Hamburger(Hotdog)

A morning filled with 400 billion suns

2009-09-30T12:09:00.001-04:00

If you love Carl Sagan half as much as i do, you'll love this music video. Dr. Hawkings guests.

Should i be watching jimmy fallon?

2009-09-30T10:42:00.002-04:00

even though they are touring to dc tonight and philly tomorrow night job/money prevents me from attending, I guess the newly remastered albums and tv appearances will have to suffice.

Ethan, the luigi to your mario

2009-09-24T20:14:00.002-04:00

New chapter

2009-09-22T20:49:00.002-04:00

I spent the night in harrisonburg, livin the dream. Drew and I got to stay in a mansion with an indoor pool, hot tub, pool table, movie theater, fooseball, and big buck hunter 2. In the morning, the kind and lovely celia, made us really good pancakes and drew and i headed back to richmond. best monday night ever? maybe.
I made it back in time to go to a job interview, which went well.
I'm living in my fancy new digs with chris, going to the fire department test on sat, maybe getting a (much) better serving/bartending job, drew's moving up to fist city, and there's a place where i can eat mexican food for a dollar a serving 4 nights out of the week. life is still good and only getting better

Many Americans can't get a 'real' job, but this lady is a mayor...

2009-09-22T16:58:00.002-04:00

Way to go SC!

Freedom isn't free

2009-09-21T13:32:00.004-04:00

I have very few days off, and this happens to be one of them. Drew and I decided last night that tonight would be a great time to go camping. The problem is that we don't have a tent, just sleeping bags, so we decided that a cabin is a good idea. You can, in theory, rent cabins for as little as $15 a night in some parks. I tried to make a reservation for a cabin on the appalachian trail, but after 20 minutes on their website trying to gather information and a 10 minute phone call, I found out that you can only make reservations mon-thurs 7-9pm. seriously. When i pushed to rent a cabin for tonight the lady i spoke to said that i could come by the office and a volunteer could get me the key and rent out the location. Great! I thought. Unfortunately, the rental office opens at 7pm and is 2.5 hours away from the campsite. So i tried pocahontas state park. They charge 45 dollars, but i figured it's worth it, its my only night off, etc... they require a 2 night minimum stay, even during the off season, even on a monday night.
I checked online, both places have complete availability for the foreseeable future. It's almost as if the state has a vested interest in not renting out the cabins. now it's 130 pm and I have little choice but to waste my one day off, as my plans have been ruined by the government. I know people say that this is a 'free country', but I'm not really sure i know what that means at this point. What rights (liberties that cannot be taken away) do I have? I seriously cannot think of a single one.
do i have the right to not be harmed physically by another individual?
not if the other person is a police officer
do i have the right to do anything to my own body, provided i do not harm anyone else?
not even close.
do i have the right to consume goods and services?
not without a lot of government intervention
a fair trial?
if i'm white and attractive and can afford a real lawyer
etc etc etc

sigh, well at least i can do laundry and watch a movie.
lame.

33 1/3

2009-09-12T00:17:00.002-04:00

Did all republicans recently turn into buttholes or is that a recent thing?

Dear republicans,

We have a socialized police force. We have a socialized fire department. In fact, you could pretty much say the same for libraries, schools, the post office...you get the point. Quit using a word that most publicly educated adults can't spell to scare them into agreeing with you. Please present clear arguments based on logic. 'I was talking to a woman in my constituency who said,'please don't let obama kill my grandmother' does not count as an argument. While we at it, putting a hitler mustache on obama or yelling a couple words at a public discussion do not count either.
Look, we have one of the worst health care system in the industrialized world (unless you're in congress , then it's one of the best). Why don't you want the poor to go to the doctor? My knee has hurt for 3 days and I can't even imagine being able to afford a doctor, and yet I work over 50 hours a week. I promise I'm not trying to 'rise up' against the wealthy, i just want to hang out on the fringes of the middle class. Oh, and not die prematurely due to my income level.

Love,

jimifoster

Dear middle america,

Watch something other than fox news and quit voting against your own interests.

I'm watching you,

jimifoster

What a Day.

2009-09-11T23:42:00.005-04:00

So it looks like it's going to end up being Iran/Russia/N. Korea vs. United States/...Israel? in an all out smackdown before the world flips in 2012. That and the new ipod doesn't come with a video camera as predicted.
And all this on the anniversary of the day we all believed that 3 steel buildings collapsed (for the first time in history) due to fire, 2 planes vaporized upon impact, a rookie pilot navigated dc airspace at a low altitude, norad broke it's 100% accuracy rate multiple times on the same day, and that it was all perpetrated by a man in a cave halfway around the world...that we can't find.
just kidding, i'm not really a 'conspiracy nut'. I know that our government has nothing to hide. That's why the confiscated all the videos around the pentagon, except the 5 'undoctored' frames of video that were 'leaked', and covered the pentagon grounds with over a foot of gravel and sod shortly after the attack. In fact, they were resolute in making sure all the knowledge about the incident. That's why there was a full investigation. Bush even made sure it was in the right hands. It was so important, he had his closest friends run the investigation. They trusted him so much that they agreed to his terms that there be no transcript or documentation of any kind during the interviews, and that he and cheney not be put under oath. They were also smart enough to know that following where the funding came from for the attack would be a red herring/ wild goose chase, so they didn't bother.
I'm just glad we all weren't too busy watching syndicated television to mis(s all this) information.

"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." -Charlie Sheen Hot Shots Part Deux

Me and kiki down by the schoolyard

2009-09-10T09:35:00.002-04:00

Career opportunity

2009-09-04T14:59:00.002-04:00

I've passed the first phase of the hiring process to be a firefighter. it took a bit longer than expected, but the written exams are on the 26th.

Norm Macdonald. Joke genius.

2009-09-02T14:52:00.001-04:00

Flags at half staff?

2009-08-27T14:27:00.002-04:00

When i heard it was for ted kennedy i thought it had something to do with the 40th anniversary of the death of Mary Jo Kopechne...i guess that was last month.

Interactive graphics

2009-08-26T00:20:00.001-04:00

This is a really interesting graph on how different groups spend their time, on average.

This and flying cars...

2009-08-26T00:17:00.001-04:00

Supporting paragraph to the preceding post:

2009-08-24T18:14:00.003-04:00

You can't legislate morality.
you have to give people credit, they are inventive and creative. Instead of spending billions trying to stop people from doing what they want, maybe you should offer alternatives (more parks, cheaper/safer drugs, more indoor go kart tracks, free spa treatments, etc) and a safety net to help them when their curiosity takes them down the wrong path. Maybe the government should be more than one large military-industrial complex concerned with little more than wars and imprisoning people. Maybe the government should be there to help people, build roads, etc.
i know i sound crazy, so here's some graphs that prove my point (note: you have to click the second one, as my formatting makes it unreadable).

That's a sharp incline right about when...
(see bottom for answer)

The solution? Click your heels three times and repeat, "there is no class war, there is no class war, there is no class war"

sǝıɹɐlɐs ɹıǝɥʇ sǝɯıʇ pǝɹpunɥ ǝʌıɟ ɹǝʌo oʇ 'ʎɹɐlɐs ’sɹǝʞɹoʍ ɹıǝɥʇ sǝɯıʇ 03 ɯoɹɟ sǝoƃ ʎɐd ’soǝɔ (˙ɐ

Mexico is smarter than the US...

2009-08-24T18:09:00.001-04:00

Mexico has figured out a way to curb some police corruption and help people with drug addictions at the same time. genius.
Full story

I heart the Pirate Bay

2009-08-24T18:07:00.002-04:00

Full story

The Ocho!

2009-08-20T13:01:00.003-04:00

Today is the start of Best Friends Day 8!

BEST FRIENDS DAY 8 PROMO from RVA TV on Vimeo.

This year there is a bike competition to see who can jump the largest plate of nachos and a 3 day scavenger hunt.

internet habits

2009-07-21T18:17:00.002-04:00

I traded my addiction to Pandora for a love of Slacker. If you like internet radio that you can fine tune, this is the hotness.
In other, non internet news, I'm slingin' drinks more often and better. I'm officially a bartender and i'm on call to work 'the club', which is not something i'm into, but the money is certainly right. I do really enjoy the happy hour bartender style. My niche in the market is that i, unlike the female club bartenders who work during the week, can carry a conversation and remember exactly how you like that 14 dollar grey goose martini. I now have a 'night' that i can make my own drink specials and play my own music, and i might pick up one more soon. It's a shame the job search has been so sad, but i'm certainly making the most out of my current situation.
My off time is different that most people since i don't work a 9-5, but i've been using the time to explore one state park a week. fortunately, richmond has enough to keep me busy for the rest of the warm weather.

Not to do list

2009-07-21T18:10:00.000-04:00

I'll probably never wear a bow tie.

Dinnertime: midnight

2009-07-17T23:54:00.002-04:00

Wakefield Shiraz Clare Valley 2006

From the "Cork'd" wine review:
This wine is characterised by ripe, not overripe, varietal shiraz with fruit aromas of rich spice, plum, cinnamon & liquorice. Oak derived nuances of toasted nuts, liquorice and cedar linger. Creamy nuances of vanilla oak, chocolate and coffee. A long, round and velvety full flavored wine. Strong persistent flavours of black cherries, liquorice and plum. The oak presence is strong and supportive but does not dominate. A delicious, generous wine that will develop considerable complexity as it ages. Try with rich dishes or game, maybe turkey or venison.

or, if you're me, try it with a subway veggie pattie that you bought 10 hours ago. Make sure to drink it from the bottle because you're: a. too lazy to go down and get a glass and 2. you don't have any wine glasses.

