digitalicious

For the geek in you:

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magenta shirt guy

it really makes me laugh to see the same people on the train time and again. but it makes me laugh even more to see the same people wearing the same outfits, especially when it's a slicked-up yuppie kid in a bright magenta shirt, paired with black business attire + gym bag + spikey blonde hair. the shirt is so bright that it catches my eye every time i see him wearing it. he must really like the shirt. i don't ride the train to work that often.

mmmm that said, it's now time to drink my delicious morning latte and check my email. some days aren't really so bad.

can you hear me now?

so here are two things i don't understand.

first, say you are a beggar on the streets, begging for money. now say a passerby walks past you, deeply engaged in conversation on their cellphone. this passerby is very obviously not paying any attention to you, and is very obviously not in any mood to stop their conversation in order to pay attention to you, let alone to even go so far as to hand you money. so, dear beggar, here is what i want to know: why, WHY do you still feel compelled to ask for money, to say things, to bump into the person with unnatural force, to jump in their face and say lewd comments. why? the passerby will clearly still avert their eyes and keep walking past. so to what end is this interaction intended?

and now here is my other question.

second, say you are a passerby on the street, deeply engaged in a cellphone conversation with an old friend. even though you need to get home because you stayed at work too late, you clearly need to remain above ground so as not to terminate the cherished conversation. riding the bus is obviously out of the question because you don't want to be "that person" on the cellphone in a public space. but why, oh passerby, why is it that you think it's okay to just walk down the street at night, alone, in a sketchy part of town, while talking on your cellphone to the old friend? why do you actually feel safer than if you were walking that same walk, sans telephone? and why is it easier to avoid the eyes of the beggars if your mouth and ears are so happily occupied by conversation? if anything, you the passerby should feel even less safe - now you are no longer paying attention to the ebbs and flows of life around you, and for all you know that beggar who slammed into your left arm with such unnatural force may turn around, sock you, knock you out, steal your money and brand new ipod, and be on their merry way.

these are things i don't understand.

song of the south sweet potato pie and i'll shut my mouth

apparently i suck. i need to go back to school. working in the real world is not my bag. thank goodness for sane co-workers who will take a few minutes from their busy evening and drink a beer with me at 9 pm after a stressful day and make me feel not-so-bad about screwing up and subsequently making other people's lives a little bit more miserable. cuz i really don't mean to do that.

i think i'm just not used to working with non-MIT people. and i don't mean that to sound snobby even though i know it unfortunately does. it's just that there is a very different attitude and approach to solving problems and getting shit done that i don't see very often outside that little bubble in cambridge. which is unfortunate, because it's a very powerful attitude. it's an attitude that gets things done. gets them done right. and doesn't require much (ok, any?) hand-holding along the way -- for better or for worse.

oh phD applications, where are you? actually, no, i just need to start working again on obscure projects that no one cares about or pays attention to until they are done and lovely perfect. yes -- that is what i enjoy and miss like i never thought i would. obscurity, anonymity, and sole ownership.

are you sure it's not a bear or a puma?

go here to see a hilarious movie:

will ferrell as dubya

saber tooth sword

did you know that napolean's cavalry men were big champagne drinkers? apparently they developed the very dramatic way of slicing off the top of the bottles with their swords. kapow! it leaves a clean break in the glass, and provides some crazy entertainment for those who are watching. it's quite cool. trust me. i know. i had a personal demonstration yesterday while conor and i made brunch (who knew he could do party tricks, too? i'm totally the winner here).

hopefully c(m)at(t) won't chug from the bottle that we left in the fridge and slice open their lips. be careful my dear roommates!

so i think this gives me one more reason to acquire a samurai sword. i really want one (ever since watching kill bill, i feel like it's my destiny). if getting a sword means that conor can open our champagne with even more flair and at the same time i can use the sword to become a samurai, well heck, it's a necessity! hiiiiyah! 

