The Barking Slider

Silent Night

2012-01-02T18:32:00.000-05:00

I posted this on Facebook, just around the time Christmas Eve became Christmas Day; a little more than a week ago. I think it is worth repeating here. Got to keep this site alive somehow. Who knows...Maybe I should hang out here again more often...

When I was a third-year music major, I joined Duquesne’s Electronic Ensemble. Lead and featured parts were, naturally, given to seniors, while I mainly played comp chords and synth pads; background stuff. We played this arrangement of Silent Night at our Christmas concert. During rehearsal, someone noted that no one was given the “Toy Piano” part that comes in at the very end, which sucks because it is a really cool part. And then we realized that I was not playing anything else at that time in the piece. "Have Terry play it." I wasn’t familiar with this arrangement, and I was like, yeah, I’ll play whatever. I didn’t realize until we first played it, just how crucial the part was. But it’s only eight single notes, followed by three two-note chords. (Just one hand!) I remember the the performance, my heart racing and pounding, like never before, as the part approached. (Way…WAY more nervous than my audition for school two years prior, with pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok.) So, when I hear this every year in December, I not only hear a hauntingly-beautiful modern arrangement of a classic Christmas carol; but I also remember a time when I nailed my part on stage. Merry Christmas.

Dormancy

2009-07-17T12:28:00.005-04:00

"...And should I then presume?
And how should I begin?..."

Love on Letterman

2008-12-22T21:08:00.002-05:00

There is one Starbucks that I work at, and then there is my local Starbucks where I play the role of a regular customer. One recent evening I dropped by, got a beverage, and sat down among the nightly informal gathering of regulars. Someone started talking about the annual onslaught of Christmas TV specials and everyone chimed in about which ones we make a point to watch on an annual basis. Answers were typical, "It's a wonderful life," "Frosty," and "Rudolph," etc....

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" was on the other night. I always enjoyed it as a kid - it meant staying up an extra half hour, which was exciting itself. Even though it goes deep into the meaning of Christmas, along with the distractions of commercialization, it remains accessible to children. And as young as I was, I remember feeling really happy when the other kids decorated Charlie Brown's frail little tree. Just as happy as when Snoopy danced around. But I think the most magical moment of those broadcasts, for me, happened before the show even started. It was going to be a special show. And CBS would let you know that it was special when they ran a five-second striking animation at the beginning with the word "SPECIAL" spinning about the letter C in rainbow colors, with exciting 70s percussion and a blasting brass section. It would put a big smile on my face, and set the stage for what followed.

At first I didn't really think I had a Christmas TV tradition, but then I remembered - Letterman. Not anyone's typical choice; and no one I was chatting with that night knew what I was talking about. On his last show before Christmas- usually the 23rd - Dave's musical guest is always Darlene Love singing "Christmas: Baby Please Come Home." Letterman considers this the Best Rock'n'Roll Christmas Song, and I tend to agree. Darlene can still belt it out, Paul and the band accompanies, with an extra string section and a choir. And how they all enjoy performing and having fun. And they do it every year, and it's the same song, and it's beautiful. Not some forgettable new band playing some forgettable new song, passing thru town promoting a CD, as is the case on many nights. A tradition. Albeit, a four minute song, saved until the end of the broadcast, but so worth the anticipation. My God, do I berate myself the years I miss it! Dave's been doing this every year since 1986, but last year had to be a repeat of 1996 due to the writers strike, so this year, I'm even more eager to catch it. Then, about two-thirds through the song, the fake snow will start to fall, and I'll get that same happy feeling like I did with "CBS Special" intro. Kinda marks the end of the stress of the Christmas season, and the beginning of the enjoyment part.

Until then, I think I'll head to Starbucks, and buy myself a drink.

Baked pride

2008-10-11T14:36:00.003-04:00

I'm too careful with words. That's why I hesitate to post here. How many "comebacks" to this blog should I attempt until I either remain consistent, or give up all together.

I got a rare nine (9) hours of sleep last night, but still feeling low motivation today. I've got work at the Wedding Mill tonight, but a uniquely free Sunday morning. The curling club has ice, and leagues begin shortly.

I've got laundry going now...things never change.

I've been working on Grandma's recipie for Chruscik /kHRUS-chick-key/, those flat twisted cookies she always made. Now I appreciate all the work that goes into them. The kneading, rolling (verrry thin), shaping, twisting, flash-frying; considering the time, the labor, and the mess involved, that she kept doing this until she was 91. Nevertheless, I feel motivated to keep making more. Tested them out in public for the first time yesterday (Starbucks picnic) and got a request for the recipe; that's an endorsement if any.

Laundry is calling. Time to iron.

Awakening the Muse

2008-07-31T02:05:00.002-04:00

What do insomniacs do at 2AM?

We write blog entries.

Although this would have been entered an hour ago had the modem been working. A bit of troubleshooting (unplug, plug-in, unplug, plug-in, etc.) then not even a minute after I decide to give up, data starts flowing again. Good, because I'm still awake.

I have a gig this Saturday in Princeton at a place called the Halo Pub, it's actually my friend's gig, he asked me play along with him. I just learned that this is an ice cream shop, while I assumed "Pub" meant Bar. Should be interesting. I'm kinda more relaxed about it now. Bar gigs present a tougher crowd; but cafes, coffeehouses, are a little more relaxed and low-key. I'm just looking to have a good time. I'm sure I will.

I went to open mic night at Cafe Arabica on Tuesday, just to get myself back on stage. (That place is falling apart.) I had nothing new to play, but the whole crowd was new to me, so it was new to them, and they seemed to like it, which was cool. Glad I decided to go. I should go more often. It's the parking in Morristown that sucks. Can't figure out why on a Tuesday of all days. After driving around for 20 minutes, I settled on a spot on a residential street. Thing is...it was very steep hill, but I parked, started taking out my gear and then realize, I'm swigging out far from the curb; I need to straighten myself out. (hmmm...) Attempting to move, I couldn't not for the life of me engage the car in reverse, and it didn't feel right, so I figured i'd find another space. I hope it's not the car, maybe it's just that I was so frustrated I hadn't found a space yet and I was impatient. But, still, I had left my keyboard stand leaning up against a phone pole, and had to double back for that. (I just stopped in the middle of the road with my flashers and threw it in through the front seat!) And in the end, I found a spot right in front. All is good.

See you Saturday? 6:30pm?

Alive, and sleepy

2008-07-27T22:10:00.001-04:00

Slider says I should blog more. He's right!

I'm sleepy. I was at the wedding mill last night until 12:30am and then Starbucks this morning at 6:30. And forget trying to sleep through the whole night when you hear firecrackers or gunfire(!) or something like that at 1am (right outside my window) and then loud thunderstorms and pouring rain at 4am. Thunderstorms which returned this afternoon when I'm trying to take a nap.

Where do I begin (uhm...resume)?

...iPhone...Starbucks...Music...Banquets...Life...

When do I resume? Not now...I'm going to (try to) sleep...

Stay tuned, Slider...Stay tuned...

Best acceptance speech ever

2008-06-17T13:24:00.004-04:00

Hi. This is notable enough for me to break my silence here.
Enjoy!
UPDATE: I have learned that he was reciting the work "The Back Country," by prose poet Louis Jenkins. Nevertheless, the idea to use it was very original, and his delivery was spot on.

I've been crowned

2008-02-27T12:49:00.007-05:00

Okay, so apparently I'm the "King of Pad Thai," so proclaimed by this newborn blogger, and someone I happen to know from the physical world. (A co-conspirator in this effort.) I learned how to make pad thai a few years ago, when friends of mine hosted an Iron Chef dinner party. At about noon on that fateful Saturday I decided to try making pad thai, went shopping, got what I needed, and by 5pm or so i had a completed dish. I didn't win the contest that night (never knew so many friends were such good cooks), but I continue to enjoy cooking pad thai now and then, have been able to perfect my recipe. And I must say the last time I made it, it came out excellent: the same time the aforementioned new blogger last ate it.

