2002-03-29 
 

memorable art

I'm not quite sure what this means, but there are two pieces in the SFMOMA that always stick in my mind after I've left the building. One is a Picasso. For some unknown reason, this painting always fills me with a sense of calm.


Pablo Picasso, Nature morte "La Cafetiere"
(Still life, "The Coffee Pot")

The other...well, see for yourself.

ETA This originally linked to a a page at sfmoma.com featuring Koons' Michael Jackson and Bubbles. The link is now dead, but a quick Google Image Search will give you pretty much the same image - although with safe search off, you might not want to try it at work. The whole thing still disturbs me on various levels, even as the pop culture maven in me cackles with delight.

Labels: 1000 words, dose of mikey, linkage, random review, san francisco

* posted by me at 9:09 PM

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inside humor

We just watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Lots of inside jokes which made me realize I have seen all of Kevin Smith's films. The sad thing is that the disc with bonus features comes separately from Netflix. One drawback to an otherwise excellent rental service.

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, random review

* posted by me at 2:42 AM

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2002-03-28 
 

garlic bliss

Wonderful day today. Slept in a bit, took it easy. Went over to the Marin Headlands and hiked around...and layed in the sun. Ended up taking a rather circuitous route to get to the Pelican Inn, but it was totally worth while. Prime Rib was delicious. Kudos to G for suggesting we swap out the red bliss for garlic mashed. Red Bliss are just BORING compared to garlic mashed....even if they do have a fun name.

Labels: dose of mikey, g, linkage, local getaway

* posted by me at 12:42 AM

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2002-03-26 
 

wheeee!

I'm proud to announce that today our three brains came together and finally found this. Since we thought it was missing, we were quite excited. Wheeee!

Quote of the day courtesy of G: "This neighborhood is so quiet at night, you can hear a dog fart."

Labels: dose of mikey, g

* posted by me at 11:42 PM

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2002-03-24 
 

dude!

Dude is here, entries will be short and sweet for a while.

Labels: blogging, dose of mikey

* posted by me at 3:32 PM

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2002-03-23 
 

cleaning

Mom is home and on the mend. I'm very happy about this. In a very selfish way, I was worried that she wouldn't get better and that the Dude wouldn't be able to come out here. Well, she's fine and Dude's coming tonight. In honor of his visit, G is in a cleaning frenzy, and I just feel like I have to join in. I'm doing the laundry. This is fun because I get to sit down in the little laundry room with my book and wait for the machine to start spinning. (gotta take the curtians out before it spins...) More later...maybe.

Several hours later: G and I have had a nasty fight. I hate that. I love him.

Labels: dose of mikey, g

* posted by me at 6:42 PM

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trash talk

I love Garbage.

* posted by me at 1:46 AM

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2002-03-21 
 

choice

Mom's still in the hospital. She's calling on reserves of strength to get her through all the tests. Must be very frustrating to endure them only to be told that they can't figure out what caused the problem in the first place. It's times like these that it's very hard to be a full country away from where they are. G and I talk about moving east now and again. G's all for it. I want to be closer to the family, but I'm very nervous about my quality of life back there. Right now I have a job that drives me crazy and stresses me out, but deep down I know how lucky I am to have some passion for the work I'm doing during 1/3 of my waking hours. I'm scared of jumping to another company and finding that the corporate culture there isn't as flexible as the one I'm in now. (For all my complaints about the business side of things here at the American I, they really do promote freedom of choice in your personal life.)

Nevertheless, a move to the east is unavoidable over the next few years, and I ought to start looking forward to it. (If you can't change the situation, you can always change your mind!) If I can move up at least one rung here at the American I, I'll be in a better position to ask for the same flexibility of schedule that I enjoy now in a new company.

OK, I'm sure you all cared SOOO much about that, but this is my blog after all so...thpppt.

Labels: dose of mikey, looking eastward, sharketing, shout out

* posted by me at 10:52 PM

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2002-03-20 
 

the other coast

Mom's in the hospital. Felt like a heart attack, but the ekg came out normal. The docs are thinking that it might be a reaction to a drug she had just started taking for the flu, but are keeping her overnight for observation.

G's out with Nate this eve, so I'm going to pour myself a nice stiff drink and fall asleep in front of the tv.