tippecanoe

hoo boy today was hilarious! my friend jay turned 27 this week, and he organized a canoe outing on the russian river for about 10 of us. we loaded up the canoes with coolers of beer, boxed wine, and plenty of food, and off we went! some oracle-type figure told us early on that the miserable, cold, foggy weather (that we were grumbling about) would burn off by 1 pm -- not to fear. but we admittedly laughed and shrugged this dude off. i mean, come on -- the fog was THICK and the air was coooold. but, right at 12:52, the clouds started to clear, and at 1:03 there wasn't a cloud left in the sky. amazing. the warm sun emerged and the clear blue air was glorious on our skin! suddenly, that cold river water didn't look so bad...

honestly, the morning started out somewhat miserable. i had to wake up early. i was a bit queasy from the night before. my ride was late. and we had a 1.5 hour drive ahead of us... but i had a good cup of coffee in my hands, and i ended up meeting three really great people during the car ride (kevin, ken, and yuliya), so it all worked out. the plan was to meet everyone else (phil, cynthia, john, jay, dan, tobey, and dan's parents) at the canoe rental place at 10 am. i don't think we even got on the river until 11 am. we didn't get off until 6 pm. we floated, paddled, crashed, tipped, and eventually made our way down 17 miles of rumbling brook, with pleasant breaks for food, rope swings, bailing out me and jay, and general carousing with the other people on the river. who, for the record, are some of the nicest people i've ever met! three different groups happily offered and shared their beverages with us when we ran out about 2/3 of the way down.

somehow, despite jay and i's penchant for tipping over (three times and counting), we didn't lose any gear, or break any arms or legs... but i will have a nice array of bruises on my calves tomorrow, that is a fact. i slammed them on the gunwall and oy did it hurt! but i should have a good tan, too. we had such a fun time. there is nothing better than spending a whole day with friends, playing silly games while floating down a river, singing, drinking, racing, laughing, etc. what a day! now i'm home, watching the second-to-last stage of the tour de france (the individual time trials) and i couldn't be happier. mmm yay.

Clann a’ Bhreatannaich

"Sweeter for there having been difficulties."

origin of name: Gaelic: Foreign Briton
ok. apparently my heritage is rooted in colonization...

A few miles north in Loch Lomond, one of its islands became known as the Island of the British Foreigner. In the spreading Gaelic, this translates into Inchgalbraith.

but also rebellion.

Galbraith’s behaviour towards his step-father led to him eventually being denounced as a rebel. He fled to Ireland to avoid arrest in 1622, dying there ten years later.

well, at least we have a cool tartan.

my pants don't fit

i have a thing for pants that don't fit me. two years ago, i bought this pair of jeans that were two or three sizes too big. i had to buy a belt in order to wear these jeans, but i didn't buy the belt right away. oh no. first, i felt compelled to wear The-Jeans-That-Don't-Fit for weeks, while they hung weakly off my hips. the cuffs dragged across the ground and got covered in dirt and torn up by my shoes and the constant brush of the ground. i thought i was pretty cool.

well, after wearing The-Jeans-That-Don't-Fit once or twice, they stretched out and got even bigger and fit me even less. the waist pulled across my ass everytime i bent over, which would tug and stretch the jeans until they eventually started to slide really really REALLY low on my hips. abnormally low, even for a pair of Jeans-That-Don't-Fit. they started to reveal my underwear (a lot of my underwear) which still didn't mean i needed a belt. oh no. it meant that i had to buy new underwear -- underwear with interesting waistbands and cute designs -- so that when i bent over and stood up again (at which point the pants were sitting far below my actual hip), for that brief moment before i hiked the jeans back up to an acceptable hip-position, i looked cool in my supercool underwear. life is all about supercool underwear.  

the problem with a belt, as i see it, is that it makes your waistline too heavy and bulky. the thing i like about big pants is that they don't sit anywhere near my actual waist.

