To be fair, I have to admit this

Current mood: embarrassed for all of us

Some of my friends are morons.
I know this because I get a lot of stupid bulletins.
I'm not talking about the funny stupid ones. (surveys, etc.)
I'm not even referring to the boring stupid ones. ("how old are you? Repost.")
Really, not even the incredibly annoying, but on-point ones (like the 5,000 announcements for Rocket I got that one time)


But the paranoid "Women, watch out for men spraying perfume," "Women, deoderant causes breast cancer," "Republicans are sneaking the draft back," chain letters and "virus warnings" and other shit, um.
I'm sorry, you are a dumbass.
When was SNOPES introduced?
And, please, since you've forwarded me a million of these "forward to ten people and your crush will call you tomorrow" things, I mean, tell me honestly, how many times did it actually come true? You've forwarded them enough to come up with a number by now.


I'd say you know who you are, but odds are, you don't.

Comments:
John Foley (ape)

I love you.

Posted by John Foley on Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 10:52 PM






Ka'ryn

Exactly!!

Ok, guilty of re-posting a realllllllllllly annoying & DUMB chain mail on occassion, but the sheer multitude of them posted in bulletins on here is....sad.

Oh & HEY!!! I haven't talked to ya in a while, grrl...Dirk is in town--you should come see him in SF.

Ciao sweetie : )

Posted by Ka'ryn on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 at 1:43 PM

It would be cheaper to get a penthouse at The Venetian

<>I suddenly realized last Thursday that I needed to get this trip to Italy planned. It became pretty clear on Friday that my mother was way too busy even think about it, so I took on the hotel search and stuff. Rome and Venice have consumed me all week. It took many hours, sifting through so many fucked up websites… ugh. I want to kill the asshole that invented Flash websites. Just give me the goddam info already!

Italy is fucking expensive. You could very easily spend upwards of $350/night on a ONE star hotel room there. Anyone who was expecting souvenirs, or telling us how great the food was going to be there, um, sorry. We’re not buying anything, and we can’t afford to eat either. Thanks Mr. Bush, for that Strong Dollar you keep talking about. At least admit it.
Anywhoo, I’m still not oriented in Florence (three nights there) or the Tuscany countryside (four nights there), so if anyone has input, please let me know.

And the trains, if you can clearly explain the trains to me, it would be a godsend.

We plan to arrive Rome (8am), get on a train to go up the coast, probably Pisa or somewhere like that, rent a car, and drive into the countryside (wherever we determine to stay, any ideas?). Spend four nights there, with the car, to make day trips to various things in that area.
Drive to Venice, dump the car, and stay in Dorsoduro for four days. Room is booked.
Train to Florence (But HOW?) , stay there for three nights. No hotel yet, any suggestions for cool areas or hotels?
Train to Rome. Apartment booked in Travestere for four nights.
Fly home.

Help! I can’t figure out if I’m supposed to buy a train pass, or individual tickets, and if so, do I buy now or when I’m there?

Last night I watched a movie called The Control Room. I highly recommend this movie to everyone. It’s a great look at the media coverage in the Iraq war and Al Jazeera in particular. Netflix has it. There are some really stupendous hairdo's in this movie too. Go forth and see the rest of the world.

Comments:
John Foley (ape)

Poor baby. Having trouble getting your posh European vacation to go the way you want? Sounds like Bush's fault to me too. I blame him for my huge nostrils.

Posted by John Foley on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 at 2:01 PM




Rebecca: uh, yeah.

I'm travelling POSH, was totally the point of my blog.

Posted by Rebecca on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 at 2:11 PM

damn, I was counting on them to be the smart ones

<>Apparently, the Japanese are just as dumb as us:
Hint: It's Above South Korea

I mean, I have to come out right now and admit that my placement of certain states (including a lot of red ones, to be honest) and a lof of countries is full of giant voids. (there are a lot of damn countries out there. Honestly, can you place every country in Africa and do you even know where Myanmar is? OK, I know that one, I'm just saying, is all) I know which states are on the edges, and where Texas is, because drinking is cheap there. I know where Kansas is, just on account of family history, and Tennessee, since I've vowed never to return. Having ridden into Nevada, I could pick it out of a lineup, and I hear Utah is around there too somewhere. Not that it matters. Utah doesn't matter. No one wanted it anyway, is why the Mormons have it.

Countries that regulary make the news, countries I've been to, and countries with really good cheese-- I know where these are. If I've called them trying to figure out why they didn't answer my emails and where the hell are my samples, I also KNOW. (I'm watching you, China) That includes South Korea. Which makes me an expert on where North Korea is. (just for shits, they should have put North Korea somewhere else entirely.)

But, placing USA in China? Or Congo? We should be so lucky as to be in Brazil.

Uhh, huh.

This gives me a little faith and a little terror. I mean, I guess I'm not as stupid as I always thought, you know, compared to brainy Japan.
On the other hand, If the A-students of our world class are getting dumber, the whole curve is thrown. If they can't place the USA, I'm going to start saying "nucular," just to keep things in balance. And maybe also develop a complete misunderstanding of the concept of sovereignty.


I'm just babbling.
Anyone offer any good advice about Italy? Like, I cannot decipher the whole train thing, and where can I stay for cheap, but not icky-cheap. My mom will be with me. No hostels.
I know where Italy is.

Comments:
John Foley (ape)

I can name every country and capital in Africa, so there. I can't point to every one of them on the map, but who the fuck can? And Myanmar was formerly known as Burma, capital Rangoun. Put not your faith in Chinamen.

Posted by John Foley on Friday, March 04, 2005 at 7:22 AM




Rebecca: You need to get out more.
Posted by Rebecca on Friday, March 04, 2005 at 8:40 AM

What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas

<>But only because it's too boring to mention.

I spent the weekend in Vegas with my boss.
Wait, that sounds bad.

Went to Vegas Saturday morning to set up our booth for the MAGIC show. The work wasn't too bad, but shopping for belts Sunday really sucked. I don't think my taste is really in the same place as my boss' or the other people in my company, so I was really nervous about that. Other than that:

-Delayed flight Saturday morning, damn, I could have been sleeping! Next time, check the flight first, before leaving your warm bed. Arrived around 1:30 Saturday, worked on setting up the booth for a bit, checked in to our hotel. My room was way bigger than my apartment, and had two televisions, two beds, a fold-out chouch, three telephones, a printer/fax, three stools, six chairs, and I think about 6 tables. I kept getting turned around downstairs, but, yeah, the Venetian is nice. The downside to my room was the sunken living room (!) which had a light on the stairs for safety, which you could not turn off.

Saturday night dinner at the Mandalay Bay. Picked the wrong restaraunt. Yuck.

-Sunday, drama with the salespeople (just one, really) and more booth set up. Lunch at Venetian Cafe, Dinner at Zefforino, in the Venetian. The new office girl from our New York office is sweet, but who the heck orders "White Zinfandel, but it should be pink?" unless they're talking about box wine?

Spent almost two hours Sunday shopping for belts for our booth, and it was a strange feeling to stroll into some of these uppity designer stores with the real possiblilty of buying something. Hello! I'm in Gucci, and ready to buy! Thankfully, they didn't have what I needed.

I think the tiki bar is gone. :(

-Monday, up bright and early, good breakfast, then to MAGIC. The show is cool, very big, but also very boring in reality. Picked up a bunch of magazines (they have all these free magazines) and hiked around the fabric and trim sourcing area to look for stuff. I still have no business cards to give these vendors, which makes me look like an ass. Took off for the airport shortly after lunch.

All in all, a fine trip. But I feel old. I mean, here I am in Vegas, it's supposed to be all "woooo!" and stuff, and I'm just, work, eat, go to bed. Next time I need to bring more comfortable shoes, and sneek my boyfriend in.

Now it's time to make a dress for the wedding, and start getting ready for Italy. Shoes, luggage, reservations! oh MY!

Comments:
B.

oooohhhh, Vegas can soooooo suck it.

Posted by B. on Thursday, February 17, 2005 at 4:06 PM

year end, a month or two late

<>I did this last year, and here I am, but this time a month and a half late.
How much my life has changed...
I always told my friend Eric (who I've known for like 11 years) that 27 was the perfect age. He was miserable at 26, and I reminded him that for years I'd been telling him, 27, perfect. He loved his 27 and frequently told me I was right.
My 27 is halfway over, and it has been the very best. I'd like to say I have everything I ever wanted, but I guess there are a few things I don't have (like a jetpack, and my SV650 dual sport), and, more importantly, I have something I could never have imagined.


