Too Much Eddie Kendricks, Not Enough David Ruffin

Went to The Islands concert with Sasha last night. The opening band “Why?” was quite good (kind of Placebo meets The Beastie Boys); stayed up far to late though, which is bad when class is early and work is late. I’m very jealous of Sasha though. She told me she got the two day pass to Cochella! She’s going to make a whole week of it and do the California tourist things. The line up for it sounds really good this year. Looking forward to Shah’s party this weekend, I should be fun. Sorry about my mood yesterday, I was just feeling shitty. I am fast approaching my second decade on this earth (guessing about a third of my life). I think I’ll miss being a teenager, if only because the day of my decision as to what I want to do with my life is rearing up like some animal that rears up. That was lame. Despite being terrified of the future…and the past…and much of the present…I feel a lot better about things in general. Back to the grind or lack there of.

Listening to Guitar Man by Cake
And My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend by Her Space Holiday

Looks Like Tomorrow

Well, this weekend was good. Saturday I went down with Shah to St. Mary’s, which was fun. Drank a bit too much and went to bed early. Sunday I didn’t do too much. Monday was very sad I went to Tommy’s funeral and the reception after. I have never seen so many young people balling their collective eyes out. It was a great send off though. He would have been embarrassed I think but it was kind of beautiful. Not sure what I’m really doing these days…I feel a bit like a ghost everywhere I go, but I think that’s just me being overly self indulgent about a number of things. I have my iPod on shuffle and Still Life just came on…going to have to try not to get all weepy at work (Mike might be the only one to understand this). I have nothing to talk about that is of any interest to any of my readers so I’ll go back to work now…

In Memorium

For Thomas Carol

1987-2006

"Closed hands, open arms hold nothing."

April Skies

I love lunch. Its free license in the grown up world to have recess. I’ve been dicking around on the computer looking for interesting blogs to read so its not like I really need one but I always get done what they ask me to do here way before any expects so…I tend to pretend to work while looking at the vast array of time wasters that exist in the great digital vacuum. Some of my recent favorites are thanks to Matt; hopefully I figure out how to do the link thing on this one of these days. Until then find you own!

I was contemplating the amazing absurdity of the modern work place earlier while eavesdropping on a conversation between two of my co-workers. Basically it as about copier ink. One of them was I think having a legitimate stroke. Red face, staggering around a lot. If I had asked I’m sure he would have said that he smelled burnt toast. The other was going through the steps to order new ink. She was working at a speed that would more glaciers sit up and say “wow that is pretty slow,” if glaciers could sit up to I guess. Sorry, I could sit here and come up with a better line than that but I am in need of a cigarette soon and want to wrap this thing up eventually. Though me typing all of this out would have given me ample time to come up with one. Funny how things work out like that…Anyway. So she was really slow. The contrast of the two got to me. The first one was your typical “go-getter” with upper management written all over him. Seriously he got drunk at a bar one time and someone wrote upper management on his forehead, I wish I had thought that one up. The second was your typical “incompetent-but-has-no-idea” person. Each a perfect caricature of themselves. To my chagrin they both saw me kind of smiling and trying not to pay attention to them while still hearing the exchange. They started berating me so I had to leave the area. I think I’m the odd man out in this whole equation, to mix metaphors deliciously. I don’t have near the drive and determination to be the go-getter but I’m not (at least I don’t think) a complete dolt. Which tends to leave everyone with a bad taste in their mouths when I’m around (that and I have a special power were I leave bad tastes in peoples mouths). That was yet another case of me being too lazy to fix what stumbled out of my brain onto the page, but what ever…I think I covered well. Though “stumble out of my brain” is a rather bad construction. Basically this is all to say that I like lunch and don’t expect to have many friends when I enter the professional world for real. And as an aside my version of Word does not recognize the word “blog.” Microsoft is either trying to stifle expression or this is an older computer than I thought. I think it’s the Microsoft think. You will note that the word Microsoft is recognized even though it too is a made up word. Alright this post has gone on way to long for a Monday. Get back to your real lives and stop living vicariously though mine, its not that exciting, trust me…Okay it total is, but still…

