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Journal | Archives
Here's an idea I came up with while talking to Asma tonight. It's along the lines of logic football, except this has much more logic. The conversation is paraphrased as follows:
k: they should get rid of the Oscars and put the results online.
a: but then there won't be any pretty dresses…
k: well, they can have an after-party once the results are up.
a: but you won't be able to see their reaction when they win!
k: all the nominees will receive webcams to setup. then, they can be notified by email about if they won, and they can just record their reaction when they check email. the videoclip can then be uploaded to the Oscar site, and a link to the clip will be put next to their name.
a: how about this – the Oscars stay the way it is and you can have your idea.
Has anyone other than Derek heard of Ghost World? What's wrong with me? Ice is starting to form.
For a portable device, anyway: Metroid II.
Dammit, PayPal Visa! Come to me already!
I had lunch with Eric and Ryan today, and I must say that North Sea has better sezchuan beef than Empire.
My stomach is at 100% capacity. It went like this: ice cream with chocolate syrup & English Breakfast tea for breakfast; Empire for lunch & impulse mocha as Eric bought coffee.
Today's been satisfying thus far. Many laughs, many genius photoshoot ideas from myself, videogames, running into Pete and cringing and the description of his performance art things.
I'm redesigning my resume to better fit the look & feel of my site. The logo has been restructured a bit as well. I think it makes more sense, but we'll all see soon enough.
Mums the Word is very laid back and nice to listen to. I approve.
I hate the political ads that star a candidate and have him saying in the end, ‘I'm Dip Shit, and I approve this message’. Isn't it obvious since he's narrating the damn thing or making an in-person appearance?
Meh. Politics makes me numb and cynical. General social interaction, perhaps. Humans are smart and yet so blatantly stupid.
Let's go to the zoo, azizam.
It's like fighting lung cancer with chemo and cigarettes.
Let's start over.
On the subject of starting over: putting two spaces after a period is wrong in its entirety. The practice was started because of the invention of the typewriter, right? Something enhancing readability because of the typeface?
Well, look at any book and find double spaces between sentences. Lines of text are supposed to look continuous in color, as are entire blocks of text (barring intentional changes to fit some design purpose). It keeps things flowing for the reader. Adding extra spaces forces the eye to make an unnecessary jump to keep things moving. (This is why I hate websites that justify text. Browsers are lousy at this.)
It's like setting a table with spoons in sight and forks under the plates.
Another example of how our educational system is flawed.
Start over. Single spaces are like clean air and tress: natural.
Song of the day: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
Spring training has begun, and the baseball season is almost here! So to get everyone in the baseball spirit, here’s another fun little game I found. It’s a baseball game where the object is to hit the ball as far as you can…except the batter is a yeti, and the “baseball” is a penguin. I think Lance said it best: “It’s funny because (the penguin) likes it.” Just so you know, apparently the maximum distance you can hit the penguin is 323.5 ft.
And then, there’s this:
deadpool 81: I’d rather see a movie about Gandhi
Deluzar: I actually have to watch that for class next week
deadpool 81: it’s about time you learn about your roots
Deluzar: violence isn’t the answer
Deluzar: what else is there to learn?
deadpool 81: how to properly starve yourself
deadpool 81: but there's an art to it, and a cause behind it. Otherwise, it’s just plain old anorexia, and that's so 1990
That’s why Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley and not Tracey Gold, folks.
Razanova: I just farted and it smells like room temperature brussel sprouts.
—
Auto response from express kaiser: t(-_-t) >:o>:o
—
Razanova: Yes!
Razanova: t(-_-t)
Best emoticon of the month.
If Ryan doesn't innovate, he at least excavates the internet.
I'm thinking about entering the laptop market (on credit, of course), and would like your opinions on what brands you've had good times with as far as price/performance/durability.
Working from home is cool and all, but working from my room makes me want to shoot myself. Help me not commit suicide.
Song of the day: “One Big Holiday” by My Morning Jacket
“I want to know what makes you mad.” she stated.
“Why do you want to make me mad??” I asked, a bit flustered and concerned.
“No, no. I don’t want to make you mad; I’m just wondering what issues you’re passionate about. What do you care about so much that you’d stand up and fight for or against it.”
I didn’t have a response to her inquiry. Well actually, that’s a lie. My response was: “It would be easier to care about things if I was a drug using lesbian who wanted to get married and also have an abortion.”
