A few weeks ago, Jeannie asked me if we could have a day where we took off someplace fun and had a day-trip-fun-day and agreed to not feel any guilt about not working on the house. Although I'd really like to be getting some shit done on the house right about now, I know the Jeanners has been working her behind off and needed a bit of stress-free maxin' and relaxin' with Doctor Me. So I picked August 8th, a Sunday that we both had off work, to be our guilt-free fun day. Then we just had to figure out what to do, where to go, and neither of us had any great ideas. Then a few days later I remembered that we've been meaning to go to Deep Creek Lake (how deep?), and a few days after that, the Jeanners came up with the ideas of going to someplace that I can't remember the name of and some place in Virginia called Lumas Caverns or something like that. She left it up to me, so I picked Deep Creek Lake, which is about 3 hours west of Baltimore in Western Virginia, and is kind of like, for all you Missourophiles out there, a half-sized Lake of the Ozarks.
We left yesterday morning, and I was feeling blank and expressionless and didn't have much to say, but after a little bit of driving and some McDonalds breakfast food I warmed up to the day. We got to the park ar around 12:30 and spent most of the afternoon on a 5 mile hike up in the hills that was relatively unexciting but not too bad. Then I took a nap by the lake while Jeannie did some people watching and we decided to head back towards Baltimore and stop at anyplace we thought might be interesting. The Jeanners wanted to stop at Sideling Hill, which is this monster pass that's cut through the mountains for highway 70 to go through. There's a little museum and an overlook. It was fairly lame. Then we drove a little bit more and decided to stop in Frederick, Maryland for dinner. Frederick is a town that we've driven by on the highway a million times but never stopped and got out and looked around. Turns out that there's a super-cute older downtown area that's very walkable with lots of shops and restaurants. I was very surprised by this, because from the highway Frederick looks pretty terrible. Anyway, we found a little Spanish/Mexican restaurant and proceeded to have a real tasty dinner and conversation, and it was just very nice. The meal was probably the best Mexican food I've had in my life (no offense, Chuy Arzola) and not too expensive. And it was just a nice atmosphere and a good time. Our friend Katie (the North American Traveler) is thinking about moving to Frederick at some point in the future, so perhaps we will have future opportunities for visiting and dining in good ol' Frederick.
Do you like Steely Dan?
Monday, August 09, 2010
Monday, August 02, 2010
PIT BEEF and HOBO'S CRABS
What a weekend it was. Busy and fun and, at times, relaxing. It all started back on Wednesday night...
Part 1. PIT BEEF
Wednesday night I headed down to CSC's final rehearsal for the reworking of 'Much Ado' so it could travel down to Fenwick Island for a one-off production. Then after rehearsal I headed down to PKP's house for a final late-night evening of geek games and Doritos. I also indulged in some caffeine-free Coca-Cola. A very good time, as always. I spent the night down at PKP's, and then on Thursday morn we all headed down to the beach, with BJ and I in the rental truck together. I only meowed a little bit. We stopped at a gas station and I ate a hotdog. We saw and smelled PIT BEEF. We heard for the first time and were amazed by the Blues Brother's 'Rubber Biscuit.' We pondered the headline 'Family Butcher Butchers Family.' And eventually we arrived down at the show site, which was a little outdoor theatre on the grounds of a fairly swanky and lush resort community. Spent the afternoon and evening setting up the show and mildly hoping for a rainout. The show went pretty decently, although using wireless mics was a bit of a pain when we had no time for any sort of tech rehearsal and the sound guy didn't have an up-to-date copy of the script. So aside from a few embarrassing sound-related incidents, the show ran smoothly. And Finn made his stage debut and was actually ad-libbing lines. Struck the show that night, finished up at around 11pm, and I had somebody bring me a beer from the resort bar located nearby. Because I had only had a hotdog and a protein bar to eat that day, the beer made me feel very loopy. So PKP and the Beej and I and Bj's ladyfriend Abby headed to the condo that the resort was putting us up in to get cleaned up. The condo turned out to be a huge, 3 bedroom number that was really darned nice. I had my own bedroom and bathroom with a shower that was about 7 feet by 10 feet. I could've had a party and invited all my friends plus the Golden Girls and we could've all hung out(no pun intended) in the shower and still had room to spare. The living room of the condo looked like this:
So after I got cleaned up, Beej and Abby and Pat and I headed out to find some food, having been told by the sound-guy that a place called 'Smitty McGee's' was a real nice place. It turned out to be a sports-type bar with a live band that was not very enjoyable. I was, however, able to get enough food to keep me from getting drunk off one beer. And it was 3 dollar import night, so that was nice. BJ got a G&T that literally had a fly in it. I got a bacon cheeseburger that was surprisingly baconless. But our waiter, Stu, took care of both situations. Thanks, Stu! After food, PKP and I headed back to the condo for sleepy-sleepy, and Beej and Abby headed down towards Bethany, where her family had a condo.
Friday morning we woke up, PKP made some delicious eggs, we hunted for the milk bottle that Finn had expertly hidden in one of the cabinets, packed up, checked out, and then PKP and T-Pain and Finn and I headed down to Bethany Beach for a day of fun in the sun. Note: attempting to park a 16-foot rental truck in a small, crowded beach town is not easy. But after eventually finding a suitable spot and getting some help from a friendly, OCD parking officer, I got the truck parked and we rendezvoused at the beach. Beautiful weather, big waves, and the beach wasn't uncomfortably overcrowded. Finn was loving the water and especially the sand. And attempting to eat all the sunscreen. Later in the afternoon, BJ and Abby arrived and we hung out for awhile, swam, ate fries. Packed up our shit and we all headed out, the PKP family and I heading back to DC and Baltimore, respectively, and BJ and Abby staying in Bethany for some lunch and then eventually heading home. I drove the rental truck back to PKP's and picked up my car and headed towards Baltimore, where one J. KNESE had arrived from St. Louis via Maine, NYC, and Philly, and was waiting with my wife for me to arrive home so we could have delicious Crosstown burgers (with bacon) from the Hamilton Tavern for dinner.
Part 2. HOBO'S CRABS
After driving through a bit of traffic downtown (apparently there was some sort of anime/Japanese pop culture convention going on -- lots of youngish people walking around in strange costumes) I made it home and the Jeanners and Jeffrey and I got some tasty burgers, and the waiter made fun of Jeff for getting his sans onions. Headed home and went to bed after a long day.
A slow start to Saturday morning, but we had a nice breakfast with fruit and biscuits and eggs 'n fake sausage. Then headed out to the Hamilton street fest, which consisted mainly of food booths and overpriced crafts and clothes, and three music stages set up -- two with bands and one DJ area back in an alley. There was also a classic-car auto show going on, and J-Dog, Jeff and I found the dipstick on many classic cars. Jeannie had a tasty ice treat made by a man named Jiggy. Jeff and I were silently panhandled by a man with '$1.00' written on a piece of tiny scrap paper. After we'd had our fill of the street fest we headed out west towards Catonsville, checked out the Patapsco Valley State Park, where we hiked and saw a deer, a log teepee, a trail marked by strips of a wife beater, a train tunnel, a woman with a wiggly butt and too many water bottles, shirtless hooligans, and post-apocalyptic abandoned factories with open dumpsters. Leaving the park, we checked out the main street of Catonsville, which it turns out shuts down at 6pm. Except for a large antique store that we proceeded to fill up with our farts. I say we because, although I participated, it wasn't just me. Didn't feel like eating in Catonsville, so we headed home. Saw a handmade sign on the side of Route 40 that said "HOBO'S CRABS." Not sure exactly what they were selling. Got home, I made a stir-fry and G&T's and we taught Jeff how to play Carcassonne. A fairly low-key evening. Sunday morning, repeat breakfast w/ biscuits, eggs, etc. then headed downtown to Sunday-morning market. Kept our eyes peeled for human poop. On the ground, not for sale. Left the market and walked around Fell's Point, ducked into a bike store, brushed off a street magician, bought cheap Tom Waits CD's at the Soundgarden. Drove to the Inner Harbor where we checked out Federal Hill, walked around, saw some more folks in anime costumes, loaded up on maps, and ate frozen custard. Rushed off to Towson to pick up our CSA vegetables and then headed home where we lounged on the porch, ate mini-pizzas and watched a squirrel with a broken tail. Then it was time for me to head to work and the Jeanners to give J. Knese a lift to the airport.
Told you it was a busy weekend. What am I forgetting?
Right now I'm listening to the cheap Tom Waits CD's that I bought at the Soundgarden, and I am enjoying them. This morning I loaded all of our jackhammered concrete basement rubble into a portable dumpster called 'THE BAGSTER' which we place in the front of our house and mysterious silent invisible men will come to collect within the next 5 days. Work this afternoon.
The Jeanners is leaving town for 3 days this week, heading to Atlanta for work training.
Part 1. PIT BEEF
Wednesday night I headed down to CSC's final rehearsal for the reworking of 'Much Ado' so it could travel down to Fenwick Island for a one-off production. Then after rehearsal I headed down to PKP's house for a final late-night evening of geek games and Doritos. I also indulged in some caffeine-free Coca-Cola. A very good time, as always. I spent the night down at PKP's, and then on Thursday morn we all headed down to the beach, with BJ and I in the rental truck together. I only meowed a little bit. We stopped at a gas station and I ate a hotdog. We saw and smelled PIT BEEF. We heard for the first time and were amazed by the Blues Brother's 'Rubber Biscuit.' We pondered the headline 'Family Butcher Butchers Family.' And eventually we arrived down at the show site, which was a little outdoor theatre on the grounds of a fairly swanky and lush resort community. Spent the afternoon and evening setting up the show and mildly hoping for a rainout. The show went pretty decently, although using wireless mics was a bit of a pain when we had no time for any sort of tech rehearsal and the sound guy didn't have an up-to-date copy of the script. So aside from a few embarrassing sound-related incidents, the show ran smoothly. And Finn made his stage debut and was actually ad-libbing lines. Struck the show that night, finished up at around 11pm, and I had somebody bring me a beer from the resort bar located nearby. Because I had only had a hotdog and a protein bar to eat that day, the beer made me feel very loopy. So PKP and the Beej and I and Bj's ladyfriend Abby headed to the condo that the resort was putting us up in to get cleaned up. The condo turned out to be a huge, 3 bedroom number that was really darned nice. I had my own bedroom and bathroom with a shower that was about 7 feet by 10 feet. I could've had a party and invited all my friends plus the Golden Girls and we could've all hung out(no pun intended) in the shower and still had room to spare. The living room of the condo looked like this:
So after I got cleaned up, Beej and Abby and Pat and I headed out to find some food, having been told by the sound-guy that a place called 'Smitty McGee's' was a real nice place. It turned out to be a sports-type bar with a live band that was not very enjoyable. I was, however, able to get enough food to keep me from getting drunk off one beer. And it was 3 dollar import night, so that was nice. BJ got a G&T that literally had a fly in it. I got a bacon cheeseburger that was surprisingly baconless. But our waiter, Stu, took care of both situations. Thanks, Stu! After food, PKP and I headed back to the condo for sleepy-sleepy, and Beej and Abby headed down towards Bethany, where her family had a condo.