1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Fell madly in love.
Got Road Rash.
Went to a tradeshow for work.
A couple of little wheelies
Get hit by a car, for real, like, go all the way down. (I’ve been winged before but never “Whack! Thunk! Crash!”)
Got a hangover from BEER.
Went to a Hell’s Angels party.
Fired guns.
Took a longish motorcycle road trip by myself.


2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't believe in New Year's resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
I didn’t lack in 2004. But I’m looking for more travel.

7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 11th. I crashed my SV650, hard, and that’s how I got Paul to spend some time with me. Messed my finger up good and destroyed all of my riding confidence. It was worth it.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Riding into Seattle by myself was awesome. The pass over Mt. Ranier was beautiful. Next time I hope to have company though. And conning that hot guy with the XR650 to hang out with me.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Crashing, not regaining my skills and confidence. Thousands of little temper flare failures.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Uhh, yeah. I will never be a hand model again. My finger doesn’t bend as well as it used to, and the nail grows in softer now. The scar is still shedding off hard skin constantly.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I wish I could say my SV650, but... hmm, that’s a tough one. I really like my furry boots with chrome heels.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Paul’s, he treats me so well. My parents, for constantly working to make the world better.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Same as last year:
My own, at times.
George Bush's, at all times.

But, this year, also:
The voters, ugh. I’m glad to see that the po’ white trash contingent is selflessly giving their vote to those who would screw them over the worst. And “Christian” and “moral” are two words that we need to reclaim.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent?
Followed by my motorcycles.
And some paying down of debt, this is my goal to finish the bad debt thing early this year, and then start chipping away at the student loan.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My motorcycle, the Sheetiron, the ride to Burning Man, Grand Theft Auto. Those are all the same as last year. Except, that where last year I also said “being single again,” now I will say the most exciting thing in the world to me is my incredibly hot boyfriend. I also got pretty excited about my trip to Seattle, and my brother’s engagement.

16. What songs/bands will always remind you of 2004?
I don’t listen to new music, really. So, anything that I had in my RIO when I rode to Seattle. That’s a lot of Snog, Rob Zombie, and Jimmy Luxury

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier. Omigod, am I ever happier.

ii. thinner or fatter?
Fatter.

iii. richer or poorer?
Richer. Since I paid down debt.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Riding, and I keep meaning to get back to sewing.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Crashing.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Oops. I spent it with family as always.

22. Did you fall in love in 2003?
Yeah, I think that’s a theme here.

23. How many one night stands?
None.

24. What were your favorite TV programs?
The Simpsons, still. I still don’t have cable, but I sure as hell wanted to catch the season of Surreal Life featuring Flavor Flav and Charo. I really really wish I could have seen that.

26. What was the best book you read?
“Your Disgusting Head,” and “Giraffes!”.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Um, I didn’t have one.

28. What did you want and get?
An SV650. Be careful what you wish for. I mean, I did want a red one, and I ended up with a blue one. Maybe a red one would not have crashed so easily, and had a better suspension?

Also, something that started with something like “what kind of tires are you running on your XR?”

29. What did you want and not get?
A good, rideable streetbike.

30. What was your favorite film(s) of this year?
I really enjoyed The Life Aquatic. Was that 2004? Faster was pretty great. HATED Napoleon Dynamite, and everything else is a blur.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Had dinner with many friends at Don Ramon’s. Drank several yummy margaritas. Dropped my cupcake on the floor. Rode around on the back of Charles’ ST1100 like a drunken idiot. 27yrs.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
It’s honestly hard to ask for more. Crashing less, riding more, and more confidently would have been better.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?
I have a corporate job, and a corporate uniform. Other than that, I have a bulky snowsuit to wear every single day for riding. On the 2% days, when I get my own clothes and no riding, I’m all about the furry boots with chrome heels. And the very occasional latex.

34. What kept you sane?
My DRZ (it’s PERFECT) and Paul (he’s PERFECT). And, as the background to my entire life, my family. It’s a constant, in support, framework, and inspiration.

35. Which celebrity/public figure(s) did you fancy the most?
Still Rob Zombie and Tim Burton, though I can’t think of anything they did this year specifically. Politically, I have to say, I was impressed by Gavin Newsom’s stand.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Omigod. Don’t get me started. With the election behind us, I’m pretty fucking disturbed, politically, on a federal level. Right now, I’m just hanging on by upping my donations and interest in ACLU and Planned Parenthood. I talk now with my grandparents about the importance of Planned Parenthood. These organizations need our support now more than ever to get through the next four years with as little damage as possible. I have very little hope to make anything better in the immediate future, only to try desperately to hold on to the rights we have now. And wait for a better day. I hope it’s coming. I am doing a tiny part by boycotting a few companies that I know to support an administration that would put me back in place and then watch and limit what I do there. I am most disturbed to find that Victoria’s Secret/Express are big Bush supporters. As a company that makes its money off of women and their developing career-orientation, sexuality, and freedom, I cannot fathom why they should support a regime that would limit that and take away our freedoms and reverse the sexual revolution. This really doesn’t sit well with me. It’s just the tip of the iceberg.

And it’s all too much. What do I work on now? Sending emails and letters to my representatives to preserve my civil rights, and my interests as a motorcyclist. Showing up to meetings about land use to preserve my off-road riding rights. What the fuck is it with people who have no qualms about paving shit over, and then driving on it, but see something wrong with cutting a little trail and riding through?
Would putting a strip mall next to the single track, maybe a drive through Starbucks next to the dirt road, make it nobler, more acceptable? Seriously, go fuck yourself, cager.


37. Who did you miss?
Charles.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Paul. Duh.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004.
Miniscule pothole + streetbike= blood and guts, and lots of dollar signs and depression. Stick to Dualies. When people tell you that that’s how a bike is supposed to be, people need to be ignored.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Candlelight dinners, and just being with you
Feeling so romantic and so warm inside.
Yes I do, I really do
I start to thinky
Of just how stinky
That the things, they really are

I think of Chernobyl, and toxic waste dumps
And the hole in the ozone the size
Of the United States
I think of dead fish
And the dolphins that wash up
On our shores
I think of Condors, and Black Rhinos
And tens of thousands of animals
Facing extinction today.

I wanna forget, all this madness
And just think about the way
You make me feel
Yes you do, you really do

I see the pictures, of reindeer in Norway
Dying from being downwind from
Nuclear air
I think of children, in San Francisco
Dying of leukemia, and new terms
Like cancer clusters
It makes me feel so blue
It does
It makes me feel so blue"

(actually that’s a fucked up blenderized version, since I haven’t heard that song in a long time, and forget a lot)

Comments:
Charles:

don't miss me. I am right here.

Posted by Charles on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 at 8:56 PM

2:20 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

I don't even NEED to make this shit up

<>Or, why I love places like Tennessee
she had all her teeth

Maybe we should reconsider what exactly is meant by "a jury of your peers"

He really focused on finding what you really love to do

Good career advice for your kids

I need to annex the neighbor's place

<>I need to take a car for a test drive, just so I can stop by my house and schlep a bunch of crap to Goodwill. I was thinking mini coopper, because they're so darn cute, but my second thought is that I'll need a truck.

Or maybe I need to learn how to sell stuff on ebay. I'm just a little unclear on the whole shipping thing.

Somehow, I need to get all this crap out of my little apartment.

When I moved into this place, it seemed huge. For the first couple of years, I didn't even use two of the closets. Then, very suddenly and very quickly, it started to fill with crap. Being an art student, I compiled a dizzying array of art supplies, artwork, fabric, sewing machines (there are THREE in my studio), shit I thought might make an interesting project someday. I have a problem with books and magazines. Since I've dabbled in different mediums, I have acquired equipment and supplies for all kinds of shit: darkroom gewgaws, metalworking tools, of course sewing and patternmaking. Don't forget bookmaking, etching, millinery, and textile printing.

Then I got bikes, and now all the shit normal people would keep in their garage is crammed into what is essentially my nightstand. Want a glass of brake fluid? No need to leave the bed!


Ugh. It has to go. Or I need to move to Tennessee, where I could afford a nice spacious place to house all my shit.

Sadly, even after I decide something needs to go, I have no way to take it out of the house.
So, test drive a mini cooper. Anyone know how to drive, want to go for a test drive?

