After days and days of dealing with open source tech support (who are helpful but ultimately not on the hook for anything), I finally figured out a way to get this “subscribe” feature working. At the end of the day, I had to actually downgrade to an earlier version. It’s not as fancy as the newest version, but at least it’s working. I won’t bore you with any more than that.
In theory, if you submit your email address in the field off to the right there, you will get an email whenever I post something new here. I’ve heard stories about multiple emails getting sent. Let me know if you’re experiencing any weirdness like that, and I’ll see if I can find a cure. So yeah, hopefully those two or three of you out there who are interested will be able to keep up with me here without having to remember to check back all the time. Let’s hope it works. Fingers crossed!
In other news, I need to come up with a new name for this thing. “Soapboxing” is tired and lazy. I’ve been focused on the tactical of just getting it up and running. Time for some strategy and vision. Stay tuned…
I just wanted to share that H.P. Lovecraft has has been rocking my socks lately. If you’re not familiar, he was a horror writer in the early 1900’s, probably best known for writing the influential and mythos-spawning The Call Of Cthulhu, as well as inventing — yes, inventing — the Necronomicon. He had a big impact on Stephen King and his work, but apparently that influence extended well beyond books, showing itself in everything from Metallica songs to well, virtually everything Guillermo Del Toro has done. There’s even a little steampunk crossover in there.
I only picked up this short story collection because I had that Seattle trip coming up and needed something to read. Normally, I latch on to authors that I’ve had good experiences with, but there wasn’t anything jumping out at me from my usuals like King, Palahniuk, and Silva. I have heard Lovecraft’s name many times over the years and vaguely knew something about Cthulhu, but I never felt compelled to seek him out. But I am so glad I did! His short stories are genuinely creepy. I was so sure that anything written that long ago in that genre would be way too tame for me, but not so! He really focuses on concepts that personally find the most shuddersome… ancient or dilapidated places… and vast, unnamable evils. He is every bit as good as King, and in some ways even better. I’m only half way through one small collection of his short stories, and I have yet to be disappointed. I’ll keep reading this and other collections of his until I am.
As a bonus, Lovecraft is known for his antiquarian language, using archaic spelling and terms that were old even in his time. As a result, and “wordophile” that I am, I’ve kept a list of 100+ words that I’ve needed to look up or that I just like so much that I want to remember them. Can you believe it? Over 100 noteworthy words, and I’m not even halfway through the book yet! Clearly, this is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with a great new/old author.
So, I finally saw Avatar last night. Imagine Dances With Wolves as played out by the offspring of Nightcrawler and Jar Jar. It’s a cultural event now, you know. Like The Matrix, it’s one of those things that’s going to be referenced and parodied for years to come. You kinda have to see it, if for no other reason than to educate yourself in preparation for all the references you’ll see to it in the future. I hear it won best drama at the Golden Globes. I admit, it was better than I expected. But best drama? Really?
Really?
Couple that with the Democrats poised to lose in Massachusetts*, Kraft poised to buy Cadbury, the ongoing Conan vs. Jay saga, and this week’s torrential rains (I hear Deanna’s building an ark)… the world’s gone crazy. The end of times may be upon us.
* Obviously, I’m pretty liberal. But holy shit, Dems. You’ve had this crushing majority for a year, and what have you done with it? Goose egg. What’s the excuse? Trying to reach across the aisle? How much reaching did the GOP do over the previous eight years? What a shame you didn’t take this opportunity to exercise your power to effect real change while you had it.
Cold Stone to be exact. It’s no Baskin Robbins, or even Swensen’s. But it’ll do in a pinch. And as expected, as soon as I ate it, I wish I hadn’t.
Today we (me, Booty Lou, and the Balls Family) were supposed to be seeing Conan O’Brien live in SF. This was all planned and in the works well before this latest drama happened with him and late night. Just when I thought we were going to be in the right place at the right time. I mean, what are the chances we’d be seeing Conan precisely when the world spotlight is on him (see: David Bianculli)? Well, slim as it turns out. Needless to say, he called it off and there was no Conan today. I don’t blame him. But I did I hear he got a $30 million check from NBC today. Good! Fuck ’em. Go Conan!
