Monday, June 30, 2008

somersaults

i am doing somersaults in my head. well, i was doing somersaults in my head as i walked past the public buses on my way around the corner and up to the office this morning. actually, they were flips, but at the time i was calling them somersaults. i had decided that, if it wasn't safe to pursue certain standard thought patterns, i should at least do something fun. somersaults seem fun. first i was jumping on a trampoline, then i started doing flips...and calling them somersaults.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

good reads

the thirteenth tale
-dianne setterfield

this was a book club selection, and i enjoyed it a lot. for some reason i want to categorize it with the harry potter books, perhaps because it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and one without a lot of pretense. it's not really a kids' book even, and the subject matter is rather different and decidedly non-magical. if there is something particular to be learned from this book, i don't know what that might be. i have no problem with that.

Monday, June 23, 2008

who knew?

apparently, when i'm trying to sound contrite, i sometimes speak in a minnesota accent.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

songs of the week, wk 17

'a man, me, then jim'

'let's dance to joy division'

'come back margaret'

'sway'

Thursday, June 19, 2008

small mystery

i saw a man unlock a bike with a hammer this morning. he had some type of chisel and pounded the chain off the bike. he put the pieces of chain on his shoulder. then he got on, rode the bike for a block, got off, and talked to someone briefly before entering an apartment building. he left the bike, unlocked, next to the door. it looked like it cost $200 new.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

chasing

had a softball game today. wasn't my best work, but i made a nice sliding catch in right to end one inning. let a ball hop over my glove because i charged too hard and didn't back off when it was clear it would drop; that turned a single into a double. tried way too hard to run over and grab another ball; no one else could have caught it, but someone else would have picked it up quickly enough to prevent the batter from making it around the bases. i was tearing my way over to get it, got my glove on it, and took a while digging it out of the long grass. i guess there's a reason they like to mow the outfield.

no one heard

'i hear there's a lot of things on the tools menu. i think that's where you can turn off...turn off calculations too. (pause) i think i'm dying.'

eating habits

some of my least favorite meals growing up were the kind where meat is the main course. pork chops and all types of chicken dishes that never seemed to have that much flavor come quickly to mind. it's no wonder i accidentally stumbled into vegetarianism; i had plenty of negative associations with eating meat, so it was no real difficulty giving it up.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

promising

while i'm trying to convince myself i can write, here's a promising observation: i have imaginary conversations with people in my head all the time. that can only help.

(ok, maybe everyone does this)

fighting for air

spencer krug is a good choice for listening in the dark, hiding under a table.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

record

passport renewal filed; new passport arrives 9 days later. that has got to be a record. no expedited fees enclosed or anything. wooo!

Friday, June 06, 2008

having too much fun with this

to stop.

i'm trying to prove this, but i think it was a misspelling that got me on this kick in the first place. i was searching for some other artist i would never really be that interested in and mistakenly i find something i like.

make the best of a rough situation

so maybe i turned this sold-outness into an opportunity to find something else.

also must check out the song cryptacize track and one from nedelle here.

who decides these things?

i haven't paid a whole ton of attention to new music lately, but i'm mildly annoyed that jennifer o'connor (new record out in aug, btw) is touring with some 'jamie lidell' who apparently is a big draw. why can't obscure-but-amazing artists tour with other underappreciated talents, so that people who pay no attention to the touring schedules of some of their favorite acts can buy tickets at the last minute?

grrr.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

too much quiet?

"If you were to watch him at the auctions of book fairs that he attends frequently, you would notice how often he is approached by quietly spoken, quietly dressed individuals, who draw him aside with a quiet word. Their eyes are anything but quiet."

if you're an author and you choose to repeat a word so frequently, you'd better hope you're pretty good at it. i think the fourth 'quiet' actually saves the previous three. it seems like the difference between doing something because it's cute and doing something clever.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

welcome back

i'm not exactly sure what i'm returning from really, but i think the stress is dissipating, and i felt pretty normal tonight. i've gotten a little bit of chance to experience what some people's lives are like regularly; yes, it is possible to get so stressed out it makes you ill, and i am sure it gets worse than that. i was still a bit out of sorts today; the onset of illness was still a factor, since the cold virus wasn't just going to run off as i calmed down. i still had this weird tension in my stomach, which did not get worse after a french fry and soda dinner. yuk.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

a few observations

i refuse to drink more blue-colored puree/juice concoctions. they get old quickly.

stress has adverse effects on your wellbeing. it also breeds more stress.

second-hand shops are a great place to find deals on cds. it is necessary, when getting a deal, to make sure you are getting what you expect. open the case before you buy. it's easy.

it's easier to use socks for tasks that don't require a matched pair. protecting small electronic devices only requires one sock (per device).

people who live in small apartments have a right to expect a lot of good gifts.