2007-09-30 
 

rather long meme

Saw this meme over on Yaniblog and it's a bit fresher than most, at least to me. Please feel free to ignore as it's rather mundane. I'm thinking this mini capture of myself will be interesting to myself in a few years as it showcases my current mental state. Yes, I'm navel gazing.

Does someone love you?
I'm happy to report that several people do.

Do you know anyone named Dave?
I actually know many people named Dave.

Ever kissed anyone with the name starting with a J?
Yes, both men and women actually.

Has anyone ever mistaken you for a family member?
This used to happen quite a bit on the phone. When I was little they'd think I was my mom which was always a bit mortifying. Now it's either my dad or brother.

What colour are the walls of your parent's bedroom?
What an odd test of memory. I believe they are beige.

Do you think that hair extensions look skanky?
Really depends on who's wearing them. If you can't tell that they're extensions, then obviously it's fine, but it takes a certain chutzpah to pull off the obvious ones.

Are you named after a grandparent?
Nope, but I think my middle name comes from an uncle.

Say you were given a drug test right now. Would you pass or fail?
What kind of test? I'd pass blood or urine tests, but some of the longer hairs on my head might betray me. Not going to go all Britney though.

Are you taller than 5'6"?
Yes. I have nothing against shorter folk, but I'm very glad I'm not one of them. I'd really handle it badly. I'd either bulk up to ridiculous proportions or chunk out way more than I have today.

Do you know anyone in jail/prison?
Not currently.

Ever see a dead body?
At wakes and increasingly on the news.

Do you like the colour green?
One of my faves.

What is your best friend's Dad's name?
This is a tricky one, but I'll go with G's dad. It's Lonnie, but everybody calls him Dale.

How old are you?
37, otherwise known as three years from forty.

Who was the last person to send you a text message?
The stupid Cingular advertising service that I'm too lazy to unsubscribe from. As for a real person, it was G.

Ever drove into the ghetto to buy drugs?
I've always been fortunate enough to have some version of a fakery to buy drugs from. Not that I've visited Agrestic any time in the near past. (Hear that potential employers? I'm clean...well, unless you count scotch or coffee, then I'm a dirty bird indeed.)

Last restaurant you went to?
Butterfly...no that was lunch and then Blow Fish Sushi was dinner. Actually, the next day was Slanted Door. All very good, and all paid for by somebody else. (The biggest advantage of moving is that EVERYone wants to take you out to eat.)

What is the weather like today?
Typical SF that I'll miss dearly. Foggy morning breaking up into midday sun. In the high sixties.

Last voice mail you received?
Mr. Burgreen.

What did you do yesterday?
Packed! (and watched The Holiday which was way cuter than I thought it would be.)

What's the first thing you would do with five million dollars?
Put it in the bank. Five million dollars is an awful lot of money to be carrying around. Then, assuming that I've already paid the taxes on that amount, I'd pay off debt, buy a home in SF and one on the Cape. Pay off Mom and Dad's mortgage, help Dude and Dudette get a house and live off of the remaining interest for the rest of my life. (Which, as I figure it, comes to 60K a year at 2% though I'd hope to be able to get a higher rate of return.)

What nationalities are you?
Scotch and German mostly with a little French thrown in for good measure. Oh, and the Scotch comes by way of Canada...eh.

How many hours did you sleep for last night?
Somewhere between 7 and 8

Any upcoming concerts you want to attend?
Not really.

Who's the last person that you felt was stalking you?
I had a rather uncomfortable experience back in 96 with a guy named Randy, but I'm pretty sure in retrospect that it was all in my head.

What jewellery are you wearing?
Hmmm...let me digress to note the British/Canandian spelling of jewellery. Eh?
Seriously though, I'm just wearing my en-gay-ment ring. Meaning the ring G and I exchanged back in 2002 to represent the foreverness of our love together regardless of what society dictates. We may actually get a chance to have more traditional wedding rings now that we're moving back to a state that recognizes it.

If all of your friends were going on a road trip, would you?
G and I are about to go on a pretty big trip. Anyone who wants to convoy along is welcome.

How much money do you have?
On my person at the moment? Nothing. (I'm in my sleepy clothes.)

Do you swear at your parents?
I sure hope not.

Is your phone right beside you?
Nope, it's...actually, I just realized the cordless from the living room is on top of the desk.

Have you cried today?
Not this morning, but being a bit of a weeper, I did tear up towards the end of The Holiday last night. So yes, within the past 24 hours, I've cried.

Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now?
I'm pretty sure G is since I type pretty loud. And in a time twisting sense, whomever is reading this in my potential future is definitely thinking about me as they read it in their current present.

Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off?
Most of the shoes I wear lack laces.

What is the colour of your bedsheets?
I wish I could say that there's flannel monkey sheets on the bed, but right now we just have the beige linen on.

Have you ever crawled through a window?
On several occasions.

Are you photogenic?
My head has a tendency to pumpkinize in photos, so I'm going with no on this one.

What's your star sign?
Cancer. Krebs.

Where do you spend most of your money?
Rent. I have been living in SF after all.

What was the last thing you did?
I made coffee.