Eat this, Motorola

2007-12-01T16:38:00.000-05:00

I dropped my RAZR, then it started going berserk. Blank screen...dropped calls...frozen screen...and just plain not working at all. I visited my friendly neighborhood Verizon shoppe, and the associate does what everyone warned me they would do: she opened the back and immediately concluded it was WATER DAMAGE! Why, because that little sticker dot turned red.

Let me say again: I DROPPED the phone (on the floor, not into a lake), and right then and there it stopped working properly.

So, since I was in the mall I walked over to Radio Shack, to see if they had those teeny-tiny funny-shaped screwdrivers I need to take this phone apart. They didn't, but when I showed the people what I needed it for, they both said I have water damage. One guy said it was severe.

Anyway, I got the tools I needed from Home Depot. I took the phone apart (not entirely, just the first stage). Water damage, you say? Corrosion? Nope! Dry as a desert inside. Rather dusty, to be honest. I figured, when it dropped, it loosened a wire or two, and that was just it. I snapped some loose connections, put it back together and it works like a charm.

The dot sticker is hardly a indicator of water damage to the phone. It merely shows that the the sticker itself has been exposed to moisture.

Subscription for life

2007-11-25T22:40:00.000-05:00

Hey! I'm blogging and using Safari! When did this happen? Blogger didn't previously support Safari. (Safari is a web browser...created by Apple.) I used to have to go into Firefox to get the full features of the Blogger post editor, but now I can stick to my default browser for everything.

Amazing!

I just got the new Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard." Maybe it's the new version of Safari that's compatible. Or maybe it's because I haven't posted in several months, that I haven't even thought to check up on these things. And it's a cool upgrade, although it's rendering almost everything else obsolete. I couldn't launch my old version of iPhoto, so I had to buy the latest version of Apple's iLife. And all my old versions of Adobe/Macromedia products don't seem to be compatible either. I'll have to buy new versions of those eventually.

Upgrades beget upgrades. Purchases lead to more purchases. New upgrades require more memory. You can pay off your car, but you still need new brakes, tires, oil...Pay off a house, but then you need a new roof, windows, carpets. My cell phone has been crapping out since I dropped it a few days ago. I'll need a new one of those soon, too.

It seems everything in life is a subscription with mandatory renewal.

Amazing.

So close

2007-06-27T14:56:00.000-04:00

Thought I had won the lottery, the New Jersey Lottery, that is.
The numbers were drawn:
15-16-20-28-30
I had one one my boards:
15-16-21-28-36
That's the Jersey Cash5. Choose 5 out of 40. You can see how the placement of the three matching numbers, along with the similarities with the other two, was enough to make me gasp at first. But it was a short-lived moment, and I missed the $225,000 prize. But it still pays $11 for three numbers, so a $6 net gain on a $5 investment is not too shabby.

So back to my crazy life. One of my barista co-workers disappeared the other day and stopped showing up for work. Scheduled for 5 days this week and 5 days next week. Oh...and the manager is on vacation. So we're fending for ourselves at Starbucks. Just like the good old days.

And then my car wouldn't start last night. WTF? I was leaving the movie theatre (Oceans 13, pretty good, btw) It started fine there, took the scenic route back home. Stopped for gasoline, and could not leave the gas station. Attendant tried to push start me, but it didn't work. So I called my brother at 1AM to get me. Mommy and Daddy are out of town. (Oh yeah, I still haven't fledged....but that's another post) I went back myself to try jump starting and it worked. Drove it back home today. Yep..more auto-repair expenses (where's that lottery ticket?)

Woke up this morning with one bitch of a sore throat. I hate being sick. But I think some people like to be sick; sympathy, excuses, IDK? But for that reason, i fear, that when I'm sick, people think I'm using it as a reason to slack off, give a little less, or withdraw completely. I don't like that.

Anyway, 56 hours of work this week, split between Starbucks and the Wedding Mill. Plus the undercharged battery, short staffing, a sore throat...
...but topped with a token lottery win...

Oh...and how I could I forget...all this damn laundry!

I'm still here

2007-05-14T12:50:00.000-04:00

Really...I am.
So much fucking laundry. It never ends. Why is that? I'm a single guy for crying out loud. It shouldn't be.

Re-Starbucked

2007-02-07T14:40:00.000-05:00

Where have I been?
Who cares! I won't waste your time with excuses.
Well, I am back at Starbucks. I have been since October. Came back to join the opening crew of a new store that was supposed to open in October but then got pushed back to after Christmas. So, I was placed in a crazy-busy store until the new store opened. And now I work at a store that no one has found yet. It's like being on vacation!
But that's no excuse not to post here. Here's hoping I can be consistent. (HAH!)
I still bartend weekends at the Chanticler, but not this weekend, there's nothing scheduled.
Instead, I'll be in Rochester, NY for the Francis Dykes Bonspiel once again. (recall: bonspiel = curling tournament) Last year we were 4th event winners. This year we hope to remain in the 1st event.
...I can smell it...I really can...
I figure this will be my last year in this bonspiel. I mean, I still can play next year, it will my fifth year curling. But two of the guys i play with won't be able to, and I figure I'll be doing the masters degree full time, so I won't be able to take off long weekends.
Oh! And I met Winter. He's the guy who travels to all the Starbucks in the world. I saw on his blog that he was coming to New Jersey just when the new store opened and wanted to be sure I was working when he made his visit. He's got a documentary coming out called Starbucking.

Testing this new service

2006-11-03T13:01:00.000-05:00

Testing Gabcast

Cam Sham

2006-08-19T13:31:00.000-04:00

Why did ever get me this iSight? I thought I'd open myself up the wonderful world of video chat only to realize that no one else has a webcam. AIM has had this feature for two years now and it hasn't seemed to catch on one bit. Did anyone else grow up watching the Jetsons? Didn't you dream of a day when people could hear and see each other on the phone? Well, you can!...Now! And you don't have to have a Mac with an iSight, just any computer with a cam and a mic and an AIM Screen Name, and you're all set.
Reminder: It's the 21st Century, kids!
(...and now I search for a wrist phone...)

Summer bummer

2006-08-14T19:15:00.000-04:00

I had to drop my summer class. My Probability class. Well, I didn't have to drop it, I chose to. After getting a lousy grade on the first exam (stupid, stupid, stupid errors!), I put my faith into doing exceptional on the second exam, which I got an okay grade on, not enough to equalize the first. Now I could have put my faith into doing exceptional (again) on the coming final exam; but here's the story: the instructor (a grad student, mind you, not a prof) is so far behind, that with three(3) class periods left, he's left with THREE WHOLE CHAPTERS to introduce! Now, there is no doubt in my mind that I can grasp the concepts in the course, but to rush through three chapters in a week, leaving us students with the burden to go over examples by ourselves, with the task of trying to absorb three chapters in one week's time, as well as prepare for a comprehensive final exam, that I have to do exceptional on in order to equalize my low standing...I don't think so.
I can take it again this fall and get an A.
Not to mention summer classes have more of the brighter students, which sets the curve unnaturally high.

I Hate MySpace

2006-06-14T11:08:00.000-04:00

(Edited to show further hatred.)

What a fucking waste of time...that piece of shit. And no, I'm not just saying that because I regret spending too much time on it....I'm hardly ever on it actually, and I only have a page out of necessity. Consider This:

Scenario 1 -- Friend sends MySpace comment:

Receive and read email notification of MySpace comment.
Click on link to open MySpace in browser window.
Log in to MySpace.
Click on "New Comments" in MySpace profile.
Click on the new comment in the list of comments.
Read message from friend.
Go to friend's profile.
Click on "Add Comment"
Type comment and submit.
View and confirm comment.

Scenario 2 -- Friend sends email directly:

Read message from friend.
Click on "Reply."
Type and send reply.

Which of the above scenarios make more sense to you?

Dominoes?

