tradition

Well, turns out I missed my bloggiversary. Oops!

Instead, as a followup to last year, I present the results of my second lifetime pumpkin carving attempt.



Happy Halloween!

disgusted

Does anyone out there still watch the Apprentice? This season's cast includes a young ambitious Indian woman. At the start of the season, I was intrigued. In four seasons, this was the first Indian person included on the show, and I was curious to see what she would make of herself. Fair or not, I felt she was representing Indian women all over America, since Indian women are still scarce in public American media. After watching the last two episodes, all I can say is EW. I hope I'm never associated with such arrogance, ego, and general repulsiveness. Disdain for others dripping from every word she said, she proceeded to blatantly lie about her religion of all things, just to get out of doing something she felt was too far beneath her Ivy league education. To you, Ms. Toral Mehta, I ask, just what were you thinking?? Do these types of shenanigans really work in your everyday life? What a major disappointment.

insanity

There's impulse purchases, and then there's IMPULSE purchases.

I just bought a beautiful cello.

I have no idea how to play a cello.

Yet.

aural

The sounds I hear in my new abode are certainly strange. As I type, I can hear my neighbor trying to find his favorite spot in his pre-recorded show. How do I know this? I can hear the telltale signs of Tivo. dooDOO dooDOO... DOOdoo.

Late at night, when I'm up desparately trying to read what feels like every last word known to man, I hear the crickets. I lived in a high rise for the last three years, and in the middle of a city for the 4 before that. Crickets haven't been in my audio repertoire for quite some time. But who am I to complain, I've always said I'm a sucker for being serenaded.

The strangest sound is the silence. The absolute only sound I can hear right now is the clicking of my keyboard. There is no computer hum, no airconditioner blasting, no traffic on the streets, no planes flying overhead. Nothing. Just me, my thoughts.

For now, the sounds of silence are beautiful. I'm happy here, and the peace I find at home is unparalleled.

cumpleaños

My car insurance is supposedly lower now.

That's what I'm supposed to get excited about, right? Twas my 25th birthday today, and keeping it low key was really what it was all about. A full exhausting day at school, followed by dinner and drinks with old friends. I'm lying in bed right now feeling very content.

Bring on the next 25.

interim

What I did on my summer vacation
by sangeet


As of the last post, I had just quit my job. For a few glorious days I just reveled in the freedom. No need to go to bed, no need to wake up in the morning, no need to do much of... anything. That freedom quickly turned into panic as I realized I needed to actually pack for my upcoming move, yet somehow I managed to spend time hanging out with friends rathen than packing. Jadam and I needed to watch more episdoes of 24 together, there was karaoke to be sung at the local gay bar, my roomate and I needed to have one more just girls night and on and on. The packing fairies would just come and take care of things, right?

Despite my state of nonpackedness (it's a word NOW), my best friend and I set off for Seattle on Friday morning. Leaving behind the stickiness that was DC, we arrived in sunny, breezy, Seattle midday to 0% humidity. My skin didn't even know what to make of this. We stayed with our gracious host Iriwn (Thanks again!!) and met up with George as well as other friends who don't have blogs and therefore shall remain nameless. Suffice to say, it was truly a great vacation, much thanks to our local friends who were wonderful tour guides. If you haven't been to Seattle, GO. Apparently, this is the time of year to go -- there was no rain, just gorgeous clear skies, delightful breezes, and a beautiful city to explore. Need more convincing? Did I mention we made it out to a place called Agua Verde for some kayaking (my first time), and then ate at the restaurant above, which overlooks the water? Live music, harp, violin, some sort of conga like drums, did I mention the yummy margaritas? Thanks Rachel Ray. :)

I came back fully recharged and met my folks for a quick trip to Atlantic City. We didn't come back any richer, nevertheless, it was some quality time as a family, and hey, they paid for my gambling ;)

Whoops, whaddya know, we're at my last weekend in DC. The girls and their men threw me a nice little going away party that Friday night. Unfortunately the festivities were cut short due to an ill-timed fire alarm, but it was probably for the best as I still had packing to finish up. The next day was inajamaica's wedding (such a wonderful, unique event, truly fitting), my last chance to hang out with some work friends. The following day was set to be moving day, but due to a snafu with UHAUL (raise your hand if you're surprised) things didn't start moving till many hours later than scheduled. Regardless, truly appreciated friends including pandabear came over to help load the truck. 11pm that night, I finally drove away from my apartment. Yeah, like I said... it was a LATE start.

