Friday February 29 2008 ~ leap!

To spring through the air from one point or position to another.

At work today I was unexpectedly called upon to co-lead a tour of Univ. of Maryland design students on a studio tour and subsequent Q & A session. Fun stuff, seriously. There were about 12 students and they asked good questions, with the premise of the orientation being better ways to interview and how to build one's portfolio for review to help in landing a j.o.b. I enjoy the opportunity to be takin' the young'ns out and gushing some education on them. I think in our creative industry it is crucial to foster an environment of camaraderie and mentorship. Work hard, then let's go share a pint is how I think it should be.

In the afternoon the studio had an Ice Cream Social for two reasons: Linz, a six-year employee, is expecting her first child and has decided to be a full-time mother; and JFK, 30-year employee and company president, is going on a four-and-a-half month sabbatical. She will spend the time vacationing with her kids, attending a quilting camp and also will be getting a new puppy. Her thoughts and musings while away can be discovered here.

I don't normally write about the specifics of work stuff too much, but today was the kind of day where I didn't do too much client work, it was focused more on internal non-billable work. And while I think of these two people departing (either permanently or temporarily) I find myself thinking of the wayback year of 2000, when I myself left this company and my many friends who worked there. I did return three years later, and while happy to be back in that environment, I slowly saw my friends leave during the time between 2003 and now.

As I type this into my iPhone I'm realizing the numbers 2003 are five years ago. Wow. I wonder what will happen between today and 2013. Leap!

---

PJ, day two on IvanWatch:

Thursday February 28 2008 ~ pb&j hold the b

From now until next Wednesday, I'm catsitting for GoldyBangBang while she scores peyote attends a wedding in Marfa, TX. Yes, that's MarFUH, not MarTHUH. It's like a whole 'nuther country down yonder way, y'all.

I'm sure I'll be spending most of the weekend there to feed, administer medicine to and hang out with, PJ the kitty who was not invited to the wedding. Maybe she was and didn't have anything to wear. I'm going to try and pull that secret out of her once I've gained her confidence. I've got until Wednesday to do it.

This is PJ, Day One on IvanWatch:

Tuesday February 26 2008 ~ life, minus garfield

I'm sure this is something we've all thought of from time to time, life without Ziggy or Cathy or that Garfield character. And often with fervor. But here's a different take.

From the artist's website:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?

Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against lonliness and methamphetamine addiction in a quiet American suburb.

Spotted on the fabulous Princess Sparkle Pony.

Monday February 25 2008 ~ back in the race

After the many ill-fated attempts to inadvertently try to kill myself by coming into rapid contact with concrete, it's time to get back on the treadmill. This is not a moment too late—actually I guess it is late, by about 28 days. That's when the training foe this year's Cherry Blossom 10-miler began.

This week was the first time I felt strong enough, both in my knees and my thigh, to attempt running of any sort. Last week I kind of just hobbled along in Bernice's class. So I checked the training schedule and while today is technically a Rest Day, I figured that's pretty much what I've been doing for the past six weeks and decided to run regardless.

The training schedule is issued by the race committee, and there are options for Beginner and Advanced. I chose Beginner, which really advances a non-runner to the point they can complete a 10-miler within the allowed time. Last year I ran with Katie Ryann and we completed the race without stopping to walk, which was my personal goal. With my injuries, I think my goal this year will be simply to complete the dang thang, even if I have to walk some of it.

Back to the training schedule. It's a pretty good schedule, starting out with a basic session of "Walk for 1 minute and then run for 2 minutes. Do this 10 times." The length of the run time gradually increases, let's say, until you are running for 10 minutes, with a 1-minute walk between, repeated three times. Currently it's up to the point with tomorrow's 25-minute continuous run. I could complete that, but I wanted to start off easy and not jump into the training mid-way through without having some sort of warmup. So today I ran for five minutes, 1-minute walk between, repeated four times.

So hopefully within a week or so I will be back into the training program. Race date is April 06.

Friday February 22 2008 ~ the wintry mix is neither

Once again, weather forecasters in the DC area were absolutely incompetent in their jobs. A prediction of snow, sleet and freezing rain falling for nearly 18 hours straight has turned into nothing but another damp winter morning. With all their Doppler 12000 and pretty satellite motion pictures they really can't predict weather patterns any more accurately than, say, Ben Franklin did over two hundred years ago.

I even fell for [the hype] this time, getting caught up in it yesterday as contingency plans were being made so that everyone could work from home today, because Heaven forbid that we get an unearned day off. Then the dreaming started: a day to sleep in, cozying it up while it's freezing outside, have soup or just cook all day, watch Netflix movies and chat on the phone while under an afghan on the couch.