well, first i realized i was showing way too much underwear for a 23 year old. and second, people like brian and hillary started to tease me and call me a gangster. okay, i'm no gangsta even if i'm proud of the fact that i can sing a little dre. so eventually i bought a belt. but then i stopped wearing The-Jeans-That-Don't-Fit because, as i just told you, it ruined the effect of having big pants that ride low on my hips and avoid any attention to the waist. that, and The-Jeans-That-Don't-Fit were so big that the belt made them bunch up in little cinches around my waist. nevermind that without the belt i could hardly walk and nevermind that people really don't want to see my undies, no matter how supercool they are.

well okay so The-Jeans-That-Don't-Fit are back now, i just found them in the bottom of my drawer. and i like them with a belt now (???). i can't believe i almost threw these jeans out. just thinking such a thought is painfully wretched.

anyways, the whole point of telling you about why i love pants that are too big is because i recently acquired a pair of great linen pants that are also too big. and although i think they're swell, conor likes to tease me because they're kind of long. the cuffs get dragged in the dirt and torn and stepped on. but that's okay by me. i like it. the best thing about these linen pants -- and why they are superior to The-Jeans-That-Don't-Fit -- is that they are cut in such a way that they ride low but don't require a belt. no belt! yahoo! AND, they don't reveal any underwear. which means i can wear them to work -- i just have to find a shirt that is long enough to cover my tummy. 

if there is something i hate as much as i love pants that are too big, it's shirts that are too short. i don't want the whole world to see my bellybutton. cute underwear, i can handle that. belly buttons... not so good.

but that, my dear friends, is a whole other tirade, that i'll save for another night.

frustrations

some days, i am really cranky. like today. it's one of those days where things start out great, super, wonderful (slept well, did some laundry, watched lance win the time trial in an amazing show of strength and domination, chose a cute outfit, was blessed with nice hair, had a good meeting at work)... then things deteriorated at such a rapid pace, broke down so quickly, in such annoying ways that i finally just threw in the towel and gave up.

first, the internet was jammed in the office.
second, "things" started blowing up.
third, "people" started making me mad.
fourth, i ate lunch way tooo late.
fifth, it wasn't even a good lunch.
and on and on. i can't really get into the details, but the sourness seems to have crept into my mood and spoiled my sunny disposition.

argh!

say goodbye to megan and hellooo to ms. crankypants.

you can try to cheer me up, but it won't work. so don't waste your breath. just come wallow in my crankiness with me. it's kinda damp and cloudy and smells a little weird.

accompaniments

: lightly salted, roasted almonds + dried apricots = a great snack.
: chocolate + coffee = an exceptional breakfast.
: flip flops + a fleece = the best san francisco outfit possible.
: listening to music + walkin' down the street =
  a personal soundtrack for your life! 
: morning workouts + long day at work =
  well, you do what you gotta do. 
: hair cut + blow dry = one less day that i have to fight my locks!
: quiet apartment + a bedroom to clean = domestic tranquility.
: phone call to a good friend + good cellphone service = big smiles.
: green apples + cheese = another great snack.
: sunshine + cool breeze + bus ride = a calm end to a long day.
: back rubs + comfortable bed = zzzzz.

fishy

swimming has to be one of the most refreshing sports.
 
for the record, i suck at it. i'm really really really really really really really slow. and i have no form. i breathe all wrong. every stroke, only on the right side. but i'll tell ya, when i get out of the water and my skin feels nice and cool and sorta dried out from the chlorine and my body feels like it was rinsed out from head to toe, i can't help but be happy. and i don't mind that i have no form because i can always muscle my way down the lane to beat out the old ladies -- 'cuz heck, if there is anything i have, it's honkin' arm muscles left over from rowing. but i don't know why i can't breathe on the left side. i've tried. it chokes me. i get all wacked out and forget to do my flip turns. i inhale water. i imagine all the lifeguards up on deck watching and laughing and pointing. it's messy. i wish i was better.
 
