Thursday, May 10, 2001 :::
 
Yeah, once in middle school someone called my house when i had friends over and i said something stupid and hung up. the telesellah called back and called me a bitch. it's an odd circumstance when someone you've never even seen flicks/flips (?) you off verbally.
i traded in my bass today and my credit card slipped out of my wallet: check out my new friend.

::: posted by emma c at 11:45 PM

 
Has anyone noticed that all of President Bush's speeches in a given genre sound exactly alike? For instance, every time he entertains a foreign leader, he talks about "strengthening the ties of friendship between our two countries." And everytime he nominates someone for something, he talks about the "skill and dedication" the person will bring to the job. It's like he's got a foreign leader speech template and a nomination speech template and can't be bothered even to customize them for a particular person he's talking about.

There's really no excuse for this. The man may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but god knows he can afford to hire a good speechwirter. Why hasn't he? Even his best sound bites are dull. If I have to listen to four years of this drivel, I'll start falling asleep on the news.

On the other hand, I'm amused by the way Salon makes sure to use direct quotes from the President in their news reports whenever possible, presumably to showcase the fact that he rarely, if ever, says anything remotely of interest.

::: posted by Mark Gabel at 9:52 PM

 
Laura, if you can find a customer service number for AT&T, you should call back and tell them that one of their telemarketers swore at you. You'll probably never be able to reach the right person, but really, that woman doesn't deserve her job. No one who annoys people for a living has any right whatsoever to complain when the people they are annoying do, in fact, become annoyed.

Need I point out that the very phrase "get some fucking manners" is an oxymoron?

::: posted by Mark Gabel at 9:45 PM

 
When Telemarketers Strike!
Just answered the phone, and was asked if I was Ms. Inlow (that being the last name of the guy who I lived in this house with, who moved out almost 2 yrs ago). Since this is an occasional annoyance of mine, I asked who was calling, she said Jennifer from AT&T, so I asked what about, and she said something about special long-distance rates. I asked where she got her information, because the person she was looking for hadn't lived here in almost 2 years. She stuttered around a bit and then said the records hadn't been updated. I said "OK, thanks!" very brightly, and then hung up. A minute later, the phone rings again, and I hear "My job is hard enough as it is. Get some fucking manners." I stand there stunned for a second, and then quietly hang up. What the...?!? Somehow I don't think telemarketers are supposed to do that. Sheez.

::: posted by Alura Allumeuse at 7:24 PM

 
Good point...why wasn't this publicized more? But, yay for the internet for getting censored stories out there. Why some media is so closed-minded, and why the National Press Club hosted a briefing yesterday on proof of aliens, I'm not sure. Infotainment, I guess. Real news is rarely published these days.

Was reading my book of Anais Nin/Henry Miller letters this morning, feeling delirious and lovey, fantasizing (again!!) about running away to Europe. (link to story on why Europe could soon be a stronger world power than the U.S.) Dammit, I need a mobile skill-set that would get me money anywhere. Any ideas?

I cooked mole sauce last night. From moles that were burrowing in my backyard. No, wait... but can I just say that anything that contains both cocoa powder and chili powder produces an extraordinarily bizarre smell? I've never had it before, but Becky and I will attempt it over chicken and chocolate pasta tonight. I need to do cooking experiments more often. It keeps me off the streets.

::: posted by Alura Allumeuse at 11:03 AM

 
Just an interesting comparison I stumbled across today about the differences between male and female orgasm.

::: posted by Rogue Designer at 10:16 AM

 
Yes, it is Grezmiralda in the flesh (well, perhaps the new flesh anyway) from Europa! We're leaving Rome tonight after an amazing 3 or 4 days (who can really keep track?)
I had an amazing night last night, we all went out to this awesome bar called Julius Caesar (it's got a web site but I can't find it right now)...the place was totally rockin with a 2-man live band, mostly american music covers (Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, 80s stuff) and some really good sounding Italian pop, but what totally brought the house down were these ancient crusty rock n roll songs...Tutti Fruity and Great Balls of Fire were huge hits! I danced my ass right off! But the best was this guy, Cobra (no lie) who was totally Mr SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE...white suit, big collar, full-on Travolta, cuttin up a *serious* rug with these incredible disco moves! He was even doing some James Brown - I'm hurtin, I'm hurtin...DISCO! It's the most amazing thing I've seen so far : )

Well, on a cultural note, we did a walking tour of classical rome yesterday...the Coliseum, Pantheon (my favorite!!!), Trevi fountain, the temple of the Vestal Virgins (no, they didn't check any of us). I tossed a coin into the Trevi and superstition has it that it guarantees my return to Rome one day. We've also been seriously studying the gelato here, and I tell ya, it's gooood! We also saw St. Agnes's skull (spooky) and have learned more about the martyrdom of various saints than I ever thought possible. This afternoon we're off to see some mummified monks...who says Christians aren't fun?

