2003-07-29 
 

snap, crackle, pop

G built a fire and it's time to go sit in front of it, so I'll keep this short. I'm excited about a new idea I have, but having lived with myself for over 33 years now, I know that one of the worst things to do with a new idea is to talk about it too much. Must let it germinate for a while, gain nutrients...grow. The hard part is realizing when it's time to let it out....but it'll certainly be a little while before I share it with all and sundry. That being said, I do have some sonagrams if anyone's interested. Just let me know. :) <----- oooh, emoticon in a web entry...how lazy!

Labels: dose of mikey, g, writing

* posted by me at 12:07 AM

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2003-07-25 
 

numb

Been a long week at work. The new job is kicking my ass...still. In a good way by challenging me and allowing me to learn new things. It's as if I've entered into some intensive training course....the only difference being that I don't know when the course ends which makes it frustrating. If I could look ahead and know that by September 1st I will have reached a comfort level, that would help me allot energy properly. As it is right now, I just keep pushing and hoping that I'll have the stamina to keep it up....and accept the semi numb feeling I have at the end of each day.

In the grand tradition of life imitating life, I had a dentist appointment today to have two fillings replaced. They shot me full of novacaine and I couldn't feel my lips for several hours. This sounds awful, but actually it's a perfectly good excuse to sit around and vegetate in front of the television while sipping juice through a straw.

Labels: dose of mikey, sharketing

* posted by me at 9:27 PM

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2003-07-20 
 

over the hills

Spent the weekend over in Roseville with G's parents. A nice visit bookended with forays into fast food land. A little sad to see Long John Silver's is just another restaurant with plastic seats and a primary color scheme. The food wasn't bad for that sort of place, but I have childhood memories of Mom and Aunt Ruth G. taking Mark and I there for a pretty nice evening. I remember wood panelling, lots of green plants and a server who'd bring the food over to your non plastic table. Might be the years colored my memory of the place, but I think perhaps they did what they had to in order to stay alive during the cut throat 80's. Corporate homogenization. I blame McDonalds. Evil place. Read Fast Food Nation and never eat there again.

As for the Central Valley in general...two words: TOO HOT. It was 102 degrees when we arrived...and his Mom said it had cooled down a bit! It was pleasant to sit outside at midnight in a pleasantly warm 85 with a nice breeze, but I think it solidified my desire to stay within 20 miles of the coast for actual living. I need to know there's a cool ocean somewhere close by to jump into when the temperature gets up that high.

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, local getaway, memory lane

* posted by me at 11:48 PM

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2003-07-19 
 

firestarter

Tonight we had Firestarter over for barbecued steak and an evening of chat. Ended up in front of our fireplace getting flame retardant wood to burn in our little fireplace. We managed. With a bit of late night sawing, some boyscout water, a few candle stubs and the sheer tenacity that comes to one after several glasses of wine and a six pack of Sam Adams Light.

Thus did he earn his new nickname....and we saw that it was good.

Labels: dose of mikey, shout out

* posted by me at 5:15 AM

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2003-07-15 
 

closing time

OK, not really, but that's the song on in the background and I always get an excited feeling in the pit of my stomach when I hear it. As if I was about to go loop-de-loop on a rollercoaster.

Got to watch focus groups today. Can't tell you about what, but I can say that there's something so odd about sitting behind the mirrored glass eating pizza and M&Ms while a complete stranger discusses, in intimate detail, aspects of your product that really don't amount to much in the grand scheme of things. Sure, big money decisions will soon be made. But now and again it hits me that I'm sitting in a sterile, air-conditioned room helping decide the future of "insert mass produced product here" while children starve and soldiers kill each other in other countries. C'mon. I'm glad I have a job, but is this what they're fighting for? Maybe....and maybe that's ok. But it's not ok that there's some kid who'd gladly beg me for the crust I'm leaving behind because I'm scared of too many carbs.