If i did have a glass i'd raise it and toast the Reid wedding rehearsal dinner party. I appreciate you buying a bottle of wine and leaving it just one glass shy of full.

an unexamined life/body

2009-07-13T14:23:00.003-04:00

I went to Pocahontas state park yesterday in an attempt to enjoy my one day off. I ended up getting lost and covered in ticks (again). i now know every single freckle on my body intimately as i have tried to remove a few. i hiked over seven miles to finally find my car, just as it got dangerously dark.
after my one day off i'm not too unhappy to be working a double today in my safe, tick free workplace.

On Michael Jackson

2009-06-28T12:47:00.002-04:00

I was bar backing last night and on both floors of the club is was almost all Michael songs all night long. That seems like an appropriate 'tribute' to someone who made some amazing albums. What is not appropriate is the instant sainthood he seems to have gained by his death. He molested children. If you believe he was not a pedophile, i'm sure you were conflicted during the OJ trial as well or have not seen the evidence. But online and the news this fact is never brought up because it's seen as disrespectful because a court of law did not convict him of this crime, just as they couldn't convict r. kelly of peeing on a minor, despite having a video of it happening.
All i'm saying is give credit where credit is due. He was amazing at his profession, but he was also just the rich man's Gary Glitter.

Employment Fiascos

2009-06-24T12:35:00.002-04:00

At my job there are 3 cooks: the executive chef, the sous chef, and the line cook. On payday friday, there were no paychecks. On friday night, with the reservations of a table of 10, a table of twelve, and a wedding rehearsal dinner of 50, the executive chef and sous chef walked out. The timing couldn't have been better, as the owner and general manager were away on vacation, but now i'm left serving subpar food and we got a really bad review online. That combined with the fact that the managers fired any servers they overheard talking about also walking out is causing me to look for another job. In the meantime there is one line cook and 3 servers to cover every single shift, in which we need at least 2 cooks and 2 servers.
On top of that my car was towed and it took 2 days and almost 200 dollars to get it back. Bummer city, population me.
On the bright side, its summer. Most days involve some amount or combination of bike rides, sunsets, reading book(s), and hanging out with friends. Everything else is just noise.

Any excuse for dancing and duckpin

2009-06-18T18:56:00.004-04:00

I never took any pictures from the 'punk rock prom', but someone sent me a couple today.

Birthday

2009-06-15T14:56:00.002-04:00

Since my birthday fell on a monday this year i decided to have my fun(s) over the weekend.
The ride started with going to The Wave. After a couple of 'cherry bombs' I remember waking up naked on drews futon. Dear Natalie, for that i am actually sorry.
Then I hung out with drew, johnny and lauren at some state park in Norge? It was a-mazing, but it started off terrible. When we got there drew, johnny and I hiked through some closed trail and ended up ankle deep in ticks. Hundreds of ticks lept up to our ankles, filled our shoes, and burrowed into our skin. It was terrible enough for us to run a quarter mile out of the woods instantly. We turned it around and ended up deep in nature, lying on a dock with our feet in the water and watching the sunset. Granted, we checked for ticks every 5 minutes and drew may have dug out a freckle, but it was great.
We then went to the nearest mexican restaurant, called Tequila Rose 2, and ate with the locals, including a guy with a tequila rose tattoo who may have worked there? Then we went back to the park entrance to get drews car, drew thought there was a bear and nearly peed his pants, and I hung around to listen to the frogs at night.
Yesterday was spent reading The Teachings of Don Juan on Fulton Hill by myself. At midnight I was on someones porch eating corn off the cob/grill and drinking sweet tea. Today has been spent running errands and reading bartending guides before work tonight.
I've had a lot of great birthdays, but this one was certainly in the top 5.

Just happened

2009-06-14T17:48:00.002-04:00

I recently found i video camera i've had for years, but unfortunately it didn't work. I tried different tapes, resetting it, cleaning it, etc. and nothing worked. On a whim, I decided to type in the error code into google and came across a forum discussing this issue. Apparently sony never gave a definition for this error code, but some of the users had come up with the solution: "whack it on the side pretty hard."
Apparently i needed the internet to tell me to assault my video camera to get it to work. When did that stop being my first response? I still can't believe that worked.

----------------
Now playing: Magnolia Electric Co - Josephine
via FoxyTunes

Love Mom

2009-06-04T22:42:00.003-04:00

Subject: hey "grasshopper"
I just found out that David Carradine hung himself in a Thai hotel. Crazy, huh?

Love you

Mom

I remember staying up late every wednesday night to watch Kunk Fu: The Legend Continues. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one, as the show was not very good, but the David Carradine was this peaceful shaolin monk/superhero and I loved it. When I found out that the entire concept for the original show was Bruce Lee's and the studio was too racist to have a 'chinaman' in a staring role, i could never really enjoy the show as much. Turns out David Carradine was just another (7/8ths) cracker co-opting asian culture for profit.
May my youthful, idealistic view of David Carradine rest in peace.

If you like laughs...

2009-05-30T11:12:00.002-04:00

For some reason I feel like this is mostly for Wayne B.
That reason is probably the fact that he reminds me of one of the main guys in this clip.

Ranch acid as a metaphor

2009-05-29T09:45:00.002-04:00

I'm two minutes away from needing to be at work. I went to a 'punk rock prom' at the duckpin bowling alley (your character's 'scene points' increases by 12. advance to the next level.) That was followed by a late night tour of hollywood cemetery and sleep came at 5am.
Tomorrow I work from 5pm to 5am, as my first night of training to be a bartender begins when my serving shift ends. Unless I get a shift covered next week, I will be working from 10am(sat)-5am(sun). On my feet working, not sitting working.
I'm also going to the gym in between shifts now instead of taking a nap.
I am a machine. I run on pure awesome.

Sexting

2009-05-21T11:45:00.004-04:00

http://www.textsfromlastnight.com

texts to the wrong number, drunk texts, etc. I love it.

(212): i want you now
(916): you need to stop dating girls with the same name as your mother...or stop drinking so much...I don't want to see this

(913): I hope I'm pregnant just to spite you.

(202): I tried to gradually lead her into my room but she wouldn't stop crying and quoting memoirs of a geisha

(801): see... this is why i put birth control in all my friends drinks
(1-801): wait.... you do what?

you have to dig through a mountain of gross to get a few pieces of gold, but if you're bored go for it.

I'm back

2009-05-21T10:24:00.002-04:00

I apologize for the hiatus. I have plenty of excuses, i promise. I basically gave up on the internet to pursue/maintain real life, new relationships, etc. I didn't realize how long it had been until facebook sent me a message saying that I had 20 friend requests and 52 messages (?!) and that i should 'come back'. Oh internet, I could never leave you. I really only decided to post today because i have the morning off and I'm already sitting at the computer listening to an advance of the new Pelican album.

Last night I went to The Silent Music Revival at Gallery 5 in Richmond. It's an ongoing event where a band plays behind a screen showing an old silent film. The band last night was Autocue, which were better than expected and matched up really well with silent films about workers rights/child labor.
This morning I woke up early and started the day with a half hour meditation session, which is better than the half assed 10 minutes i've been putting in lately. I feel re energized and with a replaced focus on life. Today I'll ride my bike downtown to the gym, maybe stop by the coffee shop, and ride back home with enough time to shower before work.

I just watched a documentary called 'A life of my choice' about the travel writer Sir Wilfred Thesiger who traveled around north africa/the middle east. He passed away in 2003, but he lived one of the most romantic lives with a real sense of adventure. With the exception of his love of big game hunting and the quote "the worst thing to happen in human history was the invention of the combustible engine", i could really identify with everything he said.

Sometimes we pour our hearts into things that don't work out and I think it's easy to get jaded and cynical about life and human beings in general, but I realize that it's a life of my choice. If there's anything in life that I'm not satisfied with it's up to me to change it. I'm a bullet proof tiger with the mind of a champion and a back strong enough to build empires on.

The Economist

2009-03-31T23:24:00.002-04:00

My sister, a budding financial guru, sent me this:

This is that economic model I learned in school that proves what you were saying on your blog.

Total Bummer

2009-03-31T15:56:00.003-04:00

The Matt and Kim show during the upcoming Slaughterama weekend has been canceled due to injury. Fortunately, Slaughterama is still happening. So come and bring friends, drinks, bikes, and bail.
News coverage from last year

Legalize common sense

2009-03-30T13:28:00.004-04:00

In the midst of Clinton heading to mexico to discuss drug policy, gun import/export, etc. I couldn't notice Obama's town hall comments about this. When the notion of legalization of drugs was mentioned, the entire place laughed and it was dismissed as 'this is who is on the internet.' The fact is that this entire 'drug war' is much more of a plague on society than the drugs themselves (much like the 'war on terror' vs. actually terrorist acts). We have more people in prison than any other country, including china, both in proportion and population. Many of these are for nonviolent, victimless crimes. Meanwhile, private prisons are one of the few sectors turning a profit, and prison labor is used for just about anything these days. Let me restate that: people are making a profit off of imprisoning human beings and using their labor with little to no compensation.
What do you think gives these 'drug cartels' so much power? Could it be that marijauna is one of the largest cash crops, providing them billions in untaxed revenue? Prohibition has never worked and it never will. Think about what motivates you. Do you not do something simply because it's illegal? Knowing the dangers and risks involved, would you really smoke crystal meth if it were legal? Does knowing something is illegal really deter you? I'm sure we've all had speeding tickets, rode bikes down one way streets, downloaded music, etc. You simply have to look to the netherlands to see that legalization of drugs does not increase use, its population smokes less marijuana than americans. We live in a society where it is easier for minors to procure illegal drugs than alcohol. Does a dealer care if you're 8 years old? No, but the ABC store clerk certainly does. The only thing that makes any drug a 'gateway' drug is that you have to go to a shady dealer to get it, and they will probably offer other drugs that they have. There's nothing inherent in any drug that makes it a 'gateway' drug, other than prohibition. We are putting money in the hands of drug dealers, putting children at risk, and spending billions that we obviously don't have, all to fight a war that can never be won.
thanks to eva who sent the below picture and spurred this rant.