<>Comments:
Charles: you have a freind with a HUGE goddamn van. You set a weekend date, get everything ready, have a location for it to go TO, and I will bring a big BIG van.
Posted by Charles on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 10:09 AM

Why I'm not going to fucking Rocket

<>Goddamit, my FRIENDS are spamming me now.
You're throwing a party? Great.
You want to tell me? Great.
You want to tell me FOUR TIMES? NO.

I've gotten six bulletins about this stupid club in the past TWO days, and FOUR of them were from ONE person, two of which were sent within twelve hours of one another!


riiiiiiight.
I'll be washing my hair that night.



Comments:
Rebecca:Make that eight total bulletins, five from one person.

Keep trying! Twentieth time's a charm!

Posted by Rebecca on Friday, January 14, 2005 at 8:41 AM




Rebecca: In a bizarre spam fest from my friends, the grand total was 9 bulletins (not counting things like "this is where I'm going to be Saturday night, call if you want to hang out" or etc.)

Two spam-happy people tied with SIX posts each flogging this event, and three other people politely sent the announcement out only once.

No Kudos for anyone.

Posted by Rebecca on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 at 11:15 AM

Sometimes China is just in the WAY

<>So, Paul came back, and New Years Eve was nice and mellow. I’m a bit relieved since I’ve never been much of a “woo-HOOOOO!!!!!” New Year’s Eve person.

I found out a couple of days ago that my company is making me go to China in May for our sales meeting. Which wouldn’t be so bad, except that it’s the weekend of the Sheetiron! GODDAMMIT !!!!! Seriously, like one of those things that I measure my year by, but I cannot go. Really, really sucks.
This year will be different anyway. The past couple of years have been metered by Sheetiron, Burning Man, Christmas. These are the markers and highpoints of the cycle. This year, no Burning Man, no Sheetiron. I decided not to go to Burning Man after last year was kind of a let down to me. I put in as little effort as anyone, so I’m not complaining, just recognizing that if I’m not working for it, I’m part of the problem. Maybe I’ll change my mind. I figure I’ll go somewhere on my dirtbike instead.

The year looks like this now:
February- Vegas for the MAGIC show for work. I stay at the Venetian. There’s a Tiki bar there. But tiki bars aren’t so great by yourself. Sigh.
April- 4 days in Seattle for my brother’s wedding. It will be fun. I’m excited.
April/May- Two and a half weeks in Italy with my mom.
May- Fucking China trip for work. Grrrrrrrrr….
July- Nothing. I’m thinking another four day road trip is in order for Independence Day. (Seattle again, or somewhere else?)
August- Nothing. Labor Day weekend dual sport trip of some sort?

It looks like a whole lot of nothing after a very busy May. I’ll be all out of vacation after Italy, so I guess the rest of the year will be mostly local. I want to do more dirt riding. I need to learn how to wheelie anyway. What to do to make up for missing out on the Sheetiron? sniff sniff…

dig deep, dig shallow, just DIG

<>Before you say to yourself "I'm too poor," please consider the difference in meaning, of what you consider "poor," and the poverty that exists on a daily basis in much of Asia. Now consider that even those low means of living have been wiped out completely for hundreds of thousands of people. The death tolls from the tsunamis are incredible, but what's really going to hurt is the struggle after.


If you give 10 bucks and skip your lattes this week, someone might get clean drinkable water so their kids don't die. If you then pass this on and each of your friends gives 10 bucks, well, it grows and grows, so quickly, and so easily, doesn't it?


http://www.ifrc.org/helpnow/donate/donate_response.asp
The website is bogged down right now, but be patient, it will load (I hope this is a good sign)

All I want for Christmas is for you to stop bitching

<>I baked assloads of cookies this weekend, but did not send out the Christmas cards I bought, and even started to write in. I am about 75 percent Christmas ready, and ready to blow the rest off so I can lounge in my boyfriend's empty apartment for the next couple of days.

I miss him, like, a LOT. His cat is an incredibly sorry substitute for his presence, but I figure we can commiserate about not having someone to feed us and rub our chins until we drool.

And I am going to LOAF for the next two days.
Before Christmas. That rocks.

And, I want to take a moment to address all the obnoxious people who keep saying things like "I hate the holidays," "I can't wait until the holidays are over," "No presents, I hate Christmas," or whatever your fucking problem is...
If you don't like Christmas, shut the fuck up and get on with your life. Don't go out and feel like you have to buy shit because of Christmas. Go spend time with your friends and family, go do something nice. Do not go to the mall. If you really don't like Christmas, don't fucking participate! But complaining is just rude to those of us who DO enjoy Christmas.

I did some shopping and stuff, but the things I've enjoyed the most this year (and in years past) is the time I get with the people I love. I also love the Christmas music and lights, the crispness of the air, and the thouroughly-ingrained-despite-my-having-left-the-church-ages-ago sense of anticipation and wonder.

Christmas is totally about gifts. YES. From a religious standpoint, it might be the gift of god's son, or hope. I've received priceless gifts of friendship and love throughout the year, and it's this time of the year when we all think of the people around us dearly. Some may get material gifts to signify this, others may not. I had the gift of a wonderful dinner with friends last Sunday. And then I have family coming up this weekend. If you're reading this, you have the gift of life, and we all know a few who don't have that this year. It's a gift you ought to share with others around you like RIGHT FUCKING NOW, because you don't know which of us won't be sharing it next year.

Sometimes I've not been able to do gift-buying for christmas. One year, I was hospitalized just before the holiday, and sick too much before and after to shop. Didn't make a damn bit of difference to anyone around me. Trinkets are cool. But don't kid yourself. You don't really care about them, and neither do the people around you. They care about the gift of you. So give it up, scroogey, and stop yer bitching.


I am done with christmas shopping, now I have to come up with a bridesmaid dress.

<>Comments:
Charles: Presence, not Presents
Posted by Charles on Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 6:53 PM

creeping death

Current mood: sick

Now entering Week 2 of the Creeping Death cold. It just gets worse and worse. Last night I couldn't even get through the night-- woke up at 2am and couldn't stop caughing. For like an hour. After which, I finally decided to take ANOTHER dose of Nyquil (on top of the dose I took before going to bed but after a giagantic glass of wine)
Waking up and getting my shit together this morning was difficult. If I weren't so goddam busy at work, I'd stay home. But there's piles of shit to do, and more coming in all the time. I'm sick as shit and people just keep giving me more crap to do. Hey, here's an idea... if I'm the only one staying until 8 every night, maybe you should give that work to someone who is leaving at 5? My one comfort is the knowledge that they're all walking out of my office with a colony of Creeping Death germs. I hate it when work gets like this. I hate it more when I'm totally fucking sick.
Bitch, moan, complain. I hope this will ease up next week. I think it will.

It's all just distraction from the most miserable part of this, which is that Paul's away right now. Blue Christmas, indeed. Aaargh! three weeks is too long! I'm too busy with working to even do anything weird like go to his house and make a scarecrow from his clothes, or smell his pillow or something creepy. I'd make a terrible stalker.

And speaking of Christmas, I picked up something really cool for my sister in-law (assuming I actually get my ebay stuff in time) and now I'm really just stumped by my dear old dad. Dads are so difficult!

hack cough ugh

he's still on the airplane

<>but i miss him terribly already.
:(

Or my personal favorite:

Current mood: cranky

Sorry! an unexpected error has occurred.

This error has been forwarded to MySpace's technical group.


I don't know about everyone else, but I'm thinking, after the first hundred or so times, how "unexpected" is it, really?

Dear Myspace: Don't you ever get tired of sucking?

Current mood: aggravated

Error Occurred While Processing Request

Error Diagnostic Information

An error occurred while attempting to establish a connection to the service.

The most likely cause of this problem is that the service is not currently running. You can use the 'Services' Control Panel to verify that the service is running and to restart it if necessary.

Windows NT error number 2 occurred.

Back to The One I Love

Current mood: excited

Saturday we breathed life back into the DRZ. It had very sad valves, and we put the new shims in, fired it up! Not only does it run again, but it feels like a new bike! More power, happier in general, still need to fine tune the idle and all that, but for now, it RUNS!
And, as I took it around the neighborhood to test it out, I was very immediately reminded of the way riding used to make me feel. Corner once, twice, and oh HELL yeah, this is the bike for me! Lately I'd been very much NOT enjoying riding. I never used to say "couldn't we just go somewhere in walking distance" so much (unless there's liquor involved) and I was getting more and more depressed about it. All of that was gone as soon as I pushed the bike down under me to take sixth street. You can tell the bike is pushed down enough when you are looking at your teeth in the opposite mirror. Would the SV take that? Uh, no.
So all is well again. At least, enough is well. I am in heaven on that bike.

