Comments (9) Yale: Here is your Christmas gift. I made it just for you.
*hands me a homemade blanket*
Me: Thanks! I love it!
*loves it*
Yale: Sorry it is so ugly. I wanted to make sure it matched your apartment.
Me: :(
My mom and her friend took a trip from California to Washington, DC, via Amtrak. She loves riding trains; so do I. We have been thinking of doing this cross-Canada train trip thing together. I spoke to her on the phone today to see how the trip went.
Greg: Ma! Welcome home…how was your trip? Did you have fun on the train?
Mom: You can screw going through Canada on a train.
Amtrak’s slogan is What a Difference a Train Makes. They made a difference alright, just not the one they intended to make.
Way back in the summer (June 12 to be precise), I was in a minor car accident. The aftermath of that was lame enough– at the scene the other driver admitted he had tried to go straight from a right turn only lane and hit me. He said he realized he was at fault and would accept blame. Later, when he called his insurance company he told them he was about to turn right when I turned into him. Some people have no sense of honor, but that is not the point of this post. Today’s story centers around the inspection my van underwent at a local auto shop as part of the settlement.
Several months have passed since I took the van in for the inspection. Today the insurance company called to offer a settlement. The agent told me that the agency intended to deduct money from my payment because my van has problems with both its engine and transmission. Interesting, I thought, as the inspector never physically touched my van, let alone looked under the hood. He took some pictures, and that was it.
I mentioned this to the agent, and she promised to check and call me back.
She just called back a few minutes ago. The inspector admits he didn’t actually touch the van, but he said that when I pulled into the shop it sounded like a van that might have a bad engine and transmission.
Needless to say, the insurance agent agreed to add the amount deducted back into my settlement.
Not that long ago, while at a local Denny’s, I happened upon a machine filled with stuffed animals, ripe for the plucking. All one need do is pop in a coin to test one’s skill, and possibly win a toy. It seems normal enough, right?
But take a look– do you notice anything unusual about the machine and/or its contents?
If not, take a closer look:
Now do you see? The animals are DEAD! Curious George has gone blue in the face, as have his stuffing-filled chums. The Denny’s folks forgot to feed the animals! Shame on them.
I’ve been ruminating about my future lately. Most of the time, I feel as if I have a solid foundation underfoot, and my life is going in the direction I want to see it go, but once in awhile I catch myself wondering if somehow I should be doing more. It’s like there is this check list of the basics in life,
significant other
family
friends
career
financial stability
general fulfillment
and so on,
and I have a nice check next to each one, and it’s allowing me to sort of coast along a little bit. Is there some way I could be doing more? Could I be changing the world around me in positive way more than I already am, if I even am doing so at all? Is it enough to have nailed down all the fundamental aspects of life, or should I be striving to “take it to another level,” or however one would say it in the Attitudinal Beliefs patois?
I asked myself– where will I be ten years from now? Will I still live here in my college apartment? Will I be doing the same job? Will I be married? Will I be a father? Just what will I be doing come 2014? Or will the Mayans have risen from the dead and eaten us all by then, so it won’t even matter? I didn’t have a very precise answer to any of those questions.
Nothing else in this world seems to stay the same, so who is to say that the person I am right now won’t also be subject to that state of eternal flux that plagues everything else. Whatever is taken for granted today could be gone tomorrow, or I may lose the things I need later on; or they might not even be there in the first place. I have no idea what I am talking about anymore.
My life is great right now, but it could probably be even better. I hope ten years from now I can re-read this blog and say without a doubt that I bettered my life since authoring it.
Today’s Question: Ten years from now. You. Well?
Currently Playing: Lou Reed – Perfect Day
Sunny day + Long Walk + Canopy of trees overhead = visible beams of sunshine
Neapolitan slice at Arinell’s Pizza
Working the N.Y. Times Crossword while eating (sipping?) an affogato at Gelateria Naia.
Paying the extra $1.50 for the cash-strapped couple in front of you in line at Gelateria.
Comic store!
Browsing the used record bins at Amoeba Records.
Playing the saxophone over the din of the Port of Oakland
Pickup game of basketball at the Berkeley RSF.
Dinner and a movie with Fizzy.
Today’s Question: So, like what’s YOUR perfect day?
Interesting tidbit– I met a fellow who was contemplating opening a gelato shop on Fourth St. in Berkeley. He told me the tale of why Mondo Gelato is now called Gelateria Naia. So Mondo Gelato had three shops– Beijing, Vancouver, and Berkeley. The management of the Berkeley store, in true Berkeley fashion, staged a coup and broke free from the parent company. They basically took over the store, closed it, and re-opened under the new name. They had to vary the recipe for each gelato, but otherwise kept things the same. And now it is Gelateria Naia. That is neat and disturbing, all at once.