End On End

So the weekend was not exactly what I planed but still fun. Friday I went out to Fredrick to pick up Mike (around 11) we ate lunch up there and drove back down to Chevy Chase listening to Loveless, which ended just as we reached the area (perfectly timed). We hung out for a minute at Starbucks trying to figure out what we were going to do, and settled on seeing a movie, Thank You For Smoking, which one of the funnier films I have seen lately (I highly recommend it). We then wandered over to the Mall to make fun of people and meet up with Shah. When he arrived however he looked like death warmed up…so I drove us all down to 9:30 for the much anticipated Ladytron concert. However the show was sold out. I had already bought tickets for myself and Mike but no one else had, we had already lost everyone else that was supposed to go, then Shah and Daniel. I was starting to think the evening was a bust when we walked into the club. There were a group of people from St. Mary’s who Mike and I used to know there which was…interesting to say the least (since Mike had called a 50-50 chance we would see them there). The opening band was horrible, think the Strokes but without the talent. Wait the Strokes don’t really have any talent…then you know these guys we bad. I think I called them abnormally boring. Then a screen lowered and Ladytron came out. They were everything that I hoped for. I would venture that they are just as good live as in the studio, maybe better. They played an encore even, which seemed out of place, but worked none the less (there final song appropriately was The Last One Standing). The crowd was particularly odd that night, as you could clearly pick out who danced to Ladytron (they wore legwarmers and bad eighties jewelry) and those that didn’t (black or some variant thereof) After the concert I drove Mike back to Fredrick and preceded to get horribly lost on my way back twice; once in Fredrick and once in Virginia (don’t ask how I got there, I’m not sure myself). Saturday was quieter; I had dinner with some people I used to work with and hung out with Nando for a bit (though I think I probably pissed him off with my moaning). Sunday was Easter with my family which was…well I drank a lot so…good. In all honesty it was good to see everybody again. In an unrelated note I found my next book. Mike lent it to me. It’s called Nothing Feels Good (Punk Rock, Teenagers and Emo). All about what the idea of Emo is and the different labels and bands that helped to create one of the greatest misnomers in the history of music. Anyway I’m racing through it and have unfortunately become enamored with the idea of starting my own label (thank god it wasn’t a band…wouldn’t want to subject anyone to that). Anyway it’s a pipe dream but if I did start the next Dischord I think I would be way to insufferable for anyone to hang out with, so no…besides there can only be one Ian MacKaye, and I would in all likelihood need a Minor Threat or Rites of Spring to start out with…those day are over, sadly. From Rites of Spring to The Promise Ring to…The Starting Line? Uhh music is dying…

Listening to way to much Sunny Day and Braid to remember better days.

From The Firmament

Thursday. One of the most paradoxical of days, Sunday being the only one more misunderstood. Thursday is the day of anticipation and the day where I seem always to have the most work. It was unimaginably hectic around the office today. There was a huge miscalculation in the overall budget for the year and hence everyone in unison went completely round the bend. Save for your noble protagonist. I remain, as usual, no more crazy than my average absurdity. It was fun to see all these people who seem to have it so together and figured out, so self possessed, run around this “professional atmosphere” like chickens with their heads newly detached. I enjoyed the chaos, feed off it really. If there is turmoil around me then my own seems less entertaining, which is a good thing for the biggest narcissist in the world (self proclaimed of course). I just finished a book I had been struggling though for about a year on the Peloponnesian War. The book, with the glaringly obvious title of…you guessed it…The Peloponnesian War was not the best written essay on the subject but fine enough for my interests in the time period (more of a Medieval man myself). Anyway this aside had a purpose. If anyone has a recommendation on another non-fiction book to read (or better yet lend) I’m all ears. Shah I know what your going to say and Freakenomics and the World is Flat both sound interesting but I was thinking more history, that and you will be in Cali by the time I finish either one of them. By the by has anyone ever thought about the turn of phrase “all ears.” I mean really thought about it…kind of freaky.