While I may have chosen a ridiculous example that probably undermined the point I was trying to make, I really did have a point. I don’t care about things because they don’t affect me enough. It sounds horrible to say, but it’s true. On some level, I wish I cared more about homeless people, or who wins the 2004 presidential election, or the plight of animals used to test the latest line of Revlon makeup. But really, all I care about is watching the latest episode of The OC and eating Roasted Garlic Triscuits. Does this make me some sort of evil bastard? Am I becoming a Republican? Should I delete all this before you all realize what a heartless piece of shit I am? [Side note: Assuming that I haven’t deleted this and you’re actually reading it, (whomever you are), the answers to those questions are: yes, no, and probably.]
Certainly, there are plenty of things that I care about. I’m a pretty liberal guy, and I’m even a good tipper. As long as it doesn’t require much more effort than saying, “yeah, that’s wrong”, or “so-and-so should/shouldn’t be allowed to do that”, then I care about all kinds of things. If I have to actually do something about it…well, chances are, I don’t care that much after all. And I know that I’m not alone in this. Apathy is practically the American way.
I think college is when most people tend to become active and champion issues. I definitely missed the boat on that one, so I’m not going to kid myself and say that I’ll start caring when I know damn well that I won’t. There are too many causes in this world. You have to pick and choose your battles; and I choose to fight for me…and a certain primetime soap opera. But if you do care about things, don’t let this cynical post dissuade you. In fact, I envy you. Being able to think about the “greater good”, and thinking in terms that span beyond even your own lifetime are more than just dirty communist rhetoric, they’re admirable characteristics to have. So keep fighting! Free the whales, don’t eat at KFC, don’t shop at the Gap, save the rainforests, end the occupation of Iraq, and vote for Nader in 2004. If you need me, I’ll be on the couch.
PS. Should you find that the opinions expressed in this posting make you feel as though I am a selfish jerk, then I’m just kidding.
Derek the Samurai.
This is all I can do for you, muffin.
express kaiser: 
i've thought of joining the peace corp at some point
Razanova: LOL
express kaiser: i'd rather be comfortable and find a way to help people through the computer
Razanova: Meh, what haven't you thought of doing in your darkest CS hours.
express kaiser: haha
Razanova: <--point!
Day 1 at the clock reset. Whereas I was used to – for once – being out of my room at least 75% of my waking hours, I'm back to a mere 7.5%.
There is no longer a supply of tasty or fulfilling foods; snacking on Trader Joe's Raspberry Truffles (so, so good) and wasabi chick peas is the quick fix.
Knitted [too] much of the day. I now have a bag to hold teabags, and it's sorta cute, in a dumpy way. Not bad for a first attempt. Is filled with many teabags of many varieties. Will hang off a nail in the kitchen above the sink.
Room is a mess, unlike the sparsity of the bed & breakfast room. Must launch a 4-day reorganization to make things tolerable and sensible.
Toby resurrected an ancient picture from freshman year to put as my new desktop. And though it's amusing, I had to change it. It's a slick blue design and no longer the cool flower thing.
Missy Elliot says retarded things. Her songs are retarded. She is retarded.
Monty Python is not retarded. ‘Finland, Finland, Finland, the country where I want to be; pony trekking or camping, or just watching TV Finland, Finland, Finland, it's the country for me’.
I am much more bored now, knowing what could be.
Pray that military journalists are no longer in demand.
Song(s) of the day: “The Hindu Times” and “Some Might Say” by Oasis.
Ever since I realized that I don’t have to write a masterpiece of wit and rhetoric every time my fingers touch the keyboard, it’s really freed me to write more, especially in the case of this non-journal. It’s always a nice bonus to actually enjoy what you’re doing. After all, why have an online non-journal if you don’t enjoy keeping up with it. Having said all that, here are some completely random thoughts.
First of all, as the title of this post states, I do, in fact, like Oasis. I have Ryan Adams to thank for helping me remember this. During my early years of high school, I was a pretty big Oasis fan. Back then, I’d define “big fan” as owning all of their albums. Today, with the ease of downloading music from the internet, me actually purchasing a band’s album means I absolutely fucking love them. Somewhere along the line however, I kind of got tired of Oasis and their unintelligible accents. I was caught up in the rhetoric of the Oasis backlash, and decided that they weren’t “cool” enough. Well, they still might not be “cool”, but I’ve rediscovered my love for them. Ryan Adams’ cover of “Wonderwall” made me want to hear the original version, and that led to me revisiting their entire catalog, which in turn, lead to me playing “Some Might Say” and “The Hindu Times”, the two songs listed as Co-Song’s of the day, over and over. I also really like “Acquiesce” and “The Master Plan”.