the olympic trials are going on right now, and with all this talk of doping, you have to wonder who's using and who isn't. i mean really, marion jones sucked ass in her trial and almost didn't make it on the team this year - do you think it's because she ran clean this time? or can you blame it on childbirth? maybe she's just getting old? what was her deal? and what's up with the swimmers? michael phelps is 19 years old, and broke a world record in the 200m back stroke at the olympic trials. he qualified for 6 individual events! that's insane! i can't wait to watch this kid compete... world domination, do i hear you calling? 
  
play a fishy game.

woof!

happy 1st birthday, manolo! you are SOOOO cute.   
  

 
according to his daddy, he's holding his favorite toy -- when he bites down, it says, "the kick is up and it's goooooood" very loudly. and being a super-smart dog, manolo knows right where to squeeze so it does this for hours. ha ha. he's lucky that tonight he gets puppy ice cream for his birthday.

when i say jump!

uh, i've been ordered to mention this film in my blog. so yeah.
check it out. (it's actually quite funny)
 
"this land" by jibjib and now hosted by atomfilms
 
(am i a slave to the man now? cuz i kinda feel like it.)

that's what i'm talkin' bout, willis!

oh yeah lance was the mack DADDY today! finally, the tour has really begun! as he was climbing the final ascent in stage 12 (la mongie), he just peeled away from tyler and ullrich like they were amateurs! booYAH to the man-who'll-soon-be-in-yellow-for-good. he wiggled his way up to second overall, and he got second in the stage (the glory went to ivan basso who apparently has never won a stage, so that's pretty cool).
 
the cutie-patootie youngster, thomas voekler, fought the good fight to keep the yellow for yet another day -- which meant that there was a lot of nice footage of his sweaty little yellow body climbing up the mtns -- and some fabulous camera angles that framed his deliciously muscular yellow rump right in the middle of my TV. oh what a great way to wake up and start my day! is it weird that i love men in spandex with shaved legs and scrawny arms?
 
no. not when they could KICK YOUR ASS on a bike.
and mine, for that matter.
 
but big question of the day is this: what in the hell does the presidential election have to do with lance's victory?! and who does bush think he is trying to link them together? does he think he's going to win votes over by making asanine statements like this? 
 
"He's going to win, and I'm going to win. There's no need to worry about either race anymore."
 
!!?!?!?!
 
If he just jinxed my boy, he's in some serious poo.

significant-other shuffle

c & m might move in together
m & d might move in together
p & c might move in together
l & j might move in together
n & l moved in together
d & e will probably not move in together
r & n already live together
a & f already live together
b & m lived too far apart to move in together
d & h are moving closer so they can move in together
a & g haven't talked about moving in together
c & s are too good to move in together
m & c are too new to move in together
s & d got married
l & m got married
c & j are married
j & d are getting married
p's sister is getting married

me oh my.
anyone else doing the significant-other shuffle?

my peeps

here's a big yay for the people who are actually reading this blog. i didn't think anyone was (except for my roommate and my co-worker), yet by posting those two very high-quality camera-phone pictures, i've gotten responses from at least two more people i didn't know about... upping my numbers up to a whopping FOUR. which is cool! i'm very excited to know i've got some peeps checking this thing out. i have a hunch my mom thought it was a one-time dealio. "You did a very nice job on that, Megan" as though i was all done and had nothing more to say... trust me, there is always more to say!

her comment made me wonder if everyone in my family thought this blog was a one-time deal. was i wrong to assume they knew the web changes every day? that this blog is actually a dynamic organism feeding off their watchful eyes? i certainly hope not. i like to give them the benefit of the doubt that they're a little more hip to the tune. honestly, my family is pretty hip... my disappointment would be unbearable they really thought that That was That.

well... thank goodness one of them has proven himself worthy. danke, bro.

and a bottle of rum

on saturday, my friend chris and i sailed the seven seas in true pirate style at a true pirate party. if you want to know who we partied with, read one of my really early blog entries. check out our great costumes in these really clear, crisp, and colorful pictures. note: the amazing quality, depth, and clarity of the shots. but don't be taken aback by our photographic skillz, or else you might miss the fact that i'm SLICING HIS NECK with my GLOWING NINJA DAGGER in the first shot. yes, that is a look of fear, spread over his piratey face. be scared, ladies and gents. be scared.