Labels: dose of mikey, shout out

* posted by me at 11:19 PM

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what you really, really want

OK, Phoenix sent me this page ages ago, but I stumbled across it during a random search and remembered the truth. There is someone out there for everyone...as long as you're willing to admit what it is that you really want.

Labels: linkage

* posted by me at 2:14 AM

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2002-03-19 
 

the weekend that was

Didn't do the blogging all weekend. Spent Saturday driving to Jackson to meet up with G's parents. Also got a chance to meet his brother and his family. It's interesting seeing G interact with them - gives me a better idea of where he's coming from.

On Sunday we hung out with Hugs. Went for lunch at Plutos...yum! And wandered about the Inner Sunset. Purchased three records for three dollars at Green Apple's going away sale. One of which is Herb Alpert's third album - very fun. Hmmm, before yesterday, I don't think I've actually purchased a record for over 15 years. Somehow it seemed appropriate to get Herb on vinyl. Especially an album that features renditions of Girl From Ipanema, All My Loving and...Hello Dolly. Herb was postmodern before his time. Continued our celebration of St. Patrick's Day with some Irish coffees at a local bar and then headed on over to the Phoenix Club on Valencia. Cool vibe, even if we never did get our fish and chips. The crowd was much more our style than over in the Sunset...and they had some Irish music playing there...unlike the Irish bar we were in earlier which had everything from reggae to 80's metal. The first bar did have some amusing clientele though. There were four "straight" guys drinking beer at the bar, two of whom got up in the middle of drinking to run to the hardware store across the street and came back proudly carrying a "slender drill bit" which they showed off to the two who had remained behind. Apparently they were trying to prove a point. Sublimation anyone?

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, local getaway

* posted by me at 1:00 AM

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2002-03-16 
 

tolerance

This is depressing, but something we all need to be aware of.

Labels: linkage

* posted by me at 1:25 AM

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2002-03-15 
 

victorian living

Took us the better part of this evening, but we've finally set up the futon in the living room. Along with all the other furniture and stuff that we have in there, it's quite like something you'd expect to see in a well to do parlor of the late 1800's. Sad though, was supposed to meet m's new boyfriend this eve. I knew that I was going to have to work a bit later, but then JD gave me work to take home, and then there was the futon situation. (Owner'll be by tomorrow morning to clean up her part of the garage, so we had to get it out and squash it in upstairs.) When he called at 8:30 to tell us he'd been delayed in San Jose, I was honest and said that perhaps it was for the best. Now that it's almost midnight and I'm just now getting to sit back and relax, I'm thinking I was right. I'd have loved to meet him, but I'd still be doing my homework now if we'd met up. Instead I get a few minutes to myself before bedtime. Speaking of....Yawn.

Labels: dose of mikey

* posted by me at 2:57 AM

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2002-03-14 
 

sipping ambrosia

I've been a bit sad over the past few days. A very good friend of mine lost her mother last week. She'd been ailing for a while, but that never makes things any easier. One of the many things that helped Stasia and I become as close as we did in those post college years was our ability to empathize on the subject of mothers whose bodies were rebelling against them. While I never became as close to her mom as I might have if Stasia and I had chosen paths that stayed closer to home, we did have some comfortable moments together. I remember sitting and talking with her while I waited for Stasia to finish getting ready for one of our nights out in Boston. She'd always offer me a g&t and sit down to get the scoop on what was going on in my life and tell me a bit about hers. And almost invariably, she'd lean forward and conspirationally ask, "So, Michael, how is my daughter doing, really?" I'd always reply with some positive remark - never hard to do in Stasia's case. Her mom would then lean back contented that her mother's instinct was still on target and state, "I knew it." She was one of those genuinely friendly people that the world could use more of. I look forward to bumping into her again some day when I too have moved on to greater things. We'll sit down over whatever ambrosia they serve over there and have a nice chat.

Labels: dose of mikey, memory lane, shout out, spirit

* posted by me at 2:04 AM

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2002-03-13 
 

twirly day

Another day done. Corporate America can be rather surreal sometimes. Not in a Dali melting clock sort of way, but instead in an Orwellian doublethink sort of way. Only we're being paid rather well to think that certain strategies are right on, when in reality we'd never adopt them in our own personal ideal worlds. Not a matter of right and wrong really, just democracy in action. "I play it the company way..."