I've discovered that I am a photo whore...I'll snap a flirty shutter at *anything*! I have 8 rolls of film so far and I've only been here 10 days.

On another Bushy note, I saw in the paper here that the US has been ousted from the UN human rights commission for the first time ever. Voted off while remaining members include Libya and Iran. Lovely, no? Well, I think we're about to head out...I'll blog from Florence or Tuscany...our next stops!

::: posted by Patricia Rini at 5:10 AM

Wednesday, May 09, 2001 :::
 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Thursday ordered federal agencies in California to reduce energy use through steps such as cutting back on e-mail and air conditioning to help alleviate summer power shortages.

Cutting back on e-mail. Who knew pressing "send" on a computer that's presumably already turned on and being used could be SUCH a power drain?!? Even worse, the reporter didn't even flinch! No facts or statistics to illustrate what a RIDICULOUS STATEMENT that was. Meanwhile, reporters are covering some researcher who claims to prove that gays can happily go straight...while only briefly mentioning that the study hasn't even been published or peer-reviewed! Junk food news. Lack of critical thinking and analytical skills. Ugh.

::: posted by Alura Allumeuse at 11:25 AM

 
Trish's 2nd missive from abroad: (the first being just that she had arrived in Paris and eaten a croissant) :)

Hola America,

We have been in Rome for three days now and it's wonderful! We didn't have too hard a time finding a place to stay...the first place we called spoke English, which at our budget isn't common. It's the Hotel Aphrodite, nothing fancy, but nice. When we arrived there were all these rabid soccer fans in the train station. Every few minutes a new group of them would come up to the main area from the tracks singing the team fight songs (i suppose) and the echo filled the whole station! It was like being on a battlefield. The first thing we did here was visit the catacombs, the underground christian tombs on the outskirts of the city. They're freakin amazing! I could spend hours wandering around in there, Indiana Jones-style. There are 4 underground levels in the one we were in, with over 100,000 tombs in it. And that's just one of I think 64 eparate catacombs around Rome. They date back to 300 AD...just incredible! I could spend a year in Rome, I know already. I think we'll be here till Thursday which will be really great after traveling every other day so far. Yesterday we toured the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Church. Our guide was really great and explained a lot about the various statues, paintings and tapestries that made the whole thing about a trillion times more interesting than it would have been just wandering through on my own. Didn't see the Pope, but I did get a picture of his apartment window. Today we're touring the Coliseum, the Roman Forum and other classical sites. Later this week I'm heading out to Tuscany and Florence...Jen's heading to Greece but the rest of us have decided to skip it. I would so much rather spend the travel time (4 days there and back!!) somewhere else, but she has her heart set on it. We'll meet up in Amsterdam at the end of the trip. We also had a taste of Roman nightlife last night...we went into the Trastevere area, which is like a SoMa-Broad Ripple type neighborhood. Tiny twisty medieval streets lined with bars and people selling jewelry and incense. We hit an irish pub and a classy jazzy type place. Our mission was live music but unfortunately we never came across any. Lots of fun anyway though.

Well, I'm off to the Circus!

::: posted by Alura Allumeuse at 9:26 AM

Tuesday, May 08, 2001 :::
 
uh, I just got this cryptic e-mail saying a rolling blackout was imminent (love that graphic representation!)...er, this would leave me, um, literally in the dark about tonight's plans.

This recent purchase went very well with the heat and darkness last night.

::: posted by Alura Allumeuse at 4:13 PM

Monday, May 07, 2001 :::
 
After listening to your innerview with Brian, all I can say is, people, we must speak out against the evil that is Kevin Seal. (Sorry, I just love cgi scripts.) :p (addendum...I just noticed that the entire text changes each time you hit refresh...so you'll all see something different clicking the Kevin link, not necessarily the quote that I hotlinked. Oh well, it's still cute.)