Undaunted, we stopped driving at around 3AM, got a few hours of shuteye, and were ready to go the next morning. Got to my new complex JUST as the leasing office was closing, but in time to get my new keys. Woohoo!

I truly believe unpacking is more fun than packing. It's like opening a present with every box! Plus there's all sorts of new surroundings to be excited about. But the real excitement was on Tuesday. My brand new washer and dryer were delivered. I've never before had the luxury of having my own laundry facilities. The ability to leave my wet underthings in the washer an extra hour without fear of them being stolen, or worse taken out and put on top for all to see? Priceless.

Wednesday brought more unpacking, and then Thursday was a trip to my parents house. Friday, on my drive back, as that familiar and comforting skyline came into view, a funny feeling settled in my stomach. I had a new home. I felt a sharp pang of longing for DC.

And yet, it's good to be here. I got to have lunch with m@ber on Saturday, when was the last time I could do that?! That evening I attended a non official business school party, and I must say, I will have to work on my tolerance level. And that brings me to Sunday, the start of school. Don't ask me why, they decided to kick things off with a reception Sunday afternoon. This morning was my first full day of orientation, and I've gotta say, I'm excited. The overall enthusiasm that everyone has is simply infectious. I'm sure it's something that will fade with time, but it's a great way to kick off a return to homework, lectures, group projects and finals.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to have dinner with Scott and another friend, after another full day of orientation. The rest of the week holds further promise, who knows what's around the corner. :)

I once told Taylor I hated long posts, and here I've just broken my own rule. So if you've made it thus far, you're caught up on my summer "break", it's time for Fall!

flotsam

Another month is over, and I'm looking at my post count this month with embarrassment.

In July --

Monday morning. I get on the elevator at G3. Random Guy gets on at L.
RG: "You must have gotten on from the garage!!"
me: "mmhmm"
RG: "Cause this is the lowest regular level and I just got on and you were already here."
me: "yup"

Stop the hunt, I found the real Captain Obvious.

At work, we spotted our very own Ugly Naked Guy.

Though stranger things have been found in the hallway outside my apartment, this one caught my eye. Poor solitary unblossomed bud. Carelessly dropped without a backwards glance.

Friday was my last day at work. It feels strange tonight, Sunday, to not be worried about going to bed so I can get up tomorrow. It hasn't sunk in yet that I won't be going back. Thanks for the good times, everyone, and your support during the not so good.

I've rediscovered my love for skirts. Marylin Monroe issues aside, I can't seem to get enough of them, they're perfect in the heat.

I'm starting school again. Do you know how strange it is to be purchasing textbooks?

Harry Potter 6 is out. And why haven't I read it yet? Because I'm insane and have decided to reread books 1-5 first. Yeah. I'm in the middle of book 3 right at the moment, but I'm sure it will be 4 by tomorrow.

To those of you that say lists are a cop-out: Ppppppppbbbbbtttt. :)

division

I want to read.

Summertime was an exciting time for me growing up. Pizza Hut, had a program called Book It that encouraged kiddies to read by offering free personal pan pizzas as incentives. Now, I love me some Pizza Hut pan pizza, but even more motivating than the pie was the satisfaction I got from filling up their logs of reading faster than my librarian could hand out the slip. I was the girl who'd show up to the library, check out the max limit of books, and have them back within the week for the next round. I read just about everything they suggested, and then everything my friends read: The Boxcar Children, Choose Your Own Adventure, Encyclopedia Brown, and as time went on, authors like Christopher Pike, RL Stine, or even the controversial VC Andrews.

