slow-dog.waytooupbeatformyheroes

29 May 2000
I neglected many responsibilities this weekend, and traded this upcoming week's sanity for three days of fun in New York City. I started off by meeting Alyssa, who I hadn't seen in four years, at Penn Station and then going out to dinner before heading back to her place where I was to stay Friday and Saturday night. It's always weird anticipating seeing people who you haven't seen in awhile, as you wonder how much they've changed, and what kind of changes they will perceive in you. Alyssa was more or less the person I remembered--different in only that general sort of way that people change in they years right after school which me and everyone else I know has gone through--a little wiser, a little better perspective on the world. So to be brief, Alyssa's still a cool girl, and she's the consummate host.

The next morning, I wake up late (a nice change from the late nights I've spent recently staring at the computer screen trying to do a program for class), and leave Alyssa to her previously-made plans and head back into Manhattan to meet Avi, who I went to junior high school with and have somehow managed to remain friends with despite the overwhelming odds against still liking people you hung out with in 7th grade 12 years later. Anyway, it's always good to see him, and we do one of my favorite things, which is to walk around and see what their is to see. We finish the walk in time for happy hour at a couple of his local beverage providers, and then met Alyssa for Thai food, where I proceed to shame myself by telling long aimless stories about Jane Fonda and the Vietnam War (sorry!).

The next day I head over to the Columbia area with Alyssa to meet Zanja, another Stanford friend who I haven't seen since the two of us graduated. The three of us head to the Met, which I'd never been to before. After a tour of some antiquities and lots of American portraiture and and landscapes we leave before art overload sets in. I said goodbye to Alyssa here and Zanja and I head downtown to wander around, shop for music, and end up at the Knitting Factory where Elephant 6's The Music Tapes are playing. Fronted by Julian Koster of Neutral Milk Hotel, the Tapes are big into found sound and weird instruments. The show is interesting and I enjoy it, but I'm not sure the musical experience, which includes a giant metronome (always enjoyable) and stilt walkers, would translate well to the recorded medium. Also on hand is the 8-Track Gorilla, who so far as I know does not have a website, but did give this interview. Zanja and I cap off the evening with the biggest slice of pizza I've ever had. Then it was just a matter of falling asleep and waking up and eating, and catching the train to the bus to the plane which got me back to Dayton. And that's what I did for my little vacation.

15 May 2000
So I disappear for a week and a half, figure out some direction for my life, plan a trip to New York City for Memorial Day Weekend, and procrastinate horribly on school work which needs to be done so I can indeed go to NY. Unfortunately, that's all the time I have for now.

06 May 2000
Well, a disappointing loss by the Kings dampens my spirits, but a fine little bit about Napster by the Plan makes me say, "God Damn Right!" and know that healthy attitudes like these are what ensure that I will by the music even when I can get it for free.

But you're already hip to this whole debate, so for you, I must broach other subjects. So I did virtually nothing at work today, primarily thanks to the I Love You bug, although I'm not sure whether it was caused by someone who messed up or was stupid, or, if it was paranoid overprotectiveness. Either way, I didn't read my email at work today, and in the end, that will cost you money.

02 May 2000
Well, lots of news, but as usual, the press conference is pushed back a week or two. Really, though, life changing decisions are being made behind the scenes. In the meantime though, some talk about geese.

I hate geese, or at least, the lazy kind of geese that hang out and get fat at apartment complex artificial lakes--like where I live. Anyway, I believe it's a semiuniversal thing among apartment complex owners that a fake lake and some geese are a draw for prospective leasers. Well, let me tell you that they are wrong about the geese.

I've got nothing against the lovely birds that I see flying in formation, but the ornery bastards who roam around my complex just bug me. Plus, every now and then, one of the fatter ones falls into my deck area and can't get out. I'd really like to get rid of them permanently, if you know what I mean, but I hear that's illegal, so I'm looking for some nonlethal methods to keep them on the other side of the lake. Suggestions?, send mail to me. If it works, I'll send you something good.