Journal entries for April, 2006

Natalia and her friends are having a sleepover here tonight. I conversed with her and a friend as I got some food from the kitchen.

Dan: What are you guys doing tonight?
Natalia: We're having a Girl Scouts sleepover. Fifteen girls, not including me.
Dan: Is that including me, though?
Natalia: No! You're not a girl!
Dan: Hey! I could be. I look great in a dress, I'll have you know.
Natalia: No you don't! You look ugly in a dress.
Natalia's Friend: Don't you mean he would look ugly in a dress? You haven't actually seen him in one.
Natalia: Yes, I have. Believe me, he looks ugly.

I like to imagine what kind of household her friend must think we have.

The Puerto Rican government is shutting down on Monday because it ran out of money. They just told everyone, "We can't pay you anymore, so don't bother coming in." I didn't think that could happen. How does a government just say "oops" and run out of money? Did they forget to write down that check for groceries in the checkbook? They should have signed up for automated email alerts when the bank account balance drops below $10 million or something.

Edit: Changed link to point to an English news story. Old link was this.

As I got out of my car at the photo lab, a guy walked over, checked out my car, and asked, "Which one is this?"

"It's a 2004 Lancer Evolution," I replied.
"Oh. It looks like the fast one."
"It, uh... It is."
"What?"
"It is the fast one."

I felt really awkward pointing that out. It reminded me of an interview I saw on TV years ago with the guy from The Prodigy. He talked about how he once went to a club with his dual mohawk thing, and people started making fun of him, saying, "Ha ha, he thinks he's the Firestarter!" He said, "I let them have their fun. What can you do? I couldn't say, 'I am the Firestarter.'"

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For years, whenever conversations turned to the subject of my dorkiness, I could defend myself by saying, "Yeah, I'm a nerd, but at least I'm not the lame kind. I mean, I don't watch Star Trek or anything."

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...that you can mail order real newborn baby chicks but not the marshmallow kind?! Curse my attempts at thriftiness!

I guess I'll just have to settle for the real ones. They're not nearly as spongy though.

Last week, after hearing so much about Kurt Vonnegut, I finally went out and bought a few of his books. The first one I read was the one I'd heard mentioned most often in connection with his name: Slaughterhouse-Five. I liked it a lot — he has very clever and appealing ways of saying interesting, unexpected things.

With Slaughterhouse quickly consumed, I eagerly started the other book I'd bought, Timequake. This book is much more recent, and the difference is astounding. Whereas Slaughterhouse, published in 1972, read like a really creative novel, Timequake (1996) feels like going to a friend's house and getting stuck listening to their grandfather ramble on and on about whatever comes to mind while you smile and nod politely.

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Today on my way home from work I stopped by Walgreens, looking forward to some 12¢ Peeps like last year. Sadly, the Easter candy aisle was nearly bare — either they didn't have much surplus this year, or they take it down quickly once the holiday is over. I suspect the latter — even as I walked down the aisle, employees were walking through with carts and taking down the last remaining candies. I had to snatch a package of Robin Eggs out of their hands to save it from an unfortunate melty end at the bottom of a dumpster.

Much to my disappointment, there was not a single Peep in evidence. Maybe it's because they're made of marshmallow (well, something vaguely resembling it, anyway) and don't age well. Anyway, I consoled myself by getting three or four Cadbury Eggs. They don't compare to Peeps, but they'll do. Next year I guess I have no choice but to go before Easter and pay full price. It feels like such a waste, though. I never felt right paying $1 for a fresh donut at Bi-Lo either, when after 8pm that same dollar would fetch you a package of 12 of them. God Bless you, Oops Overbaked.

On Thursday, when I got out of work, Michelle came by to watch Wednesday's episode of Lost (I discovered that apparently I've missed several episodes — how did that happen?!). After the show was over, we hung out and jammed for a bit (I keep forgetting she plays drums). It was fun getting to play music with someone else. It reminded me of how nice it is to have someone with similar interests to spend time with. I get so used to living my life with minimal human contact, and it doesn't really feel too unpleasant after a while, but then I get to hang out with someone I like and I'm reminded of how much better life can be.

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When Jenn mailed me some rolls of film to develop, she asked if there was anything Japanese I wanted her to include in the package. I said that I missed aloe yogurt and jokingly suggested that she send me some.

Her package arrived the other day and it seems she managed to fulfill my desire, to some extent. She managed to find a similar product by the same company: Aloe flavoring 'sauce'. Jenn rules :)

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Around the time I was finishing high school and starting college, I was getting to know a friend of Scott's named Kyle. He was a really creative guy — at the time, he was making awesome film score-like music he called Crashterpiece Theater. Sometime around my first year of college, we fell out of touch. He was on my buddy list the whole time, but for some reason we just never spoke.

Last week I noticed his away message contained a link to a little mini-game (more of a toy, really) he'd written called Big Vine. I tried it out and really liked it — very Tim Burton-esque. I messaged him to say so, and as we talked, I learned that he's now a game developer working at Maxis/EA Games — he worked on The Sims. I checked out his website and discovered that he's got all kinds of interesting projects under his belt. Unsurprising, really — it seems like a natural progression from the talented Kyle I knew back in high school.

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Hey, you remember how I bought a Maxtor 250GB SATA hard drive back around June 2004, and then it failed in June 2005, one week before the warranty expired? I got it replaced and posted about how happy I was with Maxtor for their service, in spite of the fact that their drive died in less than a year.

I think I might revise my opinion. That replacement drive just died again, only ten months after replacement. And this time, the three-month warranty they gave me on the new drive has long since expired, so I'm out of luck. Awesome.

[Entry Continues...]

For the last year or so I've been hosting a website called http://www.colorador...ridgebackrescue.org/ (longest domain name known to man) on BinRock for an organization that my friend Scott is involved with. I've never met Sally, the woman from the organization who actually owns the domain, but I understand she's a sweet woman.

Today I received an unexpected package in the mail which confirmed that fact. Apparently, as a way of saying thanks for hosting her website, she sent me a case of Guinness. Heehee. I'm so easy to shop for :)

Now my refrigerator contains milk, Guinness, and film. The essentials for a healthy lifestyle.