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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

time is a luxury you can forget

he got back late. the lights were on. no one was home. several items on the floor were screaming at him though. there was a deafening ache in his head from too many distractions all day. order was impossible. sanity left me early in the day. prioritization wasn't really going to happen either. i thought about making copies for a few hours just to get away from my computer. nothing was solved, decided, or ruled out. i left a little after eight, knowing i'd be back tomorrow.

colored boxes

sometimes i feel iike i'm stuck in a movie. everyone shouting and staring at me. the floor seems to tremble under my hurried feet.i can't remember the last time i blinked when something hasn't changed drastically. streets crossed. buildings leveled. animals stuffed into cages and rushed away. now no one is left who believes me. the neighbors are closing in. each second my life collapses a little more. bright spots bloom before my eyes, blinking blindingly. all these medicines, always in little boxes.

signs of something

spoon concert today, which was perfect yet cause for reflection. without looking, i can't remember any 'best of the year so far' experiences. pretty sure there's been at least one.

i bought a used laptop recently, which has been a bit of a drain on my resources. not financially so much as temporally, or just mentally. there are at least three more issues i should address. so yes, i could have saved a lot of effort by spending more for something new. on the other hand, i need projects right now.

more than a day late

hmmm files:

voxtrot, somewhat reinvented and ramping up the hype once again.

build something

birdhouse
remote-control waffle iron
sawmill
bamboo hula hoop
plastic log cabin
graduate english department
flying flyswatter
cement lacrosse stick
sleeping bag recording studio
waterproof notepad

isn't it better to make something you can't explain than nothing at all?

yogurt cheddar potatoes

i made these up, so the recipe is sketchy at the moment

ingredients:
3 medium potatoes
8-12 oz sharp cheddar cheese
10 oz nonfat plain yogurt*
sea salt
black pepper
red pepper

directions:
preheat oven to 350**
cube the potatoes and boil them
whisk together cheese and yogurt

when the potatoes are ready, stick them in an (approx) 9"x12" pan
sprinkle with salt and black pepper***
cover evenly with yogurt-cheese mixture
sprinkle with black pepper and salt
add small amount of red pepper

bake 40 mins or until topping browns as desired

this is a slight twist on a very familiar dish, but the yogurt provides a surprisingly refreshing taste. the red pepper should be just enough to enhance the flavor subtly; it is not intended to provide noticeable heat.

notes:
*i'm guessing on the amount at this point, but you need enough to create a sauce once the cheese has been mixed in. it would be easy to add a lot more cheese than i did, but that would make this less healthy in comparison to more familiar cheese and potato recipes

**a higher temp might be more ideal; i used this b/c i was baking whole potatoes simultaneously and had read that 350 would work for that task

***i forgot to do this before adding the topping, but i think it's the right way to go. i was also liberal in adding additional pepper after baking.

now in rotation

music is tricky; it seems like the songs that are most promising initially can turn on you quickly. to be more accurate, the stuff that's catchy right off the bat grows tiring quickly. here are some of the albums that have crossed in and out of favor with me lately:

beirut - march of the zapotec/realpeople holland

so far, i love the way all the pieces are falling together as a beirut sound seems to endure through all the disparate styles. the vocals seem to tie it all together effortlessly

sin fang bous - clangour

don't have an opinion yet, but there seems to be some substance. sort of an architecture in helsinki feel, and i've never been particularly into them.

the postmarks - by the numbers

haven't heard the entire album, actually, but tracks 1-5 are great. 'you only live twice' is, naturally, a standout. the postmarks are a band i believe has more going for them than i personally can detect.

m. ward - post war

yes, he has a new album out; this is the previous one. despite a longtime feeling of respect for matt's stature as artist, i hadn't bothered to listen to his solo stuff until quite recently. i love that he doesn't just show off his guitar skills; the songwriting, vocals, and sonic textures make this a complete album rather than an instrumental showcase.

time of the signs

the mobile web doesn't really do april fool's day.

just an observation.

sorry

i've just gotten home and my entire room is full of discarded cheese wrappers. there are about three fist-sized holes in the back wall leading to the closet, which means the closet has to be full of plaster dust, which means i need to go to the dry cleaners. my neighbors left a message on my cell phone about some noise they heard earlier, but no one was home today.

adeppp.i3

i don't care about your

no

no

stop now


ablip

joerp

-please stop reading and go purchase some cheese

crunchkrunchchrunch cruchn

we have taken your cheese

sowh us the wsiss chese

all are awanting chees!

will nt

not standfro this

no cheese!

i like swiss cheese

let's be honest, how many foods are iconic in nature because they provide an easy way to:

-attack someone you're debating (your argument has more holes than swiss cheese)

-des.

sorry, the rest of this message was destroyed in a robot attack.

fighting

mayhem

bad dialogue

yukky!!!./1

a theme develops

cake is good. i also like ice cream.

we are watching

we are the evangelists, we are artists producers and performers.
we are watching you, and eating your cheese.
we are forming small groups to debate your excesses.
we are party to your losses.
we inhabit phone banks.
we stay late in order to read your mail.
we have not learned manners.
we have abandoned ordinary lives in order to pursue you.
our mouths are dry with the thirst for redemption.
all along, our leaders have followed our progress.
they are grooming us for future success.
we wish to prove worthy of their remaining confidences.
our hands are bloody with the wounds of eager servants.

a brighter day seems to us only another.
our steps cannot be measured for all their numbers.
the battles we survived tore no limbs from our bodies.
the tales we brought back taught no stranger our ways.

your toast published successfully

we become jealous of a breakfast food. 'sorry, the toast is not available this morning; it's on a book tour.'