Sunday, May 31, 2009

i blame the cookies

i've decided to do something that an old friend told me to do in a dream. not because i think my friend actually wants me to do it, but because clearly i want myself to - hence the dream. i can't say that dreams are usually a part of my decision making process, but i do think they are indicators of things that are bothering me deeply enough for them to pop out of my subconscious.

i also ate cookies today, which - along with some overly sweet pudding - ruined my appetite for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

home from the snowstorm

in the past two days, i have lost my keys, a strawberry eating contest, and seven friends. i thought i knocked a tooth out on the lamp, but that was a dream. fortunately. i've come to call this week the week of lost and found. i expect i will discover something amazing as a karmic payback for all the annoyances of the past few days. one thing that keeps coming back to me is the conversation i had with my mom, who assured me that everything important would work out. she left me with the impression that friends aren't as big of a concern as, say, whether the roof over your bedroom leaks or if you can find soap that doesn't turn your skin raw in the winter. other things have gone well; i had a soda yesterday and my friends split the check evenly despite the fact that my bill was technically three dollars more than theirs. small victories.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

take it

After a long time in New York, it takes a while to get used to living somewhere else. I feel bad for everyone who is stuck thinking they'll never live anywhere as amazing again; they deserve to stay where they're happy. I found it odd tonight to realize how a quiet still moment in an urban setting is possible. Truthfully, there are parts of Manhattan with parks that empty out at night and provide opportunities for a meandering late night run or walk, but I didn't live in those areas most of my time there. Since I live in a primarily commercial neighborhood now, the emptiness after dark is remarkable. There's plenty of grass in the further reaches of the biggest street, and no one around to enjoy it. It's like staying in one of those hotels that's part of a strip mall and nothing around it is open at night, only I live here. Yes, boring has its advantages.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

foiled by randomness

it is definitely not my ambition in life to take things back to stores on a regular basis. unfortunately, it seems like i keep buying things that are totally ruined either the first day i own them or even before i even picked them up in the store. am i just not paying attention any longer? i used to think it was crazy that someone could mistakenly purchase diet soda, for example. it's been a long time since i decided that was not the case.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

economies of style: hatwear

before i would start, i would like to thank the makers of my mail-order 2.5lb PC for including a utility that always turns on the built-in firewall after i have waited an unnecessarily long time for my wireless to connect. they must have thought 'hey, i know people like you are going to shell out $69 for a virus/evil/spyware protection utility to keep your machines out of trouble, but in case you're idiots, here's a function you won't be able to figure out how to disable that will protect you.' fellas, believe me, if it wasn't for the fact that you hit the price/tininess/shrunken screen coefficient right on the nail, i wouldn't be using your product in the first place.

it has come to my attention, upon reading my past few credit card statements, that even frugal individuals such as myself are effected by spending habits that veer out of control when brothers-in-law call requesting we purchase eight tickets for the game or when we mysteriously destroy our reliable 5lb miracle laptops, purchase ridicu-cheap aged replacements off ebay, purchase accessories for said replacements, and return from two-day trips to new york city to discover that we now own $100 coasters with $80 worth of brand new accessories. let me tell you, coasters need neither li-ion batteries nor power adapters, but apparently they can drain said batteries when inadvertently left sleeping in an effort to preserve my work in an operating system they will hardly ever be able to boot. in shorts, even the best of us have been known to fail.

this brings me to today's topic, or instead to an apology to actual new york-based readers of my blog. you may be disappointed or perplexed by the fact that you did not see me during my two-day stay in your fine city, so let me offer the following disclaimer. unless you fall into one of two categories: people who asked me to kill mice at their apts or former sunday school teachers i ran into on the street, i didn't see you while i was in the city. ok, i guess, i also saw one fellow virginian's older brother, but only because he was visiting the apartment with the mice. also, if i only saw one of my former sunday school teachers on the street, then i smiled at a random woman who smiled at me for pretty much the only time in my life; it can be hard to tell people's identity for certain when they are on their mobile phones. i figure at this point it is safe to offer that if you live in new york city and are still reading this, i would be happy to visit you if you only reach out to arrange for my arrival at a time that is convenient to you. with that, i will fail to discuss anything related to economies of style.