You can see it in the faces of the people as I wait on the platform for a Yellow Line Train. They wanted to stay home too.

Thursday February 21 2008 ~ sending light

After last night's ANTM Premiere/Project Runway Recap I let the iPhone iTunes iMusic iDownload iStore get the iBetter of my iJudgement. Thankfully I downloaded only three songs. Those songs are I Do What I Do, Another One Bites the Dust and Broken Wings. It was a moment of weakness but thankfully it wasn't worse than it could have been.

My last purchase, Broken Wings, the somewhat cheesy yet seminal 80s track got me thinking. Thinking about where I was and what I was doing circa 1985.

What came to mind was a road trip to Philly in my red Fiero (oh god), with three cassettes that I distinctly remember listening to on this trip up: a-ha's "Hunting High and Low", Simple Minds' "Once Upon A Time" and Mr. Mister's "Welcome to the Real World", where Broken Wings was the lead single.

I was going to Philly to visit boyfriend (and only love) Jason, and I'll refer to him here as (r)JN. Little did I know that this would be the last true time (r)JN and I would really share time together, that everything in the future between us would consist of misunderstandings, missed opportunities and acts of cowardice.

Once I arrived in Philly r(JN) and I spent the weekend laughing a lot, having dinner with Russian professors, taking photographs, making mixtapes and laughing some more. Simple things, but they stick in my head.

Upon leaving town after the weekend, I dropped r(JN) downtown; he had errands to run. Oddly enough I dropped him off near the Liberty Bell and I remember watching him in the rear-view mirror, standing there watching me drive away.

Years later, after a failed NYC reunion that I won't go into details about now, I found myself standing right next to him on the corner of W 4th and Grove in Manhattan. I decided not to say anything while we stood there and waited for the light to change. He didn't notice me and when the light changed he crossed the street while I stood there and watched him go, this time.

This morning when I get to work I notice that someone has put some personal mail in the outgoing box on the receptionist's desk. The stamps on the envelopes feature the Liberty Bell.

Tuesday February 19 2008 ~ this is not a politcal endorsement

I first posted about the movie Helvetica here.

From today's press release:

A Font We Can Believe In

Unless you’ve been avoiding television, newspapers, and all other forms of mass media for the past few months, you’ve probably seen Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s “Change We Can Believe In” and “Stand for Change” banners. The typophiles among you have realized that the “change” font Obama’s campaign uses is Gotham, designed by Hoefler & Frere-Jones, originally as a commission for GQ Magazine.

Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones spoke about the creation of Gotham during our interview for Helvetica, and looking back at their description of what GQ wanted from the font, it sounds surprisingly Obama-esque. “GQ had a dual agenda of wanting something that would look very fresh, yet very established, to have a credible voice to it,” says Hoefler. It also needed to look very masculine and “of-the-moment.” Mission accomplished.

The conversation about the origins of Gotham didn’t make it into the film, but was included among the 41 bonus features on the Helvetica DVD. I’ve posted part of the interview above. Watching this clip, I think it’s interesting that the design of Gotham was influenced by early Modernism, another movement that was about change and social idealism. And I like that the design aesthetic that may help move Obama into the White House was inspired by the humble NY Port Authority Bus Terminal sign.

Monday February 18 2008 ~ overheard on the d6 bus, 7:15 am

"He give it to me small the time."

Sunday February 17 2008 ~ potential titles of future posts, v4

holding to compensate for schedule adjustment
o fpm
y tr,r,nrt yjr esu upi idrf yp nr
i don't remember the way you used to be
some dance to remember, some dance to forget
more degrees than a russian protractor
so hand me that remote
long story short
shoot the loop
can you imagine that you are healthy?
50,000 sold $7 a pop
connector in, receiver out
tennis racquet bible alphabet
how long has this been going on?
do we have to wait 'till our worlds collide?
there's nothing to read here people, keep moving on
nsfw
i feel so powerless
6060-842
"dress in white"
i started a war
you were always in my house
if i could melt your heart
just for the sake of it make sure you're always frowning; it shows the word that you've got substance and depth.

Saturday February 16 2008 ~ waiting for, riding on, exiting the, 96/97 east capitol street–cardozo line

WMATA's 96/97 bus line serves these locations:

Capitol Heights station
Bening Road station
Stadium-Armory station
DC General Hospital
Capitol Hill
Union Station
New Jersey Ave NW
U St/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo station
Reeves Center
Adams Morgan
Duke Ellington Bridge
Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station
Washington National Cathedral
McLean Gardens

Friday February 15 2008 ~ sappy

During yesterday's <insert company name> Love Song Happy Hour my boss revealed to me that she has read my blog.