   

phase shift

my anally-clean phase seems to have ended, as of yesterday. my room is a frickin' mess and i have no desire to clean it.

my workout-like-a-nut-all-the-time-phase ended last fall but started again two weeks ago... and seems to have ended again, as of yesterday. today i consciously slept through my morning workout and i feel no guilt for this. well, ok, maybe a little.

my desire-to-work-really-hard-all-the-time phase seems to have ended for good... months ago. like, right after my thesis was handed in. and i really really can't seem to get it back. is it the fault of me? or an un-inspiring job? or something else altogether?

my cooking-cool-new-foods phase ended about two months ago when my travels began. now i only like eating olives, gruyere, and beer for dinner. okay, i force other foods in my mouth, too. but it's only because i feel guilty eating my wonderful little meal of olives, gruyere, and beer.

recently, i went through a phase where i was frugal and tried to pay off all my debts. mentally, i am still in that phase, but somehow i don't seem to REALLY be in that phase anymore. for instance, i might go buy an ipod tonight.

at least my drought is finally over. that's a great phase to end!

and my i-hate-san-francisco phase seems to be nearly over, too. that's good news.

my flip-flops-only phase is in no danger of ending. so don't worry.

neither is my starbucks-in-the-morning phase.

i also started a new phase. one where i engage myself in repeated intense, internal, mental & emotional reflection. it kept me from sleeping well last night. it's not a bad thing. don't read this as i'm sad. it's more that i feel guilty sometimes for saying things or writing things that come out the wrong way. and then i hurt someone's feelings. and then i have to wonder what my problem is. why do i do such things? why do my words get read or heard the wrong way? am i in that much of my own bubble that i don't notice the damage i cause? that's the kind of reflection i seem to keep having lately.

so many phases. i wonder what next week will bring?

slice like a ninja

if i was to pick you up and throw you into a lake, how would you enter the water? cannonball? belly flop? dive? straight-bodied entry, feet first? arms up or down or out to the side? what's your style?

seven savory courses

i had the most amazing dinner last night. i need to document it here. all seven savory courses and two dessert courses and each of the eight wine pairings and the pre-dinner champagne and the accidentally-matching pink & black outfits. but my brain hurts and i won't be able to remember it all. so i will fill this out in pieces, as i need to get input from conor. let me start with what i can remember.

course 1: raw oysters. three different ones for each of us, and they were served over ice and seaweed with a bowl containing a very unique topping that i would have never guessed would have been good with raw oysters... little bite-sized pieces of cooked octopus that was prepared in a ridiculous way -- slow-cooked for like 10 hours without any direct heat!? okay, so apparently the warmth from the burners of other simmering dishes is enough to slowly cook the 'pus. and it had some amazing red-colored seasonings/spices/sauce on them that elude me. the bites were so tender and yummy and flavorful, that you only needed one or two per oyster. who knew i would like octopus. i usually hate it. btw, the oysters were frickin' awesome. i love oysters.

course 2: one plate had about 3-4 tomato slices that had been cooked and then topped with a salmon (or was it tuna?) tartar, then served with small pieces of crusty bread and some crazily great sauce. absolutely to die for. it made conor burst into a fit of laughter because he was so overwhelmed with how good it was. okay he's a dork, but this is his industry, so give him a break. the other plate was also great - it had some layers of red and yellow tomatoes that were fresh (not cooked) and they were topped in some sauce that was really fantastic (see how great i am at remembering these details?). the tomatoes were nicely sweet and tender and perfectly ripe and great. i was a big fan.