Listening to No Need To Ask Baby by Taucher
And Stephanie Says by The Velvet Underground

C'est La Vie

Well Philosophy was a total slug fest today. I handed back that guys paper (last post) and he stared yelling at me in a language that I am not familiar with, I may have been some further bastardized version of Ebonics (which is really saying something). My teacher broke in before I got my ass kicked, the most likely ending to all confrontations I engage in. I only gave the guy a C which was way more than he deserved, my conscience would not allow anymore. I guess he was really shooting for the B thought, because he kept glancing at me and muttering something under he’s breath. It was either “B” or “bitch.” I’m not a racist (I think it was to do with class position not skin color) but this guy was “straight up tripin’” if he thought his “black ass” deserved a B. These are quotes that he was using against me, though why he said “black ass” in regards to me and my posterior is a total mystery, maybe its like when bad means cool, and phat means pretty. I never know anymore. I could totally launch into a diatribe on slang and colloquial usage right now but I think I’ll save that for another day as the real world beckons and nobody really cares about my language theories (which are Chomsky’s anyway).

Listening to Scared of Girls by Placebo (oddly appropriate lately)
And Cake by Fire Party

Insert Funny/Inteligent Title Here

Another day another post. This is sort of getting addictive. Anyway, not very much to say since my last post. Today is just work. Its been quiet the past week or so here. Everyone seems to have retired to their corners after the corporate politics got a little Machiavellian a while ago. I have been getting more and more to do everyday which either means that they really like the way I work or they think that they can get way with paying shit (for what I’m doing) and piling on the work at the same time. I figure as long as they keep making me do these long projects they cant really fire me half way though. Tonight should be good though. Going out with Harry, which I ended up not doing last night (I’m such a crappy friend) cause I forgot. Then it’s a few hours of sleep before turning in my half assed paper for history and a critique of this person’s paper in Philosophy. That is what I really wanted to talk about. I got this…well its hard to call it a paper because that would demean all the other papers that have ever been written. I try not to be too judgmental, a guy’s grade does depend on this but he didn’t even use punctuation. That and the thesis of the paper seems to be that Socrates is dumb. Here is a choice quote “if I could talk to Socrates I would tell him he was not smart because he never makes any sense any of the time”…my generation will destroy the world as we know it! I even fixed his spelling mistakes.

Listening to Brutal Enigma by Party of Helicopters
and Your Not Safe With Us by Irradio

The Devil's Dance Floor or Till We Earned A Holiday: My Half Rocky and Bullwinkel and Half Song Title Post

This weekend was a lot of fun. Went to St. Mary’s on Friday after school to see the clique. It was a total blast, though World Carnival didn’t even begin to fit into it. That was originally the whole reason for going down. Anyway I got to see Carrey again, had a few with him and his girlfriend Clair. Then it was back to the Suites to, say the kids say, party hardy. Ended up talking music with Mike and Shah, then threatening Shah if he ever bad mouthed Ireland again. He started to think I was really angry at him, then Mike reminded him that I was a sing that he was a real friend…Never realized that fact about myself, but its true when I rant on someone it generally means that I do like them. I wouldn’t bother otherwise. This is true about ninety percent of the time anyway, some people just really bug the fuck out of me. Left SMC the next day where my new hobby awaited…Packing! Yay! Nando’s house that night for your run of the mill merrryment then up early to do…not much…watch TV and not do some thing I should have been doing. Today was school work and coffee with Harry. This weekend I’m really looking forward to though. Ladytron at the 9:30 club on Friday then Shah’s American party on Saturday, I think I’m going to wear traditional Bengali garb just to throw him off. Boring week otherwise moving stuff and the like…four days till Friday (which is a little sad)

Listening to Burning In The Bed On Fire by The Aeffect
And DNA Timebomb by Clikatat Ikatowi

Method: Fail Repeat...