First, let me back up and explain the <g>LSHH. A few weeks ago everyone at work (about 30 employees) was stressed out, the project workload was at a fever pitch and I responded to a Partner's email that when all of these projects were released that we should have a happy hour. Please note the lower case "happy" and the lower case "hour". It was agreed that we should and I thought nothing more of it.

Then, the day before yesterday we were asked to submit a cheesy, goofy, sappy love song (think: Muskrat Love) for the newly christened <insert company name> Love Song Happy Hour. So now it was a Cupid party instead of a Thank You For All The Hard Work party. Whatever.

I think of can be safely said now that I am not a big fan of VD. Especially when co-workers who don't know anything about me say "Happy Valentine's Day!" like I'm supposed to say "Hey thanks!" that's like coming up to me and saying "Happy Grandparents Day!" or "Happy 3rd Cousin Day!" I just ignored them and started talking about work.

Let me digress on my digress. I don't mind if people tell me "Happy Valentine's Day" but just mean it on a personal level, and mean it in the context of friendship, and then I'll be okay with it. If you want to say "Happy Fucking Valentine's Day" that's even better.

Now on with the story.

We are all gathered for the Happy Hour in the lunchroom, there's some beers, munchies laid out, peeps are chatting. I'm totally devouring the Ruffles/french onion dip combo while I'm talking to the bosswhen she tells me that in order to do research for her impending sabbatical (which she will blog) that she has been viewing my blog, as well as others. At first I'm a little on edge, taken aback, but then the point of blogging is putting my words out there and whomever sees them sees them. And that's all okay. There is no password here, and that's part of the reveal.

She then gives me a great compliment, saying that I write very well. Wow! I love the proper use of a semicolon, but I was never proficient in grammar class, and I can't diagram a sentence, never could. Sometimes it's not about the structure though, it's about the content.

I accepted her observation as a benchmark that keeping going on this thing that started as a vacation-updating machination is worthwhile. For nothing else, it stimulates my brain and documents where I'm at, what I'm doing, what is happening and, sometimes, how I'm feeling.

Thursday February 14 2008 ~ no conspiracy of happiness

VD is not something to be happy about. Not ever having had it from experience, but I've done research through the googles and it does not sound pleasant at all.

So why would people be wishing me (and probably you) some Happy VD today? Is today a special day that, say, if you did contract a happy strain of VD today, that it would be sunshine and lollipops instead of itchy and fungal?

I highly doubt it.

So beware, kids, of those out there who want to share their "Happy VD" with you. It may not be as happy as it sounds.

Wednesday February 13 2008 ~ transfers

This morning I'm getting on the Red Line Train, I'm by the middle door of the last car, totally setup to minimize my transfer time at Gallery Place, just in case a Yellow Line Train is pulling in downstairs at the station and I have to run to make the transfer. Ir's complicated yet efficient.

A woman squeezes on the train at Judiciary Square, and since I'm the next stop I'm standing by the door too. Like many of us, she has headphones on. She's dressed normally, albeit in a 1995 fashion sense of normal. She' still rockin' the grunge. We both get off to transfer at GP and head downstairs with all the other commuting cattle.

There us no Yellow coming for five minutes so I assume my stance on the platform where I know the train door will open, the same door that will open to let me out at Braddock Road, right by the escalator. See I told you it was complicated.

That's when I hear The Singing behind me:

The White House shall be mine
Robert E Lee property shall be mine
Jesus shall be mine
Repeat.

At first I was thinking she was elated than Obama won the DC Democratic Primary, then she threw Jesus in the mix and that got me to thinking she might be a Republican. Now I'm able to absolutely ignore public outbursts such as this, much as I'm able to ignore Po-Po sirens as thy wiz by, my only action is to stick my fingers in my ears and quite possibly let out a heavy sigh.

Besides, I'm watching Napoleon Dynamite so I can't be distracted no how.

After a few minutes my curiosity gets the best of me and I turn around to see whom is going to be shackin' up with Jesus in the White House. You know where this story is going, don't you?

It's seemingly normal [crazy] lady. I really wanted to snap a picture of her belting out this dope jam of future prosperity and happiness but I was afraid if I did, and she caught me, that she'd give me a beatdown right there on the platform. Or even worse, she'd board my train and sit next to me, singing all the way out to Braddock.