Friday morning we woke up, PKP made some delicious eggs, we hunted for the milk bottle that Finn had expertly hidden in one of the cabinets, packed up, checked out, and then PKP and T-Pain and Finn and I headed down to Bethany Beach for a day of fun in the sun. Note: attempting to park a 16-foot rental truck in a small, crowded beach town is not easy. But after eventually finding a suitable spot and getting some help from a friendly, OCD parking officer, I got the truck parked and we rendezvoused at the beach. Beautiful weather, big waves, and the beach wasn't uncomfortably overcrowded. Finn was loving the water and especially the sand. And attempting to eat all the sunscreen. Later in the afternoon, BJ and Abby arrived and we hung out for awhile, swam, ate fries. Packed up our shit and we all headed out, the PKP family and I heading back to DC and Baltimore, respectively, and BJ and Abby staying in Bethany for some lunch and then eventually heading home. I drove the rental truck back to PKP's and picked up my car and headed towards Baltimore, where one J. KNESE had arrived from St. Louis via Maine, NYC, and Philly, and was waiting with my wife for me to arrive home so we could have delicious Crosstown burgers (with bacon) from the Hamilton Tavern for dinner.
Part 2. HOBO'S CRABS
After driving through a bit of traffic downtown (apparently there was some sort of anime/Japanese pop culture convention going on -- lots of youngish people walking around in strange costumes) I made it home and the Jeanners and Jeffrey and I got some tasty burgers, and the waiter made fun of Jeff for getting his sans onions. Headed home and went to bed after a long day.
A slow start to Saturday morning, but we had a nice breakfast with fruit and biscuits and eggs 'n fake sausage. Then headed out to the Hamilton street fest, which consisted mainly of food booths and overpriced crafts and clothes, and three music stages set up -- two with bands and one DJ area back in an alley. There was also a classic-car auto show going on, and J-Dog, Jeff and I found the dipstick on many classic cars. Jeannie had a tasty ice treat made by a man named Jiggy. Jeff and I were silently panhandled by a man with '$1.00' written on a piece of tiny scrap paper. After we'd had our fill of the street fest we headed out west towards Catonsville, checked out the Patapsco Valley State Park, where we hiked and saw a deer, a log teepee, a trail marked by strips of a wife beater, a train tunnel, a woman with a wiggly butt and too many water bottles, shirtless hooligans, and post-apocalyptic abandoned factories with open dumpsters. Leaving the park, we checked out the main street of Catonsville, which it turns out shuts down at 6pm. Except for a large antique store that we proceeded to fill up with our farts. I say we because, although I participated, it wasn't just me. Didn't feel like eating in Catonsville, so we headed home. Saw a handmade sign on the side of Route 40 that said "HOBO'S CRABS." Not sure exactly what they were selling. Got home, I made a stir-fry and G&T's and we taught Jeff how to play Carcassonne. A fairly low-key evening. Sunday morning, repeat breakfast w/ biscuits, eggs, etc. then headed downtown to Sunday-morning market. Kept our eyes peeled for human poop. On the ground, not for sale. Left the market and walked around Fell's Point, ducked into a bike store, brushed off a street magician, bought cheap Tom Waits CD's at the Soundgarden. Drove to the Inner Harbor where we checked out Federal Hill, walked around, saw some more folks in anime costumes, loaded up on maps, and ate frozen custard. Rushed off to Towson to pick up our CSA vegetables and then headed home where we lounged on the porch, ate mini-pizzas and watched a squirrel with a broken tail. Then it was time for me to head to work and the Jeanners to give J. Knese a lift to the airport.
Told you it was a busy weekend. What am I forgetting?
Right now I'm listening to the cheap Tom Waits CD's that I bought at the Soundgarden, and I am enjoying them. This morning I loaded all of our jackhammered concrete basement rubble into a portable dumpster called 'THE BAGSTER' which we place in the front of our house and mysterious silent invisible men will come to collect within the next 5 days. Work this afternoon.
The Jeanners is leaving town for 3 days this week, heading to Atlanta for work training.
Monday, July 26, 2010
We Are Old. Are We Lame?
Of late: the J-Dog and I have taken up watching Thirtysomething streaming on Netflix. It is corny but I find myself identifying with several things in it.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Late Night With the Geeks
Tomorrow's pay day! Woo-Hoo! I guess, really, that pay day doesn't have the same punch now that it used to have in the olden days because the money is automatically added to my bank account by my employer, and then 90% of our bills are paid by money automatically coming out of the bank account. No more leaving work with a check in hand, going to the bank to cash said check and heading to one of Baltimore's more questionable establishments (such as the bar I saw the other day near Fell's Point called 'Bad Decisions') with pockets a'jingling. Whatever. I'm a fan of direct deposit. As well as online bill paying.
Anyway, it's been a decent week. On Tuesday night I headed down to Pat and Teresa's to get in some good playing-with-Finn time and then some good playing-geek-card-games-with-Pat-and-BJ-until-3am time. And we also ate Chips Ahoy cookies and Doritos by the fistful. It was a good time, and nearly shameful that we only managed to get together once for a geekout during the 2 months that BJ's been in town. Oh well. It'll leave us hungry for next time. So anyway, Tuesday night I stayed down at Pat's and then on Wednesday I drove up to Ellicott City for some set building. 'Much Ado' is going to be traveling down to Fenwick Island, Delaware next week, and the show and set need to be adapted to play in a different space. So Wednesday I found out what Ian wanted built and then BJ and I spent the afternoon building it and then taking it apart. It was much easier than I was expecting it to be. And I'm looking forward to heading to the beach next week. In my mind, it's all shaping up like some sort of Saved By the Bell special episode, like the one where Zack and the gang went to Hawaii. But really, most things in my life are like SBTB episodes in my head.
Jeannie and I started on some electrical work in the bathroom over the weekend. Got some decent work done. Not sure what to do next. Time to circle the wagons and plan the next few weeks, I guess.
Homemade pickles are brewing in the refrigerator. Yum.
Been hitting the gym pretty hard this week, which is good because a couple of days I ate like a 6 year old with a credit card.
The Jeanners has been busy and stressed at work. I'm hoping that that will end soon so that she can go back to devoting her time and attention to ME. Waaaa.
OK. Bedtime. The J-Dog is already conked out over there. Cute.
Anyway, it's been a decent week. On Tuesday night I headed down to Pat and Teresa's to get in some good playing-with-Finn time and then some good playing-geek-card-games-with-Pat-and-BJ-until-3am time. And we also ate Chips Ahoy cookies and Doritos by the fistful. It was a good time, and nearly shameful that we only managed to get together once for a geekout during the 2 months that BJ's been in town. Oh well. It'll leave us hungry for next time. So anyway, Tuesday night I stayed down at Pat's and then on Wednesday I drove up to Ellicott City for some set building. 'Much Ado' is going to be traveling down to Fenwick Island, Delaware next week, and the show and set need to be adapted to play in a different space. So Wednesday I found out what Ian wanted built and then BJ and I spent the afternoon building it and then taking it apart. It was much easier than I was expecting it to be. And I'm looking forward to heading to the beach next week. In my mind, it's all shaping up like some sort of Saved By the Bell special episode, like the one where Zack and the gang went to Hawaii. But really, most things in my life are like SBTB episodes in my head.
Jeannie and I started on some electrical work in the bathroom over the weekend. Got some decent work done. Not sure what to do next. Time to circle the wagons and plan the next few weeks, I guess.
Homemade pickles are brewing in the refrigerator. Yum.
Been hitting the gym pretty hard this week, which is good because a couple of days I ate like a 6 year old with a credit card.
The Jeanners has been busy and stressed at work. I'm hoping that that will end soon so that she can go back to devoting her time and attention to ME. Waaaa.
OK. Bedtime. The J-Dog is already conked out over there. Cute.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Workin' For A Livin'
I have just finsished day 12 in a row at work and am looking forward to a day off tomorrow. Today before work the Jeanners and I tried our hands at doing a little bit of wiring, and it seemed to go alright, and now that I'm home again it looks like she worked on some painting and cabinet door hanging in the bathroom while I was gone.
Last night we went out for a dinner date and tried out a Tibetan/Nepalese restaurant that we've been wanting to try, and it was quite a tasty dinner. Thanks to J. Knese for introducing us to this tasty variety of food while we were in St. Louis last time! Speaking of the Kneser, he's talking about coming out to the B-more for a visit in a couple of weeks. Should be a good time. I plan on whipping him with a belt until he drywalls our bedroom.
Hmmm. I'm sure there have been things I've been meaning to write about, but this G&T I'm sipping seems to be melting my brain and I can't think of anything interesting.
I am currently listening to a song called "Across the Alley from the Alamo," by the Mills Brothers. My dad likes the Mills Brothers, but I don't know that I've ever listened to anything by them before. They've got some pretty nice barbershop-esque harmonies going on.
The coming week is all about getting a set built for 'Much Ado About Nothing,' which will be traveling to Fenwick Island, Delaware on July 29th. Should be a good time, because BJ and PKP and T-Pain and FKP and I will be traveling down to ensure that the show goes on without a hitch and then staying overnight to party hearty at the beach. I'm definitely packing my thong. I'll also have to pack something to wear at the beach. So anyway, I've got to get the set and lights all planned out and ready to go this week.
That is all.
Last night we went out for a dinner date and tried out a Tibetan/Nepalese restaurant that we've been wanting to try, and it was quite a tasty dinner. Thanks to J. Knese for introducing us to this tasty variety of food while we were in St. Louis last time! Speaking of the Kneser, he's talking about coming out to the B-more for a visit in a couple of weeks. Should be a good time. I plan on whipping him with a belt until he drywalls our bedroom.
Hmmm. I'm sure there have been things I've been meaning to write about, but this G&T I'm sipping seems to be melting my brain and I can't think of anything interesting.
I am currently listening to a song called "Across the Alley from the Alamo," by the Mills Brothers. My dad likes the Mills Brothers, but I don't know that I've ever listened to anything by them before. They've got some pretty nice barbershop-esque harmonies going on.
The coming week is all about getting a set built for 'Much Ado About Nothing,' which will be traveling to Fenwick Island, Delaware on July 29th. Should be a good time, because BJ and PKP and T-Pain and FKP and I will be traveling down to ensure that the show goes on without a hitch and then staying overnight to party hearty at the beach. I'm definitely packing my thong. I'll also have to pack something to wear at the beach. So anyway, I've got to get the set and lights all planned out and ready to go this week.
That is all.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Rural Juror
It's been a weird week.
You know how a DVD sometimes has on its cover a little snippet from reviews that the film has received? Like, it might say something like "Exhilarating!" or "Sensational!" or something like that. Yesterday I was sorting some DVD's at work and out of the corner of my eye I thought that on the cover of one particular DVD it said "Abortive!" I'm fairly sure that that's not what it said, but I didn't look again to see what it actually said.
And then yesterday my old friend Colleen sent me this news link about a grade-school classmate of ours, Joel. It was nice to hear from Colleen, who I haven't talked to in a few years, but it was a weird damn story.
And I've been working a lot. Today was day 8, and I'm working through Saturday. Nothing too exciting, but it's kept me from doing much of anything productive.
