2001-01-24
feeling kinda
things that have been running around in my head lately... most of which is pretty random and unrelated to larger issues, which might be why they've earned their own special spot.
ever feel like you're about to fail the Girlfriend Pop Quiz? this is how it goes: you're on the phone with your significant other, and they suddenly ask, 'guess who called today?' and you feel like you've been pulled into some alternate universe run by Pat Sajak and cohorts. do you answer in the form of a question? can you buy a vowel? how many points do you lose for incorrect answers? 'gee, honey, i don't know; who did call today?', you say cautiously. 'harold!', your significant other announces proudly, and there's a loooooooong pause while you scramble desperately to remember who or what harold might be, and why that might be important.
y'know, it really would be much easier for you to get on to the bus/train/elevator if you got out of the way to let people get off first. honest. we're not here to make your life miserable, we just want to get out of your way and on our own way. but hey, if you *want* us to trip over you in the process, we'll oblige. just don't complain when we do.
it would be wonderful if there were an international hand signal for 'turn your headlights on'. there are a lot of people driving in the city who forget to turn their lights on, and it's hard to communicate this unless they happen to have a window rolled down. which, in january, isn't likely.
one of the drawbacks to publishing your thoughts is that it will upset some people. and some people keep coming back, even tho they're upset, and blame the author. does it occur to them to just not read this journal anymore? i mean, i've run across many a site where the opinions just set my teeth on edge. funny thing is... the back button on my browser often solves that problem. i've toyed with the idea of a disclaimer, but really - if someone is persistent in upsetting themselves, i don't need to let them make it my problem. it's kind of like the car crash mentality, isn't it?
on the flip side, i've gotten a lot of good, constructive feedback and support. that part i like.
it's been really icy and slippery around here the last week or so, bad enough that i'm starting to look at every surface as if it's out to get me. i swear, it's as if some rampant patch of ice is waiting for me, just to take me out. it's given me a small taste of what it might have felt like for my gram after she broke her hip last year. walking just doesn't need to be such a challenge.
there's a token vendor who works at Harvard who always has a few scented votive candles going when he's in the booth. it was a pleasant suprise to smell sandalwood and see small friendly flames when i went to buy a token the other night.
mittens are better than gloves.
walking home the other night, i saw a tiny little felt mitten that someone had stood up on top of a fence post with a flat top. it looked sad and cute. i hope that the little munchkin who lost it didn't have a cold hand.
listening to the Jazz Singers series on 'GBH the other night was revelatory. Lou Rawls did a little vocal exercise to demonstrate how phrasing and tempo change the style of a song. he sang the same few lines about a half dozen different ways. first it was pop; then he sang it as swing, jazz and blues, with rock thrown in for good measure. a musical picture is worth a thousand words. and Ray Charles made me laugh. he was talking about how some people think that jazz is so difficult to understand. (loosely paraphrased, because i didn't take notes) - 'i hear a guy singing about how he loves his girl, misses her, and is getting drunk - you understand that!' and, much the same as Lou Rawls, he took a pop song (something by Simon and Garfunkel), and recast it as the ultimate blues song.
finally put away all the Christmas stuff (whoops - except for the carved wooden Santa on top of the cable box. forgot about him.). it donned on me that i didn't want to take down the ornaments because i was leaving the lights on when i left in the morning. then i'd come home at night, and the tree would look all happy. so finally i unplugged the lights as i was leaving the other day, and that made it alright to take down the lights and pack up the ornaments. i think the tree is happier without all that crap loading it down.the PITA cat got all over my last nerve the other night. i finally pitched a kleenex box in his general direction. we went to our separate corners after that.
either my honey's scale lies like a rug, or i've already dropped a few pounds. which is good. and i think probably accurate, as i put my ass to the acid test (so to speak) by putting on jeans right out of the dryer. and it wasn't too bad.
Twenty Questions is addictive. if i could remember who turned me on to this, i'd blame them. it's really cool to take part in teaching an AI interactively.
how much of a geek does that last sentence make me?
watching my TV boyfriend last night, all i could think was 'god, you need to wax. your hands are way too furry.' it got to the point of being very distracting.
i finally finished the last thing on my list of things to do - got tickets! can't say for what, because it's a suprise for my sweetie. of course, now i have a whole new list of things to do.