Do you have a tattoo?
Yes. Mark helped me design in and got a matching one. Been thinking of getting a monkey on my back in honor of G. (and yes, I appreciate the wordplay in that statement)

Do you still watch cartoons on Saturday mornings?
Nope. But I watch Cartoon Network when flying on Jet Blue.

Is there a secret you've never told any of your friends?
I'm sure there is, but you're not getting it out of me that easily.

Have you ever told someone you loved them but didn't mean it?
Once, when I was very high, back in my crazy youth. It's one of the reasons I won't do hard drugs anymore.

Have you ever changed your clothes while in a vehicle?
Not in recent memory, but I'm sure I have.

What are you doing in 2008?
Hopefully owning our own home.

What is your ring tone?
This is rather complicated as there's several.
Cell: Sing Sing Sing
Home, G's parents: Star Spangled Banner
Home, my parents: Beethoven's 9th
Home, Dude/Dudette: Fur Elise
Home, M and E: Aura Lee
Home, TNTP: Flicker
Home, G and my Cell: Lightening Bug
Home, Hugs: Irish Eyes Are Smiling
(note, not sure why Hugs got that one instead of M and E)

What were you doing at 2am last night?
I believe that's just about when G woke me up on the couch and helped me stumble to the bed.

Are your parents married/divorced/separated?
Married, and for that I'm very thankful.

What are you doing tonight?
Watching some left over premiers on Tivo and eating Ikea meatballs in order to clean out the freezer. (and because they're yummy)

What are you doing tomorrow?
That would be my last day of work.

Who did you last message on Myspace?
That would be nobody since I don't use Myspace.

What's your opinion on sex without emotional commitment?
I have no issues with it as long as both parties are aware that there's no emotional commitment. (this is harder for some folks than they'll admit)

Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do?
Yes, this does annoy me. This explains why I'm so vague when making potential plans with friends since I never want to commit before I'm sure I can follow through. This, in it's own way, is also annoying I suppose.

What did you dress up as for your first Halloween?
Either a woman or a baker. Can't remember which photos come first.

Favourite Disney movie?
I was about to type in Finding Nemo, but I think Ratatouille has edged in to the top spot. (As I type this I realize that Big Business and others I've laughed at could be counted as Disney films under their Touchstone division, but I'm sticking to the traditional idea of a Disney film.)

What is the wallpaper on your cellphone?
A shot of the shoreline up in Ogunquit, ME.

Labels: dose of mikey, linkage, memes, random review

* posted by me at 4:16 PM

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2007-09-28 
 

for the record

So, Monday is my last day after all. They've decided that they'd rather bump my assistant up and post her position than post mine. (I did my job of training her too well!) Seriously though, I'm pretty proud that she's going to step up. I did recommend it when I first talked about leaving back in August.

I'm sad that I'll no longer see certain coworkers on a regular basis, but overall I'm breathing a sigh of relief. It's definately time for a change, and this also means I can actually relax on the trip across country instead of having to check in a few times a day. (and be working on spreadsheets while G drives through beautiful scenery)

I can't deny that it's a bit of a stressor to have one of the safety nets pulled away, but there's still a few down below us so I won't fret too much.

Two weeks until Happy Trails time!

Labels: dose of mikey, looking eastward, sharketing

* posted by me at 2:26 PM

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2007-09-25 
 

snap

Is that the sound I'll make? Do people really emit a loud near popping sound when they go over the edge?

Seriously. I'll be fine tomorrow. Heck, I'll be fine later tonight after a little typing and a large glass of wine have helped me to decompress. Besides, all may yet be very well.

My last day at work may, or may not be on Monday should they decide to keep me on for a bit as a remote worker. I'm honestly able to see the good of both sides, so I'll be fine with whatever the decision is, but this possibility has been out there for weeks now and not a peep from the birds in power. Now, according to the must-be-obeyed HR calendar, tomorrow is the final day to submit my termination paperwork if Monday is actually going to be my last day. I could march on in and point this out to the powers that be. I'd finally know one way or the other.

But maybe that's bad politics. As much as HR wants us all to believe that the calendar is sacrosanct, I remember too well my years as an admin and the truth is that with a company the size of ours there's always loopholes and special measures that can be taken. Sure, some poor admin has to jump through the loopholes, but I know that's not a thought that bothers most people giving the commands. To be honest, I remember even having a bit of pride in myself when I got through several hoops in a day without tripping up. But you're not here for a history lesson.

Ugh. Anyone got the capital to open up a corner bookstore? (And by capital I mean extra money they don't mind throwing away since corner bookstores are fast becoming extinct?) Or better yet, want to be my patron?

Nobody speaks of patron's anymore.

Labels: dose of mikey, rant, sharketing

* posted by me at 9:19 PM

(1) comments



2007-09-21 
 

myo mom

Off to G's neice's wedding, but wanted to post quick that Mom's in the paper today. Check out the article from the Patriot Ledger.

Labels: g, linkage, looking eastward, shout out

* posted by me at 4:33 PM

(0) comments



2007-09-19 
 

sweet sounds of fall

So true. I regularly read the REAL LIFE comic, but this one is too good to keep to myself. It spoke to me deep down in the core of my being. This time of the year always gives the same excited/giddy feeling I get when clickety clacking up the first big hill on a rollercoaster. Oh, and it has a cool Tivo reference. Click the comic to be taken to the larger version on the RL site.