And I've got jury duty tomorrow, which I've never done before. And while I normally like sitting for 8 hours and doing nothing, I'd really just rather have a day off. Tonight I'm heading over to the Rec Room for a going away party for a co-worker who's going to Korea to teach for a year. I was looking forward to it this afternoon, but I am feeling less enthusiastic currently. Right now I'm just feeling kinda sad and bummed and I'd rather just sit and listen to music and then eventually go to bed. Hopefully being around folks will perk me up.
You know how a DVD sometimes has on its cover a little snippet from reviews that the film has received? Like, it might say something like "Exhilarating!" or "Sensational!" or something like that. Yesterday I was sorting some DVD's at work and out of the corner of my eye I thought that on the cover of one particular DVD it said "Abortive!" I'm fairly sure that that's not what it said, but I didn't look again to see what it actually said.
And then yesterday my old friend Colleen sent me this news link about a grade-school classmate of ours, Joel. It was nice to hear from Colleen, who I haven't talked to in a few years, but it was a weird damn story.
And I've been working a lot. Today was day 8, and I'm working through Saturday. Nothing too exciting, but it's kept me from doing much of anything productive.
And I've got jury duty tomorrow, which I've never done before. And while I normally like sitting for 8 hours and doing nothing, I'd really just rather have a day off. Tonight I'm heading over to the Rec Room for a going away party for a co-worker who's going to Korea to teach for a year. I was looking forward to it this afternoon, but I am feeling less enthusiastic currently. Right now I'm just feeling kinda sad and bummed and I'd rather just sit and listen to music and then eventually go to bed. Hopefully being around folks will perk me up.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
It Was the Heat of the Moment
Today it was hot.
Last night I had a dream about Tom Waits. I dreamed he was playing at Baldwin Auditorium and I was the auditorium manager.
Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day reading old e-mails. E-mails from 1999 and 2000 and 2002. I'm glad I still have all of those old e-mails because there's a lot of good shit in them.
The Jeanners and I now have a place to put our extra toilet paper. I'm going to stick it in here:
I'm assuming Jeannie will stick it in there, too.
Today I went back to work after having 4 days off. During my days off I found myself missing the opportunity to dedicate large portions of my day to reading celebrity biographies. For the next week or so, though, I won't be able to read a lot at work because I actually have things to do.
Such is life.
Last night I had a dream about Tom Waits. I dreamed he was playing at Baldwin Auditorium and I was the auditorium manager.
Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day reading old e-mails. E-mails from 1999 and 2000 and 2002. I'm glad I still have all of those old e-mails because there's a lot of good shit in them.
The Jeanners and I now have a place to put our extra toilet paper. I'm going to stick it in here:
I'm assuming Jeannie will stick it in there, too.
Today I went back to work after having 4 days off. During my days off I found myself missing the opportunity to dedicate large portions of my day to reading celebrity biographies. For the next week or so, though, I won't be able to read a lot at work because I actually have things to do.
Such is life.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
There Were Two Dicks.
The other night, Jeannie and I finally got to hang out with the Beej and A-Train, and we headed over to the Hamilton Tavern for dinner. The Beej and the A-Train both had burgers, and both agreed that they were good burgers, and furthermore also agreed that much of the burger's power comes from the "sticky spicy" bacon. So I would just like to reiterate: if you ever have a Crosstown Burger, get it with the bacon. Feel free to decline the optional fried-egg-on-top, though.
In addition to the tasty burgers, we tried a few desserts, too, one of which was a cupcake with, you guessed it, bacon on top. Reviews were generally not very positive, although it wasn't bad, just weird. Anyway, it was a pretty good dinner, and then we went back to the house and shot the shit for awhile, it was seriously one of the best times that I've had in a long time. I laughed a lot harder than I have in a long time. There were some new nicknames that were given out:
The Jeanners = Two Dicks.
The A-Train = Sweet Greasy.
DOB = Nutty Sweet.
The Beej = well, he didn't get a new name, so he's just the Beej.
Jeannie solved the mystery of Billie Jean's twins, Aimee demonstrated her Michael Jackson dancing, BJ googled something funny but I can't remember what it was, etc. You get the idea. Hilarious antics all around.
The Jeanners and I have both had the last couple of days off together, and we've been doing a lot of work building some storage shelves and cabinets into one of the bathroom walls. I think it'll be really nice when it's done, and it'll be nice to have places to put all of our toiletries. Now there's a word that I hate, "toiletries." Other words that I hate: tissue, muffin.
Today is the 4th of July. We're going to do a bit more work in the bathroom, but also try to set some time aside for a tasty celebratory meal. I believe we might be dining with Katie the North American Traveler. Anyway, it's been nice having some time off, and the weather has been beautiful, and now I'm gonna start on the day's projects.
In addition to the tasty burgers, we tried a few desserts, too, one of which was a cupcake with, you guessed it, bacon on top. Reviews were generally not very positive, although it wasn't bad, just weird. Anyway, it was a pretty good dinner, and then we went back to the house and shot the shit for awhile, it was seriously one of the best times that I've had in a long time. I laughed a lot harder than I have in a long time. There were some new nicknames that were given out:
The Jeanners = Two Dicks.
The A-Train = Sweet Greasy.
DOB = Nutty Sweet.
The Beej = well, he didn't get a new name, so he's just the Beej.
Jeannie solved the mystery of Billie Jean's twins, Aimee demonstrated her Michael Jackson dancing, BJ googled something funny but I can't remember what it was, etc. You get the idea. Hilarious antics all around.
The Jeanners and I have both had the last couple of days off together, and we've been doing a lot of work building some storage shelves and cabinets into one of the bathroom walls. I think it'll be really nice when it's done, and it'll be nice to have places to put all of our toiletries. Now there's a word that I hate, "toiletries." Other words that I hate: tissue, muffin.
Today is the 4th of July. We're going to do a bit more work in the bathroom, but also try to set some time aside for a tasty celebratory meal. I believe we might be dining with Katie the North American Traveler. Anyway, it's been nice having some time off, and the weather has been beautiful, and now I'm gonna start on the day's projects.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
If You Are The Person Who Picks the Music in Ipad Commercials, Please Read This Post.
Well, here's the latest version of the song. I'm now debating whether or not I should come up with actual lyrics or just leave it like it is. Here's some reasons why:
1. I like songs with nonsense lyrics.
2. Sometimes lyrics can ruin an otherwise perfectly fine song.
3. A lot of great songs that I really love I listen to over and over again, until one day I finally start to learn the lyrics and then I get tired of the song and stop listening to it over and over again.
Anyway, let me know if nonsense lyrics really piss you off.
Actually this whole thing reminds me of a debate that my friend Doug and I used to have when we were about 13 or 14. U2's song 'Elvis Presley and America' was recorded, and Bono sang some nonsense lyrics as a placeholder until they could go back and write and record some finished lyrics. When the time came to record the finished lyrics, producer Brian Eno said, "Nope, we're leaving it as it is," much to the surprise and consternation of the rest of the band. I always took the position that Brian Eno made the right decision, that the song is much more unique and mysterious with unfinished vocals, but Doug used to say, "The song is good now, but imagine how great it could've been with finished lyrics and vocals." Hmmm. My opinion hasn't changed. I still think that the song is still interesting to me today (25 years later) because the words are indecipherable and meaningless.
1. I like songs with nonsense lyrics.
2. Sometimes lyrics can ruin an otherwise perfectly fine song.
3. A lot of great songs that I really love I listen to over and over again, until one day I finally start to learn the lyrics and then I get tired of the song and stop listening to it over and over again.
Anyway, let me know if nonsense lyrics really piss you off.
Actually this whole thing reminds me of a debate that my friend Doug and I used to have when we were about 13 or 14. U2's song 'Elvis Presley and America' was recorded, and Bono sang some nonsense lyrics as a placeholder until they could go back and write and record some finished lyrics. When the time came to record the finished lyrics, producer Brian Eno said, "Nope, we're leaving it as it is," much to the surprise and consternation of the rest of the band. I always took the position that Brian Eno made the right decision, that the song is much more unique and mysterious with unfinished vocals, but Doug used to say, "The song is good now, but imagine how great it could've been with finished lyrics and vocals." Hmmm. My opinion hasn't changed. I still think that the song is still interesting to me today (25 years later) because the words are indecipherable and meaningless.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Triumph of the Human Spirit (or See, You're Vote Really DOES Count!)
The Jeanners and I just got back from a nice summer walk. A nice walk, but then it felt hotter than a crack pipe inside the house when we got home. It's amazing how many walks we've been on since we finished watching all the available episodes of Big Love. I must say, it feels nice to use that hour of free time that we have after dinner for something more interesting than hunkering down in front of Bill Paxton.
Today a serviceman from the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company came to our home to install a programmable thermostat as part of the PeakRewards Smart Energy Savers Program that we enrolled in a few weeks ago. Basically, it means that the power company can turn off our air conditioner a few times during the summer, but they pay us for the privilege. Since we don't use the ol' AC much anyway, we figure it's worth a shot. Plus, we get to keep the thermostat even if we opt out later. Anyway, the thing is now installed, and it is very strange to see a shiny, space age piece of electronics amidst all the wreckage that is the backside of our house.
Well, now that the Jeanners is back from her trip (during which she had possession of our workhorse laptop), I was able to tinker around a bit with the song that I said I wasn't going to tinker around with, and I'm pleased with the results. It sounds basically the same, but it's expanded a bit and it's more gay disco-y. So thanks for the encouragement, everybody!
I had today off work, and my car is in the shop. I cut up some wood, worked on music, and did some laundry. And sweated. Tomorrow I am off work again, and my car will still be in the shop. What should I do? Maybe go for a run since my recent illness has kept me from any exercisical exertions. Perhaps tinker around with the song some more, make it even gayer and disco-y-er. Maybe try to come up with real lyrics. Shit, I meant to pick up some bananas but I forgot. Perhaps I will pick up some bananas tomorrow and make a smoothie. The possibilities are literally limitless. Except that they are limited to things that I can do without a car. But shit, I can sure pick up some bananas!
Sure!
Yeow!
Today a serviceman from the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company came to our home to install a programmable thermostat as part of the PeakRewards Smart Energy Savers Program that we enrolled in a few weeks ago. Basically, it means that the power company can turn off our air conditioner a few times during the summer, but they pay us for the privilege. Since we don't use the ol' AC much anyway, we figure it's worth a shot. Plus, we get to keep the thermostat even if we opt out later. Anyway, the thing is now installed, and it is very strange to see a shiny, space age piece of electronics amidst all the wreckage that is the backside of our house.
Well, now that the Jeanners is back from her trip (during which she had possession of our workhorse laptop), I was able to tinker around a bit with the song that I said I wasn't going to tinker around with, and I'm pleased with the results. It sounds basically the same, but it's expanded a bit and it's more gay disco-y. So thanks for the encouragement, everybody!