So instead we had dinner in the East Bay, later the aforementioned Cold Stone, and eventually saw Daybreakers which wasn’t bad. This weekend has also included sushi, Guy Ritchie’s slick Sherlock Holmes with Shel, and an 80’s dance party for charity. Normally, I’d never do the corny dress up thing, but I’ve been dying for an excuse to peg my jeans, and I so totally did. And also won a staggering three raffle prizes on only five tickets. I think Shel must have rigged it. As the night wore on, the 80’s party dwindled, and the bar turned into the Jersey Shore. When the fist pumping began, we split. Anyhoo, the three-day weekend isn’t even over yet! More big plans for tomorrow…
The music in Sherlock Holmes got me thinking of The Dresden Dolls and what a great experience it was when I first saw them. That got me to thinking about my favorite (or most life-changing?) concerts of my life so far. I know I’ve forgotten a lot, but the say top three that come to mind right off the bat are:
Erasure on the Union Street tour (5/11/06). Quite possibly the best live show I’ve ever seen. I mentioned this at the time, but I’d always considered them disposable synth-pop. Suitable for dancing and not much else. But this show changed my mind about them completely. To this day, I listen to that CD regularly. Two pieces of applicable trivia. First, this show was at the Herbst Theater which is where I was supposed to see Conan. Second, the next date on Erasure’s very limited tour was at the Showbox in Seattle, where TCB just played on New Year’s.
Morrissey. It’s hard to pick the best one. They were all amazing for different reasons. I might point to the first time I saw him live, with Jessica in Berkeley (9/14/02) where we cried along to “There Is A Light,” or the Stockton show (4/27/07) where I first got close to the man himself, spoke to him and touched him even… both of these shows recounted here. And then there was the magic of the Hollywood Bowl show (6/8/07), footage of which was eventually used for the “That’s How People Grow Up” video. Applicable trivia: As I was in the front row for that show, my massive head — along with Sus’ and Nick’s — can be clearly seen a few times in the video. Can you see me? So many Morrissey memories these past few years, it almost doesn’t seem real. To think how much my life has changed in the last five or so.
The Dresden Dolls on New Year’s Eve at the Sea Of Dreams (12/31/05). It may have been a combination of all the weird things I saw that night, the burlesque, the holiday, I don’t know. It was one of the weirder nights of my adult life. But what I do know is that I was blown away by their show. Applicable trivia: I went to Sea Of Dreams again the year after, and it wasn’t nearly as good. I hear this year though, both Olin as well as Maya (and friends) went. Go figure!
OK, that’s all for now kiddies. You may be wondering what happened to that “year in review” I planned on, and that I’ve done for several years. It may still happen, but I’m just not feeling like taking stock lately. We’ll see.
For continuity’s sake, I figured I should start by linking us to the past. I’ve never kept a diary or a journal. Not really. I guess I never saw the point, or maybe I just wasn’t the type that found any solace in confiding in an inanimate object. Either I keep it to myself, or I confide in someone else… for their reaction… validation… absolution… whatever.
Somewhere along the line, the emotional exhibitionist in me was lured into sharing whatever was going on in the form of a blog on MySpace. But as I mentioned before, “DrySpace” traffic has started to dwindle lately, and now that this blog lives on another site completely, I may get virtually no readers at all. Out of sight, out of mind, and all that. But oh well. In truth I guess it was mainly a diary anyway, albeit public. “Dear Diary, I wore my new party dress tonight, and nobody even noticed!”
Which reminds me, I need to come up with something clever to call this thing. I’m tempted to use “Dear Diary.” Or maybe something with those hater Muppet Show critics, since I seem to bitch a lot. I dunno, something will come to me. In the meantime, it remains simply “Soapboxing,” in deference to the original name of my old MySpace blog. And shit, the whole point of this entry (which has gotten away from me) was to provide the link back to that in case you want to retrace history back to 2004. Because unless and until I find the time to copy/paste all those old MySpace blog entries over here — and I don’t see that happening — that old link will be the only way to see those past few years of musings, and all the wonderful comments you left there. So, yeah, here it is:
CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.
Current Mood: disappointed
No, I’ve changed my mind again!