He's just not that into you...

2009-03-29T02:40:00.003-04:00

I got my 3rd missed connection! I haven't replied to this one yet, but I'm certain it was me. The funny part is that i have no idea who could have sent this as i was not playing any game with anyone. well, maybe chris, but the game was 'how do i pass this shot off on someone else.' chris bought well over 20 shots that night, so while this girl thought i was 'shyly looking away', i was probably thinking 'gravity...is it always out to get me?' or 'meta pizza - pizza topped with pizza bagel bites.'

empire beard (one of many) - w4m - 25 (empire)

Reply to: pers-ffrb5-1096xxx669@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}
Date: 2009-03-28, 5:23PM EDT

you were at a tall table near the big buck hunter game. black hoodie and beard (like many others) but you had a kind face and really sweet eyes... i kept looking at you and smiling- and you shyly looked away. fun game! lets do it again sometime.

Cosmo, neat please

2009-03-19T15:53:00.002-04:00

The late, great, Carl Sagan's Cosmos is now on Hulu.com
How neat is that?
Pretty neat.

Worker Bee's Nutz

2009-03-19T15:15:00.002-04:00

My job is at a fancy restaurant in an old historic bank on main street in richmond. I've been working a lot of shifts at the new job, trying to get as much money as possible so i can get a motorcycle/pay rent. Last night we had a party of 90+ people at a banquet upstairs. The problem with setting these things up is that a lot of the materials are in the 'vault', so you have to go up two full flights of stairs, with table, chairs, etc. All night I'm up and down stairs with giant trays of fancy food or dirty plates. On top of that, I have to smile at a coked up Sir Ben Kingsley lookalike as he tells me that he has put 'bob marley's roots reggae song, exodus, remixed' on the sound system. awesome.
After almost 7 hours of this I did get a free meal (not the norm) and another waiter bought me a beer (blue moon). So all in all it was pretty good, but the last thing you want to do after all of that is ride your bike home in the cold night, up a giant hill. Working at the bottom of the hill makes for a nice ride to work, but a lousy ride home.
The giant upside is that I am very happy with how things are going. I work really hard and go home physically exhausted. My mind is actively engaged and the more stressful it gets, the faster time goes by. I ride my bike a few miles a day and I'm in great shape.

Slaughterama is fast approaching.

the river. hadads. bike rides. friends. front porch hangouts. outdoor movies. cook outs. . .

dear summer,
i'm ready.

Muh Gurls

2009-03-17T20:41:00.002-04:00

I watched this today and laughed out loud. It's a group of old people reviewing Animal Collective's My Girls, one of my favorite tracks on the new album. They start by reviewing a Young Jeezy song, which has a hilarious/cracist ending. Well worth the watch.

Dear The Pope,

2009-03-17T15:22:00.002-04:00

I was reading this story today and I am sure that you are outraged at the obvious misquotations. To think that they would quote you as saying that 'condoms don't prevent AIDS, in fact they increase the problem', in Africa of all places. I am sorry that the press has made you out to sound like an ignorant asshole. We both know you couldn't have possibly said that.
On the off chance that you did, I hope that millions of AIDS sufferers are laid at your feet when you try to get into heaven.

Love,
jimi

Slaughterama 6

2009-03-15T15:10:00.001-04:00

Dear Mr. Cheney,

2009-03-15T12:28:00.003-04:00

I read this story today and I instantly admired your brazenness and open disregard for any sense of morals or ethics. When people claim that evil must exist in order for good to exist, i immediately think of you and smile. I'm glad you're out there doing what other people just can't.
I understand you're unhappy with the fact that bush did not pardon 'scooter' libby. That he simply commuted his sentance to 2.5 years for borderline treason/murder. I know that it will be hard for him to be in that fancy prison for 2.5 years, but i'm sure he'll get through it. The CIA agent who died as a result of libby's actions, doesn't have the same luxury.
I can also understand your frustration over obama, and your claim that his actions are making america less safe. I am sure that you are just beating yourself up over the fact that you were in charge of norad on 9/11, and despite their 100% success rate, failed to miss 4 targets that day...while under your command. I'm sure that their response time of 88 minutes would have been much worse without your supervision, despite the fact that that is 11 times their average response time. I understand your desire to make up for that 'mistake' by creating and fueling a fear of 'terrorist acts'. After all, we need to create awareness for a problem that kills so many americans each year. Wait. How many americans died last year from terrorist attacks? I sure it has to be more than shark attacks or falling airplane parts. Anyway, i'm just glad you're there to watch out for us.

love,
jimi

missed connection haiku

2009-03-15T11:44:00.001-04:00

saw this today,

re:

Reply to: pers-vsh3k-1075736596@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}
Date: 2009-03-15, 8:47AM EDT

still I stay silent
I am not asking (ass? king?)
still I do love you

i'm not sure if this is a joke, but i do think that the idea of someone being a king of asses is pretty funny.

Dear Mr. Stewart,

2009-03-14T14:48:00.002-04:00

I just watched the interview with Jim Cramer on the Daily Show. Wow.
There's the uncensored 3 part unedited version on Hulu and I recommend checking it out.
It reminded me of this.

Les and Oscar

2009-03-10T15:00:00.002-04:00

Les and oscar have been on my list of 'cutest couples' for some time now. They are also 2 of the kindest and most generous people that aren't boring. Oscar recently fixed my jeans and did an amazing job. They have an etsy shop now that you should support because its cute things by cute people. Whether you buy something or not, just add it to your favorites and i think that helps them out.
click here

Quick post

2009-03-10T09:05:00.003-04:00

I now have to be away from the internet for hours at a time so I have to make a quick pre work post:

scientists are making robots that can emulate human emotions. Their most advanced robot, kenji, went from 'puppy love' mode to 'stalker mode' pretty quickly. This was problematic, as kenji has 100kg arms and is a robot.

story

"Science: all about coulda, not about shoulda" -Patton Oswald

Thanks

2009-03-09T17:46:00.004-04:00

Thanks to friends and family that have supported me in various ways throughout these times. Special thanks to my sister for always doing research into jobs and job fairs for me.

Finally

2009-03-09T17:34:00.003-04:00

Thanks to friends, not experience, a degree, or even charm, I got a job today.
It's a nice little bike ride from my house, which is good because there is no parking downtown during the days. Due to my over zealousness, I am waiting tables from 10am-11pm tomorrow and 10am again on Wednesday.
The upside is that the uniform is a black dress shirt, black shoes and jeans.

Harvest of Hope

2009-03-09T12:37:00.003-04:00

Friday night, 7pm, chris complained that he could not go to the Harvest of Hope Festival in Richmond's unofficial sister city, St. Augustine. Apparently, the plane tickets were too much so he couldn't afford to go. I suggested we just take his car and drive down there, and so long as i didn't have to pay for gas, I was available to make this happen. Chris, in true form, called my bluff and I called drew good. In my mind, drew was on the way and a proven good time/driver. The plan was to drive all night, arrive at st augustine around 8am, take a nap and go see some bands.
At 9am, we arrive in st. augustine and eat at Manatee Cafe, a little health food eatery. Once the food hit our stomachs we were pretty tired so we went to the beach and slept until about 1130am.

If you'll notice, i have used a gym towel i found in my car as my bed, my shirt as my pillow, and my bandanna to block the sun from my eyes. This proved to be a bad idea, as I now look like I got sunburned while dressed up like a ninja turtle. We woke up, drove to a friends house, and immediately left for the show.
As with most music festivals, this one had the lesser known bands play during the day. This proved problematic in a sleep deprived state, so drew and I took naps under trees until Valient Thorr played. What a good show, if you like Les Savy Fav, Motorcycle gangs, and extraterrestrial mythology, you should see this band.
Oddly enough drew and I both ran into people we knew at the festival, a scarcely advertised event 10-12 hours south of where most of our friends are. We got sunburned some more and waited for the major bands to start playing. Then the temperature dropped. Sunburn and cold weather is no fun. For about 6 hours I stood freezing, trying to keep moving to avoid what I thought would end up being hypothermia. Then I figured out that if i snuck behind the bbq food cart I could keep warm. At this point, I am filthy from sleeping in dirt, have a weird sunburn on my face, have barely slept, have no idea where warmth or a place to sleep will happen, and I smell like pulled pork.
Then Bad Brains played. Worst. Show. Ever. Remember that reggae album that they came out with, but no one ever bought? they played all those songs and then went over on their set by about 40 minutes. Second to that was Tilly and the Wall. If you like this band please take a moment to punch yourself in whatever private parts you happen to be working with. They seriously had a tap dancer for the entire show. She looked like a rejected american apparel model and, at best, the band sounded like a gloria estefan rip off.
Best show? Probably Propaghandi. They were pretty pissed at bad brains closed out the night with a near perfect set. Then when the show shut down, they decided to just finish out their set that was cut short by Bad brains. Unfortunately, the event organizers weren't having it, so they cut off the sound. Then Propaghandi played just from their amps and the audience sang out loud. It was beautiful, much like the few moments before a mass riot are beautiful.
Drew slept in the car that night and I slept on someones floor. Sleeping with a bandanna over your eyes and earplugs in your ears has its disadvantages. One of the big ones being that when you wake up already confused as to where you are, it is much more difficult to determine your situation quickly. This becomes even more problematic when you wake up to: "don't move that, you'll crush him!" Apparently I was sleeping next to a broken couch (true) and someone was trying to get to the fold out bed part so they could get the mattress out. To add to this, one of the people involved was some girl that sounded just like AEB, but without the powerful brain. Then some guy was really apologetic for waking me up and kept calling me 'sir'. i responded with being way too nice, that kind of nice where your voice goes up an octave because you're overcompensating.
After a surprising full night's sleep, we walked to downtown and got some mayan food. a-mazing. Then we walked around the fort by the water, took some pictures, and walked back to the car to start our trek back. I arrived in richmond at 330am, about 55 hours after I decided to leave.
Dear summer,
Thank you for coming early, I missed you.
love,
jimifoster

300th post

2009-03-06T11:41:00.002-05:00

So the director of the war porn mockumentary '300' is having his new movie released today. I want to see this so bad. Who's not working and wants to see this today? i'm so excited. i'm so scared.

hold me.

