latest arrival from LaLa 2006

Disco and the Halfway to Discontent

Clinton

Lala.com has changed to a new envelope type with a little writing space on the back of it, like a postcard. Written, in a friendly round hand:

Artist: Clinton

Album: Disco & the 1/2way to Discontent

Favorite tracks: #1 #7 #14

Reminds me of... Someone playing around with a Casio keyboard.

Blurb away. say anything... I loved Cornershop. Clinton is the next band from the Cornershop guy. This one's kind of fun & funky but not something I listen to a lot.

More quarters please... 2006

On the borrowed Atari: Super Breakout. At the arcade: Centipede.

Now (at home): Civilization III. Current distraction: Geneforge.
Now (at the arcade): old pinball machines.

Wondering what happened to those old J. Peterman catalog writers? 2006

They're apparently working at Woot now:

Product Info

Paper Tiger

An hour out of Grenoble, Maigny wheeled the Citroën to a halt at a checkpoint high in the Alps. A groggy soldier in a tan garrison cap slouched toward the car, exhaling clouds into the frigid, fading light of early evening. Behind him stretched the darkening peaks of the Italian Alps. This was the moment, Maigny thought, his racing mind suddenly stilled by urgency. He had to get into Italy, to let Le Moineau know his cover had been blown. The entire Resistance could very well depend on it. And these papers had to get him across the border.

“Your papers, please,” the drunken Italian soldier muttered through the open car window. He was just a boy, Maigny could see now. Couldn’t be older than 16. If Mussolini was forced to draft raw, rustic youths like this, then his poisoned dream of a new Roman Empire must be tottering over history’s grave.

“Here you are,” Maigny airily replied, with the casual composure of a Vichy businessman. “I think you’ll find that everything’s in order.” He presented five packages of HP Premium Plus 4×6 Photo Paper to the confused Fascist teenager. That’s right, thought Maigny; look it over, take your time, allow yourself to be seduced by the luxurious glossy finish. Imagine the rich, intense color possible with this premium paper. You’ve never seen anything like this back on the sheep farm in Abruzzi.

“Che cosa è questo?,” the soldier finally said. “I need to see your papers. Identification papers. Immediately.” One hand moved to his revolver. Maigny gulped.

“Certainly, certainly. I just thought that perhaps a man like you deserved a small gift, in appreciation of all your hard work defending the Duce. Please, accept this HP Premium Plus 4×6 Photo Paper as a token of my thanks.”

At last, a light went on in the Italian youth’s head, reaching him through the two-ply haze of liquor and boredom. His eyebrows rose and he quickly slid the paper into his knapsack. After a furtive glance around for any superior officers that might be watching, the soldier unhitched the metal gate across the road. With a sleepy wave, he welcomed Maigny to Italy.

Warranty: 90 days

Features:

• High gloss
• 4×6 with perforated tab
• 11.5 mil
• 280 g/m2
• 75lb
• 45 sheets (times 5)

(Thanks to Joe for the linky goodness!)

This book, wow... 2006

A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, et al. must be, in retrospect, a critical piece in my iterative approach to life in which one should continually adjust whatever is currently under one's control to be more ideal. That is to say, the big good life is built up of many small patterns.

Number one with a bullet 2006

Born to "(I can't get no) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones".

Turned 21 to "Invisibile Touch - Genesis".
Oh sure, the song was called Invisible Touch, but by the amount of airplay it got, I think a little bile does belong in there.

Argh. Poor guy. 2006

[My guy] just messaged me that he was stuck waiting for a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth. Said flight being to Sacramento instead of San Francisco. Yuck.

Dang you, evil airlines! Give me back my boyfriend!

Me in my big hoodie 2006

Waiting for my SuperShuttle...

Okay, so I'm just sitting in a cold airport waiting for a shuttle, but I really like this picture of me.

I guess this qualifies for looking like a famous jawa, right?

Weekend Plans 2006

Celebrating Discardia with a yard sale and volunteering for City Car Share (an alternative to owning a car). Also: a pint (cider for me) in a pub with a friend, reading escapist fiction (Game of Thrones), and, mmm, a nap.

This evening I've been tidying up around the house, finding more things to get rid of, and rearranging to make my place even more fabulous. (When you come over you should sing "Fabulous, we think your house is faaabulous!")

Making the switch, part 1 2006

One of the nice relaxing things I'm doing with my Saturday morning (sitting in bed with my laptop listening to iTunes) is to transfer as many as possible of the CDs in my multi-year-accumulated Amazon wishlist to my want list in LaLa.

My experience with LaLa so far has been great. For the cost of one or two new CDs I now have bunches of new music and old favorites I'd been without for too long. Even better, I've sent more CDs on to other people to brighten their days.

Lala la la la! Happy!

I title this post "part 1" because I think that I may come to switch some of my blogging from MetaGrrrl.com to Vox. We'll see how it all shakes down.

[It did not come to pass and, in September 2010, Vox closed demonstrating my good judgment in focusing on TypePad.]

Vidal 2006

Note to you: read this interview with Gore Vidal.

Note to self: read more Gore Vidal books.

Sexual Harrassment 2006

I was harrassed on the way to work this morning. Just walking to Civic Center BART along Grove St. when this guy passed by very close heading the other direction beside me.

He reached down & behind as he walked by and grabbed my ass. There was absolutely no mistaking this for a bump; it was a multi-finger grope.

I turned and said "Hey! That was total bullshit, man!" and he kept walking, but sped up.

In retrospect I should probably have laid down a shrill tirade at him about what his damn problem might be and how pathetic it was that he couldn't find anyone who wanted him to touch them - public shame being probably my best weapon - but I was so shocked and threatened that I just warned the next woman coming down the street and confirmed that a guy leaning on the wall had indeed seen it happen.

I hope he tries it again this weekend against a ferocious femme with long sharp fingernails and a fast & mighty scratch reflex.

As for me, my growing re-connection to Hayes Valley as a neighborhood has been nipped in the bud. Okay, it sure ain't another drive-by shooting next door to me, but clearly the place has a long way to go before you can consider yourself safe there.

It must have been ten years since I was so blatantly sexually harrassed. I'll be paranoid for a while about straight men, particularly straight men who look like that guy. Fortunately, those slim black dudes who dress like they get their velour tracksuits at the same boutique as the rich white ladies from the tennis club can be spotted a mile away. Thinks he's pimpin', but he's wimpin'.

----

A friend at work has reminded me since I was actually grabbed that this would be sexual assault.
Swell.

I love this recipe... 2006

I want to say it's my Spicy Chicken With Cacao Nibs, but realistically it's probably my Mobster's Holiday casserole.

First post! From Dorkbot... 2006

Here I am at Dorkbot at the RX Gallery.

I am happy to be geeking on both the IRL and virtual fronts.

First up is the guy who did that great constellation thing we saw at Maker Faire, Jeremy Fitzhardinge. His talk is called "How Not To Build A Robot"

"...and so I decided to build a robot, as you do."

Lovely weekend! 2006

What a gorgeous day it is outside. I'll be heading out into it soon, but I just woke up half an hour ago. It's been an intense week for my brain at work - good but busy - and I guess I needed the dreamtime; I slept for over 10 hours.

Not much news to report. Life is good, I've been relaxing in the evenings, having fun tramping about town with my sweetie, trying new restaurants & bars, seeing the occasional concert, watching Top Chef, cooking and trying to make myself pack a lunch more often, being depressed by the news, trading CDs with lala.com, playing computer games (Geneforge lately), writing Discardian, and making slow progress on my home to-do list.

Hope things are good with you!