Behind the Curve
Friday, October 29, 2004
Scary...scary...
My coworker Ross came to work dressed as Captain America today. Check him out, just for today.
I still think I could take him.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Useless information
Ah ha! The safety level of saturation for CMYK in Photoshop is 270 – the same number of electoral votes needed to win the U.S. presidential election! COINCIDENCE?!?
Well, yes, probably.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Ah, youth
Today at work, my supervisor revised a phrase I wrote from "delectable juggernaut" to "jiggling juggernaut." Wow! It’s times like these when I realize just how much I still have to learn.
Oooh
My requested copy of Art Spiegelman's In the Shadow of No Towers is at my local library branch, waiting for me.
Monday, October 25, 2004
The doghouse
Slept on the couch this weekend, as it’s a few degrees warmer in the living room than in my room. I think the big thermostat unit is too strong for my small space and therefore burns itself out quickly, breaking down several times a year. Maybe if I bought a smaller space heater, it wouldn’t break down, and I could stay warm all winter. Of course, I am generally uninformed regarding such electrical devices and am typing out of my hat.
At least it’s a comfortable couch.
For posterity
Went to Alison and Terry’s wedding, well, their reception anyway. I was lost in Brooklyn for a while, as the streets are apparently both named and numbered, and only the numbers appear on the map while only the names appear in real life. Ah, the provinces. So I missed the vows and the carousel, but Alison did look radiant. Also, there was a belly dancer who did an act with a tray of lit candles balanced on her head. Said the awestruck 10-year-old boy standing next to me, mesmerized, "That must take a lot of concentration!"
From unexpected places
Ran into J. this weekend. After making some small talk, she told me, "I never realized what a cool person you are." This is her way of acknowledging that we both (years ago, and not concurrently) slept with the same man, and that no one has subsequently made any fuss or tried to kill anyone. (Lord knows we’ve had opportunities.) It was a warm moment, complete with drinks and properly flattering lighting, no bad feelings. She looked happy. So did he. They both, I think, meant to appreciate my silence and lack of ill will - let’s face it, in my position, what else do I have to offer? She said to me, "Good things happen after 30! Good things happen after 40!" Which was nice of her to say.
Obviously, I am an incredibly big loser.
Note that if I were prettier, I probably wouldn't be in these situations. On the other hand, having a better personality would help me avoid them as well. So what is the easier thing to do, get a lobotomy or lose 10 lbs?
Friday, October 22, 2004
What is joy?
This sounds like something a young Douglas Coupland character would say before embarking on a wacky road trip through CANADA .
If, as Dorothy says in the movie, it’s pointless searching for your heart’s desire any further than your own back yard, then I guess the wacky road trip’s out.
Although, come to think of it, she never did say that in the book. She moved to Oz with her whole family by about Book 6. And the Yellow Brick road was definitely wacky and trippy, in any incarnation.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
What to do, what to do
Must embark on a 12 hour fast to prepare for a blood test (in the quest for more medication, I need to prove on record, via a responsible medical facility, that I am, as I claim to be, not pregnant). If I go early in the morning (7 or 8 AM so I won’t be late for work), I have to have dinner extremely early (and preferably a big one)! But I can’t really work out after I’ve eaten dinner. If it’s too filling a meal, I’ll just be sick. But if it’s too small, I will certainly be hungry later, and worked-out muscles demand protein. Dilemma! This would be easier on a weekend when, conceivably, I could simply sleep through the entire 12 hour period.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Because I am SMALL, and not very STRONG...
At the gym last night I took a few swings at the heavy bag after I finished working out. Man, I still punch like a girl. Guess I'll just have to resort to eye gouging then.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Ah, autumn
The other day, standing at the window by my desk, Dave waxed pensive. "It's so sad," he said, "That fall is here, and the women cover up their bodies with big-ass coats. They look just like little barrels-" (insert Dave's barrel/woman impression here) "- I remember the good old days, when it was hot and they were all-" (insert Dave's skimpily clad woman impression here).
Friday, October 15, 2004
I've got...plans
Finished reading The Loser’s Club by Richard Perez. Reasonably diverting stuff. On to Survivor by the Fight Club guy.
Well, it's been over a month, and the last doctor was unable to find anything definitively wrong with me. This must mean it's all in my mind, and in that case it's all a matter of mental discipline, and I should really jog 4 miles tomorrow, because I am getting really fat. Or I should jog 3 miles every day next week. This definitely counts toward taking it easy, because 3 miles is a pathetic non-distance that any child can cover. And obviously, the previous doctor who warned me about possible permanent joint damage didn't know what she was talking about, if an orthopedist can't find any problems at all.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Unaccomplished
The spicy corn muffins worked out well…even if I don’t really like corn muffins under the best of circumstances. Maybe I’ll cube them and make stuffing once they dry out. Too bad Aunt S. can’t eat corn for health reasons, or I would attempt them for Thanksgiving. Still, cranberry muffins will be topical.
The zucchini pancakes were successful enough to eat for dinner, although I think the recipe I followed really makes them turn out like tiny, tiny omelets. I like omelets, so no problems there, but maybe next time I will use less egg and more flour. Matzo meal?
Here is a list of things I have cooked in my lifetime:
Muffins, various types
Sponge cake, orange, with glaze (lesson learned: even the tiniest bit of yolk will prevent egg whites from whipping into peaks)
Sponge cake, vanilla, with whipped cream, berries
Stir fry, vegetables, with or without tofu (lesson learned: how to steam rice in a pot. Vegetables stir fried include: broccoli, string beans, peppers, cauliflower, eggplant, snow peas, cabbage)
Quick oats
Slow oats
Rice gruel flavored with pork, scallions, garlic, and ginger)
Meatloaf
Pork chops
Eggs (fried, scrambled, poached)
Zucchini pancakes
Actual pancakes (blueberry, banana)
Ears of corn (nuke 4 minutes and they’re done!)
Tomato pan sauce (shallots, thyme)
Stew (beef, lamb)
Chili (beef, bean)
Squash apple soup with walnut-cilantro pesto (This is really good!)
Turnips
Squash (roasted)
Pan seared salmon fillets, orange sauce
Blue fish (Extremely fishy. Yum!)
Steamed mussels (Ew! Ew! Ew! They taste good, but they’re SO SCARY!)
Chicken curry (still working on this one)
Eggplant (grilled)
Quiche (various)
Paella (just once)
Various salads
Note to self: If I ever have children, they will complain about my cooking.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
What's my motivation?
Last night I cooked some corn and one of those Chinese eggplants (good). Then some zucchini pancakes (ultimately inedible, but I blame the overly salty cheese). Tonight perhaps I shall try another batch. I keep wanting to bake cornbread. This makes no sense. I don’t even like cornbread.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Contrary
It’s funny that I developed jumper’s knee from TaeKwon-do and runner’s knee from hiking, isn't it? Isn't it?
"There is a hole in your mind."
Finished reading Kinki Lullaby, which was fun. I wonder what was up with all the obviousWizard of Oz references? Totoro, I don’t think we’re in Kansai anymore. Saw Fahrenheit 9/11, which was well done and thought-provoking at the very least. Also saw Mean Girls, which was disappointing. However, it did have a math team captain/"Badass MC" who kept muttering "Sons of bitches! Sons of bitches!" to the other math team and ripping off his shirt in victory.
Nick came by while we were watching Mean Girls and vacillated between "Why do movies like this get made?" and being sympathetic about Rho’s traumatic girlhood experiences. For some reason, I can’t remember much of my high school life, probably because I’ve removed myself from almost all memory cues. I actually do have a pretty complete written account (2 volumes worth of a group diary). Maybe I’ll read it someday when I’m good and drunk.
To your health!
We had the birthday dinner for my martial arts master on Saturday. Funny, but the brand of soju (Korean vodka) we drink contains, of all things, green tea extract. Pause for a moment to let that sink in. Now: can I get some vitamin C for that martini?
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Information Overdose in the Absence of Meaning
Finished reading The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003, Soul of a Chef, Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans: The Best of McSweeney's Humor Category, and Dry, then took a break and watched a lot of trash TV (by which I mean the Vice Presidential candidates’ debate).
It’s all rather horrifying, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t retain much of it.
Huh?
So yesterday the guy sitting next to me starts talking about the election. He is, apparently, voting Republican because he likes Laura Bush ("nice lady") and hates Teresa Heinz Kerry ("nasty").
I would say something sarcastic, but is it even necessary?