I had today off work, and my car is in the shop. I cut up some wood, worked on music, and did some laundry. And sweated. Tomorrow I am off work again, and my car will still be in the shop. What should I do? Maybe go for a run since my recent illness has kept me from any exercisical exertions. Perhaps tinker around with the song some more, make it even gayer and disco-y-er. Maybe try to come up with real lyrics. Shit, I meant to pick up some bananas but I forgot. Perhaps I will pick up some bananas tomorrow and make a smoothie. The possibilities are literally limitless. Except that they are limited to things that I can do without a car. But shit, I can sure pick up some bananas!
Sure!
Yeow!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sick Rick
I have been sick like the proverbial doggy lately. Nasty summer cold, and for some reason the NyQuil would randomly choose to not knock me out but rather get me all hopped up, and as a result I had a couple of rough nights. But it seems to be on its way out, leaving me with nothing but a bad sore throat. Thanks to the Jeanners for taking care of me and getting me some non-expired Nyquil last night. I still owe you that date.
Been on a Tom Waits kick lately.
It's been warm here, and humid, and there isn't really a break in sight yet, but it hasn't been unbearable. A little uncomfortable at night, though. I wonder if we'll have to break down and turn on the AC at some point. I'm not planning on it, but I guess we'll have to see what it's like in July when it starts getting nasty hot.
What to have for dinner tonight?
What to do tonight?
Now that the Jeanners is back in town and I'm starting to feel better, I'm guessing we'll finish up painting the bathroom and then start on some wiring. Looking forward to it. I've been reading up, and think I should be able to not burn the place down. Anyway, we'll see.
Boring post. Not much going on.
Been on a Tom Waits kick lately.
It's been warm here, and humid, and there isn't really a break in sight yet, but it hasn't been unbearable. A little uncomfortable at night, though. I wonder if we'll have to break down and turn on the AC at some point. I'm not planning on it, but I guess we'll have to see what it's like in July when it starts getting nasty hot.
What to have for dinner tonight?
What to do tonight?
Now that the Jeanners is back in town and I'm starting to feel better, I'm guessing we'll finish up painting the bathroom and then start on some wiring. Looking forward to it. I've been reading up, and think I should be able to not burn the place down. Anyway, we'll see.
Boring post. Not much going on.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Upon review, it appears that your vote does not actually count.
Well, thanks to everyone who voted for the fate of the as-yet-unnamed song. And, although public response was 100% positive, I discovered last night that one of the drum tracks used in the song I never actually saved, so I would have to go back and rebuild that track from the start, which would be entirely more difficult than just remixing and rearranging existing tracks, and blah blah blah. Plus, I've already kinda moved on to other stuff. So it seems that my subconscious mind has already made the decision to put that one on the shelf and leave it for the days after I've been given my million dollar record deal (do they still have those?) and I'm scrambling for material for a doomed-from-the-start second album. Then I'll pull it down from the shelf, dust it off, rebuild that drum track, and make up some proper lyrics about rain, use it in a deodorant commercial and live happily ever after reading Walt Whitman and playing Civilization III in the bathtub all day.
Am I getting a cold or is this just allergies or is it the beginnings of cancer?
In the positive news category, I was downstairs last night farting around with the recording equipment, and I was able to produce the guitar tone that I have been trying to produce for literally 22 years. And I saved the settings, so I should be able to dial it up whenever I want. Just the right amount of distortion, just the right amount of echo, with a little bit of modulation on the decay so it sounds like the note just kind of lumbers off to die somewhere in the distance. Good stuff. I had forgotten that when I work on music like that I tend to lose track of time, and when I finally went upstairs it was almost midnight. Which isn't that big of a deal except that I had to work this morning and I was a wee bit sleepy for the day. Luckily, I have a job that requires nothing.
The Jeanners gets back tomorrow, the Jeanners gets back tomorrow!
The other day I was on the phone with Jeannie and I saw that our old realtor pulled up in front of our house and came up to the front door. Because I had just gotten back from a long run (more later) and was pretty disgusting, and the house was pretty trashed, I pretended to not be home and hid until she went away, for which I feel a bit like a coward and kinda stupid, but it just wasn't a good time. Sometimes it's just easier to hide.
So the other day I decided to go for a long run and I headed out on my now-usual run to Herring Run park and I was able to make it all the way down to the park, around the park, and back home. I'm thinking it was about 6 miles, which is by the far the farthest I've run since my being-in-good-shape days of 2008. It felt good, like maybe the being-in-good-shape days of 2008 might be coming back. I do hope to surprise Jeannie with my sexitude when she gets back.
Yesterday I went to the Rec Room with BJ for a tasty burger. We also played spades. I never beat BJ at spades, but yesterday I did. I made him sign the score sheet and I plan to keep it forever. In fact, let's make it a thing of public record:
It should also be known that BJ wins 99.9% of the spades hands that we play.
Did I mention that the Jeanners gets back tomorrow?
Am I getting a cold or is this just allergies or is it the beginnings of cancer?
In the positive news category, I was downstairs last night farting around with the recording equipment, and I was able to produce the guitar tone that I have been trying to produce for literally 22 years. And I saved the settings, so I should be able to dial it up whenever I want. Just the right amount of distortion, just the right amount of echo, with a little bit of modulation on the decay so it sounds like the note just kind of lumbers off to die somewhere in the distance. Good stuff. I had forgotten that when I work on music like that I tend to lose track of time, and when I finally went upstairs it was almost midnight. Which isn't that big of a deal except that I had to work this morning and I was a wee bit sleepy for the day. Luckily, I have a job that requires nothing.
The Jeanners gets back tomorrow, the Jeanners gets back tomorrow!
The other day I was on the phone with Jeannie and I saw that our old realtor pulled up in front of our house and came up to the front door. Because I had just gotten back from a long run (more later) and was pretty disgusting, and the house was pretty trashed, I pretended to not be home and hid until she went away, for which I feel a bit like a coward and kinda stupid, but it just wasn't a good time. Sometimes it's just easier to hide.
So the other day I decided to go for a long run and I headed out on my now-usual run to Herring Run park and I was able to make it all the way down to the park, around the park, and back home. I'm thinking it was about 6 miles, which is by the far the farthest I've run since my being-in-good-shape days of 2008. It felt good, like maybe the being-in-good-shape days of 2008 might be coming back. I do hope to surprise Jeannie with my sexitude when she gets back.
Yesterday I went to the Rec Room with BJ for a tasty burger. We also played spades. I never beat BJ at spades, but yesterday I did. I made him sign the score sheet and I plan to keep it forever. In fact, let's make it a thing of public record:
It should also be known that BJ wins 99.9% of the spades hands that we play.
Did I mention that the Jeanners gets back tomorrow?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Your Vote Counts!
So I've been working on this song for the last few days and had gotten pretty unhappy with it, then this morning I burned it to a CD and listened to it in the car on the way to work and I started to like it again. So now I don't know if it's worth putting more time and effort into it, finishing the music, writing lyrics, etc. -- or if I should just scrap it and start on something else. Let me know.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Ain't No Sunshine
I am sitting here sweating a bunch, as I just got back from a nice, long run. Ran down to Herring Run park and then ran around the park. Eventually I will work my way up to then running home as well, but I ain't there yet. While I was out on my run, I saw my twin. It was a guy who looked a lot like me, dressed a lot like me, running the other way. So if you're ever driving down Walther and see some dude running down the road, don't spit on him cause it might not be me.
The J-Dog is out of town. For a week. It sucks. She left on Friday and she'll get back this Friday. I would love to say that I'm going to surprise her when she gets back by doing a lot of work on the house while she's gone, but it seems that I'm actually filling my time by running, sleeping, and sitting in the bathtub reading. Currently reading Walt Whitman's prose recollections, Specimen Days. I think that anybody who has a blog should read it. He kind of reminds me that there's always something to write about, and there's always a more interesting way of doing it. To wit: if I didn't know what to write about on a particular day, I would probably write something like, "Today I went for a walk and sat in a field." Then a new paragraph about something else. WW would write about 3 or 4 pages about the walk, talking about the sights, the sounds and smells, and about memories and feelings that the walk stirred up. That's what good writers do. Really, the only thing that makes my blog better than Walt Whitman's writing is that he rarely writes about his poop or stinky farts. Oh well.
It's hot in here, but not unbearably hot. Used to be a lot hotter in our place in Charles Village, both because it was on the 3rd floor and because it was in the middle of the city and surrounded by not much else other than concrete. Last night after I got home from work (around 11) I sat out on the front porch and had a G&T, and it was nice and cool, with a little breeze, and quiet. I walked around the garden to check it out and saw that one of the tomato plants has sprouted 2 little tomatoes. We've also got a cucumber that's growing nicely, almost pickle-sized already. I would also like to point out that BJ is also almost pickle-sized already.
I came up with a pretty decent band name yesterday: The Judy Blooms. However, I just googled it and see that there's already a band with that name on Myspace. Damn them! And damn you!
Worked on a song a few days ago that seemed promising when it was just a guitar and drum track but after working on it for a few days it has grown, floundered, and died. But it feels nice to occasionally work on music again, plus it's nice and cool down in the basement where all the recording stuff is set up.
Alright, that's all I got!
The J-Dog is out of town. For a week. It sucks. She left on Friday and she'll get back this Friday. I would love to say that I'm going to surprise her when she gets back by doing a lot of work on the house while she's gone, but it seems that I'm actually filling my time by running, sleeping, and sitting in the bathtub reading. Currently reading Walt Whitman's prose recollections, Specimen Days. I think that anybody who has a blog should read it. He kind of reminds me that there's always something to write about, and there's always a more interesting way of doing it. To wit: if I didn't know what to write about on a particular day, I would probably write something like, "Today I went for a walk and sat in a field." Then a new paragraph about something else. WW would write about 3 or 4 pages about the walk, talking about the sights, the sounds and smells, and about memories and feelings that the walk stirred up. That's what good writers do. Really, the only thing that makes my blog better than Walt Whitman's writing is that he rarely writes about his poop or stinky farts. Oh well.
It's hot in here, but not unbearably hot. Used to be a lot hotter in our place in Charles Village, both because it was on the 3rd floor and because it was in the middle of the city and surrounded by not much else other than concrete. Last night after I got home from work (around 11) I sat out on the front porch and had a G&T, and it was nice and cool, with a little breeze, and quiet. I walked around the garden to check it out and saw that one of the tomato plants has sprouted 2 little tomatoes. We've also got a cucumber that's growing nicely, almost pickle-sized already. I would also like to point out that BJ is also almost pickle-sized already.
I came up with a pretty decent band name yesterday: The Judy Blooms. However, I just googled it and see that there's already a band with that name on Myspace. Damn them! And damn you!
Worked on a song a few days ago that seemed promising when it was just a guitar and drum track but after working on it for a few days it has grown, floundered, and died. But it feels nice to occasionally work on music again, plus it's nice and cool down in the basement where all the recording stuff is set up.
Alright, that's all I got!
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Hamilton Poot Cafe/Giovanni, Son of Flippy
Well, another week has gone by and what do we have to show for it? Well, Drew and Felicity had themselves a baby boy, for one thing. Which is pretty exciting stuff, although the idea that Drew has offspring is still a bit of a surreal thought. Nonetheless, I think they'll be great parents, and I look forward to meeting the young man someday. Huzzah!