The SV finally got its new battery and is safely off of the street and away from the meter maids. It will sit there for a few weeks until Paul comes back, during which time I'll hopefully formulate a better plan of action. And, most importantly, ENJOY riding again. Then I'll be in a better frame of mind to approach the thing.

So far, the things floating around in my head:
-numero uno: replace fork oil. For $12 and a pan of brownies I can get this little thing fixed, and maybe make a little improvement.
-numero dos: someone to help me set the rear suspension properly. I suspect it's set up for someone heavier, though I don't know why, since the previous owner was my size. Might this help keep it planted in the turns?

Other considerations:
-tires: I'm tired of EXPECTING the tires to slip at least once in every ride. Last night it was when I got off of the freeway; the ride home before that was when I was on West Hill leaving work. Whatever. I don't know what it is, but it's nerve-racking. Rain Race Tires? The tires I have now are good for trips to Seattle, but how often am I really riding to Seattle? I know sticky tires are not long-lasting, but maybe it would be worth it to get rid of some of the icky feeling.
-Suspension: if I keep the thing, and the fork oil and rear shock don't work for me, that's a thousand dollars to sink into my bike. hmph.
-Selling it: which seems sort of logical, but I don't think there's a more suitable bike that I can think of. (except that SV dirtbike conversion?) Which leads me to believe that I might do better to just work on the one I have. Also, I DO like the motor. A bunch. And it's such a pretty blue.


Now, I don't have any real understanding of suspension, and I probably never would have noticed it had I stuck to crappy bikes like my first bike. But the DRZ has me spoiled. It feels so solid, really strongly stuck to the ground, anchored. Beautiful. The SV feels like it is rolling around, but not in a sticky tire sort of way; it feels like marbles on glass, gliding around this way and that, no real connection to the ground. That and all the clunkey stuff. I don't know how much of that is just my spoiled DRZ-riding ass, and how much of it is a nasty combo of suspension, fork-oil, and hard tires.

I DO know, that I am thrilled to have my real bike back up. And to enjoy riding again, and feel perfect again. The DRZ is like my own pair of legs, completely natural, and wonderful...

9:53 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

dead battery, and hope

I'm stuck at home today. My bike would not start this morning, and there isn't really any way for me to get to work without wheels. Nevermind all the work I was complaining about piling up on my desk. It's a beautiful day to spend at home, work will wait. It has to.

So it's Christmas time, I've become a little reflective.
This is what's inspiring me today:
http://sorryeverybody.com/


I've also looked just a tiny bit (not enough yet) into where some of my money goes. It's too much to handle perfectly, but I've found that several of my favorite retailers are BIG republican funders.

Victoria's Secret? WTF?! Do I need to remind them that their bread and butter comes from the sexual revolution, which, in a world where we aren't allowed to to discuss anything but abstinence, DOESN'T FUCKING EXIST!
WTF? Damn, but that's just as well, think of all the money I'll save on shit I don't really need.

Sadly, they are part of the Limited, Co., and that includes my very favorite place to buy clothes. Goodbye Express. Oh, and I have two shirts I bought a month or so ago I need to return to the store now.

And since Christmas is coming up, I've been thinking about gifts. I'm making something for some people, other people I'm not sure. But I do now have this handy list to keep in mind:
http://www.projectbluechristmas.com/
Nobody I know needs anything besides more time with the people they love, anyway. I'm making something for my sister that she will really like. I don't know about my dad yet.
Anyway, I've been meaning to look into changing banks for a while.

Our politicians are on a mission from God. They say they want to unite, but the actions show otherwise. They know that roughly half of the country does not agree with them, but they look forward blindly into what they want to see. In short, they don't give a shit about what you think.
But their financial supporters DO care what you buy.
Boycott, make informed choices. TRY. Make micro-movements, follow up with a letter.

Dreamy

My dream bike.

Well, I mean, in addition to my 400. This is more for the road.

gimmee.


http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sv650/Frame%20Enduro.html

Comments:
Pauly Unsaturated

Things must be crazy cheap in Australia. $1900AUD=$1500USD. You'd be hard pressed to just find those forks here for that much.



Hey!


hey!

Posted by Pauly Unsaturated on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 9:23 PM




Rebecca:

Cool, well, christmas is coming. Tell my parents that's what I really need!
Convince them that I would crash less, they dig that kind of thing.

Posted by Rebecca on Wednesday, December 01, 2004 at 11:19 AM

My deadbeat brother

<>I am completely at a loss of what to do without my brother around for the holidays.
It made a little bit of sense to me, that my sister, once married, would alternate Thanksgiving dinner with her in-laws and Christmas dinner with her in-laws, every year. We still saw her Christmas morning, so this was somewhat acceptable. But my brother, who has apparently gone over to the dark side, is not even going to bother coming home for either of the two! And he’s not even married yet! This is pretty depressing to me. I am a complete sucker for Christmas, and I really can’t imagine it without my family all together.

Thanksgiving was a little depressing, first, because my brother didn’t come, but second, because my sister and her husband could not make it, since their car crapped out in Livermore. So neither of my siblings showed, and furthermore I had no real food since my sister was bringing the veggie food. That’s fine, Thanksgiving feasting turned into Thanksgiving snacking, which I can totally live with. But not having them around was weird and sad. My uncle and aunt had gone south, and very few of my cousins were there. My grandparents seem to have been ambushed by aging in the past couple of years, and this is visibly upsetting my grandfather. Maybe it’s a good thing that our numbers were so small: less stress for my grandparents?

Friday was a much better day. Grandma Kay’s waffles for breakfast (with peanut butter and maple syrup!) and then we went wine tasting, bringing along my grandparents. Which they REALLY enjoyed. I got tossed, and bought way too much wine. We picked up fancy-pants cheese on the way home, for a quick wine and cheese party. I was already drunk, then we all binged and ate too goddam much cheese, until we felt sick. Well, at least I did. I considered puking to make myself feel better, and for old times sake, since I always got sick at my grandma’s house as a child. But instead, crashed out face down in the turret room upstairs. Nap time was crudely interrupted by my mom who wanted me to get up to see a crappy movie. They only show crappy movies in Jackson, and The Incredibles was the least offensive. My grandparents had a wonderful time with us on Friday, and that night my grandmother slept through 8 hours for the first time in months.

Saturday, breakfast at Rosebud’s (best coffeecake in the world), tiny bit of shopping, and then home again. I baked brownies for my folks, which we scarfed with port, then we pulled out the Christmas stuff from the observatory. (no spiders this time, but did get one dead cricket.) Somehow it’s all left to me, and no siblings, decorating the tree with my mom. Sigh. I’m going to go cry now.

Currently listening: Merry Christmas From the Space-Age By Esquivel Release date: By 20 August, 1996

valve lash and meeting the 'rents

<>Wahoo!
Good news! My DRZ exhaust valves are too tight. Finally, the dang thing shows signs of how it can be fixed. It was getting ridiculous to ride for a while. Parts are on order.

Everyone knows I can not cook to save my life, so Friday, I tried to make Paul teach me how to cook stuff. It worked, and was not too scary. I’m sure it bewilders him how I can be a vegetarian for 15 years and know nothing about vegetables.

Saturday afternoon was one of those sunny San Francisco Saturdays that make you wonder what exactly you’ve been doing with your time that makes you miss out on these lazy shuffling around the city days. It will start raining soon, and the sidewalks will become empty and the streets hostile again. Christmas time in my neighborhood is the worst, and I saw this weekend that the traffic has already started. Union Square before Christmas is as bad as it gets. One year this guy in a Lincoln Town Car Limo thingie ran over my foot on purpose. He was stuck in the predictable traffic snarl, and angry I suppose. I crumpled up the bag of chips I was eating and emptied it into his lap for shits. Oddly, getting your foot run over by a car doesn’t actually hurt. But it does make you mad. (like crashing motorcycles)

Saturday night I did something I haven’t done since I was about 13, and went to meet my beau’s mom. I was nervous, to be honest. But it was OK. She was pretty much like I’d imagined, and did not say anything like “stay away from my son, you floozy!” or “when are you planning to get a real job?” or “so, are you knocked up?” No, she was just as sweet and intelligible as I’d imagined, and fed me ice cream and wine and cheese and olives. Perfect. She did NOT, however, break out with any nekkid baby pictures, sadly. And didn’t seem to have any embarrassing stories to tell. Maybe later.