During the school year, the Scholastic Book fairs would come through town, and I usually tried to convince my parents to at least let me buy one good book.

I have fond memories of some of the books we read later in school: Watership Down, Fareheight 451, Brave New World.

All this, and yet once I hit middle school, I was "a math person". Horror of horrors, I was on Math Team, and you know what? I was good. SAT time? Yeah, the math section was my specialty. Honors programs? Math Math Math. When it came time for college, my major required as little reading or writing as possible, and we were proud of it. Writing was fluff, and reading was a chore. Suddenly, the years spent enjoying the written word were inconsequential. I was now a "numbers" kinda gal, who had time for books?

The tide started turning back a few years ago. Bridget Jones, the Shopaholic series, Harry Potter, The Interpreter of Maladies, Nick Hornby's offerings -- books were back in my world. Numbers seem far less interesting these days than words. I like to explore the difference in shades of meaning between words like pontifcate, extrapolate, and elaborate. I just like the way those words roll off the tongue.

This blog has encouraged me to think about language, and how to paint a picture. This afternoon, a friend gave me a math problem that my former self would have solved in a matter of minutes. And yet today, my mind couldn't make sense of those numbers. Tonight I want to do nothing more than curl up on my couch with a good book (or blog for that matter), and read until my eyes can no longer stay open.

Why does it seem I can only have one or the other?

stark

Pulling up to the stop light, I noticed him right away. The gaunt, bent-over frame holding a cardboard sign was hard to miss, especially at the corner of a busy intersection not known for its foot traffic. "Unemployed carpenter. Tired and hungry, " his sign read. From two lanes away, I watched as he poured water from a fast food cup onto his dirty rag and tried to wash away the stickiness of the day from his face and neck.

Suddenly my view was blocked by a sexy silver convertible that pulled into the lane between us. With his music blaring, the driver, a young man with designer shades, turned to glance at the homeless man. Immediately, he turned back to face the front, picked up his iPod, and fiddled with it just long enough for the light to change.

The light finally turned green, and as we both drove away, I was left wanting to somehow right the wrong that didn't really exist.

emptiness

Wow. I came home today to find my apartment cleaned out.

Don't panic, I wasn't robbed or anything. My roomate got married on Saturday night (yay! Congratulations!), and today was the last day of our lease together. She's been moving stuff out for a while now, but today it's different. Today, she left the keys.

It's just me again.

It's weird that this is hitting me today as much as it is. She's been slowly spending more and more time with her now-husband, so I've gotten used to having the place to myself, but I guess the presence of someone else's belongings serves as a reminder that someone else gets a say in what hangs on the walls or how loud you can play your music.

I just walked through the whole place. Her room is a completely blank, whitewashed, box of nothingness. Were it not for her handwritten note saying goodbye, you'd be hard pressed to tell she was ever here.

I'm going to miss having her as my roomate. There's just certain things you share with a roomate. The late night talks. Always having someone to check your outfit before you go out. The extra wardrobe. ;) The shared meals (that she cooked :)) over a weekly tv show. The impromptu shopping trips. The person you show off your purchases to. And in our case, the person you share the fact that you are the biggest dork with. :)

To risk sounding cliche, the list goes on and on. But for now, it's just me again.

mispeeled

costumers

I saw this posted in the window of our local Baja Fresh today. Apparently too many people are showing up in their Clark Kent attire demanding to use the facilities.

I would go dressed as a clown complete with the big shoes and the red nose if I thought anyone at the store would laugh. Ok, actually I'm just looking for any excuse to wear the nose. Come on, you know I'd look cute. ;)

weak

So, I came home tonight and decided I was going to be lazy (ok, this is just my normal state) and warm up a frozen pizza for dinner. Sounds simple, right? Apparently microwave pizzas have become a lot more complicated since the last time I checked. I'm quoting excerpts directly from the box here:

Pull tear strip along edge of carton and peel back top of carton along perforations. Do NOT tear off the top of the carton. Fold top of carton around completely. Silver surface should be facing up, aligned with guide lines shown, creating a microwave crust crisping platform. (See Illustration)

What the...?? Since when did making a frozen meal require a college education? I bet that illustration used to be labeled Figure 5b. And you want to know the worst part? It took twice as long to cook than the box said. I mean all that engineering time they spent in designing the perfect "crust crisping platform" and they misjudged cooking time by at least half?