Has anyone ever wondered what the modern corporate scene would be like if we were still living in the “Age of Chivalry.” Not the “Uhh…Chivalry is so dead” Age; the knights and jousting and honor, but most of all the duels…Well I did today because I cannot concentrate on anything today. I came to the conclusion that I would be totally awesome. This is how my day would have played out if my company was thrust into the middle of the Middle Ages:
“I awoke in the pre-dawn light. The larks only beginning to sing as I rode out of my cottage to the great Keep of my liege Lord. I ran across a crowd gathering around the drawbridge and was hence late to attend my Lord. I am his squire. and he, Lord of Construction. He is a king and goodly man of many years, but fair and just. He rules the land of construction well and with honor, I only wish I could say the same about his knights. Sir Steven the Slow is all but hopeless and Ser Joe the Grouch never gives a kind word to anyone. His maids however are worth their weight in gold. Jackie the Fair may as well be the true lord however she is rather messy. The Lady Sheryl is kind and a fine woman. Today was a great battle however and the peace of all the kingdoms was at stake. At the Kings weekly conclave of lords My Lord and the Duchess of Architecture almost came to blows in His Graces presence. However they did not, a duel will be fought between them before long. My lord is favored to win, as he is the better swordsman. This afternoon I had to travel far to secure food for the whole Keep. That is the lot of the Squire though. Soon I will leave this Keep though and prove my honor claiming my own lands under a different King far far away. That day cant come soon enough.”

That reads normally: A very boring day where that Architecture department and Construction got into another fight at the weekly meeting with the CEO. God I cant wait to get a better job.

On another note I think I concur with Josh. Virility is tied to how exhausted a man is. In my case after two weeks of less an six hours a night (sometimes well less) I must be one of the more virile men around…I need a woman. [Snore…]

Listening to Save Your Stares For Strays by Kite-Eating Trees
And Nietzsche by The Dandy Warhols

Immersion In A 90 MPH World

The Weekend, as always, was far too short. However I did have a great one. Friday was insanity; school, work, packing, then hanging with Nando and Dr. House until dawn. Saturday was the perfect illustration of insanity that is my life. After going to bed at 7ish the previous night (if you could call it that) I woke up at noon, drove home and packed till five, filled up my car with gas and drove. I needed to get out so I just got lost and drove. I’m not sure where it was that I went but I found my way back to Bethesda and picked up Shah at Medical Center. We went to grab a bite at La Tomate. I hadn’t been there in ages and it was interesting to see the staff again, even if they didn’t recognize me. After dinner we tried to get into a billiards bar near by, but the line was long and the bouncing was intensive, or so it seemed. We had an interesting back and forth on the Metro (we thought about getting Martinis at this great French place, which was closed) but ended up back in Dupont. All hope was lost when La Tomate was closed, or so it seemed. We ducked into a book store called Kramer’s which had a bar and café…Let that sink in if you know me…books and liquor. Paradise. They had Foggy Bottom on tap which was great and Glenfiddich flowed freely. And for once I didn’t get too drunk. Some of Shah’s friends meet us there. At around one or so a limo (arranged by one of the friends) picked all of us up and drove us to our various destinations. Shah drove my car back to Centerville and I drove it back into Chevy Chase (that’s right…the highway by myself, I think I’m fine with them now) for some much needed sleep. Sunday was further packing (we put the house on the market two weekends from now…which is really very soon) then the West Wing. As always amazing…Josh and Donna (giggle). The week will be busy but hopefully next weekend will be either a party at Shah’s or an evening of board games and nerd talk. Either way it will be fun. It’s also my Dad’s Birthday tomorrow; we are going to this amazing seafood place (that looks like a bus station depot) with a pile of people. I mention this because if you talk to me Wednesday I may ask you to speak very quietly, I always try to keep up with him on his birthday.

Listening to Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt by The Mars Volta
And Hooray For Humans by Q And Not U