Had dinner with Lena tonight. Someday I'll write more about her and how our wonderful relationship started, but not tonight as my eyes are beginning to droop. I will say that every time we go to Eliza's, I try to order less than the time before yet I inevitably end up stuffed. I blame the mu-shu.

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, sharketing

* posted by me at 1:42 AM

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2002-03-12 
 

giant kangaroos

Just watched some very strange short films: Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life and Other Strange Tales. Worth renting for quotation sake if not actual viewing pleasure. For instance, the second film is pretty dull, but the ode to coffee at the very beginning and the fun song that plays over the credit are worthy nuggets in and of themselves. And the third film is a must see for anyone in marketing or big business. (there's a whole riff in there about selling nostalgia that slayed me)

Labels: linkage, random review

* posted by me at 2:45 AM

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2002-03-10 
 

over the hill

Went for a little jaunt over into the Castro. Visiting on a weekend really casts the differences between our current and former hood into sharp relief. Most vivid scene: Girl scout standing in front of The Bar selling cookies hand over fist. Smart kid. The surrealness of this sight was amplified by the soft sound of her sister sitting by the entrance to the Muni station repeating, "girlscout cookies, girlscout cookies, girl scout cookies..." in a soft voice, like it was her mantra for the day.

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, san francisco

* posted by me at 10:27 PM

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big fluffy robes

Woke up this morning to the buzz of the mailman who was delivering our big comfy robes. Now, I'm not one to wax poetical about clothing, but something must be said for big comfy robes. We enjoyed wearing them so much that it took us until mid afternoon to finally get into the shower and out into the world. Walked around the valley for a bit and then headed over to the Pig and Whistle for some fish and chips and a pint of Guinness. Yum! If I haven't mentioned lately how much I love San Francisco, let me do so now. We really do have a bit of everything.

Now we are home and once again in our big, fluffy robes. We just watched Storyville: The Naked Dance, which we thought was going to be a documentary on the birth of jazz, but turned out to be mostly about prostitutes at the beginning of the 20th century. "One is fine, two are fun, and three are a really good time." Ah, what would we learn without PBS?

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, san francisco

* posted by me at 1:19 AM

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2002-03-08 
 

comfy

Skipped a day because last night I had too much champagne and then succumbed to the temptation of Kamikazi shots. ooooh....still not feeling 100%. I am so not 25 anymore. Very happy now because I'm about to watch Barry Lyndon while cuddled up on the couch with G. So nice to be home!

Labels: dose of mikey, g

* posted by me at 10:06 PM

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2002-03-07 
 

wheeee!

Visited with the southern cousins this evening after finishing up another day of too many shoes. (don't even ask) They are doing well and the little guy is turning into a real little person. He woke up a bit after I got there and ate some food with us. They don't believe in baby food and feed him bits of real food which he does really well with. I tend to agree with this philosophy. After all, children survived without the benefit of puree for quite a few centuries didn't they? I love seeing kids at his age because they see everything as brand new still. After dinner we sat around in the living room, and having gotten used to my presence, he started interacting with me a bit more. I got to lift him up over my head and play superman. Pure joy! Reminds me not to take life too seriously. A nice little break from the world of discussing how best to make our products look enticing to consumers. I do enjoy the job, but it's good to think about what's really important in life: going Wheeee! every once in a while. :)

Labels: dose of mikey, sharketing, travel

* posted by me at 2:07 AM

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2002-03-06 
 

models in high places

Again, I'm very tired. Loooooong day at the office. OK, long day on location. Really, as hellish as things sometimes get at work, I must say that a secret part of me still gets a little thrill about the fact that I get to occasionally hang out with models and photographers and highly strung creative folk. I mean, it sounds so fabulous! The real me who lives this life knows just how normal it all really is, but a little voice inside still giggles and says, "Bring me another Perrier please!" Somewhere in there I still have an attachment to validation through societal accepted success. I like to think that I'm not worried about what Brand I'm wearing, eating, drinking, viewing, or whatevering - and that it's truly all about the performance of that product, but moments like that make me realize that I need to be careful still.