The Jeanners and I walked up to Herring Run park yesterday evening and went for a really nice run and then walked home. It's pretty cool to be able to go for a 15 minute walk and end up somewhere that feels like the middle of the woods, with water flowing nearby. I'm thinking this is something we'll do quite a bit this summer.
We've been getting some good work done around the house. The dryer broke, so I took it apart and looked around in it and then ordered the part and put it in and now it works again. Which is a nice feeling because I knew exactly zero about dryers before all this occurred. The Jeanners did some nice wainscoting painting in the bathroom, and we're pretty close to picking out a color for the walls. Also got a towel bar up last night (woo-hoo!) and will probably put up a toilet paper holder tonight (double woo-hoo!).
The J-Dog will be leaving town on Friday for 9 days. What the hell am I supposed to do with myself? Luckily, I will be able to communicate my innermost thoughts and feelings to her while she is gone via this blog. Lookout.
BJ needs new glasses. Last week we were walking to go eat lunch at the Hamilton Tavern (note: not open for lunch!) and he saw a sign for "Hamilton Foot Care" and he thought it said "Hamilton Poot Cafe." Idiot.
The Jeanners and I walked up to Herring Run park yesterday evening and went for a really nice run and then walked home. It's pretty cool to be able to go for a 15 minute walk and end up somewhere that feels like the middle of the woods, with water flowing nearby. I'm thinking this is something we'll do quite a bit this summer.
We've been getting some good work done around the house. The dryer broke, so I took it apart and looked around in it and then ordered the part and put it in and now it works again. Which is a nice feeling because I knew exactly zero about dryers before all this occurred. The Jeanners did some nice wainscoting painting in the bathroom, and we're pretty close to picking out a color for the walls. Also got a towel bar up last night (woo-hoo!) and will probably put up a toilet paper holder tonight (double woo-hoo!).
The J-Dog will be leaving town on Friday for 9 days. What the hell am I supposed to do with myself? Luckily, I will be able to communicate my innermost thoughts and feelings to her while she is gone via this blog. Lookout.
BJ needs new glasses. Last week we were walking to go eat lunch at the Hamilton Tavern (note: not open for lunch!) and he saw a sign for "Hamilton Foot Care" and he thought it said "Hamilton Poot Cafe." Idiot.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
It's been a pretty good week so far. The Jeanners and I got some decent work done on Sunday, hanging the bathroom mirror that we got from her grandma, framing up the bedroom closet ceiling, and testing our downspouts (which go right into the ground) to see where they discharge all the water. The results of that last one are still inconclusive, although it looked like they don't empty into the sump wells (as we had previously suspected) and they're not leaking into the basement, either. Nor are they piped underground to the street.
Also had lunch with the Beej last week, which I see I already wrote about so I will not waste your time by re-writing about it. If you have forgotten and/or are interested in re-reading about it, please feel free to re-read the post from Thursday, May 27th. You could also check out August 6th, 2009. Or June 8th, 2006. Because 2006 was such an awesome year, you might wanna check out May 11th, 2006. But then delve deeper and re-read August 15th, 2005. And if you want to go back all the way to the beginning, you'd have to see what happened on June 3rd, 2005. Thus reads the tale of lunch with BJ at the Rec Room.
Yesterday after work I headed out to the PFI to help build the set for the summer shows (Hamlet and Much Ado..., tickets on sale now) and it was hot and a lot of heavy lifting but a lot of fun, too. PKP and BJ were there working, and it's always fun to watch the Beej sweat. Stayed there till around 9pm and then headed home for a quick shower and then back up to the Rec Room for a going away party for Beth at the B&N. It was a good time, I spent most of the time chatting with Abbey and Carl, who I decided is a cross between Brian Eno and Corky St. Clair. This morning I stand by that decision. Anyway, it was fun. Ate nachos, stayed longer than I planned, etc. etc.
The other night out of the blue I decided to call Bosco, although it wasn't entirely out of the blue because I had had a dream a week or two ago (which I don't remember) where he showed up, and I've been thinking of calling him for awhile. Cause it's been at least a year since we'd talked, and it's been almost 6 years since I've seen him. But it was really great to talk to him, somehow whenever we talk we're always able to jump right back in as though no time has passed. I think it's probably because our background and childhood stories are nearly identical, or at least pretty damned close. We each understand where the other is coming from, and we were with each other for a lot of the major stops along the way. Or something. His phone was dying throughout the conversation, and eventually gave up the ghost in the middle of our conversation, so he still owes me half a conversation at some point.
Other random notes:
- we bought a dehumidifier for the basement. It seems to be doing good work. Like Mother Teresa.
- I've been on a mini Kerouac trip lately. I picked up his first novel The Town and City not too long ago and have been slowly making my way through it. I've been enjoying it, although it's not much of a page-turner. Instead it's more like eating little morsels and letting them dissolve on your tongue. Anyway, also picked up a cheap 'history of the Beats' with lots of pictures, and I'm planning on picking up the 'original scroll' version of On the Road later this week. Despite my love for a lot of DFW's stuff, I think that when you compare their bodies of work in their entireties, Kerouac is still my favorite writer.
- what's on the agenda for today? Eggs, dishes, a phone call to the folks, perhaps some spades with the Beej. Sometime during the Beej's two-month stay in the Baltimore/DC area we're going to broaden our burger horizons, and I'm going to take him to lunch at the Hamilton Tavern where he can experience the Crosstown Burger with bacon, which I think is my favorite burger. And, although I totally endorse getting it with the bacon, every time, neither the Jeanners nor our friend Katie ever does. But I swear to God, the secret is in the bacon. So if you're ever in Hamilton Tavern and you're thinking of getting a Crosstown Burger, do me (and yourself!) a favor and get it with bacon.
Also had lunch with the Beej last week, which I see I already wrote about so I will not waste your time by re-writing about it. If you have forgotten and/or are interested in re-reading about it, please feel free to re-read the post from Thursday, May 27th. You could also check out August 6th, 2009. Or June 8th, 2006. Because 2006 was such an awesome year, you might wanna check out May 11th, 2006. But then delve deeper and re-read August 15th, 2005. And if you want to go back all the way to the beginning, you'd have to see what happened on June 3rd, 2005. Thus reads the tale of lunch with BJ at the Rec Room.
Yesterday after work I headed out to the PFI to help build the set for the summer shows (Hamlet and Much Ado..., tickets on sale now) and it was hot and a lot of heavy lifting but a lot of fun, too. PKP and BJ were there working, and it's always fun to watch the Beej sweat. Stayed there till around 9pm and then headed home for a quick shower and then back up to the Rec Room for a going away party for Beth at the B&N. It was a good time, I spent most of the time chatting with Abbey and Carl, who I decided is a cross between Brian Eno and Corky St. Clair. This morning I stand by that decision. Anyway, it was fun. Ate nachos, stayed longer than I planned, etc. etc.
The other night out of the blue I decided to call Bosco, although it wasn't entirely out of the blue because I had had a dream a week or two ago (which I don't remember) where he showed up, and I've been thinking of calling him for awhile. Cause it's been at least a year since we'd talked, and it's been almost 6 years since I've seen him. But it was really great to talk to him, somehow whenever we talk we're always able to jump right back in as though no time has passed. I think it's probably because our background and childhood stories are nearly identical, or at least pretty damned close. We each understand where the other is coming from, and we were with each other for a lot of the major stops along the way. Or something. His phone was dying throughout the conversation, and eventually gave up the ghost in the middle of our conversation, so he still owes me half a conversation at some point.
Other random notes:
- we bought a dehumidifier for the basement. It seems to be doing good work. Like Mother Teresa.
- I've been on a mini Kerouac trip lately. I picked up his first novel The Town and City not too long ago and have been slowly making my way through it. I've been enjoying it, although it's not much of a page-turner. Instead it's more like eating little morsels and letting them dissolve on your tongue. Anyway, also picked up a cheap 'history of the Beats' with lots of pictures, and I'm planning on picking up the 'original scroll' version of On the Road later this week. Despite my love for a lot of DFW's stuff, I think that when you compare their bodies of work in their entireties, Kerouac is still my favorite writer.
- what's on the agenda for today? Eggs, dishes, a phone call to the folks, perhaps some spades with the Beej. Sometime during the Beej's two-month stay in the Baltimore/DC area we're going to broaden our burger horizons, and I'm going to take him to lunch at the Hamilton Tavern where he can experience the Crosstown Burger with bacon, which I think is my favorite burger. And, although I totally endorse getting it with the bacon, every time, neither the Jeanners nor our friend Katie ever does. But I swear to God, the secret is in the bacon. So if you're ever in Hamilton Tavern and you're thinking of getting a Crosstown Burger, do me (and yourself!) a favor and get it with bacon.
Friday, May 28, 2010
I do not take requests...
..but for you, A-Train, anything.
My thoughts on the LOST finale (I am surprised that I forgot to write about it yesterday): I was satisfied. Didn't think it was perfect, didn't think it was terrible. I thought it was a little on the cheesy side but that didn't disappoint me too much. I think, as a whole, the show is a nice, for the most part well-told story that peaked in season 2 but still had some really great moments throughout. I think that they kinda wrote themselves into a corner, leaving way too much story to try to tell in the last season, trying to cram in all the mythology stuff and the stories of the main characters, so a lot of it feels more rushed than the first couple of seasons.
But anyway, I thought it was pretty good, and a decent end to the show.
A lot of times I feel a little guilty about watching LOST, but I think Terry O'Quinn's performance as Locke, from start to finish, is what got me hooked and kept me watching. And, especially during seasons 2 and 3, Michael Emerson's performance as Ben Linus.
What'd you think, A-Train? (We should probably get this discussion out of the way online so that when we actually hang out we don't bore BJ and the Jeanners).
Another thing I forgot to write about: on Monday we had this dude come out and do a bit of a modified energy audit on our house. Basically, we wanted him to come out and tell us, if we're going to spend money insulating and air-sealing the house, what are the best, most cost-efficient things to do first and how should we go about doing them. Very helpful. A super-knowledgeable guy with a lot of good ideas, I probably got more out of it than I did out of our initial home inspection when we were buying the thing.
Alright, I think I have written about everything I forgot to write about.
My thoughts on the LOST finale (I am surprised that I forgot to write about it yesterday): I was satisfied. Didn't think it was perfect, didn't think it was terrible. I thought it was a little on the cheesy side but that didn't disappoint me too much. I think, as a whole, the show is a nice, for the most part well-told story that peaked in season 2 but still had some really great moments throughout. I think that they kinda wrote themselves into a corner, leaving way too much story to try to tell in the last season, trying to cram in all the mythology stuff and the stories of the main characters, so a lot of it feels more rushed than the first couple of seasons.
But anyway, I thought it was pretty good, and a decent end to the show.
A lot of times I feel a little guilty about watching LOST, but I think Terry O'Quinn's performance as Locke, from start to finish, is what got me hooked and kept me watching. And, especially during seasons 2 and 3, Michael Emerson's performance as Ben Linus.
What'd you think, A-Train? (We should probably get this discussion out of the way online so that when we actually hang out we don't bore BJ and the Jeanners).