2006-06-14T10:10:00.000-04:00

So, I've been watching the FIFA World Cup soccer(football) the past couple days, trying to be a worldly American. We're not used going 45 minutes without a commercial break here. But after ESPN's coverage of the soccer(football) games, they aried World Championship Dominoes. No kidding. A sports network...showing guys sitting around a table playing some hybrid of a card game, a dice game, and Scrabble. Don't get me wrong; games like chess and contract bridge are masterful games, and are "mind sports" recognized by the International Olympic Committee, I'd like to see them on TV. But Noooo.....we get Dominoes.

and don't get me started on that Texas Hold 'em bullshit....

Oops...Don't listen to this

2006-02-12T02:04:00.000-05:00

Bonspiel!

2006-02-11T13:16:00.000-05:00

I've found myself a small moment of solitude, during my stay here in Maryland this weekend. I'm one again playing in the Francis Dykes Memorial Bonspeil, and we're still in the first event. (This means we haven't lost a game yet. In curling tournaments, a.k.a. bonspeils, when you lose, you move into 2nd 3rd, and 4th events as you lose, and stay in the event as you keep winning.) We're in the semifinals for the top spot. Cool, to say the least, as i sit here in "business center" of the Holiday Inn were staying at. Next game tonight at 7:45.
Nap time...

Crazy Dave

2006-02-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

I met "Crazy Dave" yesterday. I was sitting by myself at the Starbucks in Gillette, NJ, and this guy gets a drink, and sits next to me in the other comfy chair. He introduces himself as "Dave, ...Crazy Dave." He asks, what the name of this place, and writies it down in his book, and than starts asking me about my life story like why i'm here at this time and place and if i'm married with kids, etc., etc. Amusing to say the least.

Boredom

2006-01-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

First day of Spring Semester. My two classes meet Monday and Thursday (one additionally meets on Tues.) The annoying part of that is that there's three hours between classes. So I'm sitting here bored in a computer lab, blindly surfing the web. And, what's more, I barely got any sleep last night; I don't know why, I just couldn't sleep. It's early in the semester, I guess eventually this would be ideal time to do homeworks and stuff like that, but there's nothing to be done now other than the web and AIM buddies, and blogger.

You Left Your Blinker On, Idiot

2006-01-11T14:05:00.000-05:00

How do you communicate to someone on the road that their turn signal keeps flashing for no good reason? If you beep at them, they don't know why you're honking. I've tried beeping and getting their attention and making some hand gesture but they probably thought I was some pervert. A few times, I've moved in front of the offending vehicle and started sympathetically blinking, but they didn't get it (and neither did I when someone did it to me). So, I've decided there needs to be some universally accepted sign to commuicate that "You left your blinker on." Whether we should decide on a hand signal, or maybe a special honk (how about three short beeps? "bip-bip-bip"?) , there needs to be some simple and easy way to say "Hey, dude; your signal's on."

Stop Means Stop

2006-01-05T15:05:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year.
You know, I'm continually perplexed by gas station attendants who insist on "topping-off " my gasoline. The pump stops because the tank is full, but then you guys have to try to squeeze every little drop of gas in. What difference does it make? Okay, maybe you're trying to round it to a nice figure, an even dollar, or quarter; it's easier to make change. But I pay with credit card! You know that...I gave you my card and you already swiped it! Stop overloading my tank!
Or, better yet, LEGALIZE SELF SERVICE IN NEW JERSEY!

Fortune Bust

2005-12-31T16:07:00.000-05:00

I had Chinese food the other day and I got this fortune that said, "We should not expect from others what we cannot do ourselves." And I thought, that's difficult, because everyone can't do everything. Let's say one day I want to have children. I am incapable of bearing children. I don't have a uterus. Most guys don't. I will have no choice at that time other that finding someone else, most likely a female with a uterus, to bear me children. I just can't do it myself. Everyone contributes to the world on their own special way, we all help each other out the way we know best. So, the fortune is fundamentally flawed; but I guess I see the underlying spirit of the message: Be grateful. 2005 will be over in less than 8 hours. We've made it through another year. I'm heading to a party at the curling club, bringing some home-cooked pad thai. I'm not Thai; I'm not even Asian, but I love the cuisine.
Have a Happy New Year everyone. Best wishes for a prosperous 2006.
Lucky Numbers: 13, 19, 20, 32, 35, 45

Hometown Pride

2005-12-30T12:46:00.000-05:00

Well, guess what I finally did. I contributed to Wikipedia. And I didn't just edit someone's missated fact, or correct somebody's spelling. No, I started with a bang; and created a entirely new article. Find it here... Now i've joned the ranks of those people you trust for your most crucial information. Scary, isn't it?

Ouch

2005-11-18T13:03:00.000-05:00

my elbow. Actually the muscles just above my elbow. I was lifing weights the other day. Something I never do. Maybe I overdid it, or maybe I aggravated it when I was carrying my keyboard case later that night. That's about 50lbs. To go weightlifting and then cart that monstrosity around in one hand. That's just it...my right arm is fine. I don't think it was the wieghtlifting alone. So, I have limited use of my left arm which sucks because i'm a lefty.
I'll resume working parties at the Chantlicler next friday. Nice to have something to rely on. Never burn your bridges. I'll stick with Chanticler while I keep on searching for a worthwile a la carte bar job.
Just steer clear of national chains.

$ound Byte

2005-11-12T22:16:00.000-05:00

Just Troubleshoot Me

2005-11-03T00:20:00.000-05:00

It could have been much simpler. I could have been creating Flash projects, or at least learning how to do it. Earlier today, I decide to dabble in flash. I've had Macromedia Studio for a while now. You know, that software multipack of Dreaweaver, Flash, Fireworks, and Freehand. I use Dreamweaver a great deal for making web pages. But today I decide to brush the virtual cobwebs and dust off of Flash. And there's this great quick tutorial which provides a wonderful introduction to the program. So, then I decide to try it out on my own. Starts off okay, but then there's an error message, and then a crash, so relaunch, then another crash, error message, etc...
So, then, I figured, I can unistall and reinstall. But where's the install disk? What the fuck did I do with the box of software? I never throw away my disks and all the software I ever buy is all together right here in a...well, okay, a pile...but at least it's all together; except for Macromedia Studio. The only hard copy of the program that I have is missing; so much for that. I'm stuck with a seemingly corrupt version of the program.

I just got back from another Wednesday open Mic at the Dancing Goat. Or it is just called “The Goat” now (new ownership)? I got there at 8pm and I am the 21st person sign up! They hadn’t even started and already they’re swamped. It seems the earlier I keep arriving, the later get to play. I hate closing the place every week. I’ve always admired those open mics that do a random drawing for playing order.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

2005-10-29T12:05:00.000-04:00

I think my previous post was the first time i had actually used the spellcheck.

COULD SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THE BLOGGER SPELLCHECK DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE WORD "BLOG."

I kid you not. It came up as misspelled word, "bloc" was one the suggested replacements.
That's really fucked up, if you ask me...

Where?

2005-10-29T11:15:00.000-04:00

i care...
i am a bear...i am bare...
i have hair...i am a hare...
i can hare, no, i can hear...no, here...i can HERE....
no, i AM here...I AM HERE!

Did you miss me? I have no excuse for my scarcity. You should beat me down really badly. I should suffer greatly at your hands. Yikes!

Over six weeks it has been, but with my tendency to profusely edit over and over prior to posting, there are numerous draft posts in the well. Some good ones I never finished. Particularly, the account of when I was briefly bartending at popularnationalfranchiserestaurant.

A brand new location of this popularnationalfranchiserestaurant was opening nearby, so I applied, was hired, went through this crazy-ass week of training, all long days of having to deal with the annoying super-happy-energetic corporate trainer types (and one day went 12 hours!). Then we opened and we were busy and I was making some good money. And then after two weeks of being opened, I get the shaft because there are two many bartenders so they have to cut people from the bar schedule. But, in order for the management not to appear mean (yeah), I was offered waitstaff with first dibs on a bar position, whenever one should open. So, I wasn't fired; but, so much for that. I could have just posted the draft I typed on the day the shit went down; I was in rare form, and it's kinda scary. (I should start a b-side blog....ha!) The chanticler would take me back in heartbeat...so once these busy weekends are over (Annapoils next week, a bonspeil the week after) i'll reach out to them.