course 3: i think this was course that had the truffle pasta topped with grilled shrimps that were seasoned with tarragon and something else that made them really savory and sweet at the same time. SO SO SO good. i have never had shrimp quite like that. the pasta was nice, but the shrimp stole the show on that plate. the other plate had __________ on it. conor, help me please. total brain fart.

course 4: i think this was the round that had my salad that i loved. i can't even remember what conor was eating at this point. i know i tried it, but i was so overwhelmed by the yumminess of my salad that i can't recall the details of the second plate. so on to my salad. it was rather simple, but it was the quality of the ingredients that made it so damn amazing. fresia and maybe arugula topped with fresh slices of nectarines, and almonds that had been blanched and then had some nice (but not overpowering) sweetness to it. the dressing was a vinaigrette of some kind. crap. okay, so i'm on my fourth glass of wine at this point (yes, they really did bring a new one out with each course, chosen specifically for the food we were eating). bear with me. i don't recall what kind of vinaigrette i had. nor do i remember anything about...

course 5: the next course. was this one actually the one i'm writing next as course 6? what am i COMPLETELY FORGETTING? sigh.

course 6: one plate had a razor clam and a piece of a white fish that were very simply presented, and had some fantastically rich yet light sauce on them. it was amazing and made of god only knows what. details details. just trust me that even though i was totally stuffed, the flavors were so spectacular that i just kept eating. on plate two there was um, food. that i forget. conor ate more of that plate than i did. i think there were a few small pieces of meat that i didn't want to eat, although i did try it and i can't recall exactly what it was that i tried. gadangit! brain! don't fail me!

course 7: this round we got the same dishes but mine had monk fish and conor's a piece of steak. otherewise, the meats were served on a corn fritter-type thing with greens and fresh figs and totally covered in this decadent, rich red sauce that i think was made with cherries or figs or both. the wine pairing was the one and only red we had, and it was quite great after, oh, 6 glasses of whites.

course 8: desserts one and two. a blueberry pie/tart thingy with sweet cream ice cream and a caramel sauce. a plate of four small pieces of an amazing pound cake that had this sugary crispy coating on one edge, and fresh fruit pieces (peaches?) and ice cream and blackberry compote. mmmm. dessert wine. mmm so good. that has to be all, right? we are done, right? i'm about to explode. they need to roll me out of the restaurant.

course 9: just kidding! don't go anywhere! lest you miss dessert three. four small ice-cream cookie sandwiches, made with homemade fresh mint ice-cream with dark chocolate chunks. the cookies were a chewy but stiff not gooey chocolate and really yum. the ice cream was incredibly refreshing at this point. wiped the palate clean. the mint was so fresh that i could practically taste the leaves and the plant itself. ahhh. i digress. take me home and put me right to bed.

wearing yellow

lance took possesion of the maillot jaune today. i love the team time trials. so sleek and beautiful and fast and lovely. images of cycling perfection.

admire the champions of stage four (usps).
(pic from velonews.com)

food from four regions of india

look how lovely this dress is!
view the pretty saree from mumbai.

"Gold crepe tissue lehenga & choli in kasab dubka work & resham work teamed with densely embriodery booties in choli & georgette tissue dupatta."

how am i ever going to find a dress for my friend's sister's wedding that is as freakin' cool and elegant and lovely as something like that!? betcha a hundred bucks that parul and her sister will look stellar. knock-outs. divas. and i can't wait!

but apparently, i need something a bit more fun than my "little black dress". the hunt is on.

lie-cense

grumble grumble dmv grumble...

so somehow i made it through the last 20 years of my life with a series of passports that said i was born one day later than i was actually born. i noticed upon my latest passport renewel but was too lazy to remedy the problem. i guess i didn't think it was that big of a deal.

well wasn't i Ms. Wrong! today, i tried to go to the dmv to get a (gasp! ugh! groan!) california driver's license (i accidentally washed my lovely florida one, and managed to scrape off much of the important information during the dry cycle, such as the year i was born... important if one is to purchase a beer with a friend, for instance. among other things). however my efforts were foiled. i do not have my birth certificate in my possesion. and despite having two passports (one expired, one current), they both have incorrect birthdates. foiled.

