jan 28, 2003 - 9:10 - agent y, undercover quilter
signing on to work this morning, a virtual-coworker (lately just an
IM window with personality) inquiries how my own weekend agenda for
superbowl viewing went. crap, was i supposed to watch this?
puffing out my chest, i respond in ALL CAPS to emphasize my MACHISMO.
'IT WAS OK.' Except, uh... 'RAN OUT OF MGD BY THE
THIRD QUARTER.' --luckily remembering that I overheard somebody
at safeway... TOUGH CALLS; THE RAIDERS WERE ROBBED." (
what was that other team, anyway...?)
if he only knew.. in reality, i was with the girl, looking
to take advantage of the superbowl sale at
a
common thread to aquire a new sewing machine at discount prices.
if he only knew... i stood there, debating with the girl about
functionality vs. cost, feature sets vs. trusted names, all whilst
surrounded by oodles of old ladies, (the store was PACKED), all
talking about the latest in quilting technologies, carefully posturing to
demonstrate their own garmets, a kind of animated portfolio for their
skillsets.
i swear some of these machines could be employed to check one's email, or maybe even
monitor national defense.
well, she decided to go with her dream, and aquire her own bernina,
just like her mom. we stood in line, pushing the cardboad
box with big block letters: B E R N I N A. giddily oscillating as
she was, perhaps she didn't notice, but i couldn't help but watch as
bright eyes blinked approvingly through thick glass:
<murmur>
how exciting.. a new machine. you know, nothing sews like a
bernina. nothing. smart girl, that one.
</murmur>
looking around, i find myself torso-deep in a sea populated by tufts
of white hair, spreckled with supernatural splashes of color (hair dye
is always suspect: i think they wanted black, not blue), and it
dawned on me..
perhaps this is a rare glimpse of some
manner of coming of age ritual? ...much the same way i stood in
line proudly waiting to purchase my own craftsman tool box (with ball
bearing drawers!) only a few years ago?
academic disclaimer: (i recognize that this appears as gratuitous
abuse of gender stereotyping, but understand that is not my point;
rather, the recognization of how those 'stereotypes' always seem
so apropos? )
i was truly pleased when, after offering to do so, she wouldn't let
me carry her machine to the car. --wrapping arms tightly around
the ungainly box; "NO! It's mine!".
(did she just bear her teeth at me?)
instead, she handed me the paperwork to carry instead, silently (perhaps
purposefully) elevating me from the level of load-bearing brute to
supporting partner, whilst smashing stereotypes in her own coy way?
...or maybe, she was just afraid that WHD-weakened wrists were too much
jeopardy for her new uber-nina? (with a 20 year warranty, and
200 features, the machine has the very real possibility of outlasting
me in usefulness).
yah, whatever. back to the game. NEED MORE MGD!
jan 24, 2003 - 16:55 - burn so fast it scares me
whd has really flared up today.. as typical for friday's, i find
myself crawling towards the weekend's virtual finish-line; a chance to
get away from the machine, to let burning arms lie motionless in the
ether of untasked distraction.
whilst looking up another expression this afternoon, ('duvet day' -- seen
as the Y! status of one of my absentee coworkers), i stumbled across this
gem: teleworkaholicsyndrome.
now.. as soon as i can deploy that efficiently in a scrabble game,
(with obligatory references to whatever that day's pressing issue is),
my life will be complete.
er, maybe not. in fact, even the thought just re-enforces the
subtle complexity.
it's quittin' time...
jan 24, 2003 - 08:15 - more lemon than a lemon?
|
lemon fast aborted. calendar review asserts impending roadtrip,
experience suggests shite diet of taco bell and red bull.
half-hearted commitment falters: it seems foolish to go through
the bother of detox just to retox. ( an intelligent decision,
or an elaborately planned cop-out?)
|
regardless, yesterday's brilliant plan of telling all peers about
this experiment (a failed attempt to build a public momentum...
reasoning that if others new about it, it'd be harder to
chicken out) now also backfires.
"no, i didn't quit. i just didn't start."
...perhaps the same way my housemate's cats stopped enjoying
their litterboxes?
jan 23, 2003 - 13:36 - it hurts already
now, the last day of my pre-fast, i am supposed to abstain from the
consumption of caffeine. ouch. it's only been 6 hours,
and already i'm seeing double.
think you don't have an addiction? try it. then try
really hard not to take excedrin (which has caffeine in it) to address
your pounding headache.
from : http://www.esb.utexas.edu/palmer/bio303/group14/CAFFEINE.HTM
Caffeine and Headaches
It has long been known that there are certain people who, once addicted to caffeine, will get severe withdrawal headaches once caffeine consumption is halted. Since the cause of headaches is not well known, scientists have long avoided speculating what causes this reaction. Recent theories have centered around the belief that the consumption of caffeine causes the blood vessels in the head to constrict. This constriction reduces blood flow in the brain. Once caffeine consumption is stopped, these same blood vessels dilate. This dilation causes increased blood flow to the brain, which causes the pounding feeling of withdrawal headaches.
anyway.. day 1 of the 'lemonade fast' starts tomorrow, and i'll
probably be whining a lot about it here. --it's clear that the
girl won't hear me out, as she's labeled me a hippy for even
considering it.
it's not like i'm going vegan... but to be fair, i'd
probably label her the same if she came up with it first. aren't
relationships fun?
january 11, 2003 - 20:28 - this 4x4 is your custard
walking around in a post-macworld-gadget-envy induced delirium, i find
myself foolishly unfocused on feet below, traipsing absentmindedly
through distantly familiar city streets and staring manicially at
the skyline above.
even after falling in love (repeatedly) with new cities a world away,
it's always nice to be in san francisco again.
jan 8, 2003 - 15:54 - i hate cats. honest.
jan 7, 2003 - 10:02 - sam brown: internet rockstar
sometimes i stay up really late being bored
jan 1, 2003 - 09:57 - an international affair
trying to be somewhat organized about his impending rail/ferry trip to
canada, jack calls his mobile service provider to inquire about coverage
and rates whilst 'roaming' north of our borders.
a cheerful voice, projected from ether to earbud suggests:
"we consider canada as part of north america.
as such, your existing service..."
somewhat ironically, the previously-cheerful voice didn't seem to grasp
the humor when jack pointed out that canadians must appreciate such a
gesture; rumour has it that acceptance into club n. america is somewhat
difficult to aquire in today's political climate.
anyway... the time now has come; the train whistle sounds!
( more )
| 
