June 28, 2004

Cartoon Respect

MOCCA's art festival just ended this weekend at the Puck building in New York. Did you even know there was such a thing?

June 27, 2004

Random Acts of Kindness

I happen to be an actual local of Arlington, Virginia -- well before the disgustingly ugly McMansions (have you seen the shit they built across from Arlington Hospital?) and McOffice Buildings that have popped up across the Ballston and Clarendon stretches, before Carpool existed, before the vast number of JMU, UVA and VTech alums invaded. It's truly sad, the damage they've done.

But today I was reminded of why I love this city so much. While housesitting here for Mike and Eileen, I received a phone call. The woman on the line asked for Mike. "He's not home at the moment" I told her.

"Oh, well you don't know me, but my name is Mary Stump, and I borrowed a book from the library that he returned. It had his airline and car rental receipts, and I thought he might need them back; they look like business expenses."

I told her that was very kind of her, and that she could mail it to them if she liked. I gave her the address and then she said, oh well, since she was in Arlington, she would just bring them over. And she did! She went through all that trouble to find Mike's phone number, make contact, and return these documents that he forgot in a library book. How nice, huh?

And yesterday, mom and dad's neighbor Jim mowed their lawn for them while he was doing his own. It's somewhat fascinating that despite the Washington metropolitan overtones in Arlington -- particularly apparent now with the increased density, that the previous generation of denizens maintain that sense of neighborly kindness that made our childhood here pretty perfect.

Over the Wheel

Partnership marketing gone too far? iPod Your BMW Actually, I think it's kind of cool.

June 26, 2004

Shaking up the Shooters

Got my third handshake comment today since I started tracking two weeks ago. From a U.S. Army long-range shooter. Shook two hands today, so that was one for two.

June 25, 2004

Cyrano

Going to see Cyrano tomorrow with Kiki.

Update: Beautiful costumes, Geraint Wyn Davies is excellent, the newly scripted dialogue hilarious, but the rest of the actors just a bit disappointing. Ought to see it though.

June 24, 2004

A Sign

The sign says "Work for Other People"

Where is that sign? Oh, it's not really a sign.

I once had a folder in my computer directory called "Work." I realized that ever since I quit my job, work has been coming in. Oh, this is not paid work. Well, not in the traditional sense. More like my karma bank is filling up. Regardless, I realized that while I was working on my personal project (the second reason why I quit my job), I couldn't find my files because there were too many files belonging to too many other people I've been doing work for.

Who am I doing work for? Well, I happen to stay in touch with a lot of people. They are all brilliant, industrious people who work for themselves. So I couldn't find my files. I had to change the folder name to "Work for Other People" and then created a new folder called "Work for Me." In actuality, I think I am working full-time on other peoples' projects (this includes creative copywriting, copy editing, business writing, information technology and software help, database help, inventory organization, advertising, networking, resume' writing and layout, graphic design for corporate identities, flyers, brochures, and advertisements to mention a few) and part-time on my projects (establishing an LLC, web site design, copywriting, market research, writing a business plan), so this leads me to believe that somehow, I am now working more than I ever did back in the days when I actually got paid. HMMMM.

Just Like That, Part II

Yeah, the plans have changed. Who said I was moving home? I'll hardly see my parents this summer. My belongings are in a back yard shed (albeit, my collection of books are in Atlanta).

Since I left New York in the beginning of May, I paid my parents a three-week visit. From Arlington I went to Santa Monica for three weeks. Met a dozen incredibly kind new friends. Two dozen! Returned to Arlington for two days, then off to Rehobeth, Delaware for four days. Visited mom and dad for three days. Off to house/cat sit for the Dohenys for three weeks. Eastern shore for a weekend. New York and Boston next. Cancelled Park City, Utah trip. Possibly return to Santa Monica for two weeks before heading off to Vietnam for six months or so with a wedding in India in November. Of course, I am going to find a way to return for Adam and Amanda's New Orleans wedding in January. Back to Vietnam. Maybe by next Spring I'll finally get to go back on vacation. Oh wait. Isn't this vacation now?

June 21, 2004

Recently Viewed

Just saw these in the last three weeks:
Jeux D'enfants (badly translated English title: Love me if you Dare)
Super Size Me
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

TM This

Working on the biz side of my project, and was just reading up on NOLO which is one of the most useful sites I frequent. Want to know what kind of laws my former employer was breaking? I read up on the Federal Labor Standards Act a couple of years ago. Now I'm more interested in what can't be trademarked. While one of the reasons is "marks that are judged immoral, deceptive or scandalous," it's good to know that "As a general rule, the USPTO takes a liberal view of the terms immoral and scandalous and will rarely refuse to register a mark on those grounds."

June 13, 2004

Handshake comment number two.

Went to Mastro's steakhouse with Alesha and Tricia. Shook hands with four men and one woman. Two comments from two of the men; one a former 6'4 UVA footballer.

IO West - 2004 Improv Fest

So I'm on the Improv Olympics 2004 Improv Fest web site as "and friend" to my old friend Tricia who was on one of the Improv teams until recently. Epitaph is what we saw, which will be playing at the Edinburgh festival and won the Best Sketch Award of the HBO sponsored U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. Oi, I sound like a commercial now.

Had another handshake comment yesterday. I think I might start keeping track. It's interesting that it's always men who comment. Women never do. They're either firm shakers or not and if they are, I guess they assume that you ought to be too.

June 12, 2004

Angus and Jackson

Mica's goldfish have the most interesting names. Sure, Dorothy went to goldfish heaven along with Squirt. But Angus and Jackson are still happily wading through the plastic plants in the plastic acquarium. And the last kitten they fostered she named Gabriel. Less banal than Lori's childhood white cat named... uh, Whitey. No kidding!

June 09, 2004

My Love, Yes... My Chocolate, No.

My Uncle Mike and Aunt Lori have two kids, Mica, who is seven and a half years old, and Ari, who is four and a half. This year for Mother's Day, Mica signed this Mother's day card for Lori. Too funny. Funnier still, that Mica wrote "Dear Lori" instead of Mom!

June 03, 2004

90405

One week down, three to go. This is me, every other day:
Yeah, those are my pedicured toes... Sat in the sand yesterday for a good few hours, just watching the waves lap up...forgot it was a full moon out, and the surfers started showing up at around 4. We saw one walking by the house at 10 p.m. when Lori and I went for a walk to the mini-mart. Today I went to Mica's school assembly in the morning. Spent the following hours as a poser volunteer parent to help the kids out with their 'research' - KINDERGARTEN KIDS instructed "If you don't know the answer, ask someone if they can 'please help you start at the GOOGLE web page.'" Google, are you paying attention to your newest market? Tomorrow Mike and I are going to see a play, Friday night we're going with Lori to see Zero 7 in concert, and Saturday off to a 44-acre ranch in Topanga for a catered party.

Little access/interest online while enjoying sunshine (see photo for reference) so these boring "this is what I did today" blogs for the next coupla weeks.

Life is good.