Another thing I forgot to write about: on Monday we had this dude come out and do a bit of a modified energy audit on our house. Basically, we wanted him to come out and tell us, if we're going to spend money insulating and air-sealing the house, what are the best, most cost-efficient things to do first and how should we go about doing them. Very helpful. A super-knowledgeable guy with a lot of good ideas, I probably got more out of it than I did out of our initial home inspection when we were buying the thing.
Alright, I think I have written about everything I forgot to write about.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Hot hot heat.
It's starting to be hot today. In the 90's. I'm guessing it'll be hot now for most of the duration of the summer. It hasn't been too bad inside, though, as long as you're laying on a bed doing nothing with a box fan blowing on you.
Today the Beej (who arrived in Baltimore while we were away in St. Louis) and I headed to the Rec Room for our annual outing of tasty burgers and catching up. Always a good time. He will be in town for a few months while working on Hamlet with PKP, so hopefully we will be able to get together and play some geek games at some point in the near future, as well as get together with the A-Train, who I haven't seen since last year, which is a disgrace considering she lives about 30 minutes away.
The J-Dog ain't home yet. Where is she? Affair? Probably.
The third season of Big Love is pretty darned good. We usually end up watching an episode from 9pm to 10pm and then hitting the hay. It's been a decent way to end the day, although we only have a few episodes left and then we'll have to find something else to do, like work on our torn up house.
Jeannie's garden is doing nicely, thanks for asking.
I shouldn't feel hungry, but I do. It's probably boredom and not actually hunger, though.
Willie Nelson cut his hair.
Today the Beej (who arrived in Baltimore while we were away in St. Louis) and I headed to the Rec Room for our annual outing of tasty burgers and catching up. Always a good time. He will be in town for a few months while working on Hamlet with PKP, so hopefully we will be able to get together and play some geek games at some point in the near future, as well as get together with the A-Train, who I haven't seen since last year, which is a disgrace considering she lives about 30 minutes away.
The J-Dog ain't home yet. Where is she? Affair? Probably.
The third season of Big Love is pretty darned good. We usually end up watching an episode from 9pm to 10pm and then hitting the hay. It's been a decent way to end the day, although we only have a few episodes left and then we'll have to find something else to do, like work on our torn up house.
Jeannie's garden is doing nicely, thanks for asking.
I shouldn't feel hungry, but I do. It's probably boredom and not actually hunger, though.
Willie Nelson cut his hair.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Eat My Fat ______.
We are home from our lovely St. Louis vacation. The quick and dirrrty rundown:
Saturday: Leave the Super 8 in St. Clairsville, OH. Arrive in St. Louis around 5 in the evening. Hang out at Jeannie's folks' house. Have dinner.
Sunday: Hang out at my parents' house.
Monday: School with Jeannie's dad. Lessons learned: tool sharpening, drill bit sharpening. Monday night: dinner at Olympia with Gena and Robin. A great meal and great company.
Tuesday: Head down to my family's clubhouse, Mossy Springs, on the Gasconade River. I'm not sure if I've ever written about Mossy before, but it's a cabin that my great grandfather and and some of his friends built in 1903. Been passed down among the families ever since. It's a very unique and wonderful place.
Wednesday: Another day down at Mossy. Returned in the afternoon and played cards and drank wine with Jeannie's mom and Grandma. Her grandma is a wicked trash-talker and I really enjoy playing cards with her.
Thursday: A slow morning, and then a surprise phone call from the J. Knese, who was working from home that day. He invited us out to lunch, and we ate at a wonderful little place called the Everest Cafe, a place where the J-Dog and I had never eaten. I whole-heartedly endorse their lunch buffet. I also whole-heartedly endorse J. Knese.
Dinner with R. Riley at the Big Bear Grill. The Jeanners had never seen his relatively new place, so we had a nice time shooting the breeze before and after dinner. I also enjoyed two different manifestations of potato at dinner and a couple of super-tasty cream sodas back at Chez Riley.
Friday: breakfast with Jeannie's grandma, then lunch with her friend Shannon and her new baby boy, then dinner at my sister's house. My entire family (19 in all) ended up going down to my sister's, and we ate most of 9 Imo's pizzas. It was entirely too hectic, and a little annoying, and it made me ready to leave St. Louis.
Saturday: School with Jeannie's dad. Lessons learned: sweating copper pipe. He also gave us some tools and some lengths of wire. Then in the early afternoon we left St. Louis. Highlight of the day: finding a Chipotle in Richmond, Indiana. In other words, the middle of nowhere.
Sunday: leave the Super 8 in Cambridge, Ohio (I liked it better than the one in St. Clairsville). Drive to Baltimore. Unpack. The Jeanners does some garden work, I clean up the house a little bit. Watch last Tuesday's LOST (the series finale is tonight, although I won't get to watch it til tomorrow).
Write in blog.
Saturday: Leave the Super 8 in St. Clairsville, OH. Arrive in St. Louis around 5 in the evening. Hang out at Jeannie's folks' house. Have dinner.
Sunday: Hang out at my parents' house.
Monday: School with Jeannie's dad. Lessons learned: tool sharpening, drill bit sharpening. Monday night: dinner at Olympia with Gena and Robin. A great meal and great company.
Tuesday: Head down to my family's clubhouse, Mossy Springs, on the Gasconade River. I'm not sure if I've ever written about Mossy before, but it's a cabin that my great grandfather and and some of his friends built in 1903. Been passed down among the families ever since. It's a very unique and wonderful place.
Wednesday: Another day down at Mossy. Returned in the afternoon and played cards and drank wine with Jeannie's mom and Grandma. Her grandma is a wicked trash-talker and I really enjoy playing cards with her.
Thursday: A slow morning, and then a surprise phone call from the J. Knese, who was working from home that day. He invited us out to lunch, and we ate at a wonderful little place called the Everest Cafe, a place where the J-Dog and I had never eaten. I whole-heartedly endorse their lunch buffet. I also whole-heartedly endorse J. Knese.
Dinner with R. Riley at the Big Bear Grill. The Jeanners had never seen his relatively new place, so we had a nice time shooting the breeze before and after dinner. I also enjoyed two different manifestations of potato at dinner and a couple of super-tasty cream sodas back at Chez Riley.
Friday: breakfast with Jeannie's grandma, then lunch with her friend Shannon and her new baby boy, then dinner at my sister's house. My entire family (19 in all) ended up going down to my sister's, and we ate most of 9 Imo's pizzas. It was entirely too hectic, and a little annoying, and it made me ready to leave St. Louis.
Saturday: School with Jeannie's dad. Lessons learned: sweating copper pipe. He also gave us some tools and some lengths of wire. Then in the early afternoon we left St. Louis. Highlight of the day: finding a Chipotle in Richmond, Indiana. In other words, the middle of nowhere.
Sunday: leave the Super 8 in Cambridge, Ohio (I liked it better than the one in St. Clairsville). Drive to Baltimore. Unpack. The Jeanners does some garden work, I clean up the house a little bit. Watch last Tuesday's LOST (the series finale is tonight, although I won't get to watch it til tomorrow).
Write in blog.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Super 8
We are in a room at the Super 8 Motel somewhere just west of Wheeling, West Virginia. It smells vaguely of cigarettes, disinfectant, and my farts. It's a decent enough room, but a little too close to the sounds of the parking lot and Highway 70. We've stayed here before, but neither of us remember when.
A nice, easy drive tonight, hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same. It's been awhile since the J-Dog and I have been on a road trip - I think the last few trips we've taken have been by plane. It feels good to be driving, I've always felt very comfortable on the road, especially on a long trip (although I like driving in Baltimore much less than I like driving around St. Louis) and the Jeanners and I usually do pretty well together on long drives. Although there have been a few where one or both of us gets pissy for some reason and then it's pretty awful.
It seems strange to me that the words 'awful' and 'awesome' mean the exact opposite of each other.
Should I wake up early tomorrow and go to the Denny's next door for breakfast before the Jeanners wakes up? (she's already refused to go with me). I think I might - I bet I could get some country-fried steak and eggs with biscuits and gravy. Holy Jeez that would be awesome.
Well, now I gotta go to bed so I can wake up early tomorrow.
A nice, easy drive tonight, hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same. It's been awhile since the J-Dog and I have been on a road trip - I think the last few trips we've taken have been by plane. It feels good to be driving, I've always felt very comfortable on the road, especially on a long trip (although I like driving in Baltimore much less than I like driving around St. Louis) and the Jeanners and I usually do pretty well together on long drives. Although there have been a few where one or both of us gets pissy for some reason and then it's pretty awful.
It seems strange to me that the words 'awful' and 'awesome' mean the exact opposite of each other.
Should I wake up early tomorrow and go to the Denny's next door for breakfast before the Jeanners wakes up? (she's already refused to go with me). I think I might - I bet I could get some country-fried steak and eggs with biscuits and gravy. Holy Jeez that would be awesome.
Well, now I gotta go to bed so I can wake up early tomorrow.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Forever Young
Tomorrow: Bono's birthday, my brother-in-law Tom's birthday, and the 5 year anniversary of this-here blog. Mozel tov!
Yesterday the Jeanners and I worked on putting some framing up for our future bedroom closet. We then headed down to the DC area to have dinner with PKP and birthday girl T-Pain. PKP makes a tasty black bean burger, fer sure. Had a good time lounging around and chatting, playing with Dr. Finn, who is walking around like a little monkey. We then headed in to the 9:30 Club to see Josh Ritter, who decided to play an evil trick on old folks like us by not taking the stage until 10:30-ish. So it ended up being a late night. But it was a good show, and Josh Ritter seems like A) he took a fistful of happy jumpy pills before the show, or (and more likely) B) he's just a super nice, happy, aw-shucks type midwestern type dude. The 9:30 Club is the type of dark, phosphorescently lit place that I haven't been to in a long time, the type of place that when you're young makes you feel very young and hip and alive, but apparently when you're old makes you feel very old and quiet and tired. I have to say that although higher-caliber bands seem to play the 9:30 Club, I much preferred the atmosphere at the Black Cat a few weeks ago when I went to see Midlake. I wonder what the next concert will be? I've been very happy with the shows I've seen this year. Here's to live music that don't suck!
One more week of work before we head off to St. Louis. Should we plant our vegetables before we go? Will we be able to finish the framing in the closet before we leave? I'm predicting yes and no, respectively.
Quotes of the day:
"Personally, I think I would have an easier time killing a bunny than a monkey."
and
"Why are you massaging that bird's anus with a Q-Tip?"
Yesterday the Jeanners and I worked on putting some framing up for our future bedroom closet. We then headed down to the DC area to have dinner with PKP and birthday girl T-Pain. PKP makes a tasty black bean burger, fer sure. Had a good time lounging around and chatting, playing with Dr. Finn, who is walking around like a little monkey. We then headed in to the 9:30 Club to see Josh Ritter, who decided to play an evil trick on old folks like us by not taking the stage until 10:30-ish. So it ended up being a late night. But it was a good show, and Josh Ritter seems like A) he took a fistful of happy jumpy pills before the show, or (and more likely) B) he's just a super nice, happy, aw-shucks type midwestern type dude. The 9:30 Club is the type of dark, phosphorescently lit place that I haven't been to in a long time, the type of place that when you're young makes you feel very young and hip and alive, but apparently when you're old makes you feel very old and quiet and tired. I have to say that although higher-caliber bands seem to play the 9:30 Club, I much preferred the atmosphere at the Black Cat a few weeks ago when I went to see Midlake. I wonder what the next concert will be? I've been very happy with the shows I've seen this year. Here's to live music that don't suck!
