the night was that of Friday and I still had but upn and one other channel. So I check (to make sure they didnt just upgrade me -- after all I didn't have to be home for them to downgrade my service). Wait, come to think of it, I didn't have to be here the last time they worked on it (since the install). Eh. I called 1-800-COMCAST. I described the problem to the guy who answered who seemed very surprised.

Guy: "You sure it wasn't $5 for HBO, Showtime, ..."
Me: "Absolutely not."
Guy: "Do you remember the offer."
Me: "Yes. And I told it to you. $5 for ."
Guy: "Ok, hold on."

The phone rings, I am transferred to another guy. For the purposes of this dialog (an excerpt), he will be "Gu" for sake of margins.

Gu: "Can I help you?"
Me: "I don't know why I am talking to you, but ."
Gu: "Hmm...let me look you up."

Gu: "Yeah we don't have any service being done to any time in the past few months. No notes on your account indicating an upgrade and I don't remember seeing that deal you mentioned."
Me: "Seriously?"
Gu: "Yeah, we have no record of that whatsoever."
Me: "I think I've been grifted then, sorry. I mean they called me."
Gu: "Yeah next time get a name or number."
Me: "Ok, I will. Thanks."
Gu: "Chao."

Ok, so Gu didn't say "Chao." But you get the point. How creepy is that?

Answer: rull creepy.

^* First person to name the reference in a comment gets a freeeeee quarter.

Left my wallet in El Segundo

2005-05-25T23:19:00.000-04:00

please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please.

in other news, some random person from my high school friended me on the facebook to-day. i don't remember her at all but i wish i did because her profile leads me to believe she is massively cool.

Things I like the taste of.

2005-05-24T20:35:00.000-04:00

1. Steak. An oldie but a goodie. And who knew I (read: Kaitlin) was able to make a steak soooo delicious?

2. Fudge. Even if there's lots of sugar, fudge may be the sweetest of all desert treats. And so easy to make, especially when using the recipe that sounds like a questionable-content-website.

3. My own medicine. Ok, maybe I don't like this at all. But I taste it and I probably deserve it.

4. Bacon + Syrup + Turkey. Or at least I assume I would.

5. Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles. Even Giant Eagle brand mo-facka.

6. Hoegaarden. Slice of lemon and a slice of heaven.

7. Frozen Margaritas. So what if one was bad. I hate you all. I still like them. Mmmm...salty.

8. Did I mention the turkey? Ok, I dont hate you anymore.

9. Success! Oh, wait that's a smell. Well, the two are closely related on some sort of chemical level. Well, yeah, my job's tend to be kicking ass right now. I thought loneliness would surely arise. But, no, it doesn't. At all. I just get to work all day in my pajamas, occasionally bike to campus for a meeting, visit Kaitlin (until next Tuesday :( ... but really :), take some ddr breaks, or lunch breaks for a sandwhich with salami, provolone, ballpark mustard, some honey, and the aforementioned bread and butter pickles, maybe some nachos or funyuns, apples and caramel dip, maybe some fudge or ice cream. Well, you get the idea. Ooh, and I get paid a lot!

10. I wrote this last one and then decided it was creepy and changed it. So let's go with Pamelas because that shit's delicious.

This survey thing.

2005-05-22T23:12:00.000-04:00

So it was this or not another teen ass-vie.

LAYER ONE:

full name: [edit]
birth date: [edit]
birthplace: Cleveland, OH
current location: Pittsburgh
eye color: brown
hair color: brown, will be different in a month or so!
height: 5'11"
Righty or lefty: Righty

LAYER TWO:

your heritage: there's some polish, jewish, i don't know. lots of eastern european but it was so long ago...
the shoes you wore today: my tennis shoes. i used to wear all kinds of interesting shoes. umm, now i dont.
your weaknesses: an inability to make decisions
your perfect pizza: pineapple and bacon
goal you'd like to achieve: love

LAYER THREE:

your most overused phrase on AIM: i don't really use aim. currently my most overused phrase is a tie between "lord knows i have" or some variation and "i've seen er"
your thoughts first waking up: boo!
your bedtime: depends how long i'm on the phone.
your most missed memory: ok, so if i remember it, how is it missed? i assume then this means most missed event/time that happened. in which case my answer is my dad.

