Turf Marking

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Monday, December 22, 2003

I didn't have much time to go where I usually go to access the net, so once again, I relied on Windows Notepad yesterday, and today, the cut and paste feature.

Written 8:45 PM 12/21/03
This past weekend had its definite high and low points.

I drove E to Columbus so that she could hop a plane to see her mother and various friends in downstate New York.

I'm lonely.

She arrived safe and sound at Elmira, NY. She was searched at the airport in Columbus -- apparently her shoes were a bit suspicious. But, otherwise, the trip went well. She apparently made a new friend, as she is often wont to do, a fellow screenwriter who resides in L.A.

E got to spend some quality time with her mom that yielded some news: We don't have to worry about finding an engagement ring if when the time comes. Her mom is giving E her old wedding ring. Her mom (My future mom-in-law... man, that's a wierd thought. What's more wierd is how comfortable I am with it) had some stones from her engagement ring set onto her wedding ring after E's father passed away.

In case it hasn't been apparent, let me state it once and for all -- yes, she is the one.

Last Friday was a definite high point in my relationship with E. Since we'd be apart for Christmas, we had our own little time under our little tree. We'd spent most of the day in "decadence" surrounded by pillows, watching three of my favorite films (Mystery Men, Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, and the original Shaft), and being rather intimate. Then came the presents! We got each other an assortment of little things. She was pleased with her gifts, and I was pleased with mine.

One of the things E gave me was The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2002. I consider this my first real foray into "contemporary literature," because the collection isn't primarily humor for the NPR set or about various socio-economic phenomena, though it does have some of those elements.

However, I received a present unlike any other I've received in my life. And, I've received some extremely special gifts in my time -- gifts that I'll probably never write about on this weblog.

But the gift that E gave me is now one of the few physical possessions that I have that I will truly cherish. It was a penknife that her late father got in the Philippines during WWII. It isn't so much decorum, but sheer inabililty, that prevents me from describing what this act meant to E in light of all that her father meant to her.

Friday, December 19, 2003

It's been awhile since I gave you all a "two-for-one," so here it is. Go on, Freud -- figure this conundrum out.

vsvsv
Justice and Morality: You believe in doing what is
right for others and maybe even for yourself.
People would consider you one with good morals,
and someone who would not let them down.


Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait)
brought to you by Quizilla

theft
You're goin' down! FOR THEIVING!
Please rate if you liked!

If you're a goth please visit
groups.msn.com/gothicteensoftheworld and join
up cause it rules!


What Would You Go to Jail For? (Many outcomes)
brought to you by Quizilla

Thursday, December 18, 2003

As I've gotten older, I've gotten a little more pensive whenever a year wraps up. It's usually when I take stock of the previous 12 months in a vain attempt to figure out where to go from here. I say "vain," but it's really not. Some goals I meet, some I don't - usually the ones I should've.

I usually try to figure out what needs changed and how, in various areas of my life, including this blog. I've been at this thing almost a full year now, and it's been good for me. But, what could/should I do with this thing in 2004?
A.    I could always just delete this thing.
B.    Actually spend the time and money to get my own server, or at least a domain name, and learn CSS or something like that.
C.    Just make the usual minor cosmetic changes.
D.    Go more personal? Or less personal?
E.    Be more active about getting more readers?
F.    All of the above?
G.    None of the above?
Any suggestions, anyone?

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Well, if I wasn't Friendster-ed out already, there's an article on Buttafly that took the remaining wind out of the sails. I went through all that stuff, creating my profile (even putting my own damn face on it), building my network, essentially gorging myself on the Friendster experience. But, like all gorgings, you come to your senses, covered in beer, buffalo wing sauce, [body fluid double entendre deleted], etc. and ask yourself as you're puking your guts out, "What was this all for?"

I had only recently started to come to these conclusions on a subconscious level, anyway. I guess I could always take myself out of that network, but that smacks of effort.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

This whole series is about children being scarred!

-E, during the scene where (SPOILER - highlight the space if you want to read) little Boba Fett holds Jango Fett's decapitated head while we were watching Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Isn't it sad just how true that is?
Yes, this past weekend, I felt quite mushy as it was the first time (between Saturday morning and Sunday night) that E and I have been apart for a 24 hour period since I moved here. Who would've thought a tiny apartment could feel so big?

And, why did I miss her? Well, that became immediately evident when she returned and we watched the movie Trekkies. Just the fact that we could watch it together, by itself, makes her the best life partner I could ever have. Nevermind the fact that we could make tons and tons of jokes about it, mostly to cover up the fact that we both see pieces of ourselves underneath all the genetic misfits covered in Spock ears, Klingon ridges, TOS shirts (any color except red), and TNG phasers.
Remember those ads? R.I.F. Ah, another childhood memory.

Anyway, new book plug on the left of the page - Depth Takes a Holiday by Sandra Tsing Loh. IMO, "Fran Lebowitz-lite" but funny and maybe a bit more accessible.

Friday, December 12, 2003

I got this from E, who will always call this area home.
New England Temperature Conversion Chart

60° F: Southern Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in New England sunbathe.

50° F: New Yorkers try to turn on the heat. People in New England plant gardens.

40° F: Italian & English cars won't start. People in New England drive with the windows down.

32° F: Distilled water freezes. Maine's Moosehead Lake's water gets thicker.

20° F: Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats. People in New England throw on a flannel shirt.

15° F: New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in New England have the last cookout before it gets cold.

0° F: All the people in Miami die. New Englanders close the windows.

10° below zero: Californians fly away to Mexico. The Girl Scouts in New England are selling cookies door to door.

25° below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. People in New England get out their winter coats.