My blog, or more specifically my blog on MySpace, has come to an end. Don’t worry, I’m not leaving MySpace entirely. But with less and less people on here these days, and the growing concern I’ve had that all of what I’ve written here is “stuck” here and at the mercy of their admins to delete at will… I feel like it’s finally time to make the leap to my own blog. So I’m moving to the proverbial “international waters” of my own domain, where I’ve just set up a new blog:
It’s less than 24 hours old, so it’ll be a while before I learn the ropes enough to pretty it up and really make it my own. I do wonder/worry that moving onto an independent site may make things just enough of a hassle (for what few occasional readers I may have) to forget about me altogether. But I’m hoping that some of you will still keep track of me there. And though it may be slightly more of a hassle to comment, I hope you still will. Because now those comments — as well as whatever I put up — will be administered by me alone. So I can say what I want, post what I want, and regardless of the future of MySpace, come hell or high water, this new blog will remain. (Can you hear George Michael’s “Freedom” softly playing in the background as you read this?)
It’s been an awesome five years sharing with you here. According to MySpace’s counters, this is my 262nd blog. In that time, I’ve received 865 blog comments from you, and over 26,000 views. I hope that if you’ve made a point to read any of them over the years, you learned something. Or were at least amused. And I hope you follow me to my new home. All the best, kiddies!
Welly welly well… it’s 2010, and here I have finally moved off of MySpace’s blog, where I started all those years ago. I’m just starting to get my bearings here, but I think I’m gonna like it. I can already see that there is a lot of flexibility with all the features and add-ons here. And I gotta figure that with something like WordPress, whose whole business is bloggin’s, I’ll have freedom here that I could never get with MySpace. I’d be lying though if I said this move wasn’t largely motivated by what appears to be the sudden and sad decline of MySpace. As Facebook steps up to be the latest leader, it’s time for me to move to a blog platform that is independent of that constant churn.
This blog will live under my Smartest Man Ever domain, and I will have complete control over the content. I’ll be able to back it up, and even move it if I ever need to. I had rare run-ins with MySpace where they would delete my blogs (likely because a certain rival band complained about the opinions I expressed about them, but that’s another story). Anyway, we’ll have none of that here. This ain’t red China. This here’s the free press. And everyone is entitled to my opinion!
I’m looking forward to learning and finding my way around this new blog. Presumably it will get prettier and slicker as I get used to it. Hope you all continue to read me, if you ever did. Onward and upward!
CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.
Current Mood: accomplished
Well it was a lovely Xmas / New Year’s vacation, kiddies. So much to tell.
You know, that last week of work before Xmas, I went bowling with some coworkers. First time I’d picked up a bowling ball in 2+ years, and the very first time it left my hand, I scored a strike. Ended the game with a strike too, and at one point bowled three in a row. Finished with a 168, far and away the best score of my life. (Do bowling skills just naturally grow with age despite zero practice?) Anyway, maybe I should have taken that as a sign of good things to come…
Home For The Holidays
After being stuck at home for Xmas last year, while the rest of my family was at Disneyland, it was nice to get to spend it with them this time around. I got to see my sister’s new place and hang out with her rugrats. Spent a couple days with my mar and par. Was somewhat dismayed that the best reaction I got from any of the gifts I gave was from my grandma when she opened her 2-liter of Bombay Sapphire. As always, it was nice to “unplug” from my usual daily stresses and just mellow out in that alternate universe that is my family life.
Hollywood Swingin’
Staring down a whole week off, I started to think that maybe I should, you know, do something. I decided on a spontaneous trip down to SoCal the day after Xmas, being the first time I’d taken my current car there, not to mention the furthest I’ve driven in a couple of years now. A good challenge, and an excellent chance to catch up with the friends that I only ever get to see when TCB plays down there, and briefly at that. I stayed on Sunset at the same place TCB used to. Fabi and Megan were kind enough to take me around to a couple of excellent honky tonks, as well as an unbelievably delicious meal at P.F. Chang’s of all places (kung pao with five-spice tofu instead of chicken… good gawd!). Oh, and they taught me the proper way to pronounce the local baseball team’s name: “Los Doyers.” I met up with Jessica and her man at The Cat & Fiddle (no Moz sightings), and then Amoeba (saw Forest Whitaker there). Sadly, I missed Colin altogether. 🙁 And there were others too that on short notice I just couldn’t hook up with. Next time though!
On the way out of town, I hit up Sunset’s Guitar Center and Sam Ash, places that historically have been rushed stops during TCB show trips. Here I got to take my time and explore. Saw the array of Gretsches that dwarfs Bay Area guitar stores, as well as a ton of vintage gear… LED Rics, 12-string 335s and Coronados, Vox 2×15 AC30s, and on and on. Candyland, basically. Anywho, I was surprised to find the drives there and back were both easier even than I remember. And I’m so glad to be a comfortable with that again, because I’d like to make little weekend SoCal trips a regular occurrence like they used to be. Too many friends down there to let so much time go by between visits, you know.
