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january 31, 2002 - 9:10

major science revelation this morning: previously, the western world assumed that pestlike insect organisms (in this case, ants, but it might be applicable to others) exist just to find errant scraps of food left on the table, and organize small armies to retreive it and bring it back to the colony. (thus creating small insectoid thoroughfares in the night for you to relish with early morning delight.)

although it may be true that they are simply searching for food, simply trying to exist, it is now known that it is not their primary motivation...  it seems as if they are, (as many of us suspected all along), just there to annoy and frustrate human tenants.

ex: this morning, sleepy me stumbles into kitchen for morning fix of breakfast food.  the bowls have been packed, so i resign to krispies out of a coffee mug.  (highly inefficient -- takes four mugs to equal super-breakfast-bowl).  while pouring my milk, i notice the first tresspasseur.. and let it live.

"oh, little ant, i guess you can stay..  i'll be out of this space in three days, and i really don't care what you do with it then."

so, i pick up my noisy mug (snap, crackle, pop), and walk the short distance between kitchen and office/den/diningroom, (the joys of a small apartment), to sit at the table.

"WHAT IS THIS?," the king bellows..  "i'll not take this debauchery in my land!"

there, before me, was not an insectoid hiway, but an interstate.  little bastards shot from the wall, across the counter, onto the table, and into...  my helmet?

EWWW!   there's no food in there...   why go in there?

crawling through the venthole on top, i guess they decided they liked it better than the damp digs in the wall, and deserted their little batillion.   perhaps rescue groups were sent out to look for the lost troops, but they to were sucked into the allure of this fine new living arrangement.

in the vent, under the cushions, through the visor ::  this is war.

i can't just RAID® the little bitches, as it is my helmet, and i do intend to stick my head in there again.  (were it only a $100, i might've even tossed it.. but at ~$400, my unemployed ass is fighting to the teeth to save it!)

so i sit on the balcony, with wet washcloth, and nail any of the little antichrists as they stray too far from behind a cushion, or a little bit outside of the external ventholes.  sooo gross.

after about 20 minutes of this, my kill/sec ratio begins to diminish, and i realize i must return to the kitchen to deconstruct their interstate.   this, of course, was efficiently RAID®ED.  their little anti-bodies piled upon each other like some sick genocide...

in fact, as i sit now and type as air stings my lungs, i wonder if any of those bastards will survive in here for years.

oh fuck, what is this?  they're in my laptop keyboard too?  AARGH!

january 29, 2002 - 9:57

while investigating requirements and qualifications necessary to obtain an oregon driver's license upon my arrival, i stumbled across this little gem on the ORDMV site, relating to acceptable addressing:

A post office box, a business address, an APO or FPO address, or a "drop box" address is not acceptable alone because these are mailing addresses.   You must use the actual location where you reside as the residence address.  The only exceptions are:

If you have no actual residence, such as a homeless person or a person who continuously travels in a Motorhome, may use a descriptive address in place of the residence address.  Examples include: "Under the Marion Street Bridge" or "Continuous Traveler".

i like that:  jack, "Continuous Traveler."

who needs broken arms, so long as your legs keep working?

january 28, 2002 - 17:33

why bother to maintain a psuedo-journal-type-thing when i never seem to write what i really feel anyway?   because sometimes the truth might be a little too dangerous, a little too condemning?

...but even that feels like a cop-out.

january 28, 2002 - 17:17

new favorite sc memory: toasted bagel and tangerine juice from the bagelry, whilst sitting on the rocks by the lighthouse.  it's sunny, and warm, yet i feel snow flakes dance across bare arms.  the surfers in the break below are enjoying perfect sets on smooth curling waves, framed against the snow-capped peaks of monterey, reflecting across a crystal clear bay.

january 28, 2002 - 10:08

yeeOWTCH!  are my hands making pay for it today..  ARGH!

so, yesterday was jack's final ride in santa cruz.  honestly, i haven't actually ridden a scooter for some time, as the ramifications (read: pain) of wrist hurt disease are just too pervasive, but i needed to make one final pass..  a last-ditch attempt to secure, and store memories to last a lifetime.  (wrists be damned)

best running scooter recently sold, i roll out the blue one, gabriella, and kick her over.  obligingly, her motor jumps at first chance, and roars to life from long-imposed slumber.  (since about august, me thinks).

quick figure 8 in parking lot to quantify operational condition reminds owner that first gear was recently (well, in august) misplaced.  (err, unable to be selected, due to an unresolved (and largely uninvestigated) cable issue?)

since we don't really need first gear without a passenger, the door is closed anyway, second is selected, and we're off to the coffee shop to meet the crew.

