Thursday, February 28, 2008

HELLZ YES!

Ah gawt an offer from a prestigious Environmental Organization ta be a Program Assistant today!!!!!!

ah cannot explain how relieved n excited ah am that this has finally happened....aftah 4 fawkin months, somebody has finally recognized that ah would be a kickass full-time employee. N while ah would prolly take just about any offer ah gawt at this point in time, this is a group ah would LOVE ta werk fer.

AND tha place ahm currently tempin wants ta talk ta me tomorrow about possibly makin me full-time cuz my boss loves my work n my personality. My guess is - they can't make me an offer tomorrow, even tho if they could, it would pay me WAY WAY more then tha place that did. HOWEVAH, ahve been here too long ta turn down a real offer, fer a job ah want, fer a potential bettah offer at a job ah also want. Maybe if ahd only been here 2 months, ahd be willin ta take a chance, but my loyalty lies w. whoevah ken pay me a livin wage...guaranteed. N that would be door numbah 1.....

but its like a weight has been lifted. Ah can't describe how good it feels ta finally have this stuipd job thang taken care of. N now ah ken officially start lookin fer new digs in tha city.

My life is comin togetha, n ah am eternally grateful fer these opportunities, n tha support of my friends during this entire transition. It's hard ta nawt think ah made tha right move leavin my comfortable and happy (but easy) life in NOVA fer tha great trendy unknown.

Much love and appreciation fer you, my friends, n to tha universe fer bringin us togetha. Sometimes life is hard...sometimes life is shitty...sometimes life is good....n right now, LIFE IS AWESOME!

thursday will be a tuff day

It's 1 am, ahm prolly at least 30, if nawt more like 60, minutes from sleep. See below post, n you'll know that ah hafta be at werk at 9 am (meanin, out tha house ABSOLUTELY nae latah then 8:05). Howevah, ahm pretty sure Warren Teagarden recently rawked tha Stork Club, n ah sorta have pictures ta prove it (altho most of them are fuzzy).

Yoga was switched ta tomorrow as well, as an act of universe synchronicity. But this means nawt only will ah need ta be out my house in 7 hours, but tha ah wont be back here till past 9 pm tomorrow; that day includes 8 hours o work (likely data entry), a phone call w. a potential employer, 2 hours of commute, 90 minutes of bikram (which ah haven't been ta since Sat), n cleanin tha studio (45ish mins., depending). This all before ah have dinnah, relax, n process everythang from today n tomorrow.

As busy as this current life ah have is keepin me, ah hafta admit, ahm pretty fawkin happy. Which was tha point of movin out here, rite?



Also - It's been exactly four months since ah gawt here. Ah arrived Oct. 27th (which incidentally is tha date of tha last think13 "balance" performance), ahm on tha verge of somethang. Ah ken totally feel it. Bein on stage 5 times this year is nice too!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

More Workplace Bullshit

So when my boss starts off a conversation w. "It's come to my attention that," its nawt a good thang. Howevah, being that ahve been a pretty good lil employee thus far, my brain is sorta like "ah didn't fawk up!"

Well, it's come to my boss' attention that my corporate conservative "casual" office place doesn't allow temps to work unsupervised This is a bummer b/c ah have band practice 1 er 2 times a week in tha city, but nawt until 7 pm. So in tha past, at this job n tha last, ahve been comin in 10 n leavin at 6 on evenins like that, as an hour ta git from one place to anutha is a lawt less time ta kill.

So tha otha two officers in my department were out this mornin, n ah sent my supervisor an email askin if that meant ah had ta take lunch at tha same time as tha otha staff assistant (who, while 2 years my junior, as a REAL employee of my institution, is a supervisor). My boss said he thought that would be stupid, n assumed that, unless he heard othawise, ah was okay ta be in tha office from 9 - 5, which is good, as tha bosses here dae a lawt of travelling.

Well, it came to his attention AGAIN that officer who is here today n tha otha assistant will be leavin at 3:30 fer a meeting. Which means ah hafta leave as well. AND ah can't git paid past when ah leave. So today, ahm out 2 hours of werk (n ah git a good hourly rate here) b/c of stupid corporate rules.

