Sunday, June 30, 2002
amy and i called it quits last week. it was a mutual decision that's been a long time coming. it just wasn't what the kind of relationship either of us wanted, you know? i should say that it was generally, overall, a pleasant eight months - but it's pretty clear we get along better on a 'just friends' level. on the other hand, break-ups - even the amicable, mutual sort - always leave me vaguely depressed. whatever... practical upshot is that i'm single again. fun.
let's do the google-meme! here we go: Allen is a journalist, musician, composer, computer guru and former nightclub owner. Allen is a 4th generation nurseryman and a professionally trained garden designer. Allen is now helping establish an integrated customer support department. Allen is often described as the most accomplished British baritone. Allen is obsessed with the search engine and all of its possibilities. Allen is presenting at this year's software-development conference. Allen is able to laugh at the moniker rather than be bothered by it. Allen is a multidisciplinary artist in the truest sense of the term. Allen is just the right person to lead our architecture school. Allen's research breaks down into two main subareas. Allen is the answer you probably already know. Allen is in the final stages of work on his book. Allen is the love of my life and best friend. Allen is the free-agent surprise of 2002. Allen is new vice chairman. Allen is doing just fine. Allen is interviewed. Allen is warped. Allen is online. Allen is good!
some thoughts on seeing brazil win the world cup this morning: • great game, but germany didn't have much of a chance. brazil was too... dynamic. • the world cup trophy is not a cup. it's a strange, phallic statue of a globe supported by caryatids. • upon winning, the brazilians prayed a lot. i mean, a lot. and they did things like write "100% jesus" on their jerseys. i guess winning the world cup is a good photo op for god, if you're into that. which the whole brazilian team obviously is. • there was a conspicuous lack of family on the field after the game. no wives, no girlfriends, no children, no parents. just players and coaches and photographers. here in the u.s., when a team wins the superbowl or the world series, whole families run onto the field, and the players pick up their kids and kiss their wives... maybe there's a rule against that at the world cup, maybe the whole brazilian team are bachelors and orphans and just have no families. i don't know. anyway. seemed strange. Friday, June 28, 2002
i just saw a woman fall down one flight of a metal fire escape on my building. sideways, kind of, as if she was looking out at the parking lot (where i happened to be, looking up at the building) and she just zoned out and fell sideways down the stairs, headfirst. and she didn't just collapse, she thump-thump-thumped all the way down to the next landing. there were several people nearby, and an ambulance came pretty quickly. last i saw, she seemed responsive, so... hope she's ok...
an unusually challenging friday five today: When was the last time you... 1. ...sent a handwritten letter? can't even recall. but it was probably just a thank you note. 2. ...baked something from scratch or made something by hand? i attempted to make pecan pralines last week. they weren't even too bad. 3. ...camped in a tent? no idea. i was never into camping much. 4. ...volunteered your time to church, school, or community? i've done lots of pro-bono design work for friends, including a report cover last week for the new mayor's office and a travel-mug design last night for the tulane med school green club. 5. ...helped a stranger? i've held lots of doors, does that count? Thursday, June 27, 2002
warchalking seems like an interesting idea. but not too interesting, since i don't have a wireless network card. or a notebook computer. along similar lines, geocaching also seems pretty cool. (but i don't have a gps, either.) Wednesday, June 26, 2002
this has just been one of those doldrums weeks so far, the kind when i've thought about things to write here, but the ideas have never fully formed, nothing has seemed worth the effort to post. there's been a lot going on for me to think about lately, some facing up to realities and such. but all contemplation and no writing makes unapologetic a dull blog, so in lieu of the aforementioned nothing, i'll tell you a small story. yesterday after work, i was driving in downtown new orleans, and i passed a bronze statue on loyola avenue near the superdome, a memorial to louisiana soldiers lost in the spanish-american war. there was a man walking around in front of it- tall, professional-looking, grey suit, red tie, nice shoes. he was holding up some sort of identification card or certificate in a folding wallet-type case, holding it up for everyone and no one in particular to see, arm outstretched and quivering with a great deal of conviction, or zeal, or defiance... or something. intrigued, i watched him in my rear view mirror as i made a u-turn near his intersection; he folded up his document, put it neatly in his suit coat pocket, pivoted north, away from the statue, and gave a great big, exaggerated military salute that seemed like it might knock him down. as i made a right turn on red at the light immediately across from him, he was standing directly in front of the statue, arms folded across his chest imposingly. like a bodyguard or a bouncer, head tilted back, and peering disapprovingly at traffic down the bridge of his nose.