i feel identity-less right now. i have three forms of id, and each are seriously flawed. who am i if not who i think i am? i have no way to prove it!

grumble.

yellow lenses

maillot vert, maillot a pois, maillot blanc, maillot jaune.

live strong. le tour is on!

seattle-rific

i feel a need to document (via list) my activities of the weekend, lest i forget them. please bear with.

fly north wednesday night after work
ian pickup, head to rustin/tacoma
drink beers and talk until late
sleep
wake up from a phone call (yarg! customer service. let me curse the jigsaw puzzles right now: @#$%&!!@#%!!!)
fix jigsaws then check email
eat mango & cereal
bike ride around rustin
coffee at antique place
lunch (sandwiches) at diner-y deli
tour downtown tacoma
head to seattle for art walk & dinner with friends
meet up at dan's, admire blue paint job, meet his latest fling patrick (cute!)
art walk & dinner with aseem, elke, dan, patrick, ian (bad art! blah)
drinks back at aseem's
sleep
sleeeeep late
wake up
it's late! hop in car to head to microsoft
lunch with ollie & aseem (sushi)
tour of The Man's campus, demo of work
head downtown to check out new library (awesome)
leave ian to do work
head out to explore downtown
coffee mmm!
watch fish get thrown
see original starbucks
buy cheap-o tourist t-shirt
shop
meet ian back at car
dinner at tasty place called ruby's
meet a & e for another art show (much better)
love the glass chickens
love the dotted acrylic on plexi glass
back to aseem's to wash up/cowboy up
head to dan's for cowboy party
yee-haw!
go to bed late late late
sleep
sleeeeep late again
check email
brunch with a, e, & ii
walk downtown with ian
watch fahrenheit 9/11
get angry at government
taxi to ollie's friend jeremy's
boat ride on lake
laugh at bad wake boarding attempts by ii
enjoy beers
pee off side of boat without flashing others and without getting skirt wet.
self-admiration of above talent
love the cheesy music (O.P.P yeah you know me)
head back, socialize on deck near warm fire
eat some food
watch the tour de france (yay didn't miss prelude!!)
watch 16 candles
get sleepy
back to a & e's
wake up & head out to discovery park
stop in freemont for street fair/farmer's market
coffee mmm! and zucchini bread
find bday gift for one sister at fair
great hike in discovery park
back to a & e's to clean up and rest
shower, watch tour, nap on couch
wake up, dress, go to party on houseboat
happy fourth of july!
why so many sorority girls?
but best fireworks ever
odd group
late night
wake up early
flight back home, hog whole row to sleep
psyched by surprise conor greeting @ airport
coffee & pastry's in deserted downtown sf
yes it is a holiday for most
yes i had to work
sigh

quote unquote

i did it. i survived a visit to The Headquarters; the lair of The Man himself. i ate lunch with his minions, i drove on his streets, i saw demos of his work, i toured his buildings, and i escaped (nearly) unscathed. i even stole a cowboy hat from a faithful employee. i'd say it was a smashing success.

but who knew that The Man's lair is right around the corner from one of my favorite video game companies? i mean seriously, it's a special bonus power-up to drive by and see that sign!! oh the fond memories! the princess is in another castle!

mariners

weather: clear, warm, bright blue skies

checking in from seattle here... i'm going to make this brief, as i'm using a friend's computer, but i just thought i should note that i'm having a really great weekend! it's super cool to know how many friends i have all over this country. i keep visiting new cities and running into folks i haven't seen in 3, 4, 5 years... and it's like no time passed. it's awesome.

seattle is a neat place. i'm digging all the water and the maritime influence. i'm also digging the ups and downs and twists and turns and chaos of it all. and the awesome amount of trees and lush foliage. it's like a sleepy sea town welded onto a bustling city, somehow creating this symbiotic relationship that just, well, works.

happy fourth.