…buy your own damn fries.

It’s been a tumultuous February. My bag was stolen out of my office over a week ago (ipod - serial # 8K834NLG2C7 / panasonic lumix camera, serial #EN6BA14667R / wallet / cc’s / PICTURES FROM THE INAUGURATION AGH) and it has been aggravating to say the least. For the first few days I kept having daydreams of catching the bastards with my bag, and proceeding to tackle and/or beat the crap out of them. That didn’t make me feel much better, though, so I’ve mostly just been focusing on GettingThingsDone.

and

Today a couple folks got laid off from the office. That is distressing to me on a couple levels - first, one of them is a buddy of mine and I feel bad for him, and second, what if that had been me? Truth be told, we would not be in that bad of shape - we have a decent savings and a place to stay rent free if it came to that. (And at the end of the year Em will have her degree, which means we will be a two-fulltime-income-family). But just the very thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.

I’ve been meaning to meditate more, and mostly by accident ran across the big sit - a westernized version of the traditional 3-month buddhist practice period. I decided I need to get Serious Yo about meditating more frequently, so I signed up. I sat for twenty minutes tonight and my mind was in a fucking insane maze mode, mostly about work. It’s going to be really important to keep things in perspective in the coming months.

I’ve been talking to my folks more in the past few weeks. In the past when I’ve been distressed, it’s been over things I didn’t think I could talk to them about. But now it is comforting to call them up and hear their voices. (I think E. having such a good relationship with her folks has inspired me.)

And now, I know most of the internet has seen Barack Obama Is Tired Of Your MotherFucking Shit, but maybe you haven’t. These audio clips of Obama reading “Dreams of My Father” are absolutely hilarious (and NSFW).

Best Of 2008…

2008 turned out to be the year I fell in love with psychedelic indie rock*, or clapping, or both. Here’s my list of favorite albums that came out in 2008.

• Dr. Dog - Fate*. This was by far my favorite album of the year. I laughed, I cried, I made everyone around me listen to it more times than I should have. Favorite track: The Breeze
• Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago. A lonely album, recorded in a cabin in the northern woods of Wisconsin. I was super stressed when this album came out, and I played it over and over and over. Favorite track: Skinny Love.
• Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngster… I could always count on this album to get me moving AND put me in a great mood. Favorite track: You! Me! Dancing!.
• The Dodos* - Visiter. I think this album is best listened to as a whole, rather than track by track. But…here goes. Red And Purple.
• Conor Oberst - s/t. A little more country, a little more rock and roll than his work with the Bright Eyes. There are a bunch of songs I love on this album - Danny Callahan, Sausalito, I Don’t Wanna Die in the Hospital, Cape Canaveral.
• Fleet Foxes - s/t. This album got all sorts of critical acclaim this year - and rightfully so. Another one to listen to all the way through. Favorite track: Ragged Wood.
• Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation. I downloaded this album on a whim from emusic, and it’s become one of my favorites to put on when I need to get things done…even though it makes me feel like I’m shopping at Banana Republic. I listened to a lot more electronica this year, and it’s mostly due to this album. Favorite track: Sound the Alarm.
• Jessica Lea Mayfield - With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt. This album is a dark and gloomy night…with a roaring fireplace and a bottle of wine. Favorite track: Kiss Me Again.
• Plants and Animals* - Parc Avenue. I like this hippie-rock-everyone-sing-along band. Favorite track: Bye Bye Bye.
• Adele - 19. This album is chock full of soulful comfort. Favorite Track: Daydreamer.
• B.B. King - One Kind Favor. I was a little disappointed the last time I saw ole B.B. in concert April 2008 - there was a lot more talking than singing…but the man is 82 years old, after all. So you can’t blame me for having low expectations for his new album. Boy was I ever wrong. Favorite Track: See That My Grave Is Kept Clean. (myspace player here).
• Baby Charles - s/t. Color me funkified. I downloaded this album (from emusic, of course!), because I heard they did a mean cover of “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” (Arctic Monkeys). They did - and they put together a fun album, too. watch one or listen to samples.

Happy New Year!

There’s a cat under there…

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I’m not going to bore you with the details of how exactly I acquired a reindeer hat for my cat, but I will tell you this picture makes me laugh Every Single Time I look at it.