All that aside, I love that I spent the afternoon watching a woman swing from a chandelier. That's just fun! (especially since I'm very fond of monkies these days)

Labels: dose of mikey, sharketing

* posted by me at 1:56 AM

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2002-03-05 
 

the ritz sucks

Well, maybe not so much, but my expectations were high and the room is pretty middle of the road. A step above a Holiday Inn, but not too far up. Oops. When did I become a hotel snob? Maybe that's a good thing...in fact...an old coworker just sent me an informal survey about hotels and what extras could be offered to frequent flying guests. Hmmm...maybe a career change? I could travel the world rating hotels and get paid for it! And G could come with me! Yay!

OK, I'm definitely tired. This is making me giddy. Must sleep.

Labels: dose of mikey, g, random review

* posted by me at 2:39 AM

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2002-03-04 
 

city gardening

Today, G and I helped some friends move. One of the easier experiences I've had doing this sort of thing. Mostly due to the fact that they only moved one flight downstairs within their building. Got a pretty good workout though. Must remember to get a dolly for our next move. Later, we went city gardening....well, ok, we went to mail Buddah's wedding pictures off to get developed. City gardening just happened to be a perk of the walk. It's amazing what you can find growing free to pick in the middle of such a densly populated area. We came home with two lemons and a sprig of rosemary. If we could only have found a chicken! I guess there's a plentitude of squab here, but I don't think I'll want to be trying any of our homegrown SF variety right now thank you very much. Nor do I want to attempt to capture one of the racoons that roams these streets. Though in some geeky sci-fi way, it pleases me to know that there's a natural food supply here should the earthquake come and topple most everything else down. We've got our emergency bag, do you have yours?

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, san francisco

* posted by me at 1:50 AM

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2002-03-03 
 

get hed!

G and I just watched Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Fantastic! We kept thinking it was a bit like a contemporay Rocky Horror Picture Show. It pleased us to see that there's already places in the country doing midnight showings. I predict crowds with wigs, great costumes and gigantic Gummi Bears. Fun!

Labels: linkage, random review

* posted by me at 1:36 AM

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2002-03-02 
 

model me

This evening, G and I helped a friend by being models. (He's having the photographs from the brochure for his hotel reshot and we got to be hotel guests in the pictures.) Normally I'm the one sitting in the background looking at the polaroids and making tweaks, so it was rather amusing to be on the other side of the camera for once. After we finished shooting, he treated us to a most delicious meal at the restaurant next door which features traditional Brazilian Churrasco. YUM! Lot's of deliciously seasoned fleisch. Everything from spicy sausages to chicken hearts. (Which I trepidatiously tried, but you know what? Tastes like chicken.)

I also spoke with Bunny G today. It was a good conversation about how she'll always be Bun. Of course I knew that, but there was still something there that made me think about the past nostalgically. After a bit of thought, I figured it out. At one point, B and I were a little family of our own and we knew intimately how each other were feeling. Now that we've gotten into relationships with other people, we won't always know how the other is feeling. There will be people who know the new B better than me...and vice versa. But that's just part of this journey called life. And in the end, I'll always know B and she'll always know me. So when we pop up through the pipes at the end of these days, we'll smile and hug each other and collapse in giggles at the joy of it all.

Labels: dose of mikey, g, linkage, spirit

* posted by me at 1:52 AM

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2002-03-01 
 

dog tired

Well, I guess it's the year of the horse now. For the first time since I came to live in Atlantis, I completely missed the Chinese New Year. (I was at the Sales Meeting during the week it happened and crazybusy the weeks around it.) Even now, I'm still completely buried under work getting ready for the trip to LA next week. The good news is that it should be a pretty nice week down there and that I won't have to do too much actual work while I'm there. Extra work now for an easy week coming up. Some people think I'm insane, but I know better. In the insane world, the sane man appears insane.

Finally finishing up The Return of the King. Having only seen the animated movies ages ago, I had no memory of the last section in which they return to Hobbiton. I needed to pause for a few weeks to adjust to the idea. (Read a couple other books inbetween, one of which - The Garden of Iden - turned out to be surprisingly good.) Loved reading an up close and personal view of historical period with a modern twist!

Labels: linkage, random review, reading, san francisco, sharketing

* posted by me at 2:21 AM

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