Luckily, she did neither. But it did get me to thinking, is this her morning routine? Did she just come from one of the shelters near Judiciary, pay her way to go one stop, and will spend the day singing to strangers about crazy shit? Or is she waiting for a Green Line Train to go to work and that's simply how she passes her time on the platform? If I wasn't in such a panic to get to work on time every day, I would have loved to stop and observe for a while. And maybe snap some pictures.

Monday February 11 2008 ~ more iphone blah blah

I'm scared. Actually, I'm scurred.

It's because of tomorrow. And it's not because tomorrow is Potomac Primary day here in a state territory where we don't even have full voting rights, but it's more I'm scurred what iTunes is going to have in its New Releases section tomorrow.

You see, I've spent far too much at the iTunes store since the six days of owning my iPhone, downloading TV shows and movies. Add to that the fact that I can dowload music directly through the iPhone. I need an intervention.

So today scares me a little, that they will have added a great movie or a TV show that I haven't seen yet, and that I'm not willing to wait for the Netflix to show up with it. I will try to be strong. Please pray for me.

To put this into a little bit of context, when I had a BlackBerry my monthly data transfer would be about 14 megs, and that was on a busy cycle, where I was aimlessly wondering around a Google map just for the hell of it. And that 14 megs was for the entire month.

Meanwhile, with the iPhone my data transfer in the last six days has been 32.7 megs. That's more than twice the amount in one-quarter of the time. Do you now understand my panic?

If you would like to donate an iTunes gift certificate in honor of my recovery, you may do so here. It's one Tuesday at a time, folks.

UPDATE: if you really want to torture me you could buy me this.

Sunday February 10 2008 ~ iphone photo documentation, 2–5pm

Friday February 08 2008 ~ potential titles of future posts, v3

we're in business, you're on the hitlist
maximum big surprise
stay with me and i'll have it made
your login attempt failed.
charlotte, sometimes
...and what's a wonderwall, anyway?
creeping slowly like a bad connection
waiting for a bus that never comes
colour and shape
i thought this time i'd keep all of my promises
382872929
you said you said i made a bad decision
upon this my dreams are depending
pop, stop, drop, hot.
it gives up more it gives
a place, where nobody dared to go
when concealing, try revealing: open your heart!
are we we are are we we are the waiting
the only one i know
could it be i didn't know?
ultrachrome, latex & steel
telegram force
from the contract there's no turning back
keep workin' for the children as if the rent is due tonight
(granny smith apples and wintergreen altoids do not mix)
meet me at the cornershop i'll show you it all
observations from e st nw, 800 block
ask me tomorrow what i thought of yesterday

Thursday February 07 2008 ~ mini-post

New bike racks at Potomac Avenue Metro!

Tuesday February 05 2008 ~ i'm giving up my razr for lent

...and getting one of these! Shortly after these were announced for sale today plans were made by me and iMelba to go to either the P-Citty, Clurndun or Tyson's Apple Stores. We decided on Clurndun. I still wanted/needed to go to cardio class, since my leg is feeling better after two weeks off, and it's time to get started again although I took it easy during class.

The plans was for iMelba to pick me up at the gym at 7:30, swing by 1526 and pick up some gift cards (to ease the blow) and head off to Clurndun. With the excitement heating a nervous, feverish pitch I was a little distraught and more than a little pissed off when I was unable to locate my gift cards, which totaled $250. After 20 minutes of tearing the apartment apart, I said fuck it, let's just go ahead and go. It was already 8:15 and the store was closing at 9:00.

We were going to swing by work, thinking that maybe I had left the cards there, and in hindsight I'm glad we didn't. We went straight to the store and ended up getting caught in a H8ST8MGP. That's a Mardi Gras Parade. In the H8ST8. The po-po's had closed off Wilson Boulevard, and we were on the opposite side of WB than the store. Plus it was difficult to find parking in the neighborhood because all the parade-gawkers had parked there. Wwe finally nailed a rather convenient parking spot and proceeded to hoof it down to the store. I guess we got there around 8:45, and thankfully the store was pretty vacant.

We were torn between snatching our new iPhones and gawking at the Macbook Air, but I figured we should get our booty first. We started looking around and noticed that all the display models were still only the 8-gig, and that there was no mention, reference or physical presence of the 10-hour-old announcement of the 16-gig model.

A salesmodel came up and I asked if they had the 16-gig iPhones, to which she replied, "Yes, we have some in the back", to which I replied, "We'll take two, please." The thrill was back.

We got some accessories, plunked down some plastic and then went to drool at the Macbook Air, which a totally droolable machine. Like on a drool factor of 8.75.