This weekend was good but my ass is sore from sitting in the car for so long. We went to Florence Friday night for a poetry slam that our friend Lindsay from Texas performed at. There was an extraordinary amount of bad poetry performed there, but Lindsay’s stuff was good as always. Figured out that an image of me is in one of her poems. Kinda cool, kinda weird.

Saturday we hung out, did laundry, read a bunch. I’m hooked on True Blood, so I decided to read the books to find out what happens. The books are entertaining but sort of weird. (I know, this IS a book series about vampires…not exactly normal). Saturday night we went to a Christmas party that was fun once we got there. Not sure why I was anxious about it but I was. Drank a few glasses of wine and a shot of this awesome lemon liquor, and then left to go hang out with Lindsay (again).

Got home way too late, woke up way too early and drove to Mississippi for Z’s birthday party. They have a rose breasted cockatoo and it is hilarious (and smart!). It was good to see both Z & Helene but we could only stay a few hours. On the drive back we ate in what is quite possibly the worst fast food restaurant in america - the Wendy’s in Tuscaloosa, exit 73 off of I-20. The chicken was rubbery (seriously, bounced off the pavement) and they forgot to put forks in the bag (we both ordered a baked potato). Do you know how hard it is to eat a baked potato without any sort of utensil? (I don’t either, since Emily went inside and got one for me).

I am grumpalicious today. But Emo in a reindeer hat still makes me laugh.

a rose by any other name…

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I took this photo at the botanical gardens in Orlando while I was there with my Mom. I’m having a calendar of the photos made for her for Christmas. (Hope you don’t read this blog, Mom). I hope she likes it.

I’m really overwhelmed with work right now. Stressed, too, with the holidays and all that is supposed to mean. As I get older the holidays have become more meaningful…or at least, they have taken on more meaning. I’m probably being more serious about it than I need to. I have that problem a lot.

We’ve finalized plans for the inauguration. We have a hotel room for the duration of the stay and there is a Big Surprise planned for saturday night. Then maybe a metafilter meetup on Monday, and the Big Day of Cold Feet And Other Assorted Body Parts on Tuesday. I’m excited. Even though I am quite certain that Hopey will not change the country, I think it will be a Very Exciting day indeed.

That’s all for now.

Woman holding Obama sign on Edmund Pettus Bridge (Selma, AL)

Obama, 2008.

from the historical marker:
On Sunday March 7, 1965, 600 people led by Hosea Williams & John Lewis began a march to Montgomery to take their quest for voting rights directly to Governor George C. Wallace. At the Pettus bridge they were met by state troopers who used horses, tear gas & billy clubs to break up the march.

A march on March 9, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. met the troopers at the same place & turned around without incident.

The Federal Court ruled the march was legal & with Federal protection 4,000 began the march to Montgomery on March 21. Camping along the road the protestors reached 25,000 in number by the time they reached the State Capital on March 25.

National news coverage of these events secured widespread support & led to the approval of the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches

it is october…and i have just now finished uploading pictures i took in may.

I’m a slackass. I’m ok with this.

Speaking of which, I ran across an old livejournal post about some goals I had set for myself in 2006. Surprisingly, I have accomplished most of them. Since I just turned 31, I thought it would be a good time to make some new goals.

31. I can’t really believe I’m 31. Back in my younger days I never really thought I’d make it to 30, which is sort of hilarious because I was never really very wild. Now my life is a little on the boring side but I think it’s pretty awesome. I have a great wife, a great job, and great friends. I have incredible in-laws and my relationship with my parents is pretty good, too.

