Superpowers

Ever wonder what your superpowers are? Mine is an uncanny ability to instantly forgive. I'm not quite as good at it as my friend Les, but I don't know anyone else who is. I watch people around me carry collections of grudges, anger, and negative thoughts. Why bother? Dump it where it is and move on. You can travel a lot lighter and a lot happier.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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."

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.

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!

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!

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.

SMASH

Gardened at SMASH today with Mike. Cool school.

seeing green?

Here are two drive-by photos from yesterday in Washington D.C., for the amusement of it. What do these ads mean?


Interestingly, here's an image of Wrigley's Doublemint gum wrappers over the years.

People in panda suits?

I went to the National Zoo today after brunch with Anne since she lives a block away.

When we first saw them, Anne thought they'd been starved by the way they were eating. After we learned that pandas eat 40 lbs. of bamboo a day, we figured they have to eat so fast as it's the only way you can get through it all in a day. Anne felt bad that they eat the same thing every day all day for their entire lives. And of course, we thought it was sad that they lived in these glass boxes for people to gawk at. Like what we were doing.

Here are the pandas lunching (you need Quicktime to see the movie clip), but I swear, they look like people in bear suits.

More Yellow

This is Nike's site to promote the LAF WearYellow LiveStrong campaign. They continued to sponsor him when he was diagnosed with cancer, not dropping him like Cofidis did. Loyalty breeds loyalty.

thirty seconds

I've always liked commercials better than shows. Not sure how much CGI was used for this one, but on television, it looked really pretty.

Live Strong

Lance Armstrong Foundation is selling yellow wristbands with the LAF motto, "Live Strong" in an effort to raise $5,000,000.

I haven't watched television in a few months (I've never cared to own one), but vegging in front of dad's today, I came across the cheesily named "Lance Chronicles" on OLN. I've got a few issues with OLN (mostly that their sportscasters who cover the TdF are awful/don't understand cycling as a sport/don't understand how the TdF works/can't pronounce "Tour de France" or "Sylvain Chavenel" properly), but it's cool that they show so much coverage during the actual tour. Back in '96 I used to have to watch half hour snippets of Big Mig on ESPN2 at 2 a.m. just to see what was going on (and they didn't have the live internet updates back then either!). And of course, I watched "the Lance Chronicles." The only time in a year that I commit to television (if I can freeload off an understanding soul) is for three weeks of the tour every year. Otherwise, no T.V. unless catsitting Godzuki and Atari.

Even though I'll wish Lance good legs, I kinda want Tyler or someone else get a chance to win. There's something about excelling in what you do (which Lance has done stunningly so) but the other men who stand with him as five-time winners (Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx -- arguably cycling's greatest, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain) were tremendous riders too. It would be sad for them to be left a notch down if Lance's win overshadows them. Of course, I could go on about the drama and interest Lance brings to the race and love that he'll be riding. And besides, I'm a huge fan (and when dad watches LA with me, he likes to shout out "I'm a survivor, too!"). Well, because he is.

Hello hello!

BloggerBot
This is very cool. I have to figure out how to get started on it on my Mac.

My Left Arm for a Gmail Account

The Gmail Hype. Amusing. And to think, I just handed them out to people I thought would be good beta users.

*&%$#! HMO's

HMO's suck. Medicare HMO's suck worse. Had a lot of trouble getting dad in to see his cardiologist (the Kaiser Medicare triage nurse thought he needed an opthalmalogist for the purple spots he was seeing, caused by his abnormally low coma-inducing 70/50 blood pressure from his over-medication) but he's ok now.

The Tissue Box

I went to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a tour on Monday with my friend Mike who is a guide there. Met some interesting folks he volunteered with, and enjoyed a pretty good tour of the place. They've got a really ugly Circle room known as the "Bird Room" that looks like a really bad meeting room in some West Virginia hunting lodge. Our favorite Circle room was the Africa room, where the structure of the walls represented an African hut, and with gorgeous artwork. Worth seeing! Exceptionally beautiful was the Lobmeyr crystal chandelier in the Opera House, a gift from Austria. See that too.

Having met the White House Chef on Saturday night at a party, I got invited on a private tour of the White House and I asked if I could take mom. See, the chef said the magic words, "I'll show you the kitchen". Considering I bought my All-Clad eight months before I bought a bed, you know I wouldn't turn that offer down.

Sleep.

One of my favorite things to do.

Something I would really like to own by Kurt Vonnegut.

I'd actually also like to own "Once Upon A Time" (in color), or especially "Mondrian's Socks" because it makes me laugh. But really, I really like "Sleep."

Cold Turkey -- In These Times

Cold Turkey -- In These Times by Kurt Vonnegut.

Stone Diarist

Yet another article on my favorite contemporary sculptor, in The New York Times Sunday magazine.

Here's the NYT audio slide show and an image of older works:


Art and Photographs © Andy Goldsworthy from Lelong Gallery

Baobab

If you don't know what a Baobab is, you should read The Little Prince.

Since 1999 I've been listening to Orchestra Baobab - "Senegal's finest musicians on the World Circuit Label." I've got a cruddy cassette tape copy of the Pirates' Choice album that I've listened to over and over since then. As it turns out, the band made this recording in 1982 on a four-track shortly before disbanding. The album was a coveted bootleg, and it was finally released under World Circuit in 1989. At some point, I would really love to own the albums. It's a fantastic sound, amazing guitar, and oddly, NPR did a brief on them last week because of some Dave Matthews Band coverage (who I don't even listen to). It's cool they've re-banded (in 2001) and they've got a new album out (since 2002), which has been reviewed by several critics, including BBC, who says "This is a come back to beat all comebacks."

National WWII Memorial

photo © NPR
I went here today, though the fountains were off. Somewhat gargantuan, its location didn't destroy the minimalism of the reflecting pool (technically called the Rainbow Pool) between the Lincoln (my favorite of all the monuments) and the Washington (at 555 feet, the tallest building in Washington) as I expected.

Our next-door neighbor will be performing in the Army Band for the dedication the weekend of May 29th, but I'll be in Santa Monica by then... too bad I'll miss it, but if any of you is up for a crowd, you'll be sure to find one there. The articles are worth a read.

CNN Article
NPR's Article
NPR's Photo Gallery
National WWII Memorial
National World War II Memorial (National Park Service)