The good news is that curling season in beginning. Meeting and pickup games tonite at the club, league play starts next week. (and I'm on the really cool team)

Going to buy apples now.

...i am OUTTA here...(for now..)

Had to do it

2005-09-10T12:29:00.000-04:00

Dumbass spammers. I deleted the comment I got from the previous post. How exciting to receive a comment from random stranger in the Blogsphere, but then to be let down by an advertisment for cat furniture. So, I changed my settings. Now you'll have that word recognition security to get past, if you dare to comment.
Getting better, slowly...the doc wrote me up for some Flonase and antibiotics (Omnicef). Although I went out and drank beer last night, watching my friend Vinny play with his band. Killing time right now before I go to work at the Chanticler; my last weekend at that job.
Eeew!...This is turning into a diary entry. I'll quit now.

Oh, Hi!

2005-09-07T18:10:00.000-04:00

Damn, I have been neglecting this forum, haven't I? My apologies.

This cold just won't go away. I see the doc tomorrow. It's been a month almost. Came on very slowly with a tickle in my throat, didn't fully effect me until 10 days later, with a cough keeping me awake at night, and congestion and all. The worst is over, but not 100%, and this sore throat kinda lingers. The worst of it was when I away in Maine, at my cousin's wedding; particularly in the days leading up, although I was a lot better on the wedding day itself, thankfully; I could drink and be merry.

New Orleans is a low-lying, coastal city, in a swampy river delta, in Hurricane Alley.
I have never been to the area but lets just say I know, as I'm sure a lot of people do, and have thought for some time that a major hurricane to directly hit New Orleans would pretty much put the city under water. I remember watching the forecasts weeks ago and fearing the direct hit would be a major recovery for the city. It shocks me, to no end, that the city, the metro area, and the state seemed to have no preparation for such a disaster.

Relearn

2005-07-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

It's hard to unlearn old habits. I gave up on the Dvorak key layout. (See previous posts) It was inhibiting my typing speed, and I think it even started to bother my fingers. But who has the time to unlearn and relearn these things. So, I back to typing in the ergonomically unfriendly qwerty, as effectively as I ever was. In Dvorak, I was still hunting and pecking.

Our heatwave is over. It's healthy to venture outside now. Not that I haven't been out, in fact, I biked 12 miles in the 98° heat yesterday. It was quiet on the trails, only the die hards were out it seems. Like this lightning fast rollerblader who was ahead of me, and i never caught up to him. I always pass skaters. And he eventually pulls away from my sight; I catch up to him at the end where I turn back, and he's doing push-ups; for God's sake! Another person, a boy at most 13-years old, jogging like he does it every day. If I'm correct, and he went from the parking lot to the pond and back, he jogged almost 4 miles. (Hate to have his knees in 40 years.)

What a mess at the Dancing Goat last night. I went for open-mic night but ended up not playing. The host for the night was horrible. By 10:30, 10 acts had gone, I was #20. The open mic starts at 8pm, and the place closes at 11. The place was over-crowded and hot, I ended up losing any energy to play.

Block

2005-07-26T13:30:00.000-04:00

I can't write much these days. Maybe it's not that I can't; maybe i just don't. Maybe I don't give myself the permission to create. I have not completed a new song in two years; but strangely enough I managed to touch so many more people with my music during this time. And I get continued feedback that I should be writing for Broadway. (Where does one begin?) Mr. Borlo was a cool high school teacher I had. In my final grade report for my senior year, he wrote a comment stating his concern that I take too long to complete a written response. My writings could be very good, like how I would get an A on a paper done at home, but get C or D on a timed exam. He said I needed to keep practicing my writing and suggested keeping a journal or something like that. So, 14 years later, I'm blogging. I've also made a few failed attempts to start the Artist's Way, a book by Julia Cameron which is kinda sorta a recovery program for blocked creatives. Keeping up with it has been a problem. I block my own creativity. We all do.

You don't know Jack

2005-07-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

Jack Daniels is not a Bourbon. It is a Tennessee Whiskey. Yet, some people (maybe you?) tend to think it is a bourbon. It says so on the website. Read the faq.

My state threw me for a loop yesterday. I get a notice that my New Jersey income taxes were underpaid. Somehow, the tax I owe was figured at double what it is supposed to be, and the amount withheld was said to be zero! And here I am all excited opening this envelope thinking it's my refund. It's an obvious mistake on their part, I just worry about all the bereauocracy, and the clueless tax agents, and all the touch-tone menus I'll have to deal with before I get my refund. I need a shot of Jack.

Oy! The Heat

2005-06-09T23:22:00.000-04:00

No, the time and date stamp is no bug. I forgot about this post I'd started almost a month ago; and was nearly complete but saved it as a draft, to finish later. I must have been distracted somehow (Damn that Wikipedia!) Anyway...

I haven't discussed the weather recently. It's about time I rehash that old topic. It's damn near 90 today, but still, I go out for a round of disc golf in the blaring heat. And at a time of day when moms and their kids usually rule the playground equipment there was virtually no one at the park; just a stupid dad and his 2 kids, a stupid jogger, and a stupid me. But not so stupid considering I did my best score of the season. There hardly ever seems to be any spring-like weather; not too long ago we were complaining about it staying too cold and rainy, and then, BAM!, a fucking heatwave. So stifling. I walk outside and it's a chore just getting around, feeling like you're being cooked to death. I'm better off when it's subzero, you get cold, but that's what clothes are for. I hate the sweating, and the parked car you get into that's like an oven. At least I have access to a pool.

Trump Stumps for the Towers

2005-05-19T11:23:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Donald Trump. Now, the effort to Rebuild the Towers has some key support. Hopefully, Donald can wake up the rest of us silent supporters, and that stupid ugly freedom tower bullshit -- that iconic representation of Daniel Libeskind's architectural self-absorption -- will forever remain a legend of the drawing board.
Let me state the obvious: If terrorists destroy the Statue of Liberty, would you want someone to erect some symbolic monument in its place? No, right? You would want it rebuilt.
Terrorists destroyed the towers. They lose if we rebuild them. They win if we don't. They win if, god forbid, we put up those windmills enclosed in that shapeless spire of steel mesh.
So Don, thank you, and save us from the potential of a skyline polluted with chicken-wire.

Destinations

2005-05-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

Wow!

2005-05-11T19:54:00.000-04:00

I saw a llama today!

Airwalks, Anyone?

2005-05-06T20:25:00.000-04:00

What's happened to Airwalk sneakers? I can't find them anywhere. It's time for a new pair of sneakers, and I set out today hoping to find for myself a new pair of Airwalks, but no one seems to carry them. I like Airwalks -- I'm not a skateboarder by any stretch of the imagination -- I just like their style, cool and comfy; and understated: neither flashy nor boring white. I could get a pair of Converse All-Stars, they're cool, but so cheaply made it takes a toll on your feet after a bit, and you can't wear them in the rain. Oh, well. I need to find a pair of sneakers I like. Now it means I have to "shop." The simple act of "buying" has now become the tedious task of "shopping," which requires me to interact with the people at the stores. Hopefully, it will be quick and painless.

Yesterday I had my Calculus II final. I think I got through it okay. We'll see. Curves are a wonderful thing. With curves, it's not necessary to ace an exam, you just have to do better than the majority.

Still typing in Dvorak. And getting faster...

One Headlight

2005-05-05T01:01:00.000-04:00

...you know that song, by the Wallflowers. It's a great song, isn't it? It's lyrical depth is amazing. To this date, I have not come across any song since that (1996) which tops or meets its lyrical profundity. The second verse is the height of this intensity. Anyway, so now I'm going to commit the blog faux pas of recopying song lyrics. But seriously, take a moment to ponder these words...
(You know...I really shoud be studying for my Calculus final now, oh well...)