Completely unrelated to Oasis is the topic of Ms. Pacman. If you click on that link, it will take you to a site I recently found where you can play all of the various Pacman games, including Ms. Pacman. While Ms. Pacman is a great and highly addicting game, let’s move beyond thinking about Ms. Pacman as just a video game character for a few minutes, and think of her on a more personal level. Ever think how crazy Ms. Pacman is? She’s constantly running around, eating all these pills just to get through the day. So she’s drugged out of her mind, and suddenly she sees "ghosts", and they start chasing her. So in order to scare them away, she takes an even bigger dose of pills. Ms. Pacman is the video game version of Courtney Love.
In other news, just when it seemed that I had been thwarted in my attempt to con a brand new cell phone out of T-Mobile, I met the coolest customer service rep in the history of the universe. Together, we concocted a plan that will land me a brand new Sony Ericsson T610 for free, with an extra bonus step, that should I choose to accept it, will enable me to keep all the T-Mobile credit I’ve earned for being such a good customer over the past 18 months. In all truth, I prepared and researched for that phone conversation like a lawyer preparing for trial. I was prepared to be firm, state my demands, and not take “no” for an answer. And then somehow, I was placed in the caring hands of a T-Mobile worker who was more than willing to help me screw over her employer. In fact, she doesn’t even use T-Mobile service; she uses Verizon. Thanks Alison!
Finally, for those of you that have never read/heard of Questionable Content, you should check it out. It’s a pretty good web comic that has left Lance and me saying, “That’s so true!” on more than one occasion. Also, if you follow the creator’s musical suggestions, not only will I be insanely jealous, (why will you listen to him and not me?!?!), but as an added bonus, you might just learn about some pretty cool bands. In any event, reading the new strip every other day or so has sadly become one of the highlights of my life. I “discovered” the strip somewhere around #40, and there was nothing quite as fun as spending an hour or so reading over the first 40 strips to bring me up to date. [Side note: I don’t get out much.] As of this writing, the comic is now on #91, so you’ll have some (very pleasurable) catching up to do.
[Side note: What was with all of the hyperlinks in this posting? Was this my pathetic attempt to be “net savvy”?]
All the lights from the sky. Long stretches of them lined up almost perfectly. Dots everywhere.
Everytime I fly above clouds I think about how it looks like a snowy landscape and that it's possible to walk on. Long stretches of vacant land to wander through. But I'd fall through.
It's different being back, having my own room again, and talking to Toby and Andrew.
There are no Metro stops or a CalTor. No hands to hold. No smiling face or funny glance greeting my dumb jokes. No sweet voice. No head resting on my shoulder. No weird, overstuffed-stomach moods. Everything was just on a temporary pause.
I haven't cried in three years. I miss Asma.
Song of the day: “Playing Your Song” by Hey Mercedes
We are all creatures of habit. Whether it’s following the same preparation ritual each morning, visiting the same websites over and over again, or sleeping with the same prostitute, we all have our own idiosyncrasies that make us who we are. Lately, my daily routine has included watching Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. In California, Adult Swim starts at 11 pm, which means for most people, watching The Family Guy or Futurama is one of the last things they do before going to sleep, with the possible exception of masturbation.
I am not “most people”. As anyone who has ever lived with me can attest to, I tend to keep odd hours. I routinely stay awake well into the am’s, and often do not go to bed until the sun comes up. Much like Judas Priest, I’m livin’ after midnight…except without the partying ‘till dawn, or the homoerotic leather and bondage fetishes. When I watch Adult Swim, I do so with the pleasure in knowing that my night is far from over; there are still plenty of hours left to scour the internet for obscure movies about Japanese school girls that become flesh-eating zombies.
Well friends, that is all about to end. It seems as though I have gone a procured myself a full time job. A real job. One that doesn’t involve hand jobs. [Side note: Apparently, the standards and practices of the Cartoon Network do not allow the use of the term “hand job”. But you can use the euphemism, “hand roll” instead. Yet another thing I learned from TV at 2 am.]
Beginning next Monday, my days as an unemployed slackster are officially over. For those interested, and I’m assuming that anyone reading this site qualifies, I’ve officially been classified as an “unemployed slackster” since graduating in December. Unofficially, I’ve been an unemployed slackster since discovering the joys of a high-speed internet connection early in my freshman year of college.