I DJ’ed weddings on Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. On Sunday, the bride and groom showed up as expected, and the groom handed me the promised CD of their first dance song. They insisted I play the version of the song they were to provide, as they had prepared a routine to it, so I arrived ready to oblige them.
I took the CD and just to be sure I popped it in the CD player. No response. So I popped it into my computer and looked for it in iTunes. Nothing. Next I double-clicked the CD icon and looked inside. Aha! The groom must have taken it for granted that I’d have a laptop with me (even though very few DJs bring one) as he saved the songs as mp3s. I dragged it into Traktor, my mp3 DJ software. Still nothing. A closer inspection of the alleged mp3 revealed it to actually be an m4p. Okay, not a problem, time to open Quicktime. I dragged that pesky m4p into Quicktime and it opened right up. Their particular version of “Fly Me to the Moon” ready and a-rarin’ to go.
The bride and groom take the floor and embrace in preparation for their routine. The guests are a-quiver with anticipation. I click play.
This computer is not authorized to play “11 Fly Me to the Moon.m4p.”
Turns out the groom had purchased the song online at the Apple Music Store and did not know the appropriate trick for playing it on multiple machines, nor did he know his password info to authorize the song on my computer.
Today’s Question: Do you know that trick?
All was not lost. I regaled the guests with jokes about Napster, the R.I.A.A. and the groom’s honesty in actually paying for the song while he ran to his suite to get his own laptop. In all it turned out to be a pretty humorous and hopefully memorable situation. I was just glad I could come up with enough schtick to cover it all. In the end, a good time was had by all when the song played and the newlyweds performed their exciting dance routine.
Sue and I have no plans for the Fourth of July. Usually we visit my parents, but nothing is happening at the homestead this year. What are the rest of you doing? Does anyone have a recommendation for fun things we can do?
Stelladoro’s Unfortunate Tale was the inspiration for today’s entry, at least in part. The topic of losing one’s wallet has been bandied about of late, and the discussion turned to the contents of said wallets. As such, I began to wonder: If I were to lose my wallet, how much of a hassle would it really be? After a quick analysis of my wallet’s contents, it turns out the answer is “not a terribly big one.”
My wallet’s contents at the moment:
$148
ATM card for my personal bank account
ATM card for my business bank account
Driver’s License
U.C. Berkeley Student ID
AMC Moviewatcher card
Blue Shield health insurance card
Membership Card for 924 Gilman
BART ticket with a value of $1.10
The only other thing in there is Hello Kitty’s advice to me from many years ago, printed on a little card she spat at me from her perch in a machine at FAO Schwarz in New York. “Remember to keep the promises you make to others and to yourself,” admonished the cat. To this day, I always do; I’m not sure if it is because Hello Kitty tells me to do so that I do.
It turns out I do not have a hell of a lot in my wallet, and were I to lose it, my world would not crash down around me. I would have to call my bank and say “send new cards,” wait for a few hours at the DMV, and then I’d be set. I don’t carry any photographs or memorabilia around, so there would be no sentimental loss. I suppose that Gilman membership card is the one irreplaceable item, only because it is one of the older “lifetime membership” cards, and I’d be sorry to see that go. Otherwise, I think losing my wallet would not be a major inconvenience.
Today’s Question: So then, what is in YOUR wallet?
A few years ago I drove from New York City to Berkeley, by way of Charlotte, North Carolina. The drive was at times arduous, but for the most part enjoyable. At the time I’d only been to California, Nevada, New York, and New Jersey, so it was interesting and enlightening to see some other parts of the U.S.
Yesterday, a friend asked if I’d be willing to undertake a similar endeavor– she is moving from Los Angeles to Atlanta, but doesn’t want to drive her car out there. As the cost to have a vehicle shipped is significantly more than the cost to drive, she asked if I’d do the job for her.
Factors influencing my decision:
1. I’ve never seen Atlanta, and as the friend is covering all gas and motel costs, it’s a free trip.
2. I’m curious to make another long drive.
3. The car is a brand new BMW, the polar opposite of the sort of vehicle I drive, and a chance for me to see how the other half lives, so to speak.
I told her I’d do it, so on the 17th I fly to Los Angeles and start driving. I don’t know exactly how far I’ll make it each day, but I anticipate spending nights in Phoenix, El Paso, Dallas, and Birmingham. If you live in any of those fine cities, let me know and I’ll honk the horn at you as I pass through your town.