So Happy Xmas and Merry Birthday to me, I have my iPhone now. I am a happy puppy. I'll be pinching, sliding, swooping, scrolling and touching all week long now. Not to mentioning grooving, watching and maybe missing a station stop because I'm so preoccupied.

Monday February 04 2008 ~ global warming

I no longer have to stare at the sun. The heat is behind me now, coming around left and right simultaneously, enveloping me. I look at a thermometer and put it in my mouth to cool it down, fearing it will shatter and beads of mercury will scatter.

Today a Split Wall-Mounted Air Conditioner was installed in muh 'purtment. Let me explain what this is, because I had no clue when it was explained to me. It's basically like a window-unit air conditioner, except with more BTU capacity, and the big bulky drippy unclean stuff is wired/tubed out of my apartment and placed on the roof. Sweet, huh? I thought so.

Because I'm living in a basement apartment that isn't sectioned off from the main house above, where the J/Ts live, all three floors of the house are on the same heating & cooling system. Hot air rises, so it's a little chilly down here. I'm sure in the summer it will be nice and tolerable, needing little cooling. But it's February, y'all. I purchased a small space heater a while ago, and it does a thorough job, as long as I closed doors to limit the amount of space it needed to heat. But it was nice at night, when I could close the bedroom door and that's all it would have to heat, it would be very comfortable in the mornings.

Oh! And it even has a remote control and timed settings and everything. But now I've got this new baby pumped up to 84° and it's getting toasty down here. Aaaaahhhhhhhhh.

Saturday February 02 2008 ~ how lucky am i?

I was able to spend today with two of the cutest kids ever. I say "the cutest kids ever" without any favoritism at all, even though they are my niece and nephew. Will turned one year old on Tuesday, and there was a party in his honor today.

Saturday February 02 2008 ~ suffer-a-jet

I am a jetsetter. That's right. I can travel around the world and back within a day. I travel light and make my connections within time to have a fabulous meal or a cocktail. I am mobile. I am transport. I am navigating the globe.

Back to life, back to re-al-i-tay.

My day begins wrapping presents for my nephew's birthday party, then waiting for children-rearing-children at the bus stop. A young girl, maybe ten years old or so, arrives at the bus stop with a smaller child, maybe three, on her back. She sits her down on the bench, and I alert her that there is some melted candy and/or gum near where they're sitting and she says "Thank you." There are no adults in sight who might be accompanying her. She is yelling to another girl, maybe six years old, down the block and across the street who is standing outside the cornerstore, possibly something about more candy. Six goes into the store.

Moments later, the bus comes into sight and Ten starts yelling frantically, "Momma the bus is coming! Momma the bus is coming!" I look down to the co'sto' and see an adult woman, with not one but two Sixes, exiting the store. The three of them start hustling to get down the block. I'm thinking they should just stand there and wave, that the bus would stop for them, because I've learned from experience that it's not good to run for a bus. I get on the bus and tell the driver that Ten and Three are waiting for Momma and two Sixes and point up the street at them. Of course, the bus driver waits for everyone and I'm glad because I know what a P.I.T.A. it is when you just miss the bus and have to wait for forever until the next one comes along.

I sit in the back corner of the bus, and Momma, Ten, Six.1, Six.2 and Three all come and sit in what I call the Living Room, which is the area in the back of the bus where seats face each other and riders have conversations with each other and sometimes themselves. Ten and Three sit next to me, while Six.1 seats in front of me, facing sideways, and Momma and Six.2 sit opposite Six.1, in the sidways facing seats.

Maybe Six.2 is being fussy, or maybe Six.2 is not her favorite, or maybe it's just Six.2's turn tody, but Momma is not in a good mood. And it all seems directed toward Six.2, who has apparently "picked the wrong day to start something with [Momma]". I'm wearing sunglasses so I'm able to glance over at Six.2 unnoticed, and she's crying, and I always hate to see a child cry, unless they're doing it for attention, and that didn't seem to be the case here. In my limited perception of this scene, I'm assuming Momma is the mother of these four girls and isn't too happy about that. None of the girls are saying a peep, all seemingly scared into silence by Momma's anger towards Six.2. Sadly, they react as if they've seen this all before. I know I wouldn't want to cross Momma right now.

I get to Union Station to catch my train (79, Carolinian) and while I'm standing on the platform waiting for the Conductor, the woman in front of me strikes up a conversation about the weather. Then I learn that she is going to visit her daughter, who is going into the hospital Monday. Cancer. She is traveling to take care of her granddaughter for a while and I tell her it will be good for her to be there. And I told her I wished her daughter good health.