"She said it's cold
It feels like Independence Day
And I can't break away from this parade
But there's got to be an opening
Somewhere here in front of me
Through this maze of ugliness and greed
I seen the sign up ahead
At the county line bridge
Saying all there's good and nothingness is dead
Run until she's out of breath
She ran until there's nothing left
She hit the end, it's just her window ledge"
-- Jakob Dylan

There's a lot of debate online of what the song is actually about; but it's definitely deserving of the two Grammys it received. It's one of those songs that has ended up running in my CD player on "single repeat" mode. And while it's lyrically deep and intense, musically it's upbeat and uplifting; happy sounding.

¡Felíz Cinco de Mayo!

End of curling season (late)

2005-05-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

The ice was shut off today. One month later than usual, because we were waiting for a new compressor back in November, and curling started one month later. Our season-opening bonspeil was postponed to be the season-closing bonspeil, which was held this weekend. I stayed for clean-up during which some members and thier kids brought skates and went ice skating. (Skating is never allowed on a curling rink.) Some of us tried tray-sliding. After a good amount of skating, some of us tried throwing rocks on the destroyed ice. Conditions similar to outdoor curling. It took alot of power to hurl a stone even half way down the sheet. Anyway, it's summer is around the corner. So it was time for hugs and kisses, and temporary goodbyes (even a few tears). More curling in six months...

Dvorak...is it worth the trouble?

2005-04-25T22:02:00.000-04:00

All righty then. Let's see how long this takes me. I'm typing using the Dvorak key layout. It is supposedly a more ergonomically friendly arrangement of the letters. It seems to have quite a devoted following, with a good amount of advocates if you search the web. All computers today have this option amongst the multitude of layouts you can select in the control panel. So, I'm giving it a try. One major problem is that everyone's keys are still labelled in Qwerty; so the keys are a distraction while I follow with a printout. It's not so much hunt-and-peck as it is a cipher-and-peck. But I'm catching on already after just a few lines of typing. We'll see...

Lemonade

2005-04-23T09:38:00.000-04:00

It's springtime, although you wouldn't know it considering today's dreary weather. Three days ago, however, it was like Summer. Do you know what it means when spring arrives? Well, I'm sure means a lot of things, but one thing is for certain: Lemonade!
I like lemonade, but about, say, three years ago I ran into a problem. I wanted to buy lemonade at the store, but every brand of jar/carton lemonade contained high-fructose corn syrup and citric acid. Lemonade is supposed to be a refreshing beverage, but there is nothing refreshing about high-fructose corn syrup and that glob of phlegm it creates in my throat. And why do you need to add citric acid when you have lemon juice already? To make it taste more bland??

So that's when I started making my own. Real lemons, pure sugar, water, ice. It's not hard at all.
It's like I found a new hobby for myself; a little task that's oh-so-rewarding...and refreshing!

Don't chase a kite...

2005-03-28T17:10:00.000-05:00

...if you inadvertenly let go. Especially if the kite is flying over a house, because you'll end up chasing the spool toward the house and if you don't see where you're going you'll end up crashing into the outside wall of the house.

Ow.

For the sake of posting.

2005-03-25T23:48:00.000-05:00

I haven't been all that motivated in recent days. I had a great idea for a story to share, but as soon as a got to sitting in front of the computer one day, i forgot it; and I still can't remember, and it's been killing my motiviation on this site. Bummer! I'll remember eventually.
Today is Good Friday and the mall was packed. I went looking for a gift for my nephew's birthday. Stopped by to say hi to my friend who makes balloon aminals at Johnny Rocket's on Friday afternoons: he was swamped by the big crowds of families.
My bartending job at the Chanticer is coming along. I'm not scheduled this weekend (good! because otherwise I would have to drive to Long Island alone at midnight). The bar mitzfah crowds are annoying as hell, those wild bunches of kids. But I got nice tips from a wedding two weeks ago.
Tomorrow I head out to Long Island to celebrate Easter, as well as my nephew's 5th birthday, (which already happened on the 23rd, but we'll celebrate Saturday.)

Getting around

2005-03-10T17:37:00.000-05:00

I get around to lots of open mic nights. Just last night I went to one at The Dancing Goat in the town of South Orange. I had never been there before. I was just sitting at my computer last night, and somehow ended up on njopenmic.com, where it was listed, and then just got up and went. It's a nice place, and it full of lots of young people (not quite urban, yet not quite suburban -- if you care). Full list of acts, runs from 8-11 went by fast. When I got there it was standing room only and the sign up was almost full, but I got a slot toward the end. I got on stage at around 10:20. By this time, the crowd had thinned, and busboys were starting to move into full force clearing tables. So after I played I felt rushed to pack up and get out. You see, at the Sanctuary, my usual Tuesday haunt I usually prefer this time slot, anywhere between 10-11, because that's usually when the biggest crowd is there. So you see, when I played last night at 10:20ish to a mellowing-out crowd, it would be the same time, a day prior, when I would be playing to a vibrant crowd at the Sanctuary. And then get sit and hang out and chill for at least another hour, because it continues until at least midnight or 1am.
But every place is different.

Where's my post?

2005-03-08T11:26:00.000-05:00

That's funny. I posted by phone on Saturday but it never got here. Bummer. Sometimes it's nice to post in real time rather than sitting here typing and trying to recall something from earlier. Anyway, the other day, when I attempted to post via phone, I was at Cafe Arabica, a not-so-new coffeehouse in my hometown. I went by myself, and the hostess sat me down alone at a table for 4. Shortly thereafter a bunch of people came in to be seated. There was a good crowd waiting for a short while. They could have put a party of two or three at my table, I wouldn't have minded. Nor would I mind sitting at one of the sofa combos for even larger parties, they could just add guests as they need to. But I felt creepy having a table for 4 all by myself. I just sat there and did some Calculus, wrote some lyrics, listened to the musicians: Aerial Acoustics, and, of course, people-watched. I enjoy people-watching. People are so entertaining, don't you think?

Check these out:

2005-03-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

No commentary at this time.
I just thought I'd share some items that interest me. Click on these links to be taken elsewhere:

Regina Spektor, (<-- click) NYC-based songwriter/pianist just released her major-label debut CD. She's worth a listen. I happen to see her play when she opened for The Dismemberment Plan about 2 years ago.

Final shot of the Canadian Women's Curling Championship, (<-- click) You've got to see to believe! Watch the video clip. It's a once-in-a-lifetime come-from-behind shot.

Snow wonderful snow

2005-03-01T18:37:00.000-05:00

(Errors corrected.)
Weather, I shouldn't be talking about the weather, but I like weather. Granted, it can provide a token conversation, but weather does happen. A list of blogging tips -- click here -- suggests not talking about your weather; but I talk about weather in a very conscious way. I don't just "blah blah blah" about the weather. This is New Jersey where weather happens. California, Florida, Arizona, places like that, the weather is very consisent. Here we have four seasons to guide us through each of our years. I wouldn't have it any other way. Still, locals complain: "I'm sick of all this snow," "I can't stand the cold weather," "It's hot, I can't wait for August to end," "Damnit! It's raining again!" blah blah blah.....
Anyway, if you read those blogging tips, there are a lot of good ones, like how people don't really care what you're currently watching/listening. Other blog sites, like xanga, have a "currently listening to" form as part of the post entry, and it will display the album cover on your post with the link to its page Amazom.com...how annoyingly corporate of them.
Anyway, we got snow here last night. About 8 inches. 3rd storm in less than two weeks. But I'm not complaining. It's WINTER, the season for SNOW! I don't care if snows a foot everyday. As long as it's winter. If it snows in April, however, I don't like it, because it's not Winter then.