But Sunday, Sunday was the icing on the cake. Mimosas for breakfast, and then took apart my DRZ. And found the exhaust valves were omigod tight. Which is almost certainly the reason my bike has been dying constantly. This can be fixed, fairly simply, so that’s a great relief. I have really been missing my DRZ.

I was feeling sorry for Paul, as we rode back over the bridge, that he is riding with me, and it’s like riding with a goddam newbie rider. Every time I get on my bike, I ride a little bit worse. It’s embarrassing for me and surely for anyone unfortunate enough to ride with me. Putting air back in the SV tires spooked me a little, but I’m sure it’s a good thing once I get used to it. Need to learn more about suspension and figure out what steps to take with that bike, since the SV is the culprit, I believe, that makes me such a shit rider these days. I’m thinking, set the rear suspension more correctly if possible, perhaps do something with fork oil. Try to get advice from Charles. Then consider the options of throw money at it, or get out. Anyway, having the DRZ back up to snuff will be great.

Then I COOKED. It was unbelievable and fun, and did not turn out disastrous. I had a little supervision and moral support, but mostly, I am capable of a simple recipe. Hmph.

Aaaaaaand, Christmas is coming. Which I LOVE. I am crazy for Christmas music, and cookies, and family time. So I’m pretty excited. All starting this Thursday with family stuff in Sutter Creek. Wine tasting on Friday, and hopefully a Christmas tree at the folks’ house this weekend. Woot!

Comments:

Pauly Unsaturated

You forgot to mention the $230 enima.

Posted by Pauly Unsaturated on Saturday, November 27, 2004 at 7:26 PM



Rebecca: well, I still think you paid too much for that, so I wasn't going to bring it up!
Posted by Rebecca on Saturday, November 27, 2004 at 7:27 PM

sit on my lap

<>OK, shit. What the heck do I get my parents, brother, sister, and in-laws for Christmas?

Last year, I made my brother and sister footie pajamas like we had when we were kids.

Now what?
Ack!

Tell me what you want for christmas. Sit on my lap. This will be our little secret, right?

Currently listening: Dr. Demento Presents: Greatest Christmas Novelty CD By Various Artists Release date: By 31 July, 1989

today's horoscope

<>Leo: (July 23—Aug. 22)
Opening a free amusement park was a great idea, but people will be revolted by your idea of amusement.

validation

<>oh good. I'm finally getting spam on MySpace.


"Yo. This is that site our mutual friend shot for. It's an amateur site but
she is naked as a jaybird in there. Keep watching the video. She get's real
nasty. I can't believe she did that! :)"


I wouldn't find this so offensive if it weren't for the abuse of the apostrophe.
I was totally fooled by the "mutual friend" thing too! darn those clever spammers! uhhh, yeah.

what's underneath, even when the shiny side's up

<>It’s not so often, but sometimes the self-doubt becomes too much. Maybe I really suck at this. Maybe I should take the fucking hint. They’re not exactly subtle hints, anyway. They’re violent, painful, shocking, smelly bad hints, with metal snapping, fingers grinding, sparks flying. I can hear the motor as it spins away. Sometimes it’s a quick one, and sometimes it unfolds in slow motion. Maybe you're looking at the bottom of the motorcycle behind you, rider in panic; you can see his suspension load up as he screeches to a halt. What an interesting view it is down here!

For a while, I got better. I got better, and better, and it was fun. Then the fear set in. It started on July 11th, and it’s been getting worse since. There’s no explanation for that one, so it’s only me.

I can excuse myself somewhat for last night, but in the end, it’s always only you. That’s what makes you the rider. You are always responsible. Hit a deer? What were you doing speeding through the forest? I know. I do it, and when it happens, that’s what I’m going to ask myself. Car made a left in front of you? We all know that’s the most common accident, you should have taken some precaution. Did you make enough eye contact? Was your headlight working? Did you slow down for the intersection? You should know this, you’ve heard the stories, read the articles, you’ve even professed it to others. So what’s your fucking excuse?

I could explain it, that someone put three bottles of motor oil in the intersection where I make my turn after crossing Market Street. Going back and seeing the bottles and puddles meant something to me for sure. But the frequency tells me that there’s something wrong with ME. How many miles have I gone? Probably more than you. So why now, why all of the sudden, have I completely lost it? And what am I doing ignoring these messages?

I started out scared and it took a few years and many thousands of miles to gain some confidence. It was an uphill battle but there was a golden period earlier this year where I HAD IT. But the past few months I’ve just been sliding down the other side of the mountain, taking twigs and rocks in the face and hating myself more every minute.

The pavement hurts, but not so much as this. I’m not so much afraid of the falling off literally, it’s all the falling that continues even after you’ve picked up the bike.

Comments:
Joe

This too shall pass. You sound like you know how to ride safely... you've just had some bad luck. It'll turn. I'm still trying to conquer my own fear of getting on a bike. I've always wanted to, but deaths have cooled my desire. But I don't think we should be hogtied by our fears. So I plan on getting a bike next year. Any bike recommendations?

Posted by Joe on Sunday, November 21, 2004 at 11:54 PM

Motorcycle Show

Current mood: other

Saturday was the International Motorcycle Show in San Mateo.
Impressions:
I sat on one of the Husquvarna’s and my feet were dangling about 1 foot from the ground. Now, I’m average height for a woman, and a bit short for a guy. But I’m not 1 foot short in the inseam! Who are these bikes designed for exactly? I saw about four people over the course of the day who might have been able to ride that bike. As Paul pointed out. “Husky has gone out of business twice during the time that we’ve been standing here climbing on their bikes.”

Cage of Death: SO COOL! What fun! I’m glad other people risk serious injury for my amusement.

Overheard at one of these crappy “American Iron” accessory shops, full of chrome, flaming do-rags, and halter tops, from an 11ish year old boy: “This belt that I saw at Hot Topic for $30 is only $19 here!” I hope all the patrons of that booth were duly embarrassed.

The Mille gets uglier every year: the tail now looks like a trivet. So sad. The Spider Man Aprilia was fucking fruity.

I really dig the Multistrada 620. So cute. Now if only it was made by Honda, I might consider it.
On the other hand, Suzuki’s “Adventure-Tourer,” or whatever they’re calling these things, the V-Strom 650, is a gigantic pig of a machine. What happened there?

It’s cool seeing the Baja, etc. setups at the Honda booth. I want a Ruckus. To put in my pocket, and carry around. It is too cute. It is $2000. The “Big Ruckus,” new this year, is an ugly turd, and it costs $5300.

The DRZ looks good, and not much different, and has deeper blue plastics. I miss mine. The Super Motard version was not shown, since we don’t get it in California. Boo. It looks like it’s gonna be neat.

The Monster Challenge was somewhat disappointing, except for one cute little café-racer style setup and paintjob. There was a very cute (and CA street registered!) Triumph flat tracker custom dealy in the Triumph booth, though.

The Husaberg had an electric start, and there was a battery in it. It was also very close to the door. We wondered how much gas was in it, and was it enough to get away with it?

Little kids falling off of dirtbikes is one of the most adorable things ever.

Dinner was at a crappy Mexican place where the food had no flavor. The company was good, but I don’t think there’s any reason for crappy Mexican food to exist in California.
Then I went to work at New Wave City, and Sunday I spent fucking off.

jumping ship?

Current mood: oddly patriotic

Anyone who's talking about leaving the country because of this election needs to fuck off.
Your country needs you now more than ever.
I can't see anything to be gained by all the thinkers leaving the country. Yeah, maybe if all the liberals or democrats or whoever you call yourselves, leave, we'll have a great nation of, umm, what exactly? I have never seen any benefit from running away.
48/51 or whatever the latest poll number is, means that we are very close.

I rarely spew patriotic rhetoric, or at least not what's commonly recognized as patriotic these days, but I feel very strongly about making this country better, not worse. The concepts underlying our government are good ones, and democracy is a great responsibility. It's your responsibility to make it better, not turn your tail and run. Go cry for a while, then complain, then rebel, riot, write letters, run for office, do what you can. Do not complain about the way things are if you are willing to even consider abandoning them.

ugh, I hate the president, but you're a bunch of whiny retards too.

Comments:

MonkeyDude

Agreed.

I've never even protested in a march before, but now I'm ready to pick up a gun and revolt. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get our nation back from those fuckers.