a phenomenon that once consisted largely of one, today there are four bikes leaving from drafty garage behind my apartment building...  it seems that this mode of transport is somewhat contagious.

a small parade to the cafe where our number is eventually tripled, and the final tour soon commences in a grand array of hippy-choking blue smoke.

nothing will beat a ride that can start along coastal cliffs, salted with seaspray, eventually leading through the crisp (bone chilling) air that suspends heavy fog between redwoods of the mountains.  an hour or two of superfast tight turns along forest ravines, and emerging again, on the far side, absolutely shuddering with cold.

for it is only in this state that you can feel your body melt as the sun and warm air just cuts through whatever protection you're wearing as you descend again to sun drenched strawberry fields that shimmer in plastic wrap next to the ocean.

     a white scooter crash 
     a blue scooter seize
     a vegan's sandwich made with cheese

     but no panels were dented
     the piston didn't stick
     and we even got our money back for it.

..........

sidenote: recent addition to things jack does not recommend:

• pull a scooter out of storage, and expect it to handle freeway speeds after a 4.5 hour ride on gas that has probably turned in the tank.
• seizing a scooter (or any bike) whilst maintaining aformentioned freeway speeds.

supposing you're not actually tossed over the handlebars with the sudden (and violent) deceleration, you have to work hard at keeping the bike straight (and upright) when it's wagging a frozen stuck rear wheel behind it.  (this can be downright exciting, in a stomach-in-your-throat sort of way)

good news: jack managed to do this, and, unstick the motor before coming to a full and complete stop on the side of hwy 1.  motor pops back to life and trusty scooter carries him home, one final time.

...poor gabriella.

january 24, 2002 - 11:40

rm, the original researcher to uncover the patented eHolster, has now found something with a little more substance: the eVest.  specifically, Scott's eVest.

thoughts for a lazy wednesday:

• is it time to upgrade?
• was the combo gap reversible vest over eHolster back in '00 a precursor to this trend?
  • could i have rights to the idea?  the name?
• do they support sponsorships?  (you know, product placement / walking advertisements?)
• how long till i can get it in orange?

january 23, 2002 - 20:56

sitting in an empty apartment, viewing, deconstructing, taking notes --as tape after tape of the weekend's (mis)adventures in film illuminate phosphours of my slowly dying monitor.  only two things are certain:

• i have some really cool friends, if they're willing to give up a weekend for this (me).
• santa cruz has to be one of the loveliest places to live.  maybe that's why it's so expensive.

i can't decide what i find more daunting..  the shots we actually pulled off, or the scenes we didn't even get to.

january 23, 2002 - 19:11

heartbroken: i didn't think i could go through with it, i didn't think i had it in me.

today, more space was made in the garage, as i handed the keys of my hard working black vespa to a new suitor.  funny how unsatisfying a little piece of paper can be when weighed against the utilitarian heft of vintage italian steel.

now she sits in the parking spot adjacent to my own, and leers at me in dim light.  

i'm sorry molly, i had to do it...      there was just no other way.

january 18, 2002 - 20:29

last minute preparations for weekend from hell, hastily underway...

tomorrow, i get to face a dozen good friends which have allowed me to lure them out into the cold morning at ungodly hours...  locations, props, crew, talent, all precariously balanced and entricately scheduled.

and in the interim, i get to worry about my condo, full of strangers, and supervised by a woman (landlord) who could really give a damn about my belongings, entirely preocuppied with the task of filling her property with mortgage covering tenants.

tomorrow will be a long day.

january 18, 2002 - 1:02

i just discovered that the olympic torch is coming within 1 block of my condo tomorrow morning...  upon hearing this news, my first impulse was strongly influenced with model rocketry, fireworks, radio transmissions and neat olympic jump suits.

on second thought, perhaps i'll just ride my orange cruiser bike down to the corner and check it out...

january 16, 2002 - 10:54

last night i dreamt of watching a piano player work her pedals in rhythm to 88 dancing keys with so much passion, she literally wore out the soles of her shoes.

i wish i had that much passion for my hobbies these days...

january 15, 2002 - 14:47

after the best wrist hurt disease soothing myo-fascial therapy session ever, orangekar drives along crystal coast.

the water is ultra-aqua-marine today, and one can see clear to monterey (commonly mistaken for hawaii, by some of the more moronic tourists).   a light breeze, and not a cloud in the sky.  

you know, the sort of perfect day that reminds a person why they live by the ocean in the first place, and how they'd never really like to live anywhere else.