Oscar

2005-02-28T00:41:00.000-05:00

I was hoping for Johnny Depp to win. My second favorite was anyone other than Leonardo. So, I'm still pleased. Watching the awards while I could have been studying for Calculus. Not that should have, but I do have an exam tomorrow. Going over things would just drive me crazy. I know I know the material. But sometimes I forget that I know. And I drill myself, frantically; each time checking my answer and finding some stupid mistake. So I try another problem, not making the same mistake, but making some other stupid mistake. And so on. Before I know it, it's 4:30 in the morning, I've used 200 sheets of paper and 10 vials of pencil lead. MORAL: If you're good at something, don't try proving that you're bad at it.
I almost opened the book at 3:30 this afternoon. Then, my phone rings. I'm requested to help someone move. SAVED! This coffeehouse I go to lost their lease, but are moving to the next town over. They're packing and moving today. I carried stuff to trucks. Then I drove a pickup for the first time. I shouldn't have answered the question, "Who can drive stick?" I can, but I usually draw the line at 3-speed pickups with no front bumper. That was my excitiement for a while.

More Curling Chat

2005-02-26T15:30:00.000-05:00

It's a big day for Curling in the US. Finals today. Basically, it's the 2005 US Chamionship, but they don't call it that. It's called the "2006 Olympic Trials" beacuse the winner represents the US in the 2006 Olympics; but they'll also represent at the 2005 Worlds next month. You see, they have this event every year around this time, and the winning team goes to the Worlds as team USA. But the Olympics is not every year; other years it's called "World Trials." "Championship" would sound so much better than "Trial." I don't get it.
Anyway, I was just listening to the Women's Final. Exciting game, I must say. Came down to a tiebreaker, and this young team beat the '03 World Champ on the last shot. I missed the live moment, however, because I lost my audio stream just when she released the rock. And then I couldn't rebuffer because all the connections to the webcast were full at that time. So I just refreshed the scoreboard page until the final score came up. I was able to get back on to hear the replay.
What bullshit is this that I have to listen to curling championships on a lo-fi internet webcast, that's shaky at best. The numbers show that people will pay attention to curling on TV. Hell, it just jammed the internet. Go to Cananda. You'll see lots of curling on TV. LIVE! On CBC, mind you, that's broadcast TV, not cable. Curling is on Canadian TV like paint on a wall. You say it's boring? Do you watch Golf? Golf is boring to watch. But I still watch it. It has it moments of excitment. How about the Westminster Dog Show? You saw that, didn't you? I'll bet you saw a snippet here and there. DON'T LIE! You waited and cheered for you favorite breed. And that was LIVE! Two nights in a row! And how about the paint on your wall? You watch that, don't you? Of course...especially when it gets dirty! Then you PAY MONEY for more paint. There's a huge market for paint. Two ailses at Home Depot.

US Curling on TV, pretty, pretty please?

That annoying tickle

2005-02-20T13:42:00.000-05:00

When you feel like you're getting sick, you know that tickle. The thing is, it seems to be all I end up getting. Third time this winter I have this "tickle" while friends & family come down with a full blown cold or flu. I guess it's good that I don't get completely sick, but it's still annoying to have this tickle, fearing that the next day i'll wake up in misery. But they linger for about a week and then fade away.

Crunchy!

2005-02-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

I can never get enough breakfast cereal. The other day I bought a box of Rice Chex. It's almost empty. Such a tasty crunchy treat! I could never make Atkins work for me. Everything I like is pasta, rice, milk, breakfast cereal (anything breakfast for that matter). Actually, I probably would lose a lot of weight with Atkins, because I would eat NOTHING!
I'm just hanging out this weekend. I dropped off Grandma's drycleaning and chatted with her for a bit. I'm about to head into the city to hang with Tracy. No bartending this weekend because they have tiny parties and they have enough people. And next week they are closed for renovations. Anthony, the maitre-d, says he'll call after next week. because there are a lot a parties coming up. He seems eager, and happy to have me on board, so that's good.

I just want some income already! Digging into too much savings, not good, not good.

What a life! I closed up the curling club after Thursday's game. I was among the last few people there at around 12:15am. Crazy thing is that I played the 6:30 game! And it didn't seem like I was there that long.

Open Mic Night

2005-02-16T00:31:00.000-05:00

Lying in bed

2005-02-10T03:46:00.000-05:00

Jesus on my homework.

2005-02-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

I got Calculus homework handed back to me today.
The comment was:
"Write more neatly and use less paper. Jesus Christ! You're an engineer!"

I guess everyone at this level of math could consider themselves an engineer, but no, actually I am a lowly math-teacher-to-be. I know I am a sloppy writer, but no one has ever cursed me for it. In fact, never has the world of academics cursed me. (Okay maybe it has.) But, I don't care. Homework in this class is graded by a undergrad "peer mentor" who is always late for workshop and appears to do nothing but collect, grade, and handback homework. Anyway, I have written proof of his violation of the 2nd Commandment (or the 3rd if you're not Catholic), if he cares, if you care. In fact, I really don't care anymore.

I'm off to a bonspiel...

A curling tournament is called a "bonspeil," (I think I mentioned that before) I'm heading out this weekend to compete in the annual Francis Dykes Memorial Bonspiel, which is a men's bonspiel for those people with 5 or less years of curling experience. This is my first time going away to bonspiel. I've played in a few at my own club, Plainfield. But it's also my first time going to an all men's bonspiel, whick is kinda scary. It should be fun, though. It's at this place called Broomstones, which is apparently a very nice facility. My team of four is riding together in one car, how cute!

Anyway, back to my un-godly mess...

I'm tired, I'm tired, I'm tired...

2005-02-05T23:51:00.000-05:00

...do you notice a trend?

You know what? For a brief moment I was actually excited about watching poker championships, when they first showed up on tv. But I've quickly grown to hate this "Texas hold'em" bullshit. It's a stupid game which seems that someone made up for the sake of making poker a spectator sport. It's re-inventing poker so it could be easily presented on tv. Nothing beats a playing Five-card Stud with your buddies 'til 3 or 4 in the morning.

I read a list of blogging tips which says that one shouldn't apologize for not blogging for a while. So, I'm not sorry. I started a new job today. Bartending at a banquet hall. (Yes, the Chanticleer, see previous posts.) For my first event I got to work a bar mitzfah. Couldn't make shirley temples fast enough. I should go to sleep. But I'm obsessed with learning web design, and trying to figure out how to manage css files. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's okay, I don't either.

Do you have a @$#€! card??

2005-01-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

Every store has their "card" these days. You know, whent you check out at the grocery or drug store, and then they ask you if you have a "Stop&Shop card?" And it's annoying everytime they ask, but the thing that gets me most often is that they don't seem to care that I don't have one. The kid behind register can just scan his card. (And sometimes taped onto a big piece of cardboard so it's easier grab and swipe) How ingenious! I don't have to "sign up" for anything and I still get the member perks that legitimate card holders have.

But I don't think the company had this in mind. It is a gross curruption of the system. The actual true card holders don't get their comparative benefits because they're just handing them out to anyone, and employees bankroll and rack up huge activity on their cards. At a Pathmark store, though, there was a notice posted: ANY EMPLOYEE USING THEIR OWN CARD WILL BE TERMINATED. Good policy. Although, it was a notice just for employees, it was conspiciously posted for all customers to read.

Personally, I don't want a card from any store. They can track your purchases and send you junk mail. It's a bastardization of a system that was originally in place solely for the privelege to pay by check. With modernization, that concept is obsolete. Then again, what if I do want a card? They never offer, because they're happy to rack up their own points. Isn't this a form of theft?...or fraud?