New Year’s Eve In Seattle
I popped out for a quick 24 hours in Seattle to spend New Year’s Eve playing the Showbox (SoDo) in Seattle. We were staying in a dodgy area near the airport, with strange people milling around outside for no apparent reason… reminded me a bit of the hotel from that first Fresno show a few years back. But I quickly forgot about all that in dealing with the constant waxing and waning rain all day and night. Made driving a bit of a hassle, but for once I got tremendous use out of the rental car’s GPS, and I have a new found respect for them. If I drove my own car in unknown areas more often, I might even pick one up for myself. Pretty neat.
The show was more fun than I expected, with a highly entertaining bill that included Dead Souls, Love Vigilantes, and Fascination Street. All the bands’ members seemed to be in good spirits, and we all got along great. I joined Love Vigilantes as the fake Johnny Marr in a successful rendition of Electronic’s “Getting Away With It” (which I had picked out last minute in my Hollywood hotel room earlier in the week). Some of us went to eat afterwards and found a former Denny’s. You ever seen “Coming To America?” Well this was the McDowell’s of Denny’s. Nick and Orlie can attest. It was hilarious. Instead of “Moons Over My Hammy,” they had “The Rising Sun Sandwich.” But the menu was identical in terms of content. The building, the fixtures, everything. Denny’s, but not.
One note about logistics. I got it from all sides at the airports this time around. On my way home, I was almost arrested for wearing a belt buckle that looked like brass knuckles. They were not in any way functional, but apparently they were enough to earn me a stern talking-to along the lines of “do you know how stupid it was to try to bring this on an airplane?” I am not a thirty year old man; apparently I am a 15 year old Beavis. Oh well, just doing their job I guess. My guitar was swabbed by TSA for bomb residue, and they almost wouldn’t let me bring on my pedalboard until a musician working there vouched for what it was. And aside from all this, I have never received so many disapproving looks from old folks in the airport, brazenly inspecting the stickers on my pedalboard (none of which are very offensive, save the “I <3 Hunting Accidents” one). Apparently images of Mozzer and Marc Bolan offend them. But they looked at me like I was a gutter punk moonstomping through their garden party. All hilarious to me, because I’m probably a more stand up guy than their own sons and grandsons, but whatevs. It’s the way of the world. I’m sure in their day, old folks used to fuss at them when their dresses showed ankle. Someday, I will be fussing at young’uns for whatever they’re up to. Hell, I probably already do.
It was an interesting way to ring in the new year. And a major change from last year. See last year, I didn’t want to leave the house. Too anxious. This year I flew to Seattle in the rain for one day to play a show in front of hundreds of people. What a difference a year makes, huh? 🙂
I don’t usually take a lot of long vacations. Most of my days off are used to make three-day weekends for TCB trips and such. I gotta say that this last week off is one of the few vacations I can remember that feels like it was really well spent. In a single week I made it to see the family for Xmas, drove all the way to SoCal and back, flew to Seattle and back, visited with countless friends, and learned and played a lot of music. Even made it out to New Wave City and Leisure this weekend. Oh, and I saw The Road yesterday, too. (Super creepy and also amazing. Check it out. Do it. Do it.) But yeah, I’m feeling like I really made the most of this time off. If only every week could be so action packed.
OK, so hopefully I’ll get to my “new year” blog next time. It’s been so busy, I haven’t even had the time to sit down and reflect yet, much less make plans and resolutions for 2010. But I’d say it was a pretty good trade. Nice to be spending my life lately actually living it rather than just busy planning it.
“It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.”
CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.
Current Mood: tired
It’s been a strange couple of weeks, no doubt. Drama and changes with friends, “friends,” work, you name it. Things appear to be settling down though, and I’m looking forward to the holiday break.