Soon, I begin life in the real world. A world where watching Adult Swim is the final punctuation at the end of the day, as opposed to just another adjective or oft-ignored adverb. Poor adverbs. Poor me. Goodbye days of waking up at noon. You shall be missed.
So there I am, sitting on a cold, concrete bench in the Bethesda metro station, with four Gap products on my person, listening to The Chronic, and working on a pink-red-white friendship bracelet for Asma. I'm either the lamest or coolest person on earth?
Today has been fantastic, though the weather is getting colder again. We had dinner with Jeff at a Chinese restaurant. The sezchuan beef was delicious. Asma split it with me – it marks her second day in a row breaking her vegetarianism. That is a very commendable act.
The Chinese also sapped our energy, and we resorted to acting weird and wacky. First date on the escalator, forward to seven years later in 15 minutes after many break-ups and biting attempts.
Painters also seem to have an altered sense of color. The yellow moon is red, apparently.
One (!!!) then two (!). Sleep time.
The past couple of days have been great overall.
Friday. Spent a day eating heavy foods and lazing down the streets of Bethesda with Asma. We laughed, kissed, melted over cute babies, and found creative ways of cutting embroidery floss without scissors. Jacket zippers work better than teeth.
I ate dinner with my friend Puja and her boyfriend at Chez Antoine (gnutella crépe and Ace apple cider). And it wasn't as weird or ackward as I'd thought it'd be, considering that this is the first time I've met Puja in the nine years we've been corresponding. The internet was different back then.
And then I spent the night at Jeff's. It was good seeing him. He was having a bit of an allergic reaction all evening apparently, so it looked like he just had this strange nervous tick. Taquito the calico house cat likes me. I might see Jeff again tonight or tomorrow for some sort of meal. (I left my new belt at his place, I think. Maybe I stuffed it my bag?)
Columbia Heights is shady.
Saturday. Spent much of the day grocerying and cooking with Asma. We made tiramisu, spinach pies, and steaks, along with some sides. Cooking with her rules.
Her friend Jessie (whose birthday it was) came over with her boyfriend and we all had dinner together. We played some DDR later, and I rule at that. (Even if it's on Light and I don't get AAAs the first three or four times around). Fun times.
Not sure what today will bring. Something good, at least.
Song of the day: “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Although I am hopelessly addicted to The Real World and The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, I really don’t watch much MTV besides that. Our local cable provider has recently rearranged the channel orders, and now Cartoon Network and MTV are channels 57 and 58 respectively. Consequently, while watching Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, I find myself unconsciously flipping over to MTV during the commercial breaks. This has lead to me seeing the video for “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs about 10 times in the last week. This video is everywhere, well actually not everywhere; it seemed to be exclusively located in the 11pm–1 am time frame, until…I just saw it 5 seconds ago!! I can’t avoid it! Some of the past “Songs of the day” have just been cool songs that I like, but others have been songs that I can’t get out of my head and so I post them online, hoping in some way this will exorcize them from the most inner regions of my brain.
Also, sorry for the gap since my last post. I’ve been doing the “job-search” thing lately, and the self-imposed pressure of writing a witty, well-crafted, essay every day was something that I didn’t want to deal with. So this is my solution: shorter, less witty, less well-crafted essays…but more of them! Hopefully, I’ll be back with another post tomorrow. If not, I’m busy playing the ever so addicting NBA Skills Challenge. Scroll down to “Skills Challenge” and say goodbye to your life. The current world record is 17.58 seconds, held by Lance Robbins. Scientists have calculated this time to be impossible to beat. Also, I recently had my hair cut by a transsexual. See you tomorrow!
Yesterday we made the best mac & cheese ever and saw Hey Mercedes last night.
There were also many fun times driving around.
Hard to go into any details about things. The best way to put it is that it's getting harder to have to leave every moment.
This is the first time in two days I feel totally refreshed. Time to egg the White House.
(FuckFrance.com is one of the links in the dropdown history of IE.)
S/he has a real Louis Vuitton bag (Asma pointed this out) and collects Barbies with designer clothing.
I am totally sapped of energy, further compounded from enchiladas and fried ice cream. (Today is Asma's birthday, and I got to eat dinner with her family at Rio Grande, a.k.a. Uncle Juan/Julio/Sanchez's [?]. Their logo is a depiction of what you'd expect of the typical Mexican man. It's great.)
Illinois feels a whole world apart. This is all surreal.
I should sleep now. And then I'll wake up and find that I have a place of my own here? Yes.