Hang up your coat here

2005-01-26T23:36:00.000-05:00

I got the coatrack from IKEA today (see Jan. 14 post). They sent me a postcard yesterday (actually two --both addressed to me with my first name misspelled two different ways) so I went and picked it up after my class today. This time my visit to the store was more straightforward. Other than the fact that you still can't just remain on one floor; I looked for a way around the stairs, but there wasn't any. So I went upstairs and then went right back down the back stairs straight to the cashier; then to the pickup counter. It comes it a flat package, 6 feet long, 1 foot wide, about 10 pounds, and the guy wheels it out to me on a cart. I picked it up off the cart with one hand and walked out; the guy seemed surprised. I got home and put it together.
I am actually enjoying class this semester, so far. Take today's workshop section, for example. First we went over HW problems, then we took a short quiz, and then we work in groups on a detailed problem, which we hand in next week. What's interesting is that we lost track of time and ended up staying after class about ten minutes figuring out the problem.
And then the maitre-d' from Chanticleer called me again. He said he just lost a bartender; I meet with him on Friday. Sounds good!

John Mayer

2005-01-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

I hate that piece of shit. He can't sing, he can strum a few chords, and his songs are derivative. He plays and emotes on stage with his eyes closed like he's orgasming with his guitar. All women think he's sexy, from teenage girls to desperate housewives and everyone in between. What the fuck is so sexy about a guy who sounds like he's trying to sing with chronic bronchitis or athsma or both?

Another Year

2005-01-23T22:33:00.000-05:00

At least I got to celebrate my Birthday, a low-key event with family. My brother stopped by and we had a steak dinner and chocolate cake. My two nephews called and sang to me over the phone. The older one, Kevin, asked how old I am. 32 I said. "That's big!" he replied.

I'm tired, but it's only 10:30. It's too early to go to bed now. I know I'm being stupid. If I'm tired, I should go to sleep. It should not matter what time it is. It's embarrasing to turn in this early. And to top it all off, I didn't get out anywhere today. I don't want to get up too early; it may be a late night tomorrow. Then again, a good night's sleep is a very good thing.

Then I watched the stupid Steelers game and it put me in a crabby mood.

My car is still buried in snow, not that I would have gone anywhere. The driveway plower didn't even come until later this evening. I'll have to dig out in the morning.

Birthday blizzard

2005-01-22T14:37:00.000-05:00

Like I said, tomorrow, Sunday 1/23 is my birthday. It's also National Handwriting Day, but that has nothing to do with me. It's because it's also John Hancock's birthday. When I worked behind a cash register, a guy gave me his credit card and the name on the card was "Jonathan Hancock." I was about to say something, but I figured he's heard it all before and it would just piss him off.

So I made it into NYC to have dinner with a couple of friends. I needed to get out at least one night this weekend, becuase it looks like I'll be stuck at home for most of my birthday. (See weather reference in previous post) I'll celebrate with family at home tomorrow, and catch up with some other friends on a later date. On my way home, I get back to Hoboken, where my car is parked, and walk by Starbucks for a warm beverage, but it's closed. That sucked because it was freezing cold out. (yeah, i know, more fun weather commentary) Turns out it's under renovation for a full week and a half. I peeked in, and it was strange, the whole place was torn apart. A typical Starbucks renovation just includes paint, floors, updating equipment, and necessary repairs; usually just to update the store to the current products and brand image. But you rarely see what I noticed: walls being moved and the entire counter torn away. I'm curious about the results.

Homebound.

2005-01-22T13:52:00.000-05:00

Here comes the snow. I'm sorry, you don't care about my weather; but I can't help but notice. And if you read anyone else's blogs, they're saying the same things. I'll be stuck here for the next 24 (at least) hours. And tomorrow is my birthday. I was out this morning, breakfast at the diner, then lounge a bit at starbucks, it was packed. People have the same idea: get out while you can. But once the flakes started, I headed home. Even though cars were pouring into the strip mall. Buying last minute groceries. (It's funny, I heard someone call these "French Toast Days" because people stock up on milk, bread and eggs.) The liquor store looked pretty busy too. (Hey, you won't be able to drive anyway.) You knew it was going to snow didn't you? Over a week ago. And it's only because it's the NFL Conference championship weekend (go Steelers!) did we care about this storm so far in advance. If it were projected for Monday, we wouldn't be hearing about it until tomorrow (Sunday) morning, we wouldn't care.

Time to kill

2005-01-19T14:28:00.000-05:00

Classes begin today. I go to Rutgers. I'm just taking classes as a non-degree student, hoping to enroll in a Master's program. I'm taking Calculus II. Today was the first class, but it was the workshop section with the TA, not the regular lecture with the prof. The TA could very well be younger than me. The guy's a little hyper, he thought I raised my hand when I just brushing hair out of my face, so he called on me. Since the workshop meetings are based on the previous lectures, there wasn't much to cover. We just went over syllabus and Review of topics. I'm here on campus doing this now. Class was out by 12:30, usually 12:50. I have a curling practice at 4:30, and the curling club is not far from the university, so it's a waste for the 40 min drive home, and then back here to the same general vicinity. It would be a waste to go back and forth. Plus, it's snowing.
It took a while, but I found me a computer lab. First I was at a cluster of only three computers in the building where my class is. Then a line formed and I realized people need the computer to do drop/adds. It's been a while since I did the college thing. I see that paper registration has disappeared, but the lines haven't. Go technology!
Go away kids, you can't register now. I'm busy blogging!! So here I am in a lab with a hundred or so PCs. I like my Mac better (and the mouse on the left), but I guess majority rules.

About last night...

2005-01-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

I wasn't drunk. Don't get me wrong. But there's something about drinking beer (i enjoy Guinness), even just having a few, evenly paced, that gives you that tired, post-binge sobering-up exhausted feeling. But without the binge. Add to that the fact that it was a tired day in general (lack of sleep the night prior) as well as I was out performing at a bar (i'm a musician-songwriter) in a contest, the exaustion makes sense. It was at The Exchange in Rockaway. I didn't emerge as a winner, but I can try again in future weeks. It was a songwriting contest and when I got there I realized I had to pick ONE song to enter, which was a tough choice. I settled on "Distractions," the one song which uses the most of my energy, and requires the most piano technique. Perhaps it was too outlandish. I don't know.

After the contest, they continued with the regular open mic. I noticed these girls trying to remeber lyrics to the Sarah McLachlan song "Angel." I helped them out, saying that I cover the song often. They were gonna do it a cappela, (or "acapello," as they called it; lmao!) but they asked me to accompany. That was a mistake, according to me they were never with me, according to them I wasn't with them. They said thanks but we'll do it acapello now. So I went back to sit at the bar next to my friend Vinny. He said he woudn't have played behind them if they had asked him. They're divas.

Earlier that day I went to apply for a job at a dive bar. The Phoenix in Union. Whatever happens happens.

Just checking in if you don't mind

2005-01-18T01:41:00.000-05:00

I would love to write graceful writings here. And today, and especially tonite, there's good blog fodder, indeed. I'm sorry you'll have to wait, this constant yawning is overtaking me (i just inhaled myself)
I need sleep. I need beer.

No, wait...I don't need any more beer.

I just need to go on and run the event's of the day thru tonight's dream cycle (and i won't forget the fabric softener this time) ...as i grow even more weary. You will have to wait till morning for my daily reflections. In like manner, I will wait to watch tonight's episode of "24" which i had taped (so DON'T tell me what happened! STOP IT i said! blahblahblah ican'thearyou ican'thearyou blahblahblah)
g'nite

Warning! Religion chat ahead...

2005-01-16T20:40:00.000-05:00

Today's Sunday and I'm one of those churchgoing people. As I'm trying to wake up this morning, my Mom yells up to me (oh, yeah, I live with mommy and daddy still, it's a money thing) she asks if I want to go out to Brunch, which of course I do. Zokay, I can do church later this evening. Sunday brunch at this restaurant, it's called The Store, I highly reccommend. It's in Basking Ridge, if you're within 20 mins of it please go someday.

Well, the Steelers pulled it through, barely. I thought the Jets had it at the end, But they came through. (Yeah, I'm a Steeler fan in Jets land...well actually this is Giants land, but nobody talks about them these days.)