Dear Richmond...

2009-02-28T13:39:00.003-05:00

I am not fond of your winters.
Please tell summer to hurry.

love,
jimi.

This is our friend nate, in his project Gull performing at last years best friends day.

Silver lining

2009-02-26T17:22:00.002-05:00

Due to lack of employment, I have no 'whites' to wash. score.

during this post, i was listening to the song 'bigmouth strikes again' by the smiths.
I realized that i have no idea what the lyrics are, and they can't be what i sing along.
without looking them up here's what i seriously think they are:

Sweetness, sweetness i was only joking when said i'd like to mash a green tooth in your hair
Sweetness, sweetness i was only joking when said i'd write 'you should be bludgeoned in your bed'
now i know how joan of arc felt
and the flames rose to the romans nose and the walkman started to melt.

so then i just looked them up, and then i laughed at how close i really was.

ok, i'm going to go on a bike ride to watch the sunset at chimborazo park.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. babies.

2009-02-24T18:34:00.001-05:00

In Egypt news

2009-02-24T18:05:00.003-05:00

The bombing of Khan al Khalili is pretty crazy and apparently not done by any 'known groups.' Thus proving that there's no way to know everyone who might bomb you, even with us funding, so don't sell your civil rights for a false sense of security. The motivation was apparently the fact that egypt recognizes israel and is one of the only places in the region that shows support for israel over palestine. I generally support action over talk in provoking political change, but someone died and many were injured, none of which had anything to do with anything other than trying to buy stuff at a market. I went there pretty often during my stay and I hated it every time, but you shouldn't kill innocent people, that should go without saying. unfortunately, i guess you have to say it, Don't kill innocent people. ever. regardless of what god you believe in, that can't be acceptable. assuming human beings or their 'souls' are eternal by nature and there is any form of 'hell' you will spend it there. guess who doesn't have good jokes. henry kissenger. what is funny is picturing whoever did the bombing in a pit of black fire rubbing skeletal elbows with henry kissenger, someone who is of the jewish faith and outranks you in hell. i guess my idea of hell is more of a mel brooks/army of darkness scenario...

In positive news, one of the good friends i made while in cairo is an artist named nader. you might remember him from pictures of the 'white desert' where we went to get footage for some project he was doing. anyway, if you like art/metal, check this out:
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=114798

State of the Union

2009-02-24T17:41:00.004-05:00

If you need a reason to add a new blog to your list, this is it.
From Jenny Miller's Heck's Kitchen:

The Internet's First Obama SOTU Drinking Game

Bob: There's NO Obama SOTU drinking game on the entire internet. Strange.
Jenny: Hm. I guess he's not quite ready to be parodied yet.
Bob: I guess not. Take one shot bathtub gin everytime President says 'Since the Great Depression.'
Jenny: That'd be one
Bob: Everytime he says 'failed banking system' put a round of shots on your credit card.
Then there are there's the other low-hanging fruit, 'hope,' 'change'
Jenny: I think maybe just no one's really watching it when you address the union every week, it kind of makes it less special/ridiculous.
Bob: That's crazytalk. I mean, did we only watch Bush's because Bush was a douchebag and we loved to hate him?
I'm excited.
Perhaps it's DC nostalgia, but Rebecca and I have picked out a place to go and I've invited a former (and now unemployed) Obama staffer to come along with us.
Every time the President refers to propping up the failing auto industry, drink a Boilermaker!
Jenny: Haha
Ashby: When he mentions the Japanese '90s decade of recession — Saki Bombers?
Bob: Perfect.
Japan's lost decade = Saki Bomber
Ashby: Housing requires a turpentine...something about termites seems fitting for that industry unable to carry water, full of holes.
How about a shot of Redbull and vodka for each peek of Ram Emanuel we get?
Man he is hot.
Bob: Every time the President uses the word 'sacrifice' — a Kamikazi

Refers to 'making tough choices' — don't. Take a shot of both the brown and the clear liquor.
Jenny: I love Kamakazi
Bob: Ashby's correct: This is a significant cultural void. Just because we like the current President does not mean that this time-honored tradition should be shunned.
I like Red Bull and vodka, actually, for any time 'stimulus plan' is uttered
Afghanistan — Jägerbomb
Nationalization — PBR, America's beer
Jenny: Really?
Bob: Really which?
Can you think of a beer that's more American? It was NAMED at the 1873 world's fair after it won the blue ribbon for best beer!
Any time we hear the term 'bank takeover' steal a sip of your neighbor's drink.
Jenny: Heehee
Ashby: Or 'bank subsidy' just get yourself a bonus extra round on the house
Steal from the bar
Ashby: 40 oz
down it
Bob: hells yeah
Ashby: And try to spell ur name in pee

The Pirate Bay. Day 7

2009-02-24T15:48:00.003-05:00

So today, the court heard from 2 witnesses who tried to prove that people can download copyrighted material from the pirate bay. To put what happened in layman's terms, basically they just showed pictures of themselves downloading copyrighted material from the pirate bay. so that's funny, just right off the top. then it turns out that they didn't have a specific program running which made it impossible to prove that the information was coming from the pirate bay at all. apparently, there's not one single nerd on the prosecution's side. Either that, or it's being led by Ted Stevens. Then the court took a recess for the day, after only 2 hours, and that's a workday we can all get behind. Go Sweden!
my opinion:
I love how this is all playing out. There has been a series of technological advances that have 'threatened' the bottom line of corporations (radio, recordable media, television, video, etc). The fact is that copyrights should never supersede human rights, and grandma should not be taken to court because her 11 yr old granddaughter downloaded a britney spears song she heard on the radio. She should also not be forced to settle out of court with money she doesn't have, simply because the prosecution can afford an entire team of highly paid lawyers and she has to use legal aide.
To me, this is simply lazy, (hopefully) dying corporations crying about their archaic business models in a public forum. There is less of a need for a distribution channel, thanks to technology. So we remove the middleman who has been trying to economically take a dump on both the consumer and the artists for years. awesome.
what does this mean for you? well, this means that a lot more executives will be out of work. Then when oil hits 400 dollars a barrel in the next 5 years and we plunge into a mad max style dystopian future they will be unable to survive since they have no real skills. They will in turn, die off and human evolution will be able to start up again.
just kidding. they'll come up with a new business model, make tons of money at the expense of others and technology will advance creating more of a gataca/brave new world future. At the very least, it'll meet in the middle and be johnny mnemonic.

----------------
Now playing: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Dragon Queen
via FoxyTunes

New Birth Control Device

2009-02-24T15:42:00.002-05:00

The job scene.

2009-02-19T10:32:00.001-05:00

Nigerian Dwarf Goat Nanny

Reply to: job-1041207564@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2009-02-19, 10:23AM EST

Looking for live-in nanny for my Nigerian Dwarf Goat. No experience necessary. Just need nice person to play with my goat.

----------------
Now playing: the velvet underground - i found a reason
via FoxyTunes

The Pirate Bay

2009-02-18T13:28:00.003-05:00

I can't say enough great things about the creators of the pirate bay. Every move they make seems to be pure gold and its hilarious. For those of you that don't know, The Pirate Bay is a bittorrent site that supposedly over 10 million people use. They moved everything to sweden a long time ago because of more lax copyright laws, but when the swedish government started cracking down on them, TPB moved their offices into the same building as the Swedish copyright organization and then had the servers distributed all over the world so that even they don't know where they are. i'm also certain they have hidden all of their money very well because no one can seem to link them to any money, despite the fact that they have to be millionaires 10x's over at this point. they also tried to buy a manmade island in international waters, but that didnt pan out. Then they found out who was heading up the case against them and posted all of that person's contact info so that their 10 million users could share their opinions about p2p file transfers. The Prince declared war against them and had private detectives follow around the founders, in real life, proving that Prince has no idea how the internet works.

anyway, now they are officially on trial and on day 2 half the charges were dropped.The mixup came when the prosecution attempted to tie several .torrent files to the Pirate Bay's tracking servers, which called for Bay co-founder Fredrik Neij to point out that, hey, that's not quite how it works. All of that evidence linking actual torrents to the Pirate Bay has now been thrown out, leaving only the charges related to "assisting in making available" copyrighted works.

The prosecution is shrugging this off, saying that it in fact "simplifies the prosecutor's case by allowing him to focus on the main issue, which is the making available of copyrighted works." Of course the defense is taking quite the opposite stance: On Twitter, the message from Bay honcho Peter Sunde is, appropriately: EPIC WINNING LOL.

then on day 3 they dropped the 'king kong' defense:

"EU directive 2000/31/EG says that he who provides an information service is not responsible for the information that is being transferred. In order to be responsible, the service provider must initiate the transfer. But the admins of The Pirate Bay don't initiate transfers. It's the users that do and they are physically identifiable people. They call themselves names like King Kong," Samuelsson told the court.