LAYER FOUR:

pepsi or coke: pepsi. but i would take tropicana orangeade only either.
mcdonald's or burger king: bk all the way.
single or group dates: both?
adidas or nike:
iced tea or nestea: homemade by my mommy!
chocolate or vanilla: chocolate.
cappuccino or coffee: cappuccino cause it's fancy.

LAYER FIVE:

smoke: not presently.
curse: yeah, i do this sometimes. man this survey sucks.
sing: mostly to people's voicemails. and then a lot.
have a crush: always true.
do you think you've been in love: at least twice.
do you want to go to college?: not really. i want to go to cullinary school!
like(d) high school: high school itself i didnt like. my friends were jerks and mean and the education was arguable at best. but the time period (particularly the last year), was pretty kick-ass taking theatre and my kick-ass friends outside of high school into account.
want to get married: if i find the girl.
believe in yourself: generally.
think you're attractive: depends on the day. today, no.
think you're a health freak: yeah most certainly not. unless bacon is really healthy.
get along with your parent(s): i do. not as much as i should.
like thunderstorms: no.
play an instrument: i used to play the trombone. now i play the drums. though not as much as i would like to. but spring 2k6, will the world be prepared for referential integrity?

LAYER SIX:

In the past month...

drank alcohol: a number of times.
smoked: nope.
done a drug: nope.
made out: surprisingly yes.
gone on a date: sadly no, esp because it's about my favorite thing.
gone to the mall?: no.
eaten an entire box of oreos: i dont really like oreos all that much.
eaten sushi: yes, briefly.
been dumped: no, sir.
gone skating: no.
made homemade cookies: damn it, we almost did tonight.
gone skinny dipping: nevah.
dyed your hair: damn it, i almost will in a bit.
stolen anything: also nevah.

LAYER SEVEN:

Ever...

played a game that required removal of clothing: no, but i would :)
if so, was it mixed company: not applicable!
been trashed or extremely intoxicated: definately for pre-teens, this test.
been caught "doing something": well once, mike yin said "what are you doing?" and i said "i wanted to check my bloglines." so i guess he caught me "doing something," something of course being checking my bloglines.
been called a tease: are you kidding? i can't tease.
gotten beaten up: i wish.
shoplifted: nope.
changed who you were to fit in: very often. sadly.

LAYER EIGHT:

age you hope to be married: whenever. but...well, it's not worth getting into.
numbers and names of children: who knows? but if i have a girl, i really hope her name is hermione.
describe your dream wedding: leisure suits everywhere.
how do you want to die: old.
where you want to go to college: i think we've been over this.
what do you want to be when you grow up: fun.
what country would you most like to visit: switzerfreakingland.

More quizzes

2005-05-14T15:57:00.000-04:00

I took this "What do you really think of your friends" quiz. It was accurate in parts, and way off in others, so overall I think it sucked. However, it did have this highlight:

You secretly think that Mike Yin is loyal and trustworthy to you. And that Mike Yin changes lovers faster than underwear.

Onwards and Upwards

2005-05-14T13:33:00.000-04:00

So as many people reflect, I decided to look forward. These are things I look forward to in the year to come, in no particular order:

1. Singapore
2. Coming back from Singapore
3. The Wedding (assuming I'm invited, ok well even if I'm not)
4. Building a website / mostly kick-ass job
5. Getting my server to, you know, serve
6. Poker. Lots of poker.
7. Champagne (3 bottles need to be drunk)
8. Bars + Atom + Sarah Smith
9. Board games all the time
10. The train sound my phone makes when someone calls
11. That time I finally get to talk to Hannah
12. Transcendental Meditation
13. Myst III (no lip, dai)
14. Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches (did I spell it right, Tasse?)
15. Pulling an Atom Atkinson, and literally being drunk for an entire week
16. Starting a life

call me zach harris

2005-05-11T23:52:00.000-04:00

this is amazing

Your Birthdate: March 29

Your birthday on the 29th adds a tone of idealism to your nature.

You are imaginative and creative, but rather uncomfortable in the business world.

You are very aware and sensitive, with outstanding intuitive skills and analytical abilities.

The 29 reduces to 11, one of the master numbers which often produces much nervous tension.

This is the birthday of the dreamer rather than the doer.

You do, however, work very well with people.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?