As Taylor would say, "Weak sauce."

minutiae

Today is Cinco de Mayo. But even more importantly, it is currently 5:05pm on 05/05/05. Even better would have been if I had posted this at 0505 hrs, but I'm not one to waste precious sleeping time. Oh how easily I am amused.

simple

Deftly maneuvering my small dinged up car into a tight parking space, I pause to briefly savor the last grain of salt on my meal of french fries before reaching to turn off the ignition. My ears take a moment to adjust to the absence of the blaring radio. A faint melody teases me with its unrecognizability. My eyes dart back to the lights of the dash. No, that's off. The cell phone? Wrong song. My mind races to do a quick check of other devices that might emit such a sound. I start to panic as I realize that none of them are responsible for the tune. Has it finally happened? Can I no longer distinguish between the music in my head and reality?

Taking a breath of fresh crisp air as I step out of the car, I notice my surroundings. A kid no older than 8 bikes down the sidewalk. Some homes have welcome mats in front of their doors. The lawns look well cared for and the flowers are in full bloom. Just as suburbia registers, I realize I've forgotten my youth and the joys of that sound: the song of the ice cream truck that finally comes into view.

sappiness

In every blogger's time, a little rain must fall. Oh wait, no song lyrics. Let me try again.

In every blogger's time, the glorious day will come when she discovers her readers care. Or at least are bored with everything else and think you might have something interesting to say. It may come sooner for some, but most must toil for many weeks/months/years before the blessed event occurs. Today was my day. JAdam told me to 'get on it' and produce new blog postings. Twas a touching moment for us both. ;) And so, I present: my thoughts of late.

Change is inevitable. I'm not one for stagnation; routine eventually bores me, and I start to go out of my way to look for ways to spice things up. And now, I've put the wheels into motion for a particularly large change*. It's pretty much the only thing I can think about these days, and probably much to the dismay of my friends, the only thing I can talk about. I can't help but wonder if I've done the right thing to take this step, if the timing is right, and if I won't be happier leaving everything the way it is right now.

On the flip side, I'm looking forward to the newness of it all. The beginnings of things are always such an exciting time. You don't know what to expect, and no matter how much you think you've prepared, something hits you and you think, "wow, never would have seen that coming."

All in all, I'd say I've been having very cheesy thoughts, involving the words 'chapter' and 'era.' Hence the hiatus from the blog this month. But perhaps I can be proven wrong, perhaps this stuff can be interesting as well. And if it's not to you, well, I promise I'll return to my normal snarky media-nitpicking self soon enough.

*Disclaimer: If you know the change of which I speak, please do not post comments about it, I'd rather not talk directly about it in this space just yet.

flora

I haven't felt the urge to write lately. I say this knowing full well you've all been waiting with bated breath for the next entry. ;) Instead, I thought I'd share some pictures I took recently at the Botanical Gardens. The vivid colors were too breathtaking to pass up and I snapped over 100 shots. Don't worry, I only uploaded a select few. Enjoy!

opiate

Karl Marx is supposed to have stated, "Religion is the opiate of the masses." While I wholeheartedly agree, I am constantly amazed that so many people around the globe have managed to all find their own flavors of opium, so to speak.

This weekend was a veritable smorgasboard of religious holidays. Between Purim, Easter, and Holi, not many folks were spared. It seems rather coincidental that the three lined up so perfectly, especially given that none of them are affixed to a particular date. I can't help but wonder, what is so special about this time of year that so many people feel the need to celebrate?

handiwork

And now I thought I'd do a 180 from the last post. Let's see how feminine I can be! I knit this for a friend's birthday, and since I finally gave it to her, I can post it to show it off. Let the sterotypes begin :)

airy scarf

closeup

testosteroni

The real San Francisco treat.

ahem, now that we've gotten that out of the way.