"According to legal procedure, the accusations must be against an individual and there must be a close tie between the perpetrators of a crime and those who are assisting. This tie has not been shown. The prosecutor must show that Carl Lundström personally has interacted with the user King Kong, who may very well be found in the jungles of Cambodia," the lawyer added. from gizmodo

LAWYERED!

also, the bus above is what TPB is using to travel to court everyday.

VD

2009-02-16T18:39:00.002-05:00

My valentines day was spent going to the river with jonnie bluejeans and exploring the old abandoned power plant. We realized, about halfway through, that it was valentines day and we were basically on a gay date. Then it was off to a duckpin bowling party with friends, while drinking the new 'joose' flavor - Jungle. Not to be confused with Dragon, this anti freeze with caffeine is best described by aeb as "different than getting tipsy or even drunk because it's more like coming down with food poisoning." The bowling thing could have been more fun if there were more dancing or organized events throughout the night, but i guess richmond is still 'too cool' for certain types of fun. I think rollerskating would have been a better choice b/c you can byob, its cheaper, and there's always couples skate/falling.
the night ended with a fire in the backyard and a cuddle puddle on the fold out bed. I think there were 10 people and kiki on a fold out double bed at one point. The next day we went to empire for brunch, where i watched brooks drink a 'manmosa' (a pitcher of mimosa). The rest of the day was basically spent recovering. It may not have been the craziest or most fun weekend ever, but i think it was all a sign of things to come when the summer gets here. By summer, i mean the last weekend in march.

----------------
Now playing: Irepress - Diaspora
via FoxyTunes

Adulthood

2009-02-13T11:37:00.002-05:00

When you roll out of bed, which is a mattress on the floor, and eat 2 of the gummy bear vitamins that were intended for your 4 yr old nephew, you start to wonder if adulthood will ever happen again.

Favorite 'missed' of the day

2009-02-10T16:42:00.002-05:00

I'm always on craigslist camping for new job postings, so while i wait i check out the missed connections. everyday.
So my favorite today is a missed connection about graffiti that talks trash on other graffiti.
Richmond - A dark, dirty city with a sense of humor.

http://richmond.craigslist.org/mis/1029289957.html

Kiki

2009-02-10T15:53:00.003-05:00

I was just sitting here thinking about how great tony and eva's dog, kiki, is. She was just lying by my feet as I responded to emails, made posts, etc. I was thinking about its adorable Cutthroats bandana around its neck and how well she listens. Then she farted. Hard. I actually had to leave my room so i wouldn't throw up. Speaking of vomit, Sunday I was at holly st park for bike polo/friends and there was a table of kids taking the gallon of milk 'challenge', and subsequently throwing up lots of milk. Kiki was determined to eat it all, despite the fact that no one bet her money to do it. Each time she licks me now I think of that. Dogs will be dogs i guess.

Two hundred pounds

2009-02-10T14:34:00.009-05:00

It's my first official week living in Richmond again. One of the more difficult things about being terribly unemployed is structuring your day. Most of it is spent searching for jobs online, going around to different areas you want to work in and filling out applications or trying to find help wanted signs. Since the time to apply to a lot of places is between 2-4pm its not a great idea to structure your day around that, otherwise you'll wake up at noon and feel gross. So i'm back in the routine of going to the gym every day. In the spirit of this '25 things' list that the kids are into, one of the things a lot of people don't know about me is that i started working out when i was 17. I was working at a surf and skate shop with a bunch of firefighters and I was so weak I had a hard time paddling out on a surfboard. So I started going to the gym regularly and I honestly love it.
I know it's not 'cool' to go the the gym and that the body type you're supposed to have is strong legs from biking and a gut from pbr, but i'm just not into that. I hate cardio. Unless there is a friends house, drink special, taco night, or cookies waiting at the end of a bike ride i generally see it as a chore. Fortunately, in richmond, riding bikes is almost always about fun or destinations. Anarobic excercise is vastly superior, in my opinion, and if you do it right you dont have to look like a meathead, nor do you have to be into mma fighting. Unfortunately, after 6 months of inactivity I am at my heaviest/weakest so i'm in no risk of looking like anything other than mashed potatoes.
On the way home today I was thinking about the drastic mood change between pre/post workout and it made me think of an article I read years ago. I could go on for days about how I feel about pushing your body to its physical limits, but i couldn't match words already written by everyone's favorite aging punk icon, Henry Rollins. It looks long, but i promise it's worth the read. To prove that fact, i highlighted the best lines.

From the article "TheIron"

I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself.

Completely.

When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me "garbage can" and telling me I'd be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn't run home crying, wondering why.

I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.

I hated myself all the time.

Henry Rollins
(Portrait by Timothy Greenfield-Banders)

As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing that I wasn't going to get pounded in the hallway between classes. Years passed and I learned to keep it all inside. I only talked to a few boys in my grade. Other losers. Some of them are to this day the greatest people I have ever known. Hang out with a guy who has had his head flushed down a toilet a few times, treat him with respect, and you'll find a faithful friend forever. But even with friends, school sucked. Teachers gave me hard time. I didn't think much of them either.

Then came Mr. Pepperman, my advisor. He was a powerfully built Vietnam veteran, and he was scary. No one ever talked out of turn in his class. Once one kid did and Mr. P. lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the blackboard. Mr. P. could see that I was in bad shape, and one Friday in October he asked me if I had ever worked out with weights. I told him no. He told me that I was going to take some of the money that I had saved and buy a hundred-pound set of weights at Sears. As I left his office, I started to think of things I would say to him on Monday when he asked about the weights that I was not going to buy. Still, it made me feel special. My father never really got that close to caring. On Saturday I bought the weights, but I couldn't even drag them to my mom's car. An attendant laughed at me as he put them on a dolly.

Monday came and I was called into Mr. P.'s office after school. He said that he was going to show me how to work out. He was going to put me on a program and start hitting me in the solar plexus in the hallway when I wasn't looking. When I could take the punch we would know that we were getting somewhere. At no time was I to look at myself in the mirror or tell anyone at school what I was doing. In the gym he showed me ten basic exercises. I paid more attention than I ever did in any of my classes. I didn't want to blow it. I went home that night and started right in.

Weeks passed, and every once in a while Mr. P. would give me a shot and drop me in the hallway, sending my books flying. The other students didn't know what to think. More weeks passed, and I was steadily adding new weights to the bar. I could sense the power inside my body growing. I could feel it.

Right before Christmas break I was walking to class, and from out of nowhere Mr. Pepperman appeared and gave me a shot in the chest. I laughed and kept going. He said I could look at myself now. I got home and ran to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. I saw a body, not just the shell that housed my stomach and my heart. My biceps bulged. My chest had definition. I felt strong. It was the first time I can remember having a sense of myself. I had done something and no one could ever take it away. You couldn't say shit to me.

It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn't want to come off the mat, it's the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn't teach you anything. That's the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you.

It wasn't until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain. When I finish a set that leaves me shaking, I know more about myself. When something gets bad, I know it can't be as bad as that workout.

I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn't ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you're not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.

I have never met a truly strong person who didn't have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone's shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr.Pepperman.

Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart.

Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron. Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body.

Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn't see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness. To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads.

I prefer to work out alone.

It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you're made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live. Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it's some kind of miracle if you're not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole.

I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron Mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind.

The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go, but two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

Speaking of Tony...

2009-02-10T14:26:00.002-05:00

I'm looking to rework this drawing and hopefully get it embroidered on my bag through the kindness of John U.

Reasons I love tony #42,069

2009-02-09T19:50:00.003-05:00

There was a 'missed connection' from a guy complaining about how his roommate eats his chips, etc. It was weird, like a personal ad about how much this person sucks, but from his roommate, to him, via craigslist.
Then this was posted (censored):

re:to the asshole who lives right in the next room - 24 (the fan ) (Love this city...)

Reply to: pers-1027658234@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2009-02-09, 2:36PM EST

To the asshole who lives in the room next to person who made a missed connection on here yesterday...

You *effing* rule.

Keep doing whatever it is that you need to do to keep pissing off the dude that posted a missed connection about you, instead of saying it to your face. Dude is totally a pussy and deserved to get them chips eaten every time!

Keep sleeping on that *effed* up couch and, if possible, try and get *friendly* with some thick chick in dudes bed. It's the only way to really go full circle with this... especially if you are a chick. Really stick it to the man. Oh yeah... you should call the dude that posted the message... "The Man" because they are clearly trying to authoritatively dictate your life, and diet, via a website, and well... like I said before, that's mad pussy.

Good luck!

-smoke to get high.

Fun post

2009-02-05T13:48:00.002-05:00

I noticed that most of my posts lately have been of the sad/boring type. I apologize.
What have I been doing lately that's awesome?
I danced all night with eva, celia, and her sisters at a release party for new magazine called 'liger beat.' from what i understand its vice magazine meets playgirl, but actually for girls. i dont see much of a market for page after page of glossy weiners with weiner bios, at least not in their desired demographic, but i'm sure they've done their market research.
Last night I ran into old duke dawgs Leigh and Gweneth at dollar enchilada night and got to 'break bread' with them.
My shower seems to be made of dry erase board so i got washable markers that i found on sale so i could write down all my brilliant shower thoughts. The condensation caused the water soluble ink to not work, but i haven't given up yet.
I took kiki out with tony and we threw a frisbee around for a bit and talked about me going to the seminary around the corner. i've never seen a dog so good at catching a frisbee, also i've never really thrown around a frisbee. now i know what all the half assed hippies on the quad in college were so amped about. well, not really, i had an awesome dog catching every time i threw, they just had their unwashed friends.
I drank a lot of sweet tea.