Labels: 1000 words, dose of mikey, linkage

* posted by me at 4:19 PM

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2007-09-14 
 

100 things

It seems that no blog is complete without one of these lists laying around somewhere. I'm going to be kind and give it a page of it's own so that you can feel free to ignore it if you wish. Also, please note that the page this links to has been available since March. I just now realized that the entry announcing it never got published. That said it, I reread it today and it's still all true.

RANDOM LIST OF 100 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

Labels: blogging, dose of mikey, g, memes, memory lane, random review, rant, reading, san francisco, sharketing, shout out, spirit

* posted by me at 8:18 PM

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2007-09-13 
 

one of many

just one of many possible routes

Labels: 1000 words, dose of mikey, looking eastward

* posted by me at 1:32 PM

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2007-09-08 
 

a little slice of crazybusy

Been in photoshoot prep hell for the past few weeks. Much easier process than it was in past years thanks to having an assitant manager. This means that I no longer have to pull 3-4 weeks of 12 hour days in order to get everything together, but it's still pretty hectic.

Talked about leaving with my manager. While, like any boss, he has seemed a bit crazy at times, he has also taught me much of what I know about how business works and has always been there for me over the years. He's offered to help me find interim jobs within the company if needed which is ultracool and a bit of a weight lifted from the moving scales that I've been trying to keep balanced.

Which brings me to the big day. Moving truck is tentatively scheduled to pick our stuff up on October 11th. We'll then spend a night in our empty apartment and then head east to Roseville for a last minute visit with G's parents and then northeast to Idaho to see Craters of the Moon. Then, if he isn't too busy playing golf, we'll head to Lincoln, Montanna for a quick hello to Uncle B.

I've always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore and that's on the way, so why not. Also hoping to stop in Wisconnsin to try some cheese. Please don't tell the California Cows as they're already quite sad about our departure.

In between now and then there's friends to have dinners with a wedding to attend and the aforementinoed photoshoot to manage. This always sounds glamourous because people think of this borderline NSFW image. But really it's a lot of this and this.

Labels: 1000 words, dose of mikey, looking eastward, sharketing

* posted by me at 3:38 PM

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2007-09-04 
 

a precious problem

Just a few quick lines to note that it is near impossible for me to use the word precious anymore without having Gollum's little voice echo in my head.

Typing up a comment on my trip to the Grand Canyon and actually wrote,
Stopping on a bridge that crossed the Colorado river, I purchased a ring from a Navajo roadside sale that remains precious to me today because of the memories I associate with it.

True, the fact that it's a ring I'm talking about made the need to change precious to special even more dire, but still I'm a bit annoyed by the need. Precious was always such a nice word. I'd like it back please.

Oh, and for what it's worth, it's about three years since I started, but this weekend saw the final transcribing from original journal to web for the Incredible Adventure page, and pictures too. Whoot!

Labels: writing

* posted by me at 2:11 AM

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2007-09-01 
 

ch-ch-ch-changes

So, with my last day at work just a month away I feel more comfortable breaking the cone of silence.

Yes, I'm planning on October 1st as my last day...and it'll be a vacation day to boot! I had originally thought of giving the 28th of September as a last day, but October 1st will extend my health insurance for the full month. Of course, other things could happen in between, but we can't talk about that yet.

Regular visitors will also notice that I'm allowing Google Ads up above. Honestly, I love the PBS nature of an ad free site, but they seem unobtrusive and it's a bit of an experiment. I'd like to see if it "helps" the site climb up higher on random search results.

I'm also curious what ort of ads it'll generate. The most popular search words that lead to this site are:

MARGOT TENENBAUM
PRIDE FLAGS
LOVE
PEACE
DRUGS
and, oddly enough, INLAND

Well, I guess Margot Tenenbaum's an odd term to lead folks here as well since I've only mentioned her in one entry ages ago, but I can't imagine many sites that mention her, so I guess it makes sense that mine pops up pretty often in search results....

I stand corrected. I just googled "Margot Tenenbaum" and people are WAY obsessed with that movie. This site isn't even in the top ten pages of search results. Folks must be really into her if they're digging down past ten pages and still clicking through to see what's at the other end!

But I digress, the point is that I'll find it interesting to see what sort of companies those various popular search terms will hook up to. (and I can't pretend that I'm unaware of the fact that this entry itself should bump me up the Margot Tenenbaum ladder)

Oh, I also decided to install the blogger bar up at the top of the page. More because of the search function than anything else. I never got around to tagging the first 300 entries so it'll be helpful when I want to surf the archives.

Lastly, a special note to DUDE. As I powered through my stats pages looking for popular search terms, I noticed that this postcard page averages about 15-20 hits a month. Given that it's buried pretty deep, that's impressive. Also, markart does about the same. You should send me more jpgs and I'll post 'em.

Labels: blogging, dose of mikey, looking eastward, sharketing

* posted by me at 5:44 PM

(4) comments