So apparently, I'm a guy. Err, let me back up.

I picked up my mail today, and as is often the case, there was a new magazine waiting for my perusal. I seem to have gotten on some weird mailing list where they decided I need to be enlightened with new subscriptions from time to time, none of which I've paid for. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I've been able to drool over many pictures in Cooking Light this way. What, you want me to actually *cook* the recipes in there? Pshh. You obviously don't know me very well.

Anyways, back to today's magazine. It's an issue of a magazine I've never heard of, Sync. Ignoring the scantily clad, airbrushed model on the cover (because really, what magazine cover doesn't have one of those?), I zoom in on a few snippets of headlines: "Mind-blowing New Gadgets for 2005!" "Free Gear! Flat Screens, DVD Burners, Digital Cameras..." Woohoo, this sounds right up my alley! Eagerly, I dive in, and start flipping through the pages, and... hello. Something's a bit off, and it takes me a minute to figure out what it is. There seem to be just a few too many pictures of lingerie, women in skimpy bathing suits, and columns with topics like Baby Spice's Top 10 Pink Items, replete with a picture of her in a dress slit up to there and cut down to there. I flip back to the cover, and there it is. The explanation. The subtitle. The mission statement, if you will. There, in a font about a tenth of the size of the title, it says, "Stuff for a Man's Life".

Oh, but why. Why, I ask?? This is clearly a geeky gizmo magazine. The content would have survived on its own. I, for one, loved the short interview with Robert Adler, the guy who invented the tv clicker. And the review on noise-cancelling heaphones? Spot on. Those Bose babies are amazing, it's like your life has been transformed into a movie montage. Things are happening "on the screen in front of you", but all you hear is the music of the soundtrack.

But back to Sync. Why did its creators feel the need to window-dress it with "manly stuff" and lose any chance of a female readership? I'm guessing they read this and decided the gals were a lost cause anyways. Ah well, I guess it's a good thing the mail gods have decided I'm a guy. Where else am I going to find out about things like MP3 vending machines?

plunge

"Sellout."
"I knew you'd cave."
"It's about time."
"You've gone over to the dark side."
"Just now? You??"

These were warm words I heard after I shared my news. Such encouraging friends I have.

But it was true, I'd been holding out for what seemed like months, employing my delayed gratification attitude to this just like anything else. My reasoning was simple, if I really wanted it, I would still want it later. If not, impulse averted. It's like the second set of ear piercings that I wanted when I was 16. My mother, wise woman that she is, said I wasn't allowed until I was 18, at which point, she'd no longer hold me back if I was still inclined. A mere matter of months later, they had lost their 'coolness' factor. Today, I'm happy with just the regular one set.

But this was no choice in self-mutilation. This was consumerism pure and simple. To buy or not to buy. Last night, it all came to a head. I finally gave in to the urges and threw caution to the wind...







I am now the happy owner of a 6GB silver ipod mini, the second generation with the famed 18hour battery life and all.


le mini


Ain't she purty? I'm pretty sure that's 90% of why I wanted an iPod so badly. Again, I'm a sucker for good marketing. Check out Apple's final words on the display. I thought they were a charming touch though I know they might start Round 3 of a debate at work :)

eyeroll

Slashdot | Women Leaving I.T.

What a pathetic piece of journalism. And yes, I'm referring not only to the original article but to the buffoon that thought it was worth posting on slashdot. Memo to all aspiring journalists out there: If you really don't have enough numbers and statistics to write a story, Don't Write It! Perhaps you should get off your lazy arse and do some real investigative work before attaching your name to it. Some precious gems from the article:

"For male workers, the challenges inherent in I.T. jobs create a feedback loop -- a balance that must be maintained and managed, but that has basically one dimension. For women, however, the very job qualities that strong I.T. employees crave -- challenging projects and rapid, successive skill acquisition -- are causing even more stress."