Richmond: Not concerned with 'laws' since '69

2009-02-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

to the cops smoking pot at my resturaunt..... (wont say for my ass' sake)

Reply to: pers-1022064397@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2009-02-05, 1:08PM EST

thanks!, no really! that from what i hear was an interesting lunch! why the hell would you do that in such an open forum!! thanks for making such an example at the place where i work, now i have to keep an eye out for other customers doing it! you lit up to what looked like a rolled cigarette and you know thats cool and all, but then you started passing it around to your coppy friends and then my co workers smelled the oh so familiar smell of ganga. good job, i feel safe....

In the moment

2009-02-04T17:16:00.002-05:00

Right now i'm sitting downstairs in my new home. To the left is a fireplace, to right is an adorable lil scamp of a pup named Kiki. Currently she is enjoying half of a super pretzel that i over cooked while i watch her with my jug of sweet tea i didnt over cook. On the radio is a pandora station i made of quite coalminer jams. This chair is comfortable and I'm just waiting for dollar enchilada/pbr night at lil' mexico. After that, my friends and I will return to house, sit near the fireplace and watch lost in a near imax sized projection and drink boxed wine. Then we'll talk about lost theories, make jokes about things, and eat snacks. I'll go to bed, full, tired, and happy.
Tomorrow i'll wake up with the pain in my stomach caused by the stress of not having a job. It'll be too cold to want to leave the bed so i'll check my email from the comfort of my warm bed. The pain will increase when i see that there are no responses to the six jobs I applied for today and no calls either. I'll wonder what i'm doing with my life, where I'll be in 5 years, and why I haven't gotten a job yet. It's amazing how constant, quiet rejection can cut you to your core.
Then I'll remember how much fun i had the night before, and most nights before that. I'll remember how I only hang out with amazing people, have a great family, and I've seen a lot of things. I'll remember how just now tony sang a red house painters song, that he doesnt know the lyrics to, to kiki. Then explain how eco terrorists dont want you to hurt animals in the virtual world so they hurt you in the real world. I think he was trying to explain the plot to lawnmower man, but there's no way to know.
Then I'll put on the giant robe, maybe drink coffee by the fire, apply to more jobs, maybe run an errand with eva, and basically do whatever I want so long as doesn't cost anything. So i'll stare sit and stare at this fire again, try not to burn another super pretzel, and just be.

Bros

2009-02-03T13:32:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Wayne and Dustin for preforming this in johnny bluejeans living room the other night. you showed me the true beauty of this song. Note to Dave: don't waste your time, you're gonna hate it. Everyone else enjoy.

Eatibles

2009-01-29T09:45:00.003-05:00

Right now i'm sitting in the lap of luxury. I'm pretty sure this bed has 3 down comforters and my apologies go to the family of ducks that it took to make my comfort. I'm in the omni hotel thanks to alison and it couldnt be better. there's a pool and a gym i have every intention of taking advantage of while she's at work. it was super cute that we just stayed up all night having 'girl talk' and watching the meditation channel. juice and coffee was delivered to the door, along with a copy of usa today. its a good thing too because there's an expose piece on 'snuggies.' thank you usa today, thank you. i've been trying to set the self timer of my camera to capture me jumping from one bed to the next but its not easy and i'm getting tired.
i had a job interview yesterday and I have to say, i looked awesome.
also, while on craigslist i found someone special:
I am a carmel complexion Diva, 5'8 voluptious, pretty in the face a little thick in the waist. I have my own, car (2) home and a professional. From up north. Never been with anyone in VA. I am considered sexy and attractive. I am out going and a people's person. I love jazz, gospel, reggae and R&b music. I am a writer and poet. Looking for a MAN who can keep it real. Have no time for drama. I love to look nice . Carry myself as the woman I am. Eatible from head to toes. I am a little shy, but very out going and love to help people. Need a guy that can tame that tiger in me, and bring it out

Ladies fashions

2009-01-23T14:50:00.003-05:00

Out: 'Baby doll dresses' or anything resembling them
Why: If I even have a casual conversation with you I will constantly hear things like, "hey, I saw you talking to that pregnant girl" or "who was that preggy lil hottie" if its drew.
Out: Jeans without back pockets
Why: I remember when I first saw the mona lisa and i thought, "gross, what's wrong with her, she looks busted" then I realized it was that she had no eyebrows.
Out: Loud burping
Why: I get it, you're edgy, your hip, you don't care what the establishment thinks, whatever. The fact is you're not sarah silverman and the girl at the end of the bar is vomiting and then trying to see if guys are desperate enough to kiss her afterwards. There's always someone cooler than you so 'don't do something because you think its cool, do it because you're cool' -lil wayne.

DC United

2009-01-22T23:46:00.002-05:00

I'm going to post about my trip to the inaugeration, but I was just looking at some of jenny's pics from the long weekend and I realized another thing I hate about the cold. At a certain point, everyone looks homeless.

pics stolen from jenny miller's hecks kitchen

Proverbs 26:11

2009-01-22T23:14:00.002-05:00

As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly...

So it looks like the main objective that I was trying to achieve by being in Egypt (career) is the one thing I'm going to take 2 steps behind on. Apparently, there are 1000 ex circuit city employees vying for the same positions I've been applying for. So do you take a job you don't really want or do you just go hungry?
Plan: Take the job, write in my spare time, try to get freelance writing jobs, take the GRE's, buy a motorcycle, reevaluate.
Thanks be to the curse of Adam for the endless toiling I must do.
Then, on top of that, I watched that movie Max Payne with my dad tonight. It made me remember what a bad movie really is. It's a shame, I like Mark Wahlberg, especially in I Heart Huckabees, but that movie tonight was a turd's turd. Then on top of that, I realized that Itunes made me lose that Cheap Trick album that Steve Albini produced. I feel like I was finally 'getting it' and it was just stripped away.
Bright side: I want for nothing. In the future I will come home to an adorable tony and eva on a daily basis. I will live down the street from Yall'z Grille in a week or so. There's a good chance Dave might move to fist city. I'm listening to Sunny Day Real Estate. I'm at my parent's house, which is full of love, food, and heat. I'm going to stay up late and read comic books.
Conclusion: Life has been better, but it's been way worse. I've never had life not work out for the awesome so I'm just curious to see what's next

Itunes

2009-01-22T15:17:00.003-05:00

Why doesn't anyone else seem to hate itunes as much as I do?
I hate that I have to use this program. I know there are other programs that I can use, and I do, but the problem is that I like the 'genius' feature and if I plug in my ipod to my computer it deletes everything. I hate the fact that I can't just drag and drop folders of music onto itunes. All of my music has just been deleted for the 3rd time in as many weeks.
I'm going to just say it: I hate apple's mentality that computing and the transfer of data has to be 'cute' or 'cool' or 'proprietary'. I grew up with drew building computers, installing 9600 bps modems as an upgrade. Dos was logical. If you want the elitist sensation that an apple provides, just learn linux. I don't care that when I delete something it makes a 'fun' animation, I just want to make sure its deleted, not from the 'library', but off of my computer.
This is what happens when the focus switches from 'function' to 'design'.
So, if you want to spend 2500+ on a new mac that makes you look super cool when you check your email, twitter, or vlog, go for it. Then, when it comes time to upgrade and you don't have any options and it costs you more than most car repairs, I'll be laughing, as I swap out the broken part with a spare one someone has lying around their house.
Sure there are problems, and pc's are frustrating too, but I hate hate Itunes.

Uugghhh

2009-01-21T15:13:00.003-05:00

Well, i picked the worst economical time to move back to the states. I'd post more, but all my spare internet time is spent looking for work in/around Richmond. If you can relieve me of this stress, please let me know. I will work just about anywhere/do just about anything.
After I get this taken care of I will post about the inauguration and how cold cold can be.

For those of you with money

2009-01-14T19:08:00.002-05:00

I would recommend buying 'put' stock options on apple (aapl) because it looks like steve jobs is dying, or steve jobs looks like he's dying. Either way, it's down almost 7% after hours and i'm sure it'll keep going down for a couple days because he's taking leave as the ceo. All i'm saying is that a properly invested 1000 could be 3000 in 2 days if you know what you're doing and i am in no way qualified to give that advice. my prediction is that its below 75 a share within 2 days.
also, did bernie mac die? I was looking at martin show clips and one said 'bernie mac r.i.p.'
i did stumble on a chris tucker standup where he talks about how there could never be a black president because he would have bbq's and shoot people, he was 20 at the time. Then i saw a more recent one where he 'disses lil wayne', he looked really fat, high, and the jokes weren't funny.

here's some funny chris tucker (aka the best parts of Money Talks):

While we're talking about pop music

2009-01-14T17:05:00.003-05:00

I can't find the new Mates of State or any The Magic Numbers albums for download.
If you have these albums please let me know.
Also, if you've been listening to anything that has been making your ears moist, let me know.

I'm still going to keep posting

2009-01-14T16:37:00.002-05:00

I've been listening to the new Matt & Kim (grand vo) , Vetliver (tight knit), and the new Animal Collective cds. I think all three are a good quality showing, the Matt and Kim album is their best yet, the Vetliver is still doing quality upbeat slow jams, and the Animal Collective makes dave feel like he's doing acid. I've also been revisiting Jenjune's Afternoon Malady, one of my repeat plays when i was 17. It's basically Rockinghorse Winner but with some street cred.
Other than that, I've been applying to jobs, looking for a place to live, looking at graduate programs, relaxing at the parents, and generally trying to get life set up.