so the pledge of allegiance might be unconstitutional. only in the west, however. we'll have to wait and see what the supreme court will say about this... i suppose "in god we trust" goes next. i can see the rationale in the decision, from a purely constitutional perspective, and i can't say i'd miss the "under god" bit in anything but a nostalgic sort of way, but i would be surprised if the supremes uphold it. Sunday, June 23, 2002
a captivating animation. (it was better than antz. i'd see it again...and again...and again.) Friday, June 21, 2002
another friday, another friday five: 1. do you live in a house, an apartment or a condo? condo. 2. do you rent or own? i own. sort of. 3. does anyone else live with you? nope. 4. how many times have you moved in your life? five. 5. what are your plans for this weekend? clean, do laundry, read, and work on the ever-elusive portfolio. amy had a potluck party at her new apartment last night, and it was pretty nice. i went all out, and made a salad (romain lettuce, bleu cheese and candied pecans), fried green tomatoes with remoulade sauce, and a strawberries and angelfood parfait thing. it all went over really well. good party, too - ended up staying over there till about 2. then i got up at six and watched the world cup this morning. the u.s. lost, but it was a good game. they played hard, so it wasn't an embarassing loss by any means - germany was just everywhere. damn. Thursday, June 20, 2002
new orleans is a sweaty city. we're third in the country, in fact. but then, i could've told you that by just walking outside. and my cable connection at home is out again. grrr. the cable tv's fine, just the net connection is down - this happened about this time last year, too - and after spending an hour on the phone with tech support, all they can tell me is that it's a signal strength issue and to wait until they can get a technician out. great. just great. oh, well. i'll be alright. i'm not completely sure i believe it, but i hear there's plenty to do offline... Wednesday, June 19, 2002
the music industry makes me sick, sick, sick. because of things like this. Monday, June 17, 2002
wow. i watched the world cup again last night, this time on univision, in spanish - and i can all of a sudden see myself becoming a soccer fan, something i've avoided up to this point. but maybe that's just euphoria from watching the u.s. team whoop up on mexico this morning. i like the beach. i don't make it out there often enough, but it's nice. it was a pleasant weekend, and i got to do some good reading on design-type things. ahhhhh. Friday, June 14, 2002
"The church is about reconcilation. Its highest priority can't be driving out the pedophiles," the official said. no? well then, fuck you, john paul, and the church you rode in on. as if i needed another reason to distance myself even further from a silly, silly, antiquated, absurd, embarassing religion like catholicism. would someone please tell me what else the 'highest priority' could possibly be? avoiding scandal? a bit late for that, eh? on that note, i'm going to the beach for the weekend with my family for father's day. have a good one.
the friday five returns, with a particularly dumb bunch of questions: 1. how often do you do laundry? only when driven to do so by necessity. 2. what's in a typical wash load? clothes? 3. front or top loader? powder or liquid detergent? front. liquid. 4. do you use fabric softener in the rinse cycle? what, like woolite? no. dryer sheets, baby. 5. dryer or clothesline? um, dryer. do people still have clotheslines?
i watched a few world cup matches last night / this morning - mexico vs. italy, russia vs. belgium, and tunisia vs. japan. it was pretty interesting, even though i'm not a huge fan of the sport. some people, though, are taking the world cup way too seriously. Thursday, June 13, 2002
she's ba-aaack... Tuesday, June 11, 2002
it never changes - even when i take a mini, 4 question version of the meyers-briggs test, no surprises: my"bloginality" is infp.
lest all that negative energy down there get anyone down: yes, i realize things could be much worse, and yes, i'm ok in general, and yes i should stop feeling sorry for myself. but i'm still entitled to a bad day every now and then, damnit.
i try to keep my weblog as free as possible from the more petty, personal/emotional day-to-day bullshit, in favor of more interesting or funny or substantive stuff. which does not mean i don't have plenty of petty personal/emotional day-to-day bullshit. on the contrary, i do. and some days, i've just had enough of it. i am in a bad mood. i am having a bad, bad, incredibly frustrating day. i am frustrated with other people (generally and specifically), with my life (generally and specifically), with my own weakness and the irrational paralysis by which i manage to avoid doing what needs to be done. nothing is going as planned. this fact is, of course, exclusively my own fault. i nearly screamed out loud this morning when i checked my mail and got the usual flood of spam. everything i say to anyone today comes out spitefull and vitriolic. even when i'm actively trying to be pleasant. this post, for example. fuck.
spent most of this last weekend,and then some of last night, painting walls. walls at amy's new apartment. i had never really painted anything like a wall before, with rollers and primer and big gallons of latex, but it turned out pretty well. dark blue and light blue and gold, just for the hell of it - it looks pretty cool, in a trading spaces sort of way. without all the tablecloths-turned-drapes and d.i.y.-upholstery and all that nonsense. and with amy in place of laurie hickson-smith. if i learned one thing, it's this: it's all about the second coat. Monday, June 10, 2002
i can't get over this clip. if you ever played with transformers as a kid, it's like a dream come true. even if you didn't, it's a damn fine piece of work. (though for all that effort, the sounds could be better...) oh, and this nyt article is making the rounds: warblogs ? whatever. play nice, kids. Saturday, June 08, 2002
  my southpark-self. UPDATE: now with southpark-amy!! link via the inimitable melly. Thursday, June 06, 2002
despite the deep, symbiotic relationship that exists between me and my beloved olympus e-10, i just couldn't resist a sale-priced lomo action sampler. i don't know about you, but i'm excited. it's all about intuition, fortuity, shooting from the hip... Wednesday, June 05, 2002
arbitrary decision phone calls ... what a genius idea! i think everyone should do this, who's ever had trouble keeping in touch with old friends. if you're an old friend of mine and we haven't talked in a while, don't be surprised if i call and ask you whether i should get a diet coke or a diet barqs, or whether i should take the expressway home or not. (via b-may)
though i'm usually loathe to post silly online quiz stuff, personality tests always seem to get me - i'm fascinated by how people who are seemingly so individual and idiosyncratic can be fit into a few archetypes and categorizations. so anyway, i found this compatibility quiz thing over at listen missy today ...how compatible with me are you? leave me a [c]omment if you take it... Tuesday, June 04, 2002
i'm not sure i've ever seen anything quite this bizarre and scary on the web before. ever. if it's a hoax or a joke, it's still a bit too well-researched-sounding for my comfort. just wrong.(via fark)
so you've always known your local top 40, "hot" country, "urban jams" and "alternative" radio stations are playing the same shite songs over and over and over ... well now, here are the proof and the numbers: this music industry site lists all those bad corporate songs, and how often each commercial station plays them. with a few exceptions, it's a comprehensive list of all the engineered for consumption, over-processed, assembly-line sound-alike crap out there today. all the more reason to listen to and support public and college radio stations like wtul and wwoz. Monday, June 03, 2002
tired and sore today. i spent most of the weekend helping amy move into her new apartment. i guess june first is moving day everywhere, or at least in any city with much of an academic community - semesters and leases ending and all... with tulane, loyola and xavier universities all in uptown new orleans, it was hard to drive a block this weekend without seeing a u-haul or an suv with mattresses tied to the top. i drove one of each. it's also the best time of year for scavengers - plenty of junk furniture on streetcorners, if 'frat-house chic' is your thing.
thankfully, i managed to do more than just move furniture all weekend - i made my independent film acting debut in a short little tongue-in-cheek movie about existentialism my friends dan and beth were making . i played the only non-existential character, described as "cheerful and boisterous". my one scene consists of my character making his entrance, being cheerful and boisterous, and then dying. something about irony... (he dies offscreen, thank god, so i didn't have to play possum.) i learned that i can't act for crap (ok, i pretty much knew that going in), but hey, this was just kind of a lark anyway and nobody really cares. and it was fun, and a nice change of pace. and best of all, it's pretty damn unlikely that anyone i know will ever see it. |