40° below zero: Washington DC runs out of hot air. People in New England let the dogs sleep indoors.

100° below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. New Englanders get frustrated because they can't start their "kahs."

460° below zero: All atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale). People in New England start saying, "cold 'nuff for ya?"

500° below zero: Hell freezes over. The Red Sox win the World Series.
The following is a conversation between E and me as we're watching the movie The Hunted with Tommy Lee Jones and Benecio del Toro. If you haven't seen it, this movie contains what is arguably the most realistic martial arts fight scene in a movie, which utilized the sayoc kali style of Filipino martial arts.
Me: Man, this is the $hi+!!
E: (disapproving look)
Me: Hey, this is my cultural heritage, here!
E: Bull$hi+. If you're cultural heritage was flower-pressing, would you be celebrating it?
Me: Aw, hell no, that's lame.
E: Exactly -- it's not about your cultural heritage, it's about your bloodlust (she says, with a big smile on her face).


At least, I think it was a smile.
I got this notice in the mail from my credit union today, italics added by me. What a load of $hi+.
Your HASSLE-FREE [Is it?] CHECKING available balance [not "the actual amount of money that every stinking piece of paper says should be in your damn account."] is not sufficient to cover the following...
Pisses me off, I tell you.

Amateur movie! You might not be too experienced in
the way of sex...but chances are, you do enjoy
it (or the thought of it). We'll probably see
you in some home video that surfaces on the
internet one day.


What kind of porno would you star in?
brought to you by Quizilla

I always knew I was too vanilla for my own good :(.

I can imagine a scene taken out of my life and put on the big screen TV-VCR screen/computer monitor in someone's basement: A solo scene where, immediately after the big [small] O, one has the energy to jump up, set up a game of Yahtzee, and on the first turn immediately score a Yahtzee, all while I'm just sittin' there :)

Monday, December 08, 2003

While E and I have still managed to avoid getting a powered antenna, we've been watching several fine movies. I've honestly lost track of what we've seen lately. I may have missed some, but in no particular order, they've included...

Cradle 2 the Grave - My first "DMX starring with a martial artist" movie. He really wasn't that bad. Jet, of course, is as much of a bad@$$ as ever. There was a scene with Jet and some rather prominent UFC fighters. E bristled at the thought that in a real life fight between Jet Li and Tito Ortiz, my money would be on Tito.

The Corruptor - It's always impressive to see how much range Chow Yun-Fat has, that he really is more than a two-fisted-gun-toting stoic. Although, we get some nice two-fisted-gun-toting stuff, too!

Moulin Rouge - I swore up and down that despite what the credits said, the Duke must've been played by Gary Oldman. He wasn't. While it dragged initially, it really wasn't as bad as I was led to believe when it first came out. The crowd I hung with at the time almost universally blasted the movie. Some walked out in the middle of it. But, there was some impressive stuff in there once you got past the rearrangement of various 80s tunes.

The Big Lebowski - I hadn't seen this one before. God, was I missing out! If you haven't seen it, stop what you're doing right now and do so!
On Google's front page, enter the following search terms and click "I'm feeling lucky!"
"miserable failure"

"weapons of mass destruction"
Now, that's what I call a search engine!

Saturday, December 06, 2003

I was walking around the Athens Wally World (aka WalMart) the other day when I heard a rather curious announcement. For $1.00 a ticket, you could enter a raffle for a Remington .28 gauge shotgun. I almost did, just to see 1) whether I'd win and 2) whether they'd make me wait for my prize while they did a background check or if they'd just hand it over.

I could go on about this, but why? Your own thoughts are probably swimming in the same direction as mine.

Friday, December 05, 2003

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Ten years since its inception, and I've managed to avoid it... until today.

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GSS d+ s-:- a30 C++ U--- P L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+ O--- M V-- PS+ PE Y+ PGP- t+++ 5++ X++ R++ tv+ b++ DI+ D++ G e++>+++ h--- r+(++) y+
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------


Sad, isn't it?

Tuesday, December 02, 2003

The song from Subtlety & Passion that really convinced me to take a closer look at is was Another Sunday. On cursory listen, it seems like Lamm just copied himself; compare it to the song Wake Up Sunshine from Chicago II.

Then, when you listen to the bridge of the song and realize it was co-written by Gerry Beckley of the band America, you might be tempted to write it off as yet another Beckley-Lamm-(sans)Wilson "BMW" (bitch, moan & whine) session about old age.

But, I know for me, personally, the last verse sort of sums up all the struggles I've had as of late with spiritual and life direction.
Another Sunday
Could I fin'lly?
Could I fin'lly start to live?
And maybe one day
I would take time
I would take some time to give
To those who always waited for me patiently
For my return and my company
But for now, you see
Comes Monday... I start all over again


Another Sunday
by G. Beckley/R. Lamm
I take back almost every negative comment I made about Chicago XXVII... er, I mean Robert Lamm's Subtlety & Passion album, especially on closer examination of some of the lyrics. Most of them are as brilliant as ever. Some are really lame, but you'll have that.

Dammit, Chicago, can't you make an album half as interesting anymore?
*Tag me if you can identify the source of this reference.

Without cable, one is pretty much screwed TV-wise in Athens. Your only alternative is a powered antenna, relatively inexpensive, but still a pain in the @$$ to bother with, especially when you're living in a household chock full of fine movies.

Videos E and I have watched thus far:
Some martial arts stuff I taped from the Discovery Channel awhile ago
Glengarry Glen Ross
The Star Trek episode Day of the Dove
Le Pacte des Loups
Rowan Atkinson - Live
The Godfather I & II

Part III will be tonight's viewing, I believe.