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Now playing: Matt & Kim - I Wanna
via FoxyTunes

Goodbye Egypt, goodbye Kokomo

2009-01-11T21:26:00.002-05:00

For a handful of solid personal reasons I have decided to return to America. I will miss Egypt, or most of it, the friends that I made there, the kindness I was shown, the people I met, etc. My experience there has left me changed, if even in a small way, and I will be forever grateful. I don't get as anxious about a lack of personal space, quality of air, and I realize how little I need to be happy. I also developed an appreciation for my country that I had all but written off. I may never want a taquito. ever. but i'm glad I can get them at any time, day or night. I'm glad I can go to a diner called 'ya'llz' and play rock band with friends until an hour after the doors are shut. It's the simple things. It's sleeping on couches and being woken up to a dog licking your mouth, but you have a bandana on your eyes because its too bright in the room so you couldnt be more confused.
Damn your super thin eyelids!
It's about friends, its about family, its about making things happen.
Right now i'm going to make it happen in richmond and i'm going to see more of my family and friends...i just need a job and a place to live.
Thanks to everyone who has seen me in the last week and been genuinely excited that i'm staying. It has meant a lot ot me.

Pick a new adjective

2009-01-10T12:49:00.001-05:00

Every single review i read lately for anything in the 'folk/alt country' genre always uses the word 'haunting' as a positive adjective.
Last night I listened to the Boss' Nebraska with friends until 5am.
It was a hauntingly good time.

Still stuck in Kokomo

2009-01-09T14:06:00.002-05:00

It's been the longest layover ever. Fortunately, everyone here in Kokomo is great and very accommodating. This really is the place to go to get away from it all. I tried to get money from the ATM and it just shot out clam shells. THAT'S THE CURRENCY HERE! It's great, and once a week there's a town meeting around a bon fire on the beach to discuss town business.
The downside is that all the music sucks and there's about 69 guys that 'kind of' know how to play 2 songs each. if i have to hear one more cover of wonderwall or champagne supernova i'm going to go crazy. also, if i hear 'jah-makin me crazy' one more time i'm going to fork stab someone.
also, i dont like pina coladas.
i wonder if they'll really vote me off? I wonder if i'll get sent back to America?

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Now playing: The Beach Boys - Can't Wait Too Long
via FoxyTunes

Underdawgs

2009-01-08T09:50:00.003-05:00

Lebanon just had some 'splinter groups' launch an attack on Israel, forcing zion to fight a war on two fronts. France and Egypt are trying the diplomatic route and the US is still giving Israel more money than it gives every other country combined, thanks to military ties like Project Jericho. Meanwhile, a handful of people are taking up slingshots in a modern day David and Goliath to fight for the right to not live in refugee camps, but their homes. They don't fight for the right to control oil or global expansion, they fight for their families, their freedoms. They are outnumbered, outmanned, outgunned, outfunded, but they still give their lives. The media portrays them the same way it portrayed native americans, as savages who use dirty fighting methods. The same way slaves that rebeled where seen as gruesome murderers, Palestinians are lumped in with Al Qaeda in the minds of Americans. But when all you have to fight with is a shovel, a pickax, a slingshot, or a stick, every kill is going to be gruesome, every kill is going to make you look like you've lost your mind.
Stick me in a refugee camp for decades, marginalize my existence, take away my basic freedoms, and kill my family and i will lose my mind. Of course, one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. But if it's all about perception, maybe Hamas and friends just need a new PR firm to represent them. Remember when R. Kelly got busted peeing on a 13 yr old girl and then released Remix to Ignition and everyone was instantly cool with the peeing thing? Maybe Palestinians just need a hot album.

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Now playing: Animal Collective - My Girls
via FoxyTunes

Shrimp boat, tuna castle

2009-01-06T12:46:00.002-05:00

Since my flight still isn't leaving for a while, I decided to explore outside the airport. So i put on my Ward disguise, dressed up as a pretty lady, and got to take a tour with a giant inflatable shrimp!
life couldnt be better right now. man, shrimps would look a lot cooler if they wore hats and sunglasses. this also applies to dogs, robots, and wizards but not cats or whole cooked pigs (which i see a lot of around here).
i've already been offered a job as a scuba instructor because someone mistook my glasses for goggles. i dont think that its a reputable organization based on the fact that they offered some random guy wearing goggles around in public, or so they thought. i guess it shows equal levels of dedication and insanity.

ambrosia + amnesia = faxanadu

2009-01-06T12:31:00.003-05:00

I just got this email from Dave, who rode his motorcycle in dc's nasty weather to teach inner city kids maths.

"Today while I was researching zicam loss of smell for a student who was huffing this plastic cold stick thing I discovered the word for loss of smell is "amnosia". I hope someone got a PhD for coining that."

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Now playing: The Egyptian Lover - Egypt, Egypt
via FoxyTunes

I like mine with lettuce and tomato

2009-01-06T12:20:00.003-05:00

So my 16 hours layover has turned into a 22 hour layover, as the flight has been delayed multiple times. I guess i could be in a worse place, but i took a photo of me killing time at the airport. While they were refueling our plane, seen in photo, i took the opportunity to entertain the masses with my acoustic, jose gonzalez style rendition of Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Its been a day since i've slept so i got so into it that i started to cry a little.

I just laughed so hard my eyelids flipped inside out

2009-01-05T21:38:00.001-05:00

i thought it was funniest at the end when he starts talking about snakes and then makes up an hilarious quote.

Flight back...

2009-01-05T20:16:00.002-05:00

My flight leaves in 2 hours.
Airport wifi is expensive
Dave and i made soup, it was delicious 2.0
We watched 'The Wrestler'. I found it to be dull.
My layover is 16 hours long. lame.
At least its in Kokimo

Special thanks

2009-01-04T18:11:00.002-05:00

'Big ups' to all my 'dawgs' for letting me sleep on their couch, eat their food, drink their drinks, etc. I had a great time on my visit and everyone has been more than accommodating. During this trip I have wanted for nothing, except maybe more sleep. I got to do lots of karaoke, dancing, eating, relaxing, funning, etc. All of you prove that i have great taste in human beings. Great job.

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Now playing: Sean Na Na - Princess and the Pony
via FoxyTunes

You can't spell 'settling down' without 'settling'

2009-01-03T11:49:00.002-05:00

Let's get personal.
I dont think i've been this conflicted since i graduated college.
I'm leaving in 2 days to go back to a third world country where I barely make enough money to survive and where my social life isn't complex(?) as it is here in the states. i'm saying goodbye to friends i've had for most of my life again, and this time its more bitter than sweet for some reason. i question how much i'm really accomplishing by being there and what i might accomplish by being here.
life seems to be a personal balancing act between 'fun/adventure' and 'safety/security.' Some people lean more toward 'safety/security' and get just enough 'fun/adventure' to be able to have something to talk about at the office monday morning. Then there's the opposite, the kids that live in squats in portland or rhode island, surviving on the excess of society.
I feel like I just ride the fence. my lack of commitment, or as i like to call it, my desire for complete and total freedom, has existed for so long i'm not sure I even know how to 'settle down'. I've always figured i'd cross that bridge when i got to it, but i have no idea if i'll ever know when i get to the bridge, or if it even exists.
i remember approaching graduating with a great deal of dread, which stemmed from everything everyone had ever told me about 'the real world'. I didnt know how i was going to support myself in 'the real world' or how to do a lot of the basic 'adult' things, like ironing. i eventually found out that the real world doesn't exist unless you want it to, or have a kid, and if you put a shirt in the dryer for a minute then wear it, its good enough.
'life is what you make it' is a pretty solid bumper sticker way to live life, but what happens when you don't know what to make?
Looking back on it, i know i've made a lot of great things happen and i've had an amazing life, but now its like i'm at a restaurant, i can't read the menu, and i'm asking everyone what they're ordering so i can get some sort of clue as to what i want. i'm also finding out that i'm not alone. very few people seem to know what to order, are just looking for a cause to fight for, or gave up long ago.
i try to focus on being happy with everything i'm dealt in life, but the problem with that is that it breeds apathy. I remember mediating on 'it's only when you see everything in life as banana peels that you will truly be happy'. it made a lot of sense at the time and provided a great deal of peace. i believe its true that our pain and sorrow stems from our wants and desires, but can happiness really come from a lack of wants and desires? I'm starting to think that a world made out of banana peels is pretty busted.
My fear is that if i commit to a place, a person, a job, that i cut myself off from all other options, thereby robbing myself of freedom. A lack of movement is an idicator of death. obviously, it seems like this sentiment is overly dramatic, but you only get one life and my youth is not something i want to waste. although, according to some, that ship has sailed and i just need to grow up.
So do I move back to the states and settle into a place for a few years, or do I keep traveling alone? Is there a middle ground?
'its about who you know' - traditionally applies to nepotism, but i think it holds true for all of life. The most valuable thing i have is my relationships with friends and family. I honestly believe that i have the most subjectively perfect friends/family and i would do anything for any of them. so maybe its not about where i am, but who i'm with and who i truly 'know'.
I've always said that richmond will be there when i get back, but if history is any indicator, i think that applies more to the pyramids.