Shut up y'all. Just because it's been said before by many others doesn't mean I ought to keep it to myself. In fact if no body's reacting than maybe it hasn't been said enough....maybe it's time for a loop-de-loop.

Labels: dose of mikey, sharketing

* posted by me at 9:37 PM

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2003-07-14 
 

quick check

Haven't been updating as regularly as I used to. Going through a bit of a phase where I'm actually writing something else. Not sure if it'll end up being anything, but it feels good to get it into the computer.

Good weekend overall...barbecue at D and B's new place over in the East Bay yesterday and barbecue for ourselves this evening. Love that flamey taste!

Labels: blogging, dose of mikey

* posted by me at 1:55 AM

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2003-07-10 
 

changing pictures

For the past month or so, every time I'd look out the window by my cube, I'd see the picture of G's ex staring at me from the top of the telephone pole on the corner. (He's one of the poster people for the SF AIDS walk.) Because we're on the 3rd floor, it was as if he was staring over my shoulder. Being that he was a cheatin' bastard and hurt G, it was rather irksome. The walk is a truly good cause, but I kept wishing the poster would fall down so I wouldn't have to see him. Then I'd feel guilty about wanting that because having it fall down would hurt the walk. Last week, I decided to stop wishing that it would fall down, but I did mention to a coworker that it would've been much nicer if they'd chosen a different poster boy.

On Monday morning, his pic had been replaced by one of Eric McCormack. I'm sure this must have been a standard refreshing of imagery in order to pump people up for the walk next weekend, but it's just one example of how life has been getting nicer for me in many little ways since vacation. Call me an airy fairy freak if you want, but sometimes you just have to let life work for you instead of fighting all the time.

Labels: dose of mikey, g, spirit

* posted by me at 2:36 AM

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2003-07-08 
 

fireworks

Had a pretty wonderful weekend that was extra nice since it was mostly just the two of us. We did end up on Hoop's roof on the night of the 4th to see the fireworks. He only lives a block and a half away, so it wasn't too much of a walk...(even though we had bellies full of steak.) After climbing up a not so safe-seeming ladder on the third floor of his building, we had a wonderful view of the entire east bay. This meant we got to see the fireworks off in the distance as they took place in Oakland, Hayward, and Alemeda; and then turn towards downtown for SF's own display. One of the perks of living where we do. The other perk is people like Hoop who supplied us with warm blankets and beer while we were up there...as well as an extra warm body to snuggle up to. (Yes folks, I know most of you are experiencing summer's first heatwave, but nights in SF are windy and in the low 50's. I won't repeat the Mark Twain quote again, but that doesn't mean it isn't true! Our first summer ended around Pride and I'm not expecting hot weather again until after Labor Day.

In other news, people are being very nice to us. A neighbor actually washed my car this weekend because it happened to be parked in front of his own. I mean, he didn't just spray it off, he really washed it all the way. Even went so far as to Armor All the tires and bumpers and had it looking better than I honestly thought it could. As a thank you, we gave him some of G's superyum muffins. The next day he asked for my keys so that he could vacuum out the inside. (He was doing his own anyway he said, but I think he wanted more muffins...they're that good!)

Which brings me back to my lament of WHY would I want to leave this wonderful city? I don't really, but I do have people I want to be closer to and I don't think I'll ever convince all of them to move themselves out here. So eastward bound I'll be someday in the next year or so...if only for a while.

Labels: dose of mikey, looking eastward, san francisco

* posted by me at 1:53 AM

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2003-07-03 
 

new shoes

The first week back to work after vacation is officially over...Happy Independence Day!

I've been in a relatively cranky mood over the past few days, but I'm over it now. It's odd how a simple thing like a pair of new shoes can cheer me up, two new pairs leaves me grinning like a madman and three new pairs....pure ecstasy! I have two words for y'all: Kenneth Cole.

Labels: dose of mikey

* posted by me at 9:01 PM

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