Oh poor pitiful me, I can't possibly be challenged, do you actually expect me to acquire new skills? Such nerve.

"In addition, noted Armstrong, many of the networking and training opportunities offered to I.T. professionals occur in the evening hours. Men are much more likely to be able to attend these than women."

Uhh... ok. Apparently I turn into a hideous toad after sundown and couldn't possibly attend to anything other than my knitting. Maybe the author is referring to women with children, you say. Okay, fine, you mean to tell me that the father can't spend some quality time with his offspring for a few hours?

Grr. Obviously things like this make my blood boil. I have no problems when it's stated tongue in cheek. But there's just no excuse for this. Don't forget to check out some of the idiotic comments made by the slashdot community.

genius

I've come up with a brilliant invention. I know, I know, I should be modest, but I can't help it, this is, as the Brits would say, brilliant.

So, you know how when you're driving in the rain you have to have your windshield wipers on, but it's not raining hard enough to even warrant the lowest setting? So you can either leave them on low and deal with the squeak the blades will make because there's not enough water on the glass, or you can wait till you get annoyed enough by the fact that you can't see to temporarily turn on the wipers and then lather rinse repeat.

Or how about this: You're listening to a great song, blasting it through your cheap speakers, singing at the top of your lungs, and then the wipers hit the edge of the windshield. COMPLETELY off tempo. And it's so distracting that you speed up, just so that you can justify switching to a faster wiper setting. Only to find out, this one's off too!

Have no fear, my latest invention to the rescue! How many of you took piano lessons as a wee little one? Come on, I know you did, raise your hand, don't be shy. Well, if so, you may recall a little device known as a metronome. It has the ability to keep time at a wide spectrum of tempos, by virtue of a sliding weight on a pendulum. You can choose tempos all the way from ~50, Largo, to ~200, Presto.

Here's where my idea comes into play. What if instead of the regular knob for high, medium and low, there was a metronome style knob? You could choose exactly what tempo you wanted, whether it was to match the beat of your current song, or simply to make life easier by choosing just the right speed to match the amount of precipitation in the air. Either way, your call. You're in the driver's seat (pun intended of course). ;)

You may henceforth refer to me as Wile E. Coyote, Suuuper Genius.

missive

Dear Quizno's Baby Bob,

First off, I must send my heartiest congratulations to the pushy stage mother you must have. I can certainly see how she must have jumped at the opportunity to profit from your questionably adorable looks by way of scary digital manipulation. Undoubtably, she carefully weighed the possibility of scarring you for life (or at least those of us subjected to watching you talk like a 45 year old) against the pain she would endure if she neglected to seize this chance to preview your impending mid-life crisis.

But dear me, where are my manners? Let's look past your parental guidance (aka agent) for a moment. The endearing folks at Quiznos must hold you in the deepest regards. To think, they thought of including you in their new campagin immediately after the talking squirrels/gerbils/whatevers. I mean, as we all know, a baby that acts as though he's old enough to have his own kids is an infinitely better way to convince the average consumer to purchase subs than a guinea pig singing about a pepper bar. You must be so honored. They could definitely teach these guys a thing or two about how to really engage your audience and promote positive associations with your product.

Anyhow, I'm sorry been beating around the bush here. Fact is, I can plainly see why you would be an exemplary spokesperson for the new beef sub. I mean, such a clear connection! When I think footlong sandwiches that need to be dipped in brown goo, I certainly think of talking 8 month olds. I can't believe Subway didn't get to you first, they really screwed up with that Jared guy. Keep up the good work, and don't worry, I'm sure the movie offers will be flooding your inbox.

Your devoted fan,
sangeet

countdown

countdown

The Count would be proud, don't you think?

Don't worry, I don't intend to turn this into a photoblog, I know what few of you there are that read this will turn away. But I can't resist sharing my favorite shot of tonight's play time with my camera's settings.