Ta let you know a lil more about tha environment that is bein sublet, ah looked online ta see what this company did. n they invest money in management teams in the 10 - 100 MILLION dollar range. Ah guess tha more money you invest, tha more pleasure you git outta bein a complete douchebag.

Tha one thang ah dae like about this, is my boss pointed out that by treatin me like garbage, ah was WAY more likely ta try n destroy all tha nice thangs in this office then if they just treated me like a human being. But apparently, b/c ahma temp, ah pose GRAVE security issues.

This post brought ta you, on tha companies dime, b/c of bullshit.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Break-ups suck

A couple of weeks ago, think13 played a pretty wild show at a local Irish bar. While our musick was relatively tame, tha nite of daein our own sound, drinkin waay too much, n a stolen handbag was plenty of nutzo. Ah knew before tha nite even began we'd be talkin about that "crazy first nite" at Irelands 32.

Unfortunetly, some of tha crazy gawt a bit big fer its britches.

A good friend of our guitarist had their handbag stolen at that show, n soon aftah all her friends received nasty text messages from tha thief. Luckily, somebody had tha incident on tape.

Nawt so luckily, tha evidence strongly points to tha significant other of one of our hand percussionists. It very clearly shows her putting her bag and jacket on top of the handbag, n then latah, picking it up, revealing tha handbag as missing.

Ahll be honest, this significant otha wasn't my favorite person in tha world (ahm nawt such a fan of girlfriends who sit in on EVERY band practice, especially when they are somewhat of a distraction to tha band member), but ah didn't really think that badly of her. But tha videotape is what tha cops called "a classic case," and its given us a bad name w. tha Irish community. Charges are bein filed, etc. etc.

Our hand percussionist was told he needed ta "take care of it." Unfortunetly, this did nawt translate in his head to "dump yer girlfriend." Ah remembah bein 21, n thinkin that tha relationship ah was in was IT. So ah feel fer tha kid, n identify w. whar he's comin from.

Howevah, while a band is a family, its tha kind of family you CAN choose. And this band, is a bizness to some extent (or will be). And this girlfriend, is a liability.

So, while it broke our hearts (others more then mine, this guy has been w/ think13 for a long long time), we had to make a choice based on his choice. And he's still gawt a girlfriend, but nae band.

In good news fer think13, we just subletted a practice space (a pretty decent one too) in tha city. This is obviously a new beginnin fer us. It just sucks that tha first thang we did in our new practice space is fire a drummer.

N now, tha search is on fer anutha percussionist. Our friend left some fairly big shoes ta fill....

Monday, February 25, 2008

ah skipped yoga today

ah know, ahma horrible person, n ah beg fer yer forgiveness. But ahm damn tired n thars a Warren Teagarden gig on Wed. n ah just didn't feel like 1)daein yoga, n a really didn't feel like 2)gittin home at 8:30.

On anutha hand - Please keep me in your thoughts this week. Ah had a meeting w. tha HR person for a job ahd interviewed for back in January and was told that meeting w. her "was a good sign." Ah also found out today that my current temp assignment has been given tha green light to potentially become permanent, n know that my current boss is very pleased with my work. Wed (same nite as my show) is tha 4 month anniversary of landing out here in tha SF Bay, n ah feel like a puzzle piece is oh-so-close ta bein in place. Ahm excited at tha potential for some REAL employment, but don't want ta git my hopes up too much until ah git a real offer....

On tha third hand, ah found out that my insurance, NCOA is known fer bein a sketchy jerkface that doesn't deliver on its promises, currently w. ovah a hundred Better Business Bureau claims against it. tomorrow ah hafta fax a copy of my police report, but am worried that they may send me a bad replacement (as ahve read they are notorious for).

Sunday, February 24, 2008

It really is tha little thangs....

Ahd like ta speak briefly about three relatively little thangs that have GREATLY increased my quality of life in tha recent future.

1)The Vornado Digital Vortext Heater that ah bought recently to combat rising heating prices in my home. While far from perfect, this compact and quiet heater turns my room or basement from a freezing space ta somethang downrite bearable, n relatively quickly too!

2)Rain pants. A friend of my landlady recently donated her pair to me b/c ahd mentioned bikin in tha rain kinda SUCKS! Altho it is a bit disturbin that ah ken fit intae size XS of ANYTHANG!

3)A good shower head. Recently ahd been strugglin against a piece of shite showah head that barely dropped watah out of it. B.c of tha low pressure, it also took ages ta git hawt, n was sometimes a very finely-tuned process of showerin. Howevah, ah just showered in somethang thas been installed in tha last few days, n it was WONDAHFUL! Honestly, if ahd been told "rent is gaein up 50 bux a month BUT ahm puttin in a new showah head" ahd prolly conceeded!

numbah 4 is a certain card issued by an oakland non-profit that ah can't find a good enuff link to ta make it worthwhile.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Corporate Conservative Casual

Does this sound 1984-ish to you? Er at tha very least, like a made-up oxymoron?

So ah werk in a posh office at tha moment, fer a well-known institution, in thar West Coast Development office (any more info then that could git me in trouble). My current employer is a leasee on a few offices and cube spaces in a two-story bay on a pier in SF's Embarcadero. This office is SUPAH posh, on Monday's we git free leftovah lunch, thars fully stocked sodas, coffee, tea, snacks (including Nature Valley Bars, chips, fruit, and yogurt), n apparently our kitchen is modeled aftah tha ownahs PERSONAL kitchen. Fer reasons ah don't remembah, thars even a piano, drum set, bass guitar + amp and electric guitar + amp IN my office (which are, obviously off-limits. N horribly, HORRIBLY temptin, but ahm nawt stupid.)

Howevah, this poshness comes w. a price. Some time durin my first week, ah wore a pretty conservative sweater to work, n my boss told me he was pretty sure thar was a collared shirt requirement at tha office. So ah now always wear a collared shirt....its nawt that my boss cares, but tha office does.

Although ah don't think any of us knew how much they cared. Apprently tha office manger talked to one of our guys yestahday, which resulted in this email:

"Just a friendly reminder to us all that we are in subleased space. As
you may have noticed, there has been an increase in visitors to _name witheld_.
In any event, we need to keep in mind that we are in a professional
environment and our attire and appearance should reflect that. The
guests of _name withheld_ do not necessarily know the distinction
between the _my employers_ space/staff downstairs and the rest of the office
here at Bay X. Though we may not be having _my employer_ visitors daily, we
should dress appropriately since _name withheld_ often has business
clients coming through the space. We also want to be respectful of our
hospitable hosts. FYI, they do notice what we wear! (For guidance, below
is a memo from _a place_ regarding attire.)

Another reminder that under no circumstances should we be using the
musical instruments that are in the building. It has come to the
attention of _name withheld_ that musical instruments were used last
night without permission
(This totally WASNT ME). The instruments are valuable and private property. Our arrangement is primarily for the offices and cubes.
Lastly, a reminder that we should only be going upstairs for access to
the restrooms.

As you'll note below, _my boss_ has a "Business Casual" dress environment
throughout the entire year with the exception of a
donor/volunteer/faculty meeting or event where more formal business
attire is appropriate.

What's not appropriate for the office?
* jeans (any color)
* shorts (please note that "culottes" are ok only so long as they
are specifically designed as work attire and are knee length or longer
and are conservative in color - khaki, black, navy)
* midriff or cut-off t-shirts, descriptive t-shirts (t-shirts with
pictures, words, slogans or statements), tank or halter tops (please
note that women may wear tasteful, professional sleeveless shirts or
dresses)
* mini skirts
* ragged clothing or footwear
* pool style or athletic style sandals or flip-flops
* athletic / sports wear (sweats, football jerseys, etc.)

_boss-man_ has adopted a business casual dress
environment with the exception of a client meeting/event where business
attire is appropriate. ***Examples of business casual attire are
collared shirt and dress slacks (or khakis) for men and dress slacks,
skirts, or dresses for women, and appropriate footwear.*** Examples of
business attire are collared shirt, tie, suit, jacket or blazer and
dress slacks for men and suit, dress slacks and jacket, skirts, or
dresses for women."


Ah thought this was prety straight forward, n a bit obnoxious of a reminder (n ah have been known ta wear a hoodie ovah my collared shirt cuz its damn cold sometimes), howevah, it apparently wasn't enuff, b/c this email, almost immediately, was responded to by tha office manager:
Thanks _someone more important then me_--

To elaborate on the dress, _name witheld_ has a conservative corporate
casual dress code. It generally follows the guidelines mentioned below
with the addition of clean shaven faces, clean and pressed clothes,
shirts tucked in, and no tennis shoes.

As for the instruments, they are off-limits for
personnel as well -- we've been told that it is grounds for termination
if they are used without permission.


So ah can't help but wondah if tha fact that sometimes ahve fergawten ta shave before werk, n that ah usually DONT tuck my shirt in at werk, has gawten me on someones shit list. But what really gits me is tha term "conservative corporate casual." Thar's pretty much NUTHANG casual about that....except that they aren't requirein a suit jacket n a tie.

Luckily, if ah dae end up werkin w. these folks once they move offices, ah can't imagine this shite bein a problem. Altho ah was a bit annoyed cuz today in tha restroom ah was washin hand next to someone in jeans who did NAWT have a collared shirt.

Anyway, its fawkin friday, tomorrow is band practice mania (back to back WT + think13), n thars a new George Romero Zombie Movie ah can't wait ta see! Happy Friday!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Ah Write Metal Reviews these days....

cross-posted from tha BG

Just barely, n ah don't git paid fer it, but ah dae!

Currently I have two reviews posted on the Metal-Realm.net Reviews page, for the most recent Overkill and Nightwish Albums. While I did these some time ago, I was waiting to hear back from one of tha admins ta make sure they still wanted ta utilize my skillz.

You ken also see them if you just scroll down, thar tha two most recent reviews. Ah hope this is somethang ah ken keep u p fer a while, as it makes me thnk about shite n pushes me towards that "metal-snob" label ahve been gunnin fer.

Monday, February 18, 2008

how ah will know science is finally werkin FER ME

Someone will make a strain of weed that fights nasal congestion. Ah figure once that happens, they'll HAFTA make it legal fer EVERYONE!

Friday, February 15, 2008

WORST VALENTINE'S DAY EVAH!


No really.

Ah hadn't been to yoga since Saturday. Tha Bikram folx recommend 3x a week, or more, n ah really try ta keep ta that. Howevah this Monday, ah just needed a day off, n then was busy w. band practices in conference calls on Tues n Wed. While thar was a MASSIVE PILLOW FIGHT happenin literally across tha street from whar ahm werkin rite now at 6 pm, ah forced myself home on tha BART fer a 6:30 class. Ah was fallin asleep on said BART, yet remembered that it's important fer me ta take care of my body, n that bikram yoga makes me feel really good, n biked a couple miles to tha hawt sweaty room, instead of up tha hill to my warm cozy bed.

My class was pretty okay, n ah had a feelin of unsettlement about me. About two blocks from my closest BART, ah see a kid in his late teens standing on one side of tha path. Gettin closah, ah see anutha one step out from behind a BART support beam, n ah slow down ta swerve away from him. Upon gittin closah, ah realize thars a THIRD one behind tha support beam, n that these kids want what ahve gawt.

As my momentum on tha bike had slowed down, it was too late ta dart off in anutah direction. Ah gawt off my bike so that ah wouldn't be knocked off, n instead of wailing on my asailants, tried to stop them from hitting me, which didn't work. Ah remembah a crash in tha face, relatively weak, n felt my lip git busted n tasted tha blood. While ah can't imagine that my eyes were actually closed, pretty much everythang since then is remembered as blackness (perhaps ah did close them at some point in time).

Ah was wrestled down to tha ground by one of them, who did somethang ta my bicep n focused all his energy on holding me down. Ah was prolly told somethang along tha lines of "yer nawt gaein anywhar," n felt fists and feet on my chest and head. Ah think ah still had my backpack on, n my helmet was startin ta strangle me, so ah focused everythang on gittin it off first (altho this left my head unprotected from some hits). Someone grabbed my phone out of my pocket (ah was leaning against tha pocket whar my wallet was) n they kept askin if ah gave up. Ah did, nawt knowin how long this could continue er how far away help could've been. One of em picked up my bike, n they ran down tha path n around tha cornah. Ah tried to compose myself, n ran aftah them, tryin ta flag down passin cars (at 8:30 pm), but ah couldn't see them by tha time ah gawt around tha cornah. Fortunetly, they'd been waitin just two blocks from tha BART, n ah knew thar would be cops thar. We took a ride in tha direction theyd been headin, n a call was put in that my bike had been found, nae sign of suspects.

Tha Dyna Mo was found literally at tha same post where they'd been waiting, my burts bees lip stuff on tha ground. Tha cops couldn't find anyone, so ah gave them my info, n shakily, biked home.

Tha sheer immaturity of it is what kinda gits me. These kids could NAWT fight, they were weak, n a bit scared. Howevah, thar numbahs were more then ah could possibly handle, n they had surprise on thar side. My guess is they returned tha bike when they saw it had a National Bike Registry stickah on it, n that it could be traced. Of kerse, my phone ken prolly be traced as well, but ah haven't followed up on that yet (ahve spent tha last two hours on tha phone w. internet people cuz our modem is wonky apparently).

Honestly, ahm fine, n totally grateful ah still have my bike. Without that, ahm nawt sure how ahd be coping. Ahm sore as hell, fer sure, n its totally surreal, n ahll prolly be stickin to tha main roads from now on, but ahm really fine, just down a phone. Which ah insured, n pay a small fee so that ah don't lose numbahs, n have suspended service on, so except for tha MASSIVE inconvenience of nawt havin telephone, isn't so bad. Gittin a replacement could take a lil while, as my insurance is through tha National Cellular Owners Association, (ahd nevah heard of them eitha, but bought my phone cheap through an outside vendor) n they have bad bizness hours fer a group that offers insurance, but ah should have a new phone relatively soon.

My landlady's friend told me "that means you've arrived," which is prety much what ah thought when ah was walkin from tha scene of tha crime to tha police. N it does seem like my gittin robbed stories have a similar thread:While it sucks, and sometimes it costs me a lawt of money, tha thangs ah REALLY want are left behind (usually bass guitars, in this case my bike). N if thas tha way tha universe wants ta punish me from time ta time, ah guess ah can't complain.

Anyway friends, be safe. N don't call me, cuz ah won't answah.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Best weekend yet!

First off, on Saturday it was 65 degrees in El Cerrito. On my mornin bike ride to n from yoga ah prolly exclaimed "It's fawkin beautiful," at least three times. Ah also had a surprisingly good morning session, which is not tha norm.

Aftahwerds ah gawt my shite togetha fer a think13 gig at a irish bar literally around tha corner from my singah n geetarist. Ah finally remembered ta bring my camera on tha BART so ah was able ta snap this photo of tha view ah have almost every mornin on a clear day gaein intae tha city (next week ahll try ta take one of tha bay-side):


While it took me gawdamm ferevah ta git intae tha inner richmond district, we had a quick band practice n then headed ovah to Ireland's 32, wherein we were presented w. some monitors, a bag of mics n cables, n an 8 track. While thar was some initial confusion, we ended up gittin a pretty good sound out of tha equipment by ourselves.

Tha gig went awesome, as far as ah ken tell, even w. our singah bein ill. Ah met a bunch of fun people, n tha songs felt SOLID, fer tha first time yet w. these folks. Before n aftah tha actual show, ah made some bass noise w. my percussionists, which kept me busy (n stopped me from drinkin too much. What also stopped me from drinkin too much is ah kept bein told how much drinks cost...while tha rest of tha bands drank fer free. Complete bollocks, n ah won't stand fer it next time).

Tha nite didn't stop thar, as a few people we're affiliated w. gawt what ahm gaein ta term "Irish Drunk," n did thar best ta let everyone on tha street know it. We also went fer pizza about a dozen times. In tha mornin, we spent a few minutes rawkin out on some new tunes, n then ah had a delicious and healthy lunch.

Aftahwerds ah went a bit furtha east intae tha city n met up w. tha SF Young Adult UU folk, most of whom ahd nevah met. Thar was a ton of people from tha New England area, includin someone that even lives just down tha street from me. Ah finally made my sweaty stinky n slightly hungovah self back to my house, showered up, n headed out ta see There Will Be Blood b/c ah just NOW found out that its a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (ahm on tha otha side of tha country from my fellow cinephile friends, :-( ) n it knocked me out. Marvelously well-made, n definitely tha most straight-ahead (and minimalistic) of PTA's movies since Hard 8, but it's really tha story of a man who goes from slightly conniving to downright despicable. Tha ending hits like a brick. Ah only recommend it to those who love film for films sake. Tha sound is really well-done also, but ah can't imagine watching all 158 minutes of it again.

So now, its just shy of midnite, ah have development werk ta dae this week n hopefully then some. End of this month is a fully electric Warren Teagarden gig, n hopefully a bday gig in mid-march w. think13 at Ireland's 32 again. Ahm slammin busy as it stands, n really really happy about it.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Sometimes, ya gawta be an asshole....

Good thang ahma natural at it!

A few days ago apparently our ISP had a power outage, er somethang. My computah has been finally kickin tha bucket fer tha last week (Er more specifically, my hard drive has) so ahve been daein so many reinstalls, it seemed natural that ah couldn't git my wireless connection gaein.

Howevah, ah just put a new (Expensive) 160 GB hard drive in and was still havin problems w. tha net. N nuthin my quick fixes could override. So today, ah pull up our wireless routers page and try to reset tha connection, keeping tha old password. Aftah a half hour of failed troubleshootin, ah finally contact linksys support (which is generally a very high scorer in tha SUCKAGE olympics). For over an hour, mr. Troy A (17150) asks me meaningless questions n offers no advice via online chat (Which has shorter wait times then telephone). Finally, he just disconnects.

Oh no he didnt! So ah call customer support n am on hold fer ovah a half hour (nae surprise thar). Ahm told that b/c my adapter is ovah 3 years old, they can't help me, even tho ah tell them ovah n ovah that tha adapter isn't tha problem, ah need help w. a relatively new router. Aftah hearin tha same spiel 3 times, ah ask to speak w. a supervisor. Yes, tha bitch in me had come out. Ahve been havin problems w. linksys customer support fer YEARS, n it was time ta dae sumthang about it.

Only ahm told that b/c tha supe is busy, ah can't talk ta her. HELL NAE! Ahm nawt steppin down now! Ah've already wasted 2 hours of my life, ahm gittin internet back dammit! Ah complain fer a few minutes, insist that ah git some sort of contact info er somethang, etc. When ah talk to tha supe, she seems somewhat nonplussed that ah was disconnected, n ah explain that tha problem is tha new router, nawt an old adapter. Ahm put back on tha line w. Mary, who tells me ta download some client that barely works, n treats me like ahm 4 years old. Ah tell her that if she's gaein ta walk me through a client meant fer idiots, she's wasting both of our time, n she ken eitha put me on tha line w. a REAL technician, er ahll just hang up n be disgruntled n make it my mission ta git undah linksys' skin. Actually, ah tell her this about 5 times b/c everytime ah say somethang to that affect, she continues ta try ta walk me through tha client (so if you just double-click the next button and highlight install....ahm nawt an idiot, woman!).

BUT, instead of lettin me gae, she does put me on tha phone w. a real Tech person eventually. Tha real tech person doesn't feed me a script, but listens to my complaints and situation. She (nawt) surprisingly doesn't find any info in my case numbah, n ah explain that ahma pretty pissed off customer who may be gittin tha brush-off. She walks me through a fairly intricate process of updatin firmware and re-establishin an IP address. Ahm nae technological moron, but ahm far from a techie, n its nice ta FINALLY talk ta someone who has instructions n knowledge. Aftah 20 minutes er so, n a phone call ta verify tha orginial ISP username and password, internet access is restored! Ah tell her that ah had ta be a real asshole ta git on tha phone w. her, n am sorry about that, but it wouldn't have gawn that way if previous folx had listened ta me. Thars a simpsons episode in which Bart gives Mr. Boo-urns blood, n its only aftah Homer writes a nasty lettah that they git a reward (some big weird head). Marge remarks that tha lesson could be that "tha squeakiest wheel gits tha most grease", n that kept runnin through my head. Cuz honestly, if ahd treated customer service tha way a NICE person would, ah wouldnt be able ta write this blog (at least from my computah).

Ah felt tha need ta apologize ta my land-lady, b/c ahm pretty composed n chill around tha house. N while ah didn't yell er anythang like that, she definietly heard me exchange strong words n see me in an intense, focused manner that ahve tried ta leave on tha East Coast. But, it gawt shite done, n in tha long run, thas WAY more important ta me then bein nice ta mildly incompetent customer service people.

on anutha note, ahve been watchin tha showtime series "Dead Like Me", which features music by Stewart Copeland (ahm assumin tha same Stewart Copeland who plays drums fer tha Police n Oysterhead), n its quite engaging. Ah like that Ellen Muth isn't really super-hawt, even tho it confuses me that Mandy Patinkin ISN'T Scott Bakula from Quantum Leap. It's available on tha previosuly referenced QuickSilverScreen as well.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Voting

Ah voted in my first primary today....n tha first CA Primary that actually counted. N ah fawkin EARNED it.

Ahd google-mapped tha distance between me n my polling place...a lil ovah a mile, gaein tha most direct way, which didn't look too feasible on a bike. Howevah, it didn't seem that tha Fire Station was really THAT much above sea level then my current abode. Google maps decided ta kick me in tha balls howevah, as ah struggled up ovah a mile of 30 degree inclines. Most of it, nawt on my bike (ah eventually gave up on tryin ta ride. Ahd totally thought ah was gittin some bikin legs b/c ahve recently needed ta use a higher gear in ordah ta meet w. resistance on flat land, but apparently ahm completely undah-prepared fer dealin w. tha hills of El Cerrito. Ah really hate pourin sweat before 10 am (and really noon) but ah was well warmed up by tha time ah made it ta tha fire station. You can let me know if ah should've seen that comin (note, tha route highlighted is nawt tha one taken, ah went up potrero):


Ah have a vote reg card, but nawt tha white piece of papah everyone else had, so this took ea couple minutes of figurin out. Eventually ah was given a blank democratic ballot w. a lawt of propositions ahd nevah heard of, n tha opportunity to vote fer a candidate. Ah gladly filled in my oval n fed tha ballot intae tha machine (ah was numbah 33 fer tha day).

Today ah did somethang very american....ah werked my ass off ta vote fer someone who won't win (currently tha numbahs have Hillary w. a 15 percent lead ovah Obama). Howevah, it was a beautiful day outside n ah snapped tha followin picture w. my phone a lil more then halfway up tha hill:


yes, that thang in tha distance is San Francisco.

N then at werk (tha office is currently on tha Pier) ah saw a sea lion. Neat!

Monday, February 04, 2008

Mild Bummers

1) My job as it stands is most definitely NAWT temp-ta-perm. Ah was told candidly today (first day) that to buy out a temp will cost 20% tha offah. Which is ridiculous, especially b/c THIS staffing agency has a reputation fer sucking. If ah was ta be offered a mild 30,000 (its SF folx, 30 grand a year gits you NUTHIN), my staffing jerks would git a whoppin 6,000. Made even more ridiculous by tha fact that all ah did was re=register w. them. What would really piss me off is that if ah didn't git tha job solely based on my relationship w. tha staff-jerks. Altho it would be ironic (Er somethang like that) b/c ahd nevah actually APPLY fer this job. But now ah really really want it.

2) My comp is dedicated ta dying on me. Ahve reinstalled windows 4 times in 3 days on this hard drive. In case yer nawt aware, ah have weird electronic-mojo. Ah fawk up electronics pretty hardcore, pretty fast, even tho ah totally know what ahm daein. This particular comp has lasted about 3 years (almost exactly actually) n ahm nawt surprised its kicked it officially. Tha last 2 times have turned it off at nite, it hasn't started up again. Which meant today was extra expensive (Cuz ah also finally bought shoes - Dr. Scholls brand fer like 60 bux at DSW...nawt too bad).

3) Ah may be movin before ahm ready. My landlady is considerin movin (meanin, sellin tha house). Thars many factors gaein on in that decision, which ah unnerstand. Howevah, until ah git offered full-time werk, ah really can't afford ta move. Ah ken sorta afford more expensive rent, but w.o stable income, shouldn't. And cannot afford moving expenses as it stands. Ahd like ta pay off some of this credit card debt first, but who knows. Ah was told that it was somethang she was considerin, n then last nite saw a bunch of photos taken off tha wall, indicatin that someone just MITE be cleanin up house fer prospective buyers. Tha fact that band practice here is both convenient and awesome adds to my distaste fer a sudden change in living situations.

but really, so long as ah have income, ahm actually pretty fawkin happy. Nawt ownin a car n gaein ta yoga n playin musick gives me a real sense of satisfaction ah nevah had back in NOVA er Bawstan (well, ah did have it AT TIMES in bawstan, but nawt as often as ah was frustrated n miserable).

Nae sign of frank zappa beer tho....

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Vegetarianism as an identity....

Ahm comin up on two years of a relatively meat-free existence, which is crazy in it of itself. It's been a whole stinkin TWO YEARS since ah tried nawt eatin meat (n by meat, ahm nawt includin seafood. Ah still will eat tha hell outta some seafood about once er twice a month, as long as ahm on a coast). Tha big surprise is hearin me say it...b/c ah feel like it was just a short time ago that ah would answer "ah've only been daein this fer about 2 er 3 months." But yes, it was March of '06 when ah experimented w. tha veggie side of thangs n then found that ah was in much bettah health and spirits.

A big part of my nawt-eatin-tha-dead-thangs is that most of tha meat in this country is crap, shot up w. smack n hormones, living in its own filth, n being fed food that only mildly resembles thar natural diet. On tha East Coast, it is a million times easier to say "I don't eat meat," then to ask "How was this animal's life up to being on my plate fer consumption?" Now that ah live in tha SF area, thars an abundance of information and awareness around tha critters we enjoy ta devour. Almost enuff information n awareness ta make my previous claim that it wasn't about morality or ethics, it was purely a health-conscious decision, nae longah valid. Furthermore, ah often found myself saying that our species was supposed to eat animals, n that they tasted delicious. So why is it now that ahm surrounded by more free range, organically-fed, milk-bathed goats then ah knew existed, thars really nawt even tha slightest desire ta gae back? Hell, ah had a breakfast bagel that came w. bacon (tha guy didn't hear me ask for him to leave it off), n ah didn't even eat tha bacon. N Bacon is tha "gateway meat," according to some drunk dude at a potluck on Friday.

Chicken still smells phenomenal ta me, n tha concept of a tasty burger is quite appealing. However, ah feel like thars a lack of interest in "gaein back" to tha carnivorous side of thangs. Almost, a reluctance, ta put my tail between my legs n start consuming delicious delicious animals. Dae ah like havin self-imposed dietary restrictions? Dae ah like havin a conversation piece fer me ta have opinions about? As a foodie, is this a level of snobbery ah actually enjoy?

In part, ah think yes. Ah think that ah've been gaein ta great lengths ta nawt consume animals fer long enuff that its now an identity ah hold, fer whatevah reasons. N as my initial reasons fer cutting meat out of my diet begin to diminish, tha concept that being a pesce-vegetarian is a PART of me is becoming very real. So what would it be like if suddenly, ah didn't care quite so much? If ah started putting healthy delicious animals back intae my body? Ahm almost afraid ta find out, but suddenly very interested.

Maybe ahd put on weight. Which many could argue wouldn't be a bad thang. N if ah started weight-liftin, maybe ah could turn animal protein intae bulging biceps n intimidating pecs. Unfortunetly, thars nae room fer that in my current regime of stretching and sweating and biking everywhar (two thangs that will NEVAH give me tha body-type that ah would like).

So maybe, its about time fer an experiment, similar to tha one ah started shortly aftah my 25th birthday. Maybe it's time ta see what would happen if ah introduced, even casually, animals back intae my diet. Er maybe ah won't bring myself ta dae it cuz then ah won't know who ah am anymore. Er somethang in between.