31 Goals (to be accomplished before my next birthday)

1. run a 5k
2. finish a draft of TheBook
3. learn Flex well enough to crank out some projects
4. do something active every day
5. late summer road trip (up the california coast? to montana? to the grand canyon?)
6. pay off all of my debt
7. take a picture a day (starting, um, tomorrow)
8. visit my parents
9. run a 10k
10. find an awesome haircut
11. learn conversational spanish (class? rosetta stone?)
12. …and then make plans to go somewhere spanish-speaking (maybe costa rica next christmas?)
13. send a postcard to PostSecret
14. ride my bike 5x/week to work for a month
15. read 2 books a month
16. embrace my musical side (play my clarinet, guitar regularly)
17. hike a week on the AT
18. finish dvd of the parental units interviews
19. take swimming lessons
20. watch a space shuttle launch
21. design (and get) another tattoo
22. volunteer my time freely
23. finish every project currently on my rtm list for work
24. ride the chief ladiga trail
25. write a snail mail letter to the ranch every month
26. send birthday cards to the extended family!
27. get up earlier in the morning and meditate (more days than not)
28. go to a show once a month
29. donate 5-10% of my paycheck to a worthy cause
30. do 50 consecutive pushups
31. enjoy the simple things in life (cultivate awareness)

notes from today

so…I went to Minneapolis. Had a great time (although I’ve been lazy about putting up pictures) and really enjoyed:
1) the weather
2) the free happy hour at the hotel
3) spending more money on alcohol than on food.
4? oh, and hanging out with Lisa, of course!

Today was a really busy crappy hectic day. I spent an hour on the phone with Dell trying to convince them to send me a new graphics card for a machine (no video, put a known good card in and it worked) and the tech said he needed me by the machine (which was back in the lab with the temp video card). Called back around 5 and the rep didn’t even ask me to turn the computer on…just arranged for the part to be sent out. Mental note: It is worthless to try to argue with a Dell rep. Just call back and hope you get someone friendlier.

Lots of people at work have been getting infected with the latest malware. Virus writers are getting smarter - they are writing emails people will actually click on. Unfortunately for me, people are gullible and easily freaked by weird cnn headlines, evites, false mortgage payments, and even a site for the talledega dirt track. (who knew?). C’mon people, just take two seconds to look at the link to make sure it’s pointing somewhere legitimate. Please??

I’m listening to the new album by Brian Eno & David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, which is a brilliant title for an album. It’s streaming for the time being at http://everythingthathappens.com/.

Things I’m Not Sure Are Legal:
* The church school up the street that makes the street one-way-only during school dropoff and pickup times. I always ignore the sign (on my bike) because it annoys the crap out of me.
* The Birmingham Public Library downtown’s rule of searching all “oversized” bags before letting you in the library. Seriously, what are they looking for? Usually I just keep on walking and ignore the officer sitting behind the desk, but for some reason Sunday I stopped. Em & I had ridden our bikes, so I had a standard issue Timbuktu messenger bag and she had a sling bag, both of which apparently qualify as “oversized”. The officer said he was looking for “guns, weapons, or contraband” but then didn’t even open up any of the pockets in my bag. Really weird and annoying - so I have to submit to a search to get into a public space? How is that legal?

Agh. Rant off. I’m going to go eat some leftover frittata which I hope is even more delicious cold. Have a good night kids.

It’s you! it’s me! and there’s dancing!

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I’ve been getting really frustrated at work far too easily. I’m not really sure what the problem is, but I’m blaming it on the heat. It is miserable here. Tonight my elbows were dripping sweat as I walked home from work…at 7:30 pm. Lucky me, I’m headed to Minneapolis for a long weekend.

I’ve been having an introspective sort of week (aka “being hard on myself”). Not much to be done about it - I see myself developing some habits I’d rather not adopt. Mainly, being overtly judgmental and selfish. I’ve been feeling a little taken advantage of by some friends and am trying to find the balance between being gracious and not getting run over. It’s a fine line.

There are two things that have been getting me going in the morning: copious amounts of coffee with half and half(!), and los campesinos! Also…twitter updates by the Mars Phoenix Rover.

…

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I feel so restless.

totally random

I found an Auggie BBS group on myspace today. That got me thinking about all the folks I talked to endlessly back when I was in college (when the web was mostly text and email was a newfangled thing that most people didn’t really use).

I used to type into that terminal window for hours at a time. The BBS’s and MUDs were my escape…from a lot of things I didn’t have the courage to face alone. Those friendships formed through those words on a screen were lifesaving.

My google-fu is failing me, so Camille Swanson aka sphynx (married to Kevin Swanson, living in Texas(?)), if you’re out there somewhere, get in touch!