I boosted my holiday spirit last night by seeing El Vez and Los Straitjackets. I’d never seen either of them live, but I was at least familiar with LSJ’s music. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was still surprised. The Independent was as packed as I’ve ever seen it, and the show was hilarious. Fun, but very, very weird. LSJ was acting as El Vez’s backup band. They’d occasionally break in with a Christmas instrumental, and the encore was mostly just them. El Vez went through several wardrobe changes during the course of the night, from a Santa zoot suit to a shiny black jump suit with monstrous faux fur cuffs. At some point he was dressed as a toy soldier, and there was also some sort of full body rainbow shiny suit that made him almost too reflective to look at. He was at all times flanked by the two Elvettes, who sang as well as performed small bits of campy theater with El Vez and LSJ that reminded me some of a burlesque show. The music was mainly mash-ups of Christmas songs and oldies, with some pop songs mixed in (such as Oasis’ “champagne supernova in the sky” though sang as “super Chevy Nova in the sky”). So to recap, the stage was a mix of many things that you don’t normally see together… surf music, suits and lucha libre masks, Christmas music and iconography, sung by a flamboyant Mexican Elvis dressed in sparkly lamé, joined by two pinups singing, dancing, and joking. All overtaken during the final encore by a pair of giant inflatable Santa and Frosty. My favorite moment of the night was El Vez trying to introduce the band… “these are the four horsemen of the apoc… acop… copa… Acapulco.”
(Maybe the strangest part of the night was the crowd. It was surprisingly older and kinda nerdy. I guess maybe this is the “novelty act” crowd? Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like the crowd we saw at Tenacious D a few years ago. Now that was a nerdy crowd. That reminds me, I know they’re played out now, but I saw the Tenacious D movie on TV recently, and I’m sorry but those guys are fuckin’ funny. They are still underrated in my book. And is that Dave Grohl as the demon? But I digress…)
Well Christmas is here yet again. I know I say this every year, but this must have been the fastest of my life yet. I can’t believe we’re here again, and that it’s almost 2010. Even though it went by in what seemed like an instant, looking back I can see a lot has changed for me in the last year. Panic is largely behind me, and I’ve had some fundamental shifts in my outlook on life, what direction I want to go, and what I might be ready for. Maybe I’ll get more into that next time, but yeah… hello and goodbye 2009. We hardly knew ye.
As I have in recent years, I continue to discourage Xmas shopping for me. I too will be doing precious little shopping for anyone else this year. The economy still sucks. Many of my friends and family are out of work, or have been. And as always, I have too much crap as it is. For those few who are close enough to me that you’d even consider getting me something, believe me when I say I’d be just as happy to grab brunch or dinner with you. So let’s do that instead, umkay? But to keep the tradition alive, as I did in 2007 and 2008, I put together a list of some of the silly material things my heart secretly desires this Christmas. So if you’ve got loads of cash and you’re looking to buy my love, look no further… this is between you, me, and Sandy Claws:
A 2010 monthly calendar for my wall at work. The theme of 2008 was bulldogs, and 2009 was wildlife. 2010? You tell me, Santa.
A fretboard belt buckle. These unique creations are available at Black Crow Arts, and though they’re a little on the unnecessarily expensive side, I can’t deny I still want one. Ideally one set up to match my main guitar, that 335. I think some configuration of the GB-FV2 model ought to do it.
An Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. With a compass in the stock, naturally. (Which reminds me, how are we a week away from Christmas and I’ve not heard a single mention of this movie on T.V. yet?)
Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards: Funk & Disco Grooves. This is a tab book that covers a bunch of Chic songs, and I would love to get my hands on it… but they don’t sell it outside of the U.K. and will not sell it to me. I’ve tried. I may have to call in a favor from some U.K. friends. Who can find it here. 🙂
A pair of “convertible” mittens. I have never actually seen these in person, but I’ve heard rumors of their existence. Apparently these are mittens that you can somehow fold back to expose you fingers for temporary dexterity. This is great, because my hands are always the first things to freeze when it gets cold out, and regular gloves don’t really seem to help much. Mittens though I think would do the trick.
A new storage solution for CDs. Any ideas? After nearly two decades of collecting, I think I’m pushing a thousand, and I’m about to start putting them in cardboard office boxes. Someday, a simple (if large) shelving unit would be the answer. You know, if I had like… a den. But until then?
A plane that loops the loop, or perhaps a hula hoop. Oh come on, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.
A 1979 Gibson Les Paul Pro Deluxe. Goldtop, please. I’ve fancied the idea of getting a guitar from the year I was born. You know, to grow old with. And I’ve also wanted a goldtop LP with P-90’s. So with this combo, I could kill two birds with one stone. Made for only a few years, and surprisingly not too popular on the vintage market. They pop up on eBay, but rarely. (Alternatively, I wouldn’t mind one of those bronze, steampunk creations by Scott Walker.)