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Now playing: Damien Jurado - Big Decision
via FoxyTunes

i know i've been slack

2008-12-30T12:12:00.002-05:00

I have seriously been too busy to knock out a well prepared post during this trip, but here's some randomness...
i've been conflicted as to how much i'm actually accomplishing in cairo and where it will take me and if i really want to go there. after being home just a couple of weeks i want to just buy a house in church hill and try to balance keeping it real with a 9-5. part of me thinks that is giving up, another part thinks its growing up.
drew and i talked for a night about how when we were kids we thought we'd both be married by now, probably with kids. now neither of us see a good reason to make that mistake. my plan now is to just have fun until i'm into my thirties and meet a woman who was too focused on her career early on and at 35 she has decided she wants to settle down. i'd make an amazing househusband. the only flaw in that plan is that i can't iron -at all- but i fully expect science/technology to take care of that, or for her to be wealthy enough to do dry cleaning, i'll pick it up for her.
i'm going to buy a voice recorder today. i figure i have too many great ideas to let them all be forgotten because i'm too busy to write them down. for example, last night i dreamt of a trailer for the new bill and teds movie. the dream gave me enough to write a screenplay, but no tape recorder. also how funny would it be to listen to a tape recorder full of things like 'original cast...rufus hand of god...bill and ted deities...timespace rifts antagonist...shadowy character behind it all...maybe recycled footage of george carlin?'
right now i'm at my parents table with dave. we're drinking chocolate milk and daves sitting across from me watching 'welcome home rosco jenkins' and narrating the entire thing to me. occasionally he flips his computer around to show me what queen latifa is wearing.
speaking of dave and black comedies, the other day we were in macarthur mall trying to find ninja stars or shoes, and as we where going down the escalator a group of girls where going down the elevator. keep in mind these two things are about 40 yards apart and as i looked over they were frantically trying to get our attention. i nudged dave and they blew us a kiss? this seriously happened. then, the best part, is when dave caught the imaginary kiss and put it in his pocket.
i think that might have been the same night we decided to go to an all Filipino dive bar and sing dashboard confessional on midi karaoke. since that song didnt work dave sang 'since you've been gone' and i sang 'islands in the stream' with sarah carter. i love her voice, but it ended up being like that 'afternoon delight' scene in arrested development.
another good idea? peanut butter and jelly french fries.

Tonights

2008-12-24T14:52:00.002-05:00

party at my parents house-
If you're reading this and in va beach, come over to my parents house tonight. My aunt is up from georgia and my mom and her are making way too much food. My sister brought over the wii and a ton of games, and there's tons of free booze. Do yourself a favor and come over between 6 and 9.

The weirdest night you could have in a place called 'tortilla west'

2008-12-23T12:17:00.002-05:00

Normally I don't post anything involving (mis) adventures with the opposite sex. Somehow it just seems...unrefined? Tacky? Personal? But i recently had a comment requesting otherwise, so...
I went over to Drew's apt last night, where we caught up, got blogged, and told jokes. Eventually Drew got hungry so we walked over to the restaurant/tequila bar closest to his place. One of the things i really enjoy about norfolk is the food scene. Since Peta has their headquarters here, there is a financial incentive to provide delicious veg fare. Sitting at one of the cocktail tables, I had a spicy steak chimichanga that was completely vegan and totally delicious. First off, I had no idea that a chimichanga was just a fried burrito. awesome. I also decided that this products marketing team has dropped the ball. how many more chimichangas would be sold if you just said 'deep fried burrito'? I also came up with the term "Texas Egg Roll" for our friends to the south, and the 'far' east.
After being there for about a while I noticed some 'talent' and made eye contact. Keep in mind that Drew has an amazing beard and every 5 minutes I'm falling into a laugh hole. Side note - one of the laugh holes started with me saying "lordy lordy look who's forty...Aint it nifty, look who's fifty...Aren't you sneaky, guess who's sixty."
Anyway, three girls walked up to our table, and one of them dropped some lame line like 'you guys just looked cool and interesting and we thought we'd just come over and say 'hi.' To which I responded, "well you guessed right. we are fun and interesting."
The woman doing most of the talking was the outgoing (read: drunk) 31 yr old lesbian. The other two were complete normals who would each be a 7-8, if you couldn't tell that they were from the eastern shore, or if you never looked at their eyes. One of them had the eyes of jim breuer and the other had one eye that was so crazy lazy that she could make eye contact with both drew and I at the same time. My other major issue was that they had come over to our table and offered nothing interesting in the way of conversation. The lesbian, on the other hand, was pretty funny and apparently worked at a tugboat captain? At one point she told drew that he had to arm wrestle her. Drew tried to bail but I encouraged the situation and, thankfully, drew won -although it was close for a while.
Eventually, the two girls with no game went to the bathroom and drew and I just left. We went back to drews, ate maple syrup and ginger snap gellato, and laughed about how funny that situation was.

Why I love Richmond. Reason #4,2069

2008-12-22T18:45:00.002-05:00

I raced back from Harrisonburg in order to get to the annual Oregon Hill Christmas Caroling. I made it just in time to practice a sweet Daryl Hall and John Oates song. The entire caroling process took 4 solid hours and ended up at Ipanema for a Karaoke fundraiser for books on wheels. It started at Mamma Zu's with almost 30 people crowding the small Italian restaurant. The people paying 30 dollars for their entrees had to stand up so we could all fit inside, only to find out that we were singing Dust in the Wind and Footloose. The most notable moment was when we stopped a car, surrounded it, caroled at it, and then realized that the lady's car had just had her car broken into and was crying that snotty weird breathing kinda cry. I think Broken Wings would have been the most appropriate choice for that one.
Here's a video of us in 821 (note Tony Waste's solo at the end)-

Now that I have a moment to relax...

2008-12-21T17:16:00.004-05:00

I'm going to start from the most recent things and work my way back-
Yesterday Dave and I went to brunch with chris, carrie, bryan, tony, and eva at a place called pearlys. The food was great and pretty cheap, as was the company -zing-. Then we went back to tony and evas and had a bloody mary bar, pitchers of mimosas, and funny videos on the projector.
Later, Chris, Dave and I went to Black Sheep and had some amazing food. My one complaint was that the tea wasn't sweatened, but the glasses had a respectable heft to them, which provided an enjoyable and thirst quenching experience.
Afterwards, Dave and I met Ward and company at the Punks for Presents Christmisfits Benefits show. Basically it was ex-Wheelbite members doing a christmas themed misfits cover band for charity. A-mazing. Even the bartenders were donating their tips.
The lead singer was even nice enough to throw presents out to the audience. At one point he asked, "are there any Cutthroats in the audience?" (the leading bicycle club) and then he threw out some soap. hilarious. Unfortunately, the soap, sweat and beer made for a slippery combination and everyone started to fall all over the place.
At one point shelly took control of the pit, until she got 'tired' and decided to just lay down in the middle. Ward and I convinced her it would be better to just lay on the bar, so we picked her up and set her up there. Before the end of the set, she had gotten on my shoulders and I was walking around with her for the entire last song. The slippery floors made it difficult to balance, and an intoxicated shelly atop my frame made it almost impossible. Eventually she jumped off my shoulders and into the crowd.
The last I saw of shelly she was being ejected out of the bar full tilt. Her feet looked like they were consistently confused as to where the ground was, and her shoulders always seemed to be a solid distance ahead of the rest of her body. Dave and I went with ward and murty to Ipanema where ward and I prank called the radio station. Apparently, it was techno night or something so I asked if the current song was considered house or drum and bass (I dont know what the diffence is) and the dj said "neither, it's down-tempo-trip-hop". Ward then asked if it was a remix, or the original, and requested some 'up-tempo-trip-hop" as the current song was a bit of a 'downer'.

Night 1 in image form

2008-12-13T10:07:00.002-05:00

Updated Schedule

2008-12-13T09:26:00.003-05:00

Sat 13th - DC with Dave and Chris
Sun 14th-Wed 17th - Richmond
Wed/Thurs - Harrisonburg
Friday - Richmond
Saturday/Sunday - Richmond or DC
Monday 22nd - Friday 26th- Va Beach/Norfolk
12/27-1/5 is completely unplanned and I need more options for the best new years ever. It's going to be tough to beat Great Wolfe Lodge last year, but i'd like to try.

Night 1

2008-12-13T09:05:00.003-05:00

My flight arrived an hour late and by the time I got through customs poor dave had been waiting for almost 2 hours. Fortunately, for me, he brought an assortment of treats and goodies for me. Granted, I didnt need a Drinkfour Loko at 5pm, after over 20 hours of flying, but it was nice to know it was there.
We then stopped at Mandolay, one of my favorite restaurants, for some delicious Burmese food. While waiting for the food we went to whole foods and grabbed fixins to make cookies, some key lime with graham cracker ice cream, organic milk (for the cookies), chips and salsa, and some kombucha.
When we got back i was more tired than I expected and passed out while dave made cookies. I woke up at an Alison Buckley trying to freak me out while I was asleep. If you've been flying for over 20 hours, you're in a different country and its somehow its only 9pm on the same day you left, and you've been asleep for 20 mins you're a really easy target. I had no idea what was going on.
Dave's cookies were amazing and i think i ate 32 whilst watching Pineapple Express. At 1230am I passed out hard, only to wake up at 7am.
Today, Dave and I are going to eat more delicious food, watch Transporter 3, grab a phone thing for me and then Chris will get here.

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Now playing: ACDC - You Shook Me All Night Long
via FoxyTunes

Daves Gift

2008-12-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

East Coast Holiday Hangout Tour 3000

2008-12-11T17:37:00.002-05:00

It's 1230am here. My plan was to sleep from 430pm-1230am and get a taxi at 2am for a 415am flight. So far the plan is not working out. I slept from 7-10pm and now i'm getting prepared for the flight. I'm pretty sure my suitcase is pushing 30lbs and its just full of gifts. i feel like tim allen in the santa clause.
I also figured out that i can't hang out in the netherlands on my 5hr layover because its 2 degrees there, i only have a thin sweater, and i dislike being cold more than i like just about anything.
It's 1240am and I know that my flight leaves in almost 4 hours and after that its just 18 hours of airports and airplanes. So for the next 22 hours I will be thinking of daves hot tub, taco bell, and seeing your beautiful face, shimmering with power.

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Now playing: Fall Out Boy - America's Suitehearts
via FoxyTunes

yeah that's right, i'm listening to the new fob. i'm just wondering if this is the album that will make people stop listening to them ironically. so far, i'm not impressed.