(sigh)

i'm going out to fix the tire on my cruiser bike now.  it's old and orange too...

january 14, 2002 - 16:24

::in::

• finally moving away from sc
• finding a new place to live before your old lease expires (*phew*)
• finding a new place to live with less rent $$ and more garage |<-->| than the old one.

• finally moving away from sc
• moving to the unemployment capitol of the country (??)
• not having a job lined up for when you get there (???)
• moving itself ( packing, renting, loading, driving, unloading, unpacking, unrenting)

revolutionary idea: let's actually do what we always talk about.  (gulp!)

new key on keychain signs contract with fate: i read somewhere that the biggest chance in life is not taking any.

now if i could just calm these damn butterflies...

january 14, 2002 - 18:09

on the way back from another WHD-related doctor's appointment, i passed a car that had a license plate frame that said "i love llamas."

i couldn't help but to smile to myself as i looked over to see if mr. mcfarland was driving...

january 5, 2002 - 18:12

how is it that so many seemingly unrelated long-term plans all seem to be lining up for execution this month?

i guess only one thing is certain; if i survive january, the rest of the year will be a snap, right?

*sigh*

january 5, 2002 - 17:44

well, i did it.  i severed the final tether, lifted anchor and announced, unequivocally, my intention to set sail.  30-day notice submitted to landlord.

excited?  yes.  scared?  yes.  (not nearly enough?)

a year ago, i announced similiar plans to my then-housemates: "i have found a one bedroom apartment, and will be moving out of the house in early february."

why then, is it so scary this time?

well..  seeing as i don't have a job, and i don't yet have a new residence lined up, and i don't yet know for sure where it is that i'm planning on going....  i guess quite a few things are different.

so: jack cuts the line; broken hands release the trapeze bar, and he simply falls away, just hoping that he'll find something new to grab onto before he hits bottom...

...ladies and gentleman, we are floating in space.

january 5, 2002 - 01:21

it's been a great day w.r.t. planning for the film, as i've finally found the third 'era' car required for the closing scene! mmmm..  fiat 1200, photogenic much?  yummy!

january 3, 2002 - 10:13  (dragonspeak)

for this morning's "living with wrist hurt disease" simulation, you will require the following ingredients:

1	large serving bowl
1	box of rice krispies (or similiar generic brand)
1	gallon (or carton) of whole milk
1/2	banana (do what you will with the remainder)

place the serving bowl on the counter, fill with rice krispies (or generic brand, if cheaper that week @ safeway).  slowly pour milk into bowl, taking special care to ensure that all surface 'krisps' become saturated and do not flow over the edge.

once an appropriate volume of milk has been added to the bowl (enough to ensure a proper milk-krisp ratio throughout the duration of the consumption process), replace the box of cereal and gallon (or carton) of milk back into their respective storage locations.

pick up the bowl with both hands, and walk silently into the living room.  this morning, we will be sitting at the sofa to watch cartoons while consuming breakfast.

standing before your sofa, (or armchair), shift the bowl of cereal into one hand, effectively 'freeing-up' the other to remove any possible obstructions of your path.  personally, i noticed that my laptop was still on the sofa, but you may optionally adjust a pillow, or dive for the remote before it falls deeper into the crevice between cushions.

as you are leaning forward, identify the load bearing hand (the one holding the bowl), and release it's burden silently, effortlessly : just let your hand go limp.  take special care to spill contents on sofa, carpet, armchair, or whatever else might be in the general vacinity.

(if you're quick, you might even make it to the laptop before the krisps do!)

congratulations!  you're living with WHD!!!  mess now made, scold yourself (silently -- you might have housemates), and return to the kitchen for cleaning supplies.

january 2, 2002 - 22:01

along the cliffs, and through the woods, julliette had a lovely little tour today...  perhaps a little too fast, a little too sideways, but never too fun!

all plans to sell car are now scrapped.  this is the year she's been waiting for.

january 2, 2002 - 21:32

boy sits in apartment, sports new whd shirt ©drew, compliments of juju, and plays with orange model that looks stunningly like a car that sleeps in his garage.

it was a good day, a damn good day.

january 2, 2002 - 11:32

talked local bookshop into donating some vintage auto magazines for prop making for film.  huge discounts soon followed at art supply store, and now the boy sits in his apartment constructing the premier prop for his project.

with sound editor currently in route from sacramento, jack stares out of rain streaked window and smiles; the film seems to be gaining unprecedented momentum.

is it enough to break the coefficient of static friction?  ( a force primarily responsible for dozens of previous ideas, currently languishing in his notebook? )

only time will tell...

january 1, 2002 - 10:25  (dragonspeak)

# shutdown -g0 -i6 -y

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