One more week of work before we head off to St. Louis. Should we plant our vegetables before we go? Will we be able to finish the framing in the closet before we leave? I'm predicting yes and no, respectively.
Quotes of the day:
"Personally, I think I would have an easier time killing a bunny than a monkey."
and
"Why are you massaging that bird's anus with a Q-Tip?"
Thursday, May 06, 2010
We Can Now Bake Large Things But As of Yet We Have Not Taken Advantage of This Ability
I am off work today, and I have a list of things to do but not sure which things I'm going to get to. I would like to go to the gym, go to Trader Joe's, go buy some new underwear, go to Best Buy, update our MP3 player, watch Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, look for a birthday gift for T, have eggs and fake sausage for breakfast, and play Civ III. Not necessarily in that order.
I have begun the project GUT BEGONE 2010. I've been hitting the gym every day and eating better. My tummy and love handles hurt so bad that when Jeannie poked me in the tummy last night I just about started crying.
We went to a meeting of our neighborhood association last night. It was OK. Nothing too exciting. But I like that our neighborhood seems to include a nice mix of different races and classes.
The J-Dog and I got a lot of good work done last weekend. Fixed the oven, fixed (hopefully) one of the roof leaks, ran the vent pipe for our bathroom sink into the attic, and worked on the garden. Things are coming along nicely.
Remind me one day to tell you the story of Jerry Orbach's cousin. It's not that exciting or I would just post it here, but it's funny in a smile-not-laugh sort of way.
Hmmmm. What else? Yesterday the J-Dog and I were sitting on the front porch after work and we were watching the cutest little tiny baby rabbit munching away on some clover in the yard. It was the cutest little thing ever and it either didn't know to be scared of us (cause Jeannie strangles rabbits) or it didn't care and it was just munching away just a few feet from us. It was cute. In fact, it was the cutest little thing ever.
I have begun the project GUT BEGONE 2010. I've been hitting the gym every day and eating better. My tummy and love handles hurt so bad that when Jeannie poked me in the tummy last night I just about started crying.
We went to a meeting of our neighborhood association last night. It was OK. Nothing too exciting. But I like that our neighborhood seems to include a nice mix of different races and classes.
The J-Dog and I got a lot of good work done last weekend. Fixed the oven, fixed (hopefully) one of the roof leaks, ran the vent pipe for our bathroom sink into the attic, and worked on the garden. Things are coming along nicely.
Remind me one day to tell you the story of Jerry Orbach's cousin. It's not that exciting or I would just post it here, but it's funny in a smile-not-laugh sort of way.
Hmmmm. What else? Yesterday the J-Dog and I were sitting on the front porch after work and we were watching the cutest little tiny baby rabbit munching away on some clover in the yard. It was the cutest little thing ever and it either didn't know to be scared of us (cause Jeannie strangles rabbits) or it didn't care and it was just munching away just a few feet from us. It was cute. In fact, it was the cutest little thing ever.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
We Will Soon Be Able To Bake Large Things
The oven has never worked at this place. We've checked a few things here and there to try and figure out what was wrong with it, but haven't ever really done much about it. We've been able to bake things (biscuits, pizzas) in small batches in our toaster oven, so it hasn't been a big deal. Nonetheless, we want our oven to fucking work, so the other night, after some helpful advice from the Jeanners' pappy (an engineer and all-around handy guy), we got serious about it and went out and bought a multimeter, and yesterday after work I spent about 5 hours fooling around with the range and trying to diagnose the problem. And finally I found the problem, and (if I hadn't knocked the igniter off of our counter and broken it and had to order a new one for $50), it's a simple, cheap fix. So hopefully in two days when the parts arrive we'll fix it up real good and bake a lasagna or a turkey or something like that.
The other night it rained super hard and we discovered that our roof is leaking in two spots. One is a pretty simple fix that we should be able to take care of this weekend, and the other is a bit more complicated -- replacing the flashing around our chimney. We should be able to handle it, but it saddens me because I feel like I was getting motivated and gaining momentum about getting the bedroom fixed up, and dealing with the leaks will throw a monkey-wrench into my plans. Monkey-wrenches in my plans knock me out of sorts and make me temporarily depressed.
I'm off work today, waiting for the waterproofing guys to arrive so they can do some more (free!) work on the basement. Also fixin' to cook up a large breakfast with lots of eggs and biscuits. And fake sausage and juice. If the grass is dry enough later on I'll cut the grass. Maybe do a little work on the bedroom closet.
Wow, what a boring post! Sorry, it's what's going on. Looking forward to our trip to the Lou! I decided yesterday that I'm gonna take the Jeanners on a dinner date when we get there...
The other night it rained super hard and we discovered that our roof is leaking in two spots. One is a pretty simple fix that we should be able to take care of this weekend, and the other is a bit more complicated -- replacing the flashing around our chimney. We should be able to handle it, but it saddens me because I feel like I was getting motivated and gaining momentum about getting the bedroom fixed up, and dealing with the leaks will throw a monkey-wrench into my plans. Monkey-wrenches in my plans knock me out of sorts and make me temporarily depressed.
I'm off work today, waiting for the waterproofing guys to arrive so they can do some more (free!) work on the basement. Also fixin' to cook up a large breakfast with lots of eggs and biscuits. And fake sausage and juice. If the grass is dry enough later on I'll cut the grass. Maybe do a little work on the bedroom closet.
Wow, what a boring post! Sorry, it's what's going on. Looking forward to our trip to the Lou! I decided yesterday that I'm gonna take the Jeanners on a dinner date when we get there...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Into the Boudoir
The J-Dog and I are starting to work on the bedroom, which is pretty exciting. The bathroom isn't finished yet, but it's at a decent stopping point, and hashing out the details of the bathroom really brings the major work to a halt, and we'd really like to move into the bedroom sometime this summer. So -- onward and upward.
The last couple of nights, I watched a fairly lengthy 10 part interview with David Foster Wallace on the Youtubes, and I realized who he reminds me of: Schmor. A very self-conscious, socially uncomfortable, straight Schmor. But anyway, while listening to him in the interview, I got the same sort of feeling that I used to get while listening to Schmor, both in and out of class: that you are listening to someone very intelligent and interesting speak about things about which they have thought and felt deeply. And at the same time, they're completely down to earth, funny, dirty, and conversational.
I'm feeling a bit down this evening. Bored. Tired. I think I'll kick back with a G&T and some reading and sit in the living room with loud tunes on. I'm off work tomorrow, and planning on doing some work in the bedroom. Pulling down plaster, which is pretty shitty, indeed. But it will be good to get it done.
What else has been going on? Anything? Hmmm. We're heading to St. Louis in a couple of weeks for a visit, which we're looking forward to. My boss brought his kids to work today for "bring your kids to work" day, and they were pretty damned cute. I ate lunch with them. He has a 10-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. We chatted about Justin Bieber and Avatar. I told the daughter that I think Justin Bieber needs a haircut and she said that's why she likes him. Ha!
The last couple of nights, I watched a fairly lengthy 10 part interview with David Foster Wallace on the Youtubes, and I realized who he reminds me of: Schmor. A very self-conscious, socially uncomfortable, straight Schmor. But anyway, while listening to him in the interview, I got the same sort of feeling that I used to get while listening to Schmor, both in and out of class: that you are listening to someone very intelligent and interesting speak about things about which they have thought and felt deeply. And at the same time, they're completely down to earth, funny, dirty, and conversational.
I'm feeling a bit down this evening. Bored. Tired. I think I'll kick back with a G&T and some reading and sit in the living room with loud tunes on. I'm off work tomorrow, and planning on doing some work in the bedroom. Pulling down plaster, which is pretty shitty, indeed. But it will be good to get it done.
What else has been going on? Anything? Hmmm. We're heading to St. Louis in a couple of weeks for a visit, which we're looking forward to. My boss brought his kids to work today for "bring your kids to work" day, and they were pretty damned cute. I ate lunch with them. He has a 10-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. We chatted about Justin Bieber and Avatar. I told the daughter that I think Justin Bieber needs a haircut and she said that's why she likes him. Ha!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Lost in the Supermarket
A lazy Saturday night tonight. The jeanners is on the phone with her friend, the Geners. I've got some tunes on, up pretty loud. Listening to a little bit of the Clash, some Beck, and some Coldplay. So far. Now a little Bowie action.
Not too much new or exciting going on. Had work today, which was fine, middle-of-the-month boring. But fine. I've worked a little bit on some music over the last week or so, with no decent results. It's been a little depressing, actually, the lack of any inspiration or results. I'm going back and forth between "go down and work on some tunes a little bit every day, even if there are no results" and "take a break, give it some time, and put in the work when you feel excited." Not sure which is the right direction to pursue, but I'm leaning toward the "putting in a little effort every day" option.
Finished up the DFW interview book. It made me look forward to eventually reading the last novel he was working on, "The Pale King," which I was initially not too excited about. Unfinished posthumous things usually leave me feeling a little bit cheated. But now I just feel like really diving into some DFW language for a little while longer.
TOMORROW: A tasty breakfast of eggs and fake sausage, biscuits, juice. I'll spend the day working in the bathroom, trying to get some inset shelves to work out, and the Jeanners is going to put in some more quality time on the garden, and will also be giving me direction on the bathroom work. She actually cares how things look. Silly girl.
I would like to say that I know very little about trees and flowers. However, I really like the azaleas that are blooming in the yard. They make me happy. You are all hereby invited to come sit on the porch with me and enjoy the azaleas.
Not too much new or exciting going on. Had work today, which was fine, middle-of-the-month boring. But fine. I've worked a little bit on some music over the last week or so, with no decent results. It's been a little depressing, actually, the lack of any inspiration or results. I'm going back and forth between "go down and work on some tunes a little bit every day, even if there are no results" and "take a break, give it some time, and put in the work when you feel excited." Not sure which is the right direction to pursue, but I'm leaning toward the "putting in a little effort every day" option.
Finished up the DFW interview book. It made me look forward to eventually reading the last novel he was working on, "The Pale King," which I was initially not too excited about. Unfinished posthumous things usually leave me feeling a little bit cheated. But now I just feel like really diving into some DFW language for a little while longer.
TOMORROW: A tasty breakfast of eggs and fake sausage, biscuits, juice. I'll spend the day working in the bathroom, trying to get some inset shelves to work out, and the Jeanners is going to put in some more quality time on the garden, and will also be giving me direction on the bathroom work. She actually cares how things look. Silly girl.
I would like to say that I know very little about trees and flowers. However, I really like the azaleas that are blooming in the yard. They make me happy. You are all hereby invited to come sit on the porch with me and enjoy the azaleas.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
No Sleep 'til Brooklyn
I did not sleep well last night for several reasons. And I think that talking about those reasons will fill you in on everything that's going on right now:
1) I bought some fake hot dogs from Trader Joe's yesterday. They are actually called veggie protein links. They are Satan's food. The gas that they gave me sucked for a variety of reasons: A) There was lots of it. B) It stank bad. C) It hurt my tummy. D) Every fart I cut made me feel like I was pooping in my underwear.