So, anyway, I'm Catholic (yes, it's all my fault) and I go to Mass on Sunday. But at some point last year I found myself going to a tradtional Latin Mass at a chapel I found about 20 mins. from home. It was a trip going the first time, it was amusing trying to follow along, not just because I couldn't understand the Latin, but also the fact that a lot of the parts were changed considerably. But I caught on after a while. But whats real cool is everyone's attitude there. Everybody looks as if they want to be there, they pay attention instead of looking all bored. (Although I thought I did hear someone snoring today.) There are no screaming kids, because parents take control of their kids and are kind enough to take a rambunctious child out to the vestibule to calm down. Nobody sneaks out right after communion. So I keep on trekking up there on Sundays. Go to www.latinmass.org if you want to find a Latin Mass near you.
*Pax Domni sit semper vobiscum.*

now go and have a good week!

Rightly Avoiding Futility

2005-01-16T14:22:00.000-05:00

Right now I could go to a job interview. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything scheduled. There's no appointment that I'm blowing off. But, Jimmy's, a bar/restaurant/nightclub in town is conducting walk-in interviews this afternoon for hiring experienced bartenders, servers, and chefs. The only drawback is the keyword "experienced." I have certification from bartending school, but have not yet been hired. So, if i don't go, then perhaps I'm just saving my time and theirs. And, mind you, this place has existed forever in town, but in my 32 years (11 drinking years) i've only been there once. It's a typical suburban meet-market, pseudo-upscale place, with DJ's who play nothing I like.

Geez, why did I even think of applying? I'm looking thru the rest of website, and see things like "Utlimate Dance Party on three floors!" Yikes! They even charge a cover. Thank you, Blog, for helping me pick my own brain! Although, I did email them the other day with a resume attached, it's one bridge i don't mind burning. They never replied anyway. I always enjoy having friends visit me at work, but none of my friends would ever come to this place. So, the hell with it!!

The people we once knew

2005-01-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

I just had one of those bizarre sightings of a past aquaintance. There is this guy Bill i once worked with at Starbucks, back when I first started in 1996. He started shortly after me, but he was one of a bunch of people at my store who were being trained for a new store that was about to open nearby. But anyway, i'm sitting earlier today in Starbucks, my former place of employment, and I recognize this guy Bill walking in. But he left almost as soon as he entered, he didn't get anything, didn't stand on line, and he left before I could approach him and say hi. He was a strange bird, but quite enjoyable in moderation. I remember us going out one night to hang out with a bunch of folks at the The Melody Bar in New Brunswick (a real cool place that closed down a few years ago), and a few of us rode in Bill's car and he played his car stereo so fucking loud my ears were hurting. But anyway, today he even had a backpack with him, which was also strange, like he was planning on chilling for a while; but he just walked in, looked around for a little while with this creepy grin on his face, and then he walked out and left. Maybe he was driving by and just wanted to check out the old place; but that doesn't explain the backpack. Why would you get out of car and grab your backpack just to go back to your car less than a minute later? Blows my mind. Interesting sighting, no less. Interaction would have more interesting, i gather. Oh well.

I called back the maitre-d' at Chanticleer. He has enough bartenders at the moment, but says he'd hire waiters. But you wouldn't want me as a waiter. So I'll keep up with the job hunting as best as I can.

IKEA Grand Tour

2005-01-14T17:52:00.000-05:00

I just went all the way to IKEA, the swedish furniture megastore; and all I come home with is candles. My main purpose for going was to get me a coatrack; one that stands all by itself on the floor. It's been a chore trying to find one in any store, but i saw one on the IKEA website. It just took forever to locate in the store. In this IKEA you are forced upstairs when you first walk in, even if you don't want to go there, but as soon as you get there you can just go back down the other stairs. I figured it was small enough to be in the self serve area where I could grab the box, but I couldn't find it. And then I looked in the Marketplace section. This is where I got the candles, btw. A box of 50 white tapers, I go thru lots of those, and a couple of 3inch pillars for my brother because i got him candlesticks without candles for christmas, so this completes his gift. But I couldn't find a coatrack in the Marketplace area, and I looked around all the "home organization" section, where the modular closet stuff is. (I did install hooks on my wall once, but they all just fell out eventually.) And so I go back upstairs. And I'm looking thru the Showrooms, and I finally see what i'm looking for; it's only six feet high and takes up one square foot of floor space, but the tag says i need to see an associate. So I get a slip from this snotty girl, go back downstairs pay for my things; and take my slip to pick-up area, and they tell me it'll be 15 minutes. Okay fine. I bring my candles to my car, and park near the loading area and go back in and wait. And i see people who got there after me leaving with carts loaded with big boxes. Where's my coatrack?? When they call my name they tell me it's out of stock. (The snotty girl couldn't find this out?) So this guy sends me to Returns, and I get a refund, and they're gonna send me a postcard when they're back in stock. The guy told me they're in stock in Paramus, the other IKEA in Jersey, but that's a pain in the ass location, unless i try it on a weekday mid-morning. And so went my afternoon.

Before heading to my retail experience, i went thru the ritual of applying for a job. I do that a lot these days, which makes sense since i'm currently unemployed. I'm a certified bartender with bad luck getting hired. So I went to this banquet place, the Chanticleer, and filled out an application, but the maitre-d' was "out at the post office" so I left the app with the receptionist. But when I got home from Ikea, there was a call back from this guy Anthony. Hopefully something good will come out of this.

2nd place

2005-01-14T01:36:00.000-05:00

Just got back from the curling club. We lost, but it was a good game no less. (You know, curling, that sport with the sliding rocks and the sweepers on ice.) This currently puts us in a tie for 2nd place in the thursday night league. If we had won, we'd be alone in 1st place, and the team that beat us would have been where we are. So we're 4-2 thus far. Now we play the same six teams again. So anything can still happen. 2nd place is good for me. At least it's a better track than ending 6-8 last year. And two of the guys from that team i'll be playing with on a team in a couple of upcoming bonspeils. (A bonspeil is a curling tournament.) So, that should be cool.
Bunch of party poopers tonite, curlers usually like to stay out late and drink, but everybody decided to be responsible for a change. Only had time for ONE(!) beer. So i'm home earlier than expected. And after ten minutes on the way home, showers suddenly begin, (what fun!) but at least it washed away the dense fog from earlier today.

THE BARK is born! Lost in the fog...

2005-01-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

This being the inaugural post of The Barking Slider weblog. A rant of nonsensical eloquence born on this day of dense fog. I know you don't care about my weather but what I really wanted to chat about was the phenomenon known as FOG. It can be annoying sometimes. It cancels flights. I mean, the fog doesn't cancel flights, the airlines cancel flights because of fog. I once had a flight bringing me home from school in Pittsburgh (I went to Duquesne from 91-95) which was cancelled due to dense fog, which means I had to go all the way back to campus, and back to the airport again the next day. And that's not fun because the Pittsburgh airport is 25 min. outside the city. Keep that in mind if you ever fly to pittsburgh (like if you're gonna watch the Steelers beat the Jets this weekend) and plan to have plenty of cash for taxi fare. So sometimes i would fly back and forth to school (home is New Jersey, btw) a few times i took amtrak and it sucked, but then when I had my car at school i would drive back and forth. And one time, i think it was thanksgiving break, there was DENSE FOG the whole way going home, which was annoying because you don't know where the road is going beyond like fifteen feet or so. So you have to be ever mindful of your driving. In clear weather you can scan the road as far as the eye can see and your subconsious takes over the mechanics of driving. Needless to say, that was a stressful ride home. And that's a seven hour drive. But I did have two friends along for the ride, even though I had no idea what they were up to since I was too busy concentrating on peering thru the fog. And one of the guys payed for everything, which was cool, my gas and all our food along the ride, like the Sbarro pizza we got at the Midway service plaza, which is Mile 147 on the PA turnpike.
But that's enough for now. Glad to be here. Hope I haven't bored you. Feel free to leave your comments and insults.