Ah, musician boy, if only you'd had these anti-gay a-holes visit your school when you were a littleun. "Nicolosi recommended corrective nudging toward macho recklessness. When an audience member worried that such an approach might stifle a budding artist or performer, the therapist responded that a boy wouldn't necessarily have to give up piano entirely; he could simply tickle the ivories a little less and toss the football a little more."

Anyway...I thought advertising in bathrooms couldn't get any worse.

::: posted by Alura Allumeuse at 11:08 PM

 
I've been on needles and pins all day. Thank Gravy: Grand jury indicts officer in Cincinnati shooting. How is negligent homicide a misdemeanor charge? That would be akin to accidentally catching a house on fire and killing the inhabitants, right? It's different from unintentional manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter, but I don't know how in the legal sense. (That would be a good band name: Manslaughter.)

Recent email from a Podgehodger who shall remain nameless:

"I just looked at the podgehodge log files, and suddenly we're very popular with people looking for incest porn. I couldn't figure out, but then I did a search and found the word 'incestuous' in your bit about your music."

Suggestions for popularizing Goddesscafe.com:
"Hardcore Female Journalists"
"Nasty, XXXplicit Full-Frontal European Action Photos"
"Barely-Legal Underage Girls of the Fort Mason Foundation"
"Raunchy Lesbian Money Shots" (paradoxical, perhaps.

::: posted by kevin seal at 3:08 PM

 
I'm still somewhat convinced that I might go blind.

and

The watermelon problem is easily solved by using a yoke.


::: posted by the boot at 2:46 PM

 
Ah, I still kinda miss Bloomington.

::: posted by kevin seal at 1:22 PM

 
today is my favorite holiday. (closely followed by february 15, the day that v-day chocolate is 50% off.) when i worked at good vibes, we were allowed to come in late on may 7th - company policy. enjoy celebrating!

alex, i'm sorry to hear that you didn't make it to city island. i can relate to your public transportation fiascos; this is the first time i've had a car in a while. the two best things about cars are: the freedom to sing obnoxiously loud, and the ability to transport watermelons. have you tried carrying a watermelon home in your backpack? not easy. luckily my san francisco roommate had both a car and a fondness for watermelons. we bought them from a farmer guy who parked his melon filled pick-up truck at 23rd and mission.

i had a wonderful time on city island friday. my friends picked me up at work, and after taking them for a ride in CMP's disco elevator, we made our way to the bronx. we followed the seagull squawks to the last restaurant at the end of the street, tommy's reef. the patio was packed with big families speaking all kinds of languages. we ate raw clams with hot sauce, fried fish and shrimp, pina coladas...yum.

after gorging, we relaxed on the docks for a few hours and decompressed from the week. it was so nice to have a night when the only multitasking i did was eating and laughing at the same time.

::: posted by elissarita at 10:17 AM

 
Wish I could have seen Gary Numan, but Mark and I saw Rufus Wainwright instead. The opening act, Tegan and Sara, were way-cute 19-year-old twin sisters from Vancouver; Chuck got their autographs.

Personally, I'm dreaming of a Fall 2023 world tour with the talented Mr. Wainwright, ala the Twin Pianos tours of the late '90s. We'll both be washed-up by then, of course, but hey, we'll get great corporate sponsorships. The parallels are already clear:

Rufus and Elton John: both gay, neither is American (Rufus is a Canuck), both fascinated with the female members of the British Royal Family -- as exhibited by Elton's Di-die "Candle in the Wind," and Rufus' new song about Queen Elizabeth I, "The Consort." (Consort is such a great word, btw... as a verb, "to harmonize," and as a noun, "partner or spouse.")

Billy Joel and me: both corny, goofy-looking Americans with a penchant for leggy supermodels and cheese coneys.

In other news, Cincinnati shooting verdict today, and Baretta's wife was shot in her car last night.

::: posted by kevin seal at 1:54 AM

Sunday, May 06, 2001 :::
 
Yay, computer geeks! Go free speech. Now, can they make it so search engines find RELEVANT stuff rather than corporate crap? "Throw off your chains or be a slave to the system..." sings Jeff Buckley.

'twas an insanity cruise last night, searching for an affordable hotel at 2am. Phooey on them. We came home, and I dreamt I was dating Sylvester Stallone. The boys still owe me dinner and margaritas, too.

Goodnight, Gracie.

::: posted by Alura Allumeuse at 11:02 PM