Any number of things from that German rockabilly site. You know, this one. I particularly like the Sun Studios and Wanderers belt buckles. And though I don’t want it, I love the fact they have a replica Wanderers jacket for sale. Their prices aren’t bad, but here’s the catch: the shipping is astronomical. How do I get this shit to the U.S. without paying more in shipping than the items themselves cost? Santa, of course.
A professional painted portrait of myself. Big enough to hang over a mantle someday. Ideally, I’m thinking something in a dramatic Soviet-era propaganda style, but photorealistic like something by Alex Ross. Because yes, underneath it all, I really am every bit as egotistical as I let on.
Speaking of Xmas shopping, I must confess to doing a little for myself. For reasons I’ve mentioned here before, I generally avoid buying DVDs these days… but on Amazon, the complete series of Kids In The Hall fell to about $40, and I figure even if I only watch it once, that’s worth $40. I’m looking forward to vegging out with that sometime soon, maybe over Xmas vacay.
Oh yeah, so I’ll be off on vacation between Xmas and New Year’s. I think that’s too late to catch the Dickens Fair (which I missed again this year), but I still plan on taking full advantage of this time off. Sleeping in, visiting with friends and family, seeing all those movies I’ve been meaning to, and above all just relaxing. If you’re gonna be in town and want to make some plans, let me know! I might even be down to travel some. Maybe SoCal? And then near the end of this little break, it’ll be time for TCB in Seattle on New Year’s Eve! More on that next time, but should be a blast! If I don’t get to it before next week, hope y’all have a great Christmas, Hanukkah, whatevs!
CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.
Current Mood: tired
My chief fashion consultant took me shopping the other day because I needed a few new work shirts. By “work shirts,” I mean button down Oxford style shirts, a.k.a. “consultant wear.” In my consulting days, the rule was always to dress one level more formally than your client. So I was basically always dressed in these shirts. Even though I’m in a stable cube farm these days, and could easily get away with jeans every day, I’ve never given up my habit. It’s become like a uniform to me… I never wear street clothes to work, and I never wear work clothes other than to work. I think it helps me mentally keep those two worlds and sets of responsibilities separate. Anyway, because I view them strictly as “work clothes,” I don’t worry too much about them. Simple solid colors.
You see, I have exactly five of them in my rotation. The means I have a Monday shirt, and a Tuesday shirt, and so on. So if you only ever meet with me on Tuesdays, you might think I wear the same shirt all the time. I realize that even introducing one more, a sixth shirt, would skew that whole cycle so this Monday’s shirt will be next Tuesday’s shirt, and the following Wednesday’s shirt, etc. But again, this isn’t a fashion show. It’s just my work clothes. I don’t care. And in fact, some of these shirts are 12 years old. I’m not kidding. As they’re getting a little frayed, I figured it was finally time to get some more. The last time I bought shirts was like 2005, and they were around $60 which I thought was expensive. Do you know that she helped talk me into buying a pair of shirts for $250! I know there’s been some inflation, but what just happened? I guess with the amount of use I appear to get out of my work shirts, it’ll average out to like $0.02 per use, but still, that was a hard pill to swallow. And they’re both purple. This is the kind of power some people have over me. It’s mystifying.
I now have six viable shirts in the rotation, which means my five-day cycle is broken. It’ll be anarchy, but I think I can handle it. In response, I think I need to finally relent with my consultant wear and just do casual Fridays like a normal person. The thing is, Converse and tattoos at work? It seems like a CLM (career limiting move). Subconsciously, I think the constant consultant wear gives off a vibe of heightened professionalism to my coworkers and management. Dress the part and all that. What happens if they see me in cuffed jeans? The spell could be broken for them, even just subconsciously. Thoughts?
In other news, I’m almost done with Stephen King’s latest short story comp Just After Sunset. Notice these pages are flying by, unlike the Mozipedia. It’s an interesting and I’d almost say more “mature” collection. Highlights so far include “The Things They Left Behind” which is a really moving story around 9/11, and the profoundly disturbing “N.” which deals with OCD and slipping into madness. Maybe it just hit too close to home, but I found myself having to put it down a couple of times. Pretty powerful stuff.
Alright, holy hell, I write about some boring things sometimes. I’m knocking it off right now. Goodnight!
disappointed
accomplished
tired