Posted by MonkeyDude on Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 10:18 AM

I want to cry

<>"Network projections showed Republicans would hold at least 54 of the 100 Senate seats, three more than they now have, and widen their slim majority of the 435-member House in the new 109th Congress, set to convene on Jan. 3.

That will make it easier for Bush to push his conservative agenda through Congress, potentially making his tax cuts permanent and appointing more federal judges including possibly some U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) justices.

"With a bigger majority, we can do even more exciting things," said House Majority leader Tom DeLay, a Republican from Texas. "



What the fuck are these people thinking?
Nevermind National Security, or the incredibly bad face we've made for the rest of the world to look at.
The rollback of civil rights is alarming and disgusting, not "exciting," and there's more on the way.
And new judges...

By the theory that when people find out they might not able to get something, they run out to horde it (like the stupid flu shot), it follows that we should all run out and get as many abortions as we can, while we still can. That means you boys too.

Nonsense. I can't make any sense.

My horoscope today

<>Leo: (July 23—Aug. 22)
The population density of Wyoming is very low, but that doesn't mean the people there aren't also out to kill you.

Pajaro Dunes and Cannibalism

Current mood: numb

today's horoscope:
Leo: (July 23—Aug. 22)
You'll feel a lot better with warm clothes on your back and food in your stomach, proving that cannibalism has a couple things going for it.


Not a lot to report here, except PAJARO DUNES SUCKS. I rode two hours down to spend the weekend with my family, only to be told when I got there that they don't allow motorcycles. Ridiculous policy. I don't want to start what will turn into a three page missive about this, but suffice to say PAJARO DUNES CAN SUCK MY FAT ASS. (also, gates don't keep motorcycles out, you stupid old hag.)

2 hours back, wasted my Friday night with that bullshit. Saturday rocked. Drank all day, crawling bars and restaurants near my house. I got pretty well tossed.

Picked up the handlebars, and they won't work for me. Anyone want some ProTapers?

Sunday ate at one of my favorite restaurants and traipsed around the City. I don't often putter around in SF anymore. It was a nice way to spend a weekend.

Then got a few beers and watched the debates I taped on Friday. Was that a debate? I'm not sure. The beer was tasty though.

My brother's in town this weekend for my cousin's wedding. Very cool, I get to see my whole family on Sunday for brunch, before the wedding.
AND, he has finally set a date for his own wedding, which means I'm starting to consider a road trip. But I don't know how much rain I'd get riding to Seattle in April... maybe it wouldn't be so great.


Hungry. (OK, not "numb." But I like the little guy with the fork in his eye.)

fouled plugs

Current mood: stressed

So I had these two beautiful motorycles.
I loved them, they loved me, they even looked good together.

Then I decided to get off of one without slowing it down first. Crash!
Finally ordered the elusive parts to fix it on Friday. (believe me, it was harder than it sounds)
Sunday I just couldn't stand it, and pulled the runner apart and made it unhappy.
Now I have no bike. Which, admittedly, I deserved.
Carburetors are not my friends. I know, but I suspect that I would hate a fuel injector ten times more, since I could not see the mess and understand the not-working bits.
Despite frustrations I had a wonderful time yesterday.
Saturday I got to go see James race sidecars at Sears Point. Very cool. James is nifty, and now a Hot Racer Boy.
Friday I drank, but did not get "tanked."

SOMEONE I know has just picked up a brand new KTM 950. I have no idea who, though. I really hate when people text message my cellphone. Please stop; I have no clue who sends the message. Usually it's just Jack, but I think it must have been someone else this time. Anyway, whoever you are, can I crash your bike? Pretty please? I ain't got one of my own just now.
Being a passenger is fun.
China sucks.
Bitchslaps on the house tonight.

Comments:
John Foley (ape)

It's about time you started riding bitch again.

Posted by John Foley on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 at 9:08 AM

Pauly Unsaturated

Posted by Pauly Unsaturated on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 at 2:23 PM

bling is on the way!

Current mood: ProTaperiffic

Finally ordered the bars for my SV.
Fucking Renthal has all these teaser bars listed on their website which you can't actually buy. After several times trying to order parts which I found there, then finding out that, no, that one is ALSO not available, I've completely abandoned Renthal. Fuck 'em. This is like my vendors in China. They will tell you how great their products are, and how much they are excited to work on stuff and get the business, but as soon as you send them a development, they just tell you they don't feel like doing it. That's if they respond at all. Hello! Renthal apparently learned their business in China. I even emailed them and told them I wanted to figure out how to buy their product and they didn't respond. "Please tell me how to stick money into your business!"

Anyway, I secretely wanted the ProTapers for no apparent reason, and with ONE phone call to Hippie Mark, I can have them. They are on their way now in black, and I'll have them next week. Hack off the ends, visit my SV, and hope for the best. We'll see then if I need longer cables.
All I need now is a footpeg. and a charge on the battery. Woot!

OH!
And, I'm going to go get tanked tonight at Cat Club. Who's in with me?
Tomorrow I'm gonna try to make the races to watch James monkey the sidehack (Go James!), and then I have to work tomorrow night for New Wave City. Yippee-fucking-doo, it's the eighties! The kids love it.
Sunday, I punish my carburetor.

Comments:
John Foley (ape)

current mood: buy me a Goddamned drink.

Posted by John Foley on Saturday, October 02, 2004 at 12:39 PM




Charles:

2 more poops.

why do people give each other fat poops?

do not hack the bars till we mount and measure please

Posted by Charles on Saturday, October 02, 2004 at 7:06 PM

band-blocking goodness

<>Yippee!!!!!!!!
1.) Go to account settings
2.) Select "Block Friend Requests From Bands."
3.) Celebrate

Cycle Gear

<>can suck my fat ass.
I'm tired of being told "no."




Comments:
Pauly Unsaturated

I'm only allowed 2 props. 2 props isn't even close to "mAd PrOpS". This shit ain't even close to where it needs to be in terms of accurately expressing my "prop" needs.


Cycle Gear Rulez!! Although they didn't have valve shims for my RD at the SF store...

Posted by Pauly Unsaturated on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 9:22 PM




B.

I agree. Cycle gear is sooooooo weak, in fact all motorcycle stores are weak. They are always staffed with complete jerks, who won't help you and act like you've never seen a bike before. Not to mention the fact that you had the nerve to ask for help, now that I'm thinking about it, screw scuderia west too.

Posted by B. on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 at 11:27 PM

since I missed out on that whole "LOL" craze (Myspace Blogs)

Current mood: "awesome!"

Oh good. Now you can give "props" to people in their blogs.
What the hell does that mean? Is it a shorthand for making actual comment? Cuz I love anything that will keep me from actually having to think too hard. oh, yeah!

I also see that I can tell you my mood and what I'm doing. So I can choose from "touched," "predatory," "numb," "contemplative," "indescribable," etc.
Ugh. Wait, no, this is "awesome!" More ways to be EMO!

I'm feeling awesome. Always. But you gotta say it like Doc. "Awesome!"

I also get all this crap:
.
®
¤

and so on.
I'm so glad.

:love:
:clueless:

why can't I make the stupid happy faces work?
Boo.

Comments:

Rebecca

woo!
I rock!
mad props to me, yo!

Posted by Rebecca on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 8:55 AM

Rebecca

damn, I guess you can't give yourself props.
:(

Posted by Rebecca on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 8:55 AM





John Foley (ape)

Well, thinking too hard does give you wrinkles. So you lucked out!
No props for you.

Posted by John Foley on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 10:21 AM




Charles: poops? I will give you poops!
Posted by Charles on Saturday, October 02, 2004 at 7:06 PM

please replace me with an Atari

<>So Saturday I had friends up from the south bay to hang out in the City and do City stuff. There was a tiki art exhibit which was the catalyst for making all of this happen, and while I don’t know how interested anyone was in the actual tiki art, it worked to get my friends to come see me, so I was happy. There were a few pieces in the gallery that I really enjoyed, but we were done rather quickly. We had time to kill so we stopped at a dive bar for a drink so we could feed the meter one last time before dinner. (After trying to explain to Sara that in San Francisco, we don’t just sit on park benches in the Tenderloin to pleasantly relax and feed pigeons and take in the scenery. There’s a reason there’s a giant fence around that park.)
Now, I’ve lived in this neighborhood for ten years, but I clean up better than most of the other residents. I got the distinct feeling they had us pegged for out of towners that got lost in the slums. The first charm was that the bartendress asked us what we wanted, but told us “nothing complicated.” Yay! What a great place! We went about enjoying our drinks while all hell broke loose around us, with a drunken Irishman throwing a cellphone, smashing a bottle, and storming out. Awesome!

On to dinner, at Axum East. I’ve been to the one in the Lower Haight several times, and was pleasantly surprised. Much bigger, and the food seemed just as good. A little different ambiance, but whatever.

Decided to catch the earlier Mousetrap show instead of going to the Vertigo bar, and since I was confused about the actual time, we piled into the car and went. At some point I realized it was an hour earlier than I’d thought so we stopped for a Barrel of Monkeys flaming drink for four at the Lingba Lounge. Charles requested parlor tricks and got them, then looked perturbed.
Out to Hunter’s Point for the Mousetrap thingy. There was liquor and a burn barrel and some couches, so I was happy. The sky was beautiful and I had some of my favorite people around. It was a good time. Oh yeah, there was a life size mousetrap, like the game. Yeah. Cool, but just a fraction of the fun for me. Fun was getting up and down the hillside in my ridiculous furry platform boots with chrome heels. I totally did not break my ankles!

Where next? Sara wants to go to Noc Noc. I mention donuts at the roundabout and Charles wants to go back to do it. And the Mighty Festiva is squealing with joy as we jerk around the circle several times. Charles has not been drinking, and deserves to have his fun too. Finally we exit the circle and make our way to Noc Noc where we get nearly rockstar parking and find ourselves with a crappy floor table. We are all folded up sitting on the floor in a room full of stinky smokers and hippies. The table next to us looks more comfortable. Sara mentions that next she wants to go somewhere she can dance, and I suggest the table next to us. It hardly takes any cajoling at all, and she is ON IT! Charles gave me money to put in her waistband. The people sitting there look bemused, then get up and vacate. Yay! We got a much better table. Unfortunately, sara cannot find the money she earned.

Saturday morning we got ready to go meet Sara and Charles to ride Mt. Hamilton. Paul has never been before, this is one of my favorite rides. But, it’s raining. Just a little when I wake up. Forecast says it will clear up. Anyway, we’re all on dirtbikes, and traction is really just a bonus. But Charles will have none of it, so Paul and I decided to go without them. Then got lazy and confused and made bizarre plans based on the fact that we both thought it was Saturday. Anyway, it ended up not mattering because he couldn’t start his bike. It seems that the XR series won’t run without a sparkplug, and his was stolen while it was parked by my house. Sheesh! Very ironic, since we had just been discussing this very issue, and the fact that his sparkplug wouldn’t even work for smoking crack. Something about a carbon core, or, oh who cares, anyway, two up to Scuderia was an adventure, as I haven’t had a passenger in ages and I only have one passenger peg.

Fast forward to the afternoon, when we finally got to Mt. Hamilton. It had rained in San Jose also, but it wasn’t raining when we got there. The ride up was nice, very little traffic, but the road was a bit slippery. Water in the corners where the trees were. Very thick fog at the top, but very very pretty. This is the first time in a long time that I’ve gotten to the top and NOT seen that asshole UC cop. Guess it was too cold for him to bother. Took the little telescope tour/lecture, and warmed our asses on the heaters inside, then headed down the back. I think this was one of the nicest runs I’ve ever had down the backside and Mines road. Saw a lot of wildlife—deer, quail, some other neat looking birds. Paul saw two tarantulas. Just a beautiful day for a ride. Stopped at the Junction, which for once had no other motorcycles, but was full of colorful locals inside. Headed back into the East Bay, where I of course became lost. Took me like an hour to recover and finally found my way back for a cup of tea before heading home for another week of drudgery.

I thought the whole point of computers and all that crap was so that we could spend all our time playing, while the robots and computers did all the work.
I feel so gypped.

I look better with a beard

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Comments:

John Foley (ape)

Is that what you're calling Paul now? At least you can finally admit it, you big lesbo.

Posted by John Foley on Friday, September 17, 2004 at 10:16 AM



Rebecca

Hey, I didn't "out" you!!!!
Oh, wait, I guess it's not really necessary.

Posted by Rebecca on Friday, September 17, 2004 at 11:39 AM


John Foley (ape)

OUT? I was never IN!

Posted by John Foley on Saturday, September 18, 2004 at 1:54 PM

my friends do the darndest things!

<>So a friend of mine runs this site HotorNot, which is one of the funniest success stories I've ever heard. Best I can figure, HotorNot was a bad idea someone came up with while they were drunk, but he and James have made it into one of the most well known and successful dating websites out there. Oh, and it's oddly compelling to sit and click at for a while.

Jimy did pretty well for himself with this thing and wants to give someone a bunch of money to encourage them to vote. I think that's pretty cool. I think it'd be even cooler if he gave ME the money, but, whatever....

Go here, sign up, look at Jim and James with no clothes on, win big money, and VOTE.

http://rt3153g.VOTEorNOT.org

ps. if you win, you should buy me an ice cream cone. With sprinkles.

don't think someone else is going to fix this for you

<>OK, so this graphic is a bit on the cheeseball side. But in all seriousness, here's something I think is incredibly important. My grandfather was once a rabid Republican, but in the past ten or so years, he's veered away from that. Now he's told me that he feels this is the darkest period in American history, certainly that he remembers, and that he can even think of historically. He really looks scared.

Both parties suck, (I happen to think one sucks less than the other. And right now, that's very important to me.) and they both think that there's a dollar amount on each vote. Some voters are worth investing in, others are not. If you're reading this, you're probably in the "don't waste the campaign dollars" category. They're counting on your apathy to let them run the country for their own purposes.

So, for the sake of my grandfather, please do your goddam job. Go. Vote. It's not so hard, and you get a little sticker when you turn in your ballot.
And, who DOESN'T like a sticker?

To all potential myspace voters: A friend of mine likes to say, 'If you don't vote, then you don't have the right to complain.' And the way things have been lately, you may not have the right to complain if you don't vote. *** Apathy is the death of democracy. *** Click here to register to vote. (It only takes a minute.)

Comments:

John Foley (ape)

You people all need to move to Russia.

Posted by John Foley on Thursday, September 16, 2004 at 8:38 AM



Charles:

http://www.whitehouse.org/initiatives/posters/hot-karl.asp

please backtrack to their home page, for many inspirational messages.

register to and vote.

or stfu

Posted by Charles on Thursday, September 16, 2004 at 8:39 AM

only YOU can prevent office fires!

<>Beautiful. My office smells like smoke.
Last year we all had to evacuate the building (and the entire four or five blocks) because their "controlled burn," wasn't.
Hah hah!
Not so funny to the people who live here.


My eyes/contacts are bothering me, so I know I'm not imagining the smoke in the air right now...

excitement?

chain goodness

<>I finally got a new chain on my DRZ. yay! it is wonderful and doesn't make all that noise. I also suspect it won't need adjustment every three miles like the old one did. I did a really good job on that old chain. It was stretched so damn much, we had to cut a link out to keep it from jumping off and doing a dance numbr on the freeway.

And had a generally wonderful weekend. Again. What did I do to deserve all this?

I finally saw the buffalo in Golden Gate Park. All these years I've lived here and never gone to see them... and, uhhh, it was a little anti-climactic. Those are some seriously ugly and lazy creatures. And the double fence means it's hard to poke, prod, or otherwise pester them.

Some macaroon took the perfectly divey-bar by my house and turned it into a hip-hop-lounge sort of place. Which I wouldn't even care about, except it was nightclub-loud with some crappy DJ mixing disco and hip-hop, or whatever the fuck they call it these days. ***NEWS FLASH: Disco sucks! It might have been sort of funny and ironic the first time someone mixed it into modern "music," but now it's just sucking and making you look like a dumbass with bad taste.*** I preferred the dirty dive bar incarnation greatly. Plus there was no liquor in my drink. Boo. Now where should I go to drink in the neighborhood?

I have not seen charles in so long, I think I am going to cry.

Ha Hah! So Funny!

<>So this morning on the way to work, my shift lever fell off. I noticed this as I had come to a stop between two cars at a light. Fortunately, my bike doesn't too much mind starting up in 2nd, so I was able to go when the light turned and pull off in the middle of the next block.

Pushed a block to park her at the Chevron, then hiked up the block where it fell off. Found it in the crosswalk (must have fallen off immediately after I'd shifted up from that light.) Watched a few cars run it over, and retrieved it. Cleaned a bunch of crud off of it (Thank you Redwood City Honda for ignoring my warantee-covered oil leak. Fuckers) and found a truck full of cheery Irish guys with tools. (Thank you "Sparky's Electric!")

Stuck it on and tightened it a bit with the wrong tools, will check again when I get home tonight.

I know, I need to wash the dirtbike and tighten bolts.
Also, my chain is so loose, I fear I may run over it. Heh.

And I never once lost my spoon!

So every year just before Burning Man, I always think “this is the last time.” And then every year, when I come back, I’m so thrilled, can’t wait to get back next year… Then when it approaches, I’m tired of it again.
This year, I really think it may be the last time. At least for a while. I don’t know for sure that the event and the art were less than in the past. I do know that my involvement, inspiration, and motivation have dwindled, and my interaction was so minimal that I’m not sure I could justify another trip next year.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t have a good time. I had a REALLY good time.

Left Wednesday after work, tossed a little bag onto the bike, met the boy (yes, there’s a BOY), and we headed up to beautiful downtown Oroville for the night, at a five-star Days Inn, or something like it. Intention was to get a few hours north for the night, and save the daylight and rushing so we could enjoy the scenic ride out and still get in to BRC in time to gather our crap and set up in the daylight.
Watched Martha Stewart brainwashing freaky little kids on the TV and learned how to make a Barbie cake. Conked out and got up late (hello? Days Inn alarm clocks are not to be trusted) Packed up and then tore everything apart looking for my bike key. (I brought a spare, but still) Gave up and then found it under my back tire. Is this a bad sign?
Breakfast was iffy, but we quickly found our way up to highway 70 Feather River Canyon, which is one of the purtiest roads I’ve ever ridden. After finally losing the cop, we enjoyed tiny spurts of fun in between trucks and unresponsive traffic switches for the bridge work. Seriously, I LOVE this road. I’d love to come back to the area for a camping weekend or somesuch. Maybe rent an Airstream at “Jackass Flats?”

Into Susanville for lunch and then went looking for our dirt road. Which was, uhhh, completely unmarked, so we passed it. Doubled back and guessed on which turn-off it was, and with some luck, I was right. Smoke Creek Desert road, or whatever it’s called, is a dirt/gravel road across the desert from 395 to about 10 miles north of Gerlach. Very little traffic, really pretty and un-developed. Gravel and some rocky bits tossed my bike around a little, but I definitely was doing better than I did last year on the same road. The XR behind me was handicapped by street tires, so I got to have the delusion that I was doing well, comparatively. Noticed a cave on the left side of the road, and meant to come back to it on the return trip for exploration.
Got to Gerlach and it was still NOT hot. At all. At the gas station, one of the Perimeter workers asked if we were going in to BRC now. “It’s really bad in there,” he told us. Um? Really bad, like what? Like it’s wall to wall hippies? There’s no running water? It’s hot? It’s cold? You fucking dumbass, it’s a goddam desert! “Bad what?” “It’s a total whiteout,” he says. I stopped myself from saying “OH, shit, I guess I’ll just go home then.” “It’s OK, I’m on a dirtbike,” has become my answer to any of this brand of stupidity (It’s raining/dusty/hot/cold/muddy/there’s traffic/there’s no parking/what-the-fuck-ever). “Well, you have to go in through the gate!” he gets all exciteable. No shit, dumbass, but now that you mention it, I COULD go in through the side if they’re all as dumb as you.
Into the city, to the airport, found my sister and parked our crap at Thunderdome. Started trekking around to get our shit to camp. (why must my sister camp on the other side of the world?) I was drinking by the end of my second trip to schlep stuff, and the tent was up before sundown. Happy happy.

And then a bunch of stuff in between. I think every time at Burning Man, at least for me, it’s a little different. Some years I’ve spent a lot of time working at thunderdome. Some times it’s all about the art and the city, some years it’s been about the people I meet and get to know. This year my focus was very narrow and very nearby. I was downright reclusive with this incredible boy, and carry a bit of guilt and a lot of joy from that. We traipsed around suffering through intense blisters and had a damn fine time. Drank a bit, gave bad advice and ate my sister’s food. There was some really cool art, and a lot that didn’t capture me at all. It was a good time, but I’m not sure it was a patently “Burning Man” experience.

I’m writing this so I’ll remember: Fuck the Temple Burn. In the past few years this has been one of the high points for me. I’ve never gone out to watch the Man burn, preferring to stay at camp away from the crowds of yahoos and tweakers. The temple has always been a more quiet, reflective burn. This year it was so very different, I nearly followed Kevy’s lead and walked out. I stayed, but the bitterness won’t go away. The crowd of people gathered was just an extension of the yahoos; there was yelling and bitching, complaining, selfish fuckups and some dumbass with laser pointers. I never heard such angry hippies! “fuck you,” “fat bitch,” and an assortment of other insults and pathetic empty threats were tossed around the group while we sat. They yelled over the singing and complained about every goddam thing around them. I won’t return for that. I’m so sorry for David Best and his team. Every time I see his/their work, I’m in awe, but the crowds that have gathered are not worthy. The burn itself was beautiful, as was the temple in its finished state, but the rest of the experience was really disgusting.

Monday morning plan was to leave ASAP to get our asses onto that dirt road for the long trip home. Note to self: do NOT use angle iron to stake a tent. Left much later than we wished, and only after fucking with my bike when it wouldn’t start. So we took 80 instead, and in order to avoid my falling asleep while riding, we rode like jackasses most of the way. Weeeeeeee! Got home in good time, tired, dirty, and, at least for me, a little euphoric.

Comments:

Charles:

glad u like the boi

sorry BM was just that, a BM

Posted by Charles on Saturday, September 11, 2004 at 3:16 PM

John Foley (ape)

heehee BM.

Posted by John Foley on Sunday, September 12, 2004 at 11:07 AM

What happened was,

<>Past few weeks have flown by. Work is omigod busy. I’ll be flying out to Vegas for work this Saturday for the Magic show, which I’ve never been to, but there’s a LOT of work to be done. The past month has been very stressful getting ready for the show. As ready as possible. I know we aren’t going to have it all together.
It sounds like fun, sure, to go to Vegas, but it’s for work, and most of the time will be steaming samples and dealing with incredibly stressed out boss-types in the sweltering heat. Then, so maybe I get a couple of hours to myself in the evening, to spend, um, in Vegas, by myself. Yawn. Good stuff? We’re staying at the Bellagio. Fancy! For a cheapskate like me. Bad stuff? Leave Saturday morning, return Monday early afternoon. Hello? Where the heck did my WEEKEND go?!?!?!? Ugh. Then it’s Wednesday night straight out of work, heading out to Burning Man. I mean, that’s great and all, but I haven’t had any time to prepare. Um. I need to do a few things first. But there’s no time.

But the past few weeks have been GOOD. I’ve seen 90percent of my most favoritest people in the world. Had the best birthday I’ve had in years (totally beat the crappy Chinese food year) and got to see my grandma last weekend. She’s pretty much my favorite person ever. Went for an incredible weekend camping trip to Big Sur, with a refreshing lack of planning and crap-worrying, and just a little bit of “hey, where’s that dirt road go?” exploring. And, AND, with fancy schmancy BLUE DRINKS. We were the swankiest drunks in the campsite. Nevermind we had no lantern, campfire, or, um, breakfast (raccoons do the darndest things!) It was perfect.

The finger has closed up, no longer bleeding, oozing, or turning weird colors. I lost motion in it, and now trying to get it back, but I don’t know whether it’s going to be permanent or not. Doctor prescribed physical therapy, and if I can’t get better motion by the time I get back from Black Rock, I’ll take him up on it. But it does seem to be getting better, so it may not be necessary. I complain about it a lot less now, which seems a good indicator. And I’m able to do things finally which I’d been avoiding for the past month or so since the accident. But it’s still really sore, and the scar is still designing itself. The bike is seeing progress, but slowly. I’m still on my original schedule: heal the finger, buy new gloves, and THEN fix the bike. I got new gloves last week.

And, yeah, I’ll admit it, I’m AWOL partially because I, uhhh, met someone. And then chased him down until he thought he was chasing me. (or is it the other way around? hmmm) So shoot me. It happens sometimes.

Comments:

John Foley (ape)

Pfft. Can't be that important, since you both still claim to be single.

Posted by John Foley on Thursday, August 26, 2004 at 10:50 PM

Golden Delicious

Did'ja ask him if he's the Devil? Even if you're sure he isn't, ya still gotta ask, ya know. Them types is a sneaky sort, they is.

Posted by Golden Delicious on Friday, August 27, 2004 at 9:09 PM