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