It's strange though, because I'm craving hot dogs so bad right now that I have the package of veggie protein links in front of me on the table, and I want to cook some up and eat them -- despite the fact that I know they taste like the vaguest approximation of a hotdog, and despite the fact that as recently as 3 hours ago I sat on the toilet and vowed to never ever eat them again. Satan's food.
2) There is a position that will be opening up at my place of employment in the near future, and it is a position that I have expressed interest in before, and I fear that the long-term future of the position I currently hold is in jeopardy. So this morning I went up to work and told my (relatively new) boss that I was interested. We'll see if anything happens with it. It would be a lateral move for me, and it might involve a pay cut, and there are other people interested in the job, so there are lots of proverbial shoes that are still waiting to proverbially drop.
So I was thinking about that a lot last night.
3) I received in the mail yesterday a notice from the Circuit Court for Baltimore City Jury Commissioner that on April 1st I failed to report for jury duty and that they were going to fine me a thousand dollars and put me in jail for 60 days. OK, actually it said that those things were the maximum penalty for not showing up for jury duty, and it turns out that all I had to do was call today and reschedule my jury duty (July 14th. Bastille Day!), but nonetheless it helped keep me awake last night. As I said to the J-Dog, I wouldn't be able to make it in prison.
4) I got this book yesterday, about DFW. And it kept me awake because I was both thinking about it as I was in bed and also reading it during my numerous I-think-I-might-have-just-pooped-in-my-PJ's-and-I'd-better-go-check bathroom trips.
That's all. That's the stuff that was going on last night. And I really didn't mind it too much, because I'm off work today and I can nap if I want to, and because the Jeanners was having trouble sleeping, too, so we would chat briefly and hold hands while we both laid awake.
1) I bought some fake hot dogs from Trader Joe's yesterday. They are actually called veggie protein links. They are Satan's food. The gas that they gave me sucked for a variety of reasons: A) There was lots of it. B) It stank bad. C) It hurt my tummy. D) Every fart I cut made me feel like I was pooping in my underwear.
It's strange though, because I'm craving hot dogs so bad right now that I have the package of veggie protein links in front of me on the table, and I want to cook some up and eat them -- despite the fact that I know they taste like the vaguest approximation of a hotdog, and despite the fact that as recently as 3 hours ago I sat on the toilet and vowed to never ever eat them again. Satan's food.
2) There is a position that will be opening up at my place of employment in the near future, and it is a position that I have expressed interest in before, and I fear that the long-term future of the position I currently hold is in jeopardy. So this morning I went up to work and told my (relatively new) boss that I was interested. We'll see if anything happens with it. It would be a lateral move for me, and it might involve a pay cut, and there are other people interested in the job, so there are lots of proverbial shoes that are still waiting to proverbially drop.
So I was thinking about that a lot last night.
3) I received in the mail yesterday a notice from the Circuit Court for Baltimore City Jury Commissioner that on April 1st I failed to report for jury duty and that they were going to fine me a thousand dollars and put me in jail for 60 days. OK, actually it said that those things were the maximum penalty for not showing up for jury duty, and it turns out that all I had to do was call today and reschedule my jury duty (July 14th. Bastille Day!), but nonetheless it helped keep me awake last night. As I said to the J-Dog, I wouldn't be able to make it in prison.
4) I got this book yesterday, about DFW. And it kept me awake because I was both thinking about it as I was in bed and also reading it during my numerous I-think-I-might-have-just-pooped-in-my-PJ's-and-I'd-better-go-check bathroom trips.
That's all. That's the stuff that was going on last night. And I really didn't mind it too much, because I'm off work today and I can nap if I want to, and because the Jeanners was having trouble sleeping, too, so we would chat briefly and hold hands while we both laid awake.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Climate Mood Swings
So it was like 90 degrees here a few days ago. Then we had a storm and it dropped down to like 40-50 degrees. Now today it was a pleasant 75ish. Delightful.
When it was cold, the jeanners and I decided to have a fire, because 1) I love fireplaces and I've wanted to have one the entire time we've been here 2) The soil in our future garden needs many pounds of wood ash dumped on it so it will get some nutrients and grow tomatoes as big as, well, big tomatoes, and 3) we have lots of bundled up sticks from the Great Tree Felling of '10 that we want to get rid of. The fire looked sort of like this:
But not really because it was actually much darker in the room (except for the fire part).
Today on the delightfully sunny, pleasant day, the Jeanners and I were finally able to rent a tiller and turn up the soil for our future garden. Jeannie's pretty damned excited. She's been waiting for a garden of her own for a long time. Using the tiller was hard work, but it went pretty well. I was very impressed with the J-Dog's tilling. I thought the tiller would throw her around a little bit, but she was totally manhandling that thing around. She's tough like that. This picture, however, makes it look like the tiller is about to take off down the street and she's trying to stop it. She wouldn't let me post it on Facebook:
Last night we had tickets to go see David Sedaris down at the Meyerhoff Symphony hall. He was reading from a bunch of his stuff. It was pretty good. Neither of us are slobbering fans, but we enjoy listening to him when he's on the radio, and last night's event was kind of like listening to him on the radio but you could see him. Oh, and in person he's allowed to say FREAKY MUTHAFOCKA. He also talked about how if you die at home alone with your dog, your dog will wait a few hours and then eat your face.
When it was cold, the jeanners and I decided to have a fire, because 1) I love fireplaces and I've wanted to have one the entire time we've been here 2) The soil in our future garden needs many pounds of wood ash dumped on it so it will get some nutrients and grow tomatoes as big as, well, big tomatoes, and 3) we have lots of bundled up sticks from the Great Tree Felling of '10 that we want to get rid of. The fire looked sort of like this:
But not really because it was actually much darker in the room (except for the fire part).
Today on the delightfully sunny, pleasant day, the Jeanners and I were finally able to rent a tiller and turn up the soil for our future garden. Jeannie's pretty damned excited. She's been waiting for a garden of her own for a long time. Using the tiller was hard work, but it went pretty well. I was very impressed with the J-Dog's tilling. I thought the tiller would throw her around a little bit, but she was totally manhandling that thing around. She's tough like that. This picture, however, makes it look like the tiller is about to take off down the street and she's trying to stop it. She wouldn't let me post it on Facebook:
Last night we had tickets to go see David Sedaris down at the Meyerhoff Symphony hall. He was reading from a bunch of his stuff. It was pretty good. Neither of us are slobbering fans, but we enjoy listening to him when he's on the radio, and last night's event was kind of like listening to him on the radio but you could see him. Oh, and in person he's allowed to say FREAKY MUTHAFOCKA. He also talked about how if you die at home alone with your dog, your dog will wait a few hours and then eat your face.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Red Snapper
Ugh, my belly's too full, full of biscuits that I accidentally burnt. I think our toaster oven's on crack, because lately its baking/toasting times have been less than predictable. Oh well, added adventure to the day. Anyway, my belly's full of biscuits and eggs and fake sausage and it's uncomfortable.
I have spent the day mostly working outside. I fired up the lawnmower and trimmer for the first time and cut the grass this morning. Not too bad, about 45 minutes to cut it and 45 minutes to trim, then 15 minutes to sweep up. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that "lawnmower" was one of the first words I ever learned to say. I could say it before I could even say my sisters' names, "Peggy" and "Patty."
Then this afternoon I've been finishing cutting up the remaining branches from the Great Tree Felling of '10, and raking the last of our autumn leaves into the compost bin that the J-Dog built:
Red Snapper, by the way, is the latest nickname that I've given the J-Dog. Monday night I was super tired from staying up too late on Sunday night (more on that later) and I was laying in bed, and the Jeanners was sitting in the living room and I was kind of deliriously joking with her that I was going to start calling her Red Snapper because she gets angry and turns red and starts snapping at me. Most of that is untrue (except for the snapping part), however. I don't think Red Snapper is going to stick as a nickname, but I've been enjoying it the last few days.
Sunday night I was up too late because I bought some concert tickets for Midlake down in DC and after I got off work, Abbey and Brian G and myself drove down and caught the show. It was really pretty damned good, although I have no idea how they make any money because there's 7 guys in the band and the club they were playing was pretty small. The keyboardist looked kind of like PKP. The drums on their albums are sometimes a little boring, but I thought the drummer rocked during the show, especially the song "Core of Nature," during which I almost shit my pants because it built up to such a stirring conclusion. Anyway, I didn't get home until after 1am (and I rushed into the house and made a little bit of a racket because I had to poop so bad (I thought I was going to poop in my pants for real after dropping Abbey off), so after I pooped I didn't get to bed until around 1:30. And then I had to get up at 5:45 for work in the morning. So I was tired, which eventually led to the delirious Red Snapper comments later that night, etc, etc.
My typing has really deteriorated. I hope it's because I've got the laptop at an awkward angle on my lap and not because I've had a stroke.
The biscuits are slowly making their way in a southerly direction, and I'm afraid I must go now.
I have spent the day mostly working outside. I fired up the lawnmower and trimmer for the first time and cut the grass this morning. Not too bad, about 45 minutes to cut it and 45 minutes to trim, then 15 minutes to sweep up. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that "lawnmower" was one of the first words I ever learned to say. I could say it before I could even say my sisters' names, "Peggy" and "Patty."
Then this afternoon I've been finishing cutting up the remaining branches from the Great Tree Felling of '10, and raking the last of our autumn leaves into the compost bin that the J-Dog built:
Red Snapper, by the way, is the latest nickname that I've given the J-Dog. Monday night I was super tired from staying up too late on Sunday night (more on that later) and I was laying in bed, and the Jeanners was sitting in the living room and I was kind of deliriously joking with her that I was going to start calling her Red Snapper because she gets angry and turns red and starts snapping at me. Most of that is untrue (except for the snapping part), however. I don't think Red Snapper is going to stick as a nickname, but I've been enjoying it the last few days.
Sunday night I was up too late because I bought some concert tickets for Midlake down in DC and after I got off work, Abbey and Brian G and myself drove down and caught the show. It was really pretty damned good, although I have no idea how they make any money because there's 7 guys in the band and the club they were playing was pretty small. The keyboardist looked kind of like PKP. The drums on their albums are sometimes a little boring, but I thought the drummer rocked during the show, especially the song "Core of Nature," during which I almost shit my pants because it built up to such a stirring conclusion. Anyway, I didn't get home until after 1am (and I rushed into the house and made a little bit of a racket because I had to poop so bad (I thought I was going to poop in my pants for real after dropping Abbey off), so after I pooped I didn't get to bed until around 1:30. And then I had to get up at 5:45 for work in the morning. So I was tired, which eventually led to the delirious Red Snapper comments later that night, etc, etc.
My typing has really deteriorated. I hope it's because I've got the laptop at an awkward angle on my lap and not because I've had a stroke.
The biscuits are slowly making their way in a southerly direction, and I'm afraid I must go now.
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