Thanks to Adam for introducing me to the macro button, better known to my mind as 'the weird tulip button.'

retake

glasses part II

I've been getting a little trigger happy these days with the camera. These glasses from last night comprise part deux of my stemware series. ;)

Again, the flash causes a small reflection, but it's less noticeable this time. As before, my favorite part is the mirrored image on the smooth table.

suspicious

gloves

I saw these outside my neighbor's door tonight. Clearly they...

...were part of a leprechaun costume.

...belong to the incredible hulk; he was shedding.

...creeped the hell out of me. Why would you leave latex gloves (green, no less) in front of your door in the common hallway? It should probably disturb me that my first question wasn't "what were they being used for?"

yeah, I definitely double checked the locks tonight.

judgy von-holier-than-thou

What's the deal with the phrase "reserve judgement?" As soon as I read it, I immediately start judging. I can't help it. It's like when your friend tells you not to look at the hot guy at the next table. What do you do? Of course, whip around as fast as you can to check him out. Anyhow, if someone tells me to reserve judgement, it usually means that I'm already pre-disposed to judge the topic in question, and will likely ignore any efforts to distract me. Or, the topic is truly worthy of derision and they're just bracing me for the worst, trying to butter up what paltry pros that may exist. In any event, it's a superfluous expression, and I'm hereby starting the petition to remove it from our collective phraseology.

consistency

yes, surprise surprise, "I don't like the consistency." Or in this case, the lack thereof. Musical rant to follow, might as well tune out now if you're tone deaf. ;)

ok, I admire a good marketing campaign. It may not get me to buy your product, but at least I can appreciate the work that goes into it.

"ba da ba ba ba.... I'm lovin it"

It's become McD's new anthem. Which is perfectly fine; it's great to reinvent your image, and try to connect with the new generation. But can we be consistent about it?? PLEASE! I wouldn't even mind the change in keys with every commercial so much, but the change in moods has GOT to go. Sometimes minor, sometimes major, they don't even keep the same intervals for each version of the jingle.

I present Exhibit A. Let's overlook the tackiness that is the domain name. Not to mention the absurdity of linking Mcdonald's, an American icon, with a need to subdivide us by ethnicity. But wait, that's a whole 'nother tirade.

Anyhow, if you open up the link, you should hear E-F#-G-B-A for the ba da ba section. Let's break this down: whole step up, half step up, major third up, whole step down.

Next, Exhibit B. The notes for this version, A-B-C-A'-G. so you've got: whole step up, half step up, major sixth up, whole step down. The UK mixes it up in Exhibit C with C-D-E-A-G: whole step up, whole step up, fourth up, whole step down.

I'm getting tired of searching for more links to audio samples (they seem to be well hidden), but I think you get my point. Next time you see a McD's commercial or hear one on the radio, I can almost guarantee that it'll be different from the last version.

I know I'm alone in my neurosis to notice this, or more specifically: care. But unfortunately, I do, and it's ruined the entire campaign for me. Ah well, I'm sure Coke or someone will have something coming along soon.

inauguration

So good ol Dubya was sworn in again today (technically yesterday, but whatever, the day doesn't end till I go to bed dammit!).

The festivities started the night before. Stuck at work late because the traffic refused to move due to the inch of snow* on the ground, a few coworkers and I watched unexpected fireworks from the office window. Apparently the inauguration was cause to bring out four different launching locations for the fireworks, all over the river. It was a great view, but there was something unnerving about seeing green 'W' fireworks. I'm not making this up, these were more elaborate than the ones on the 4th of July.

Living within a 7 minute drive from work (yes, i've timed it, its exactly 7 ;) ), I often extol the virtues of my neighborhood. Today, however, the people that be decided to shut down the only direct routes from my place to work. Something about security or the inauguration parade or something... Anyhow, I decided the metro would be the best thing to do. It turned out to be a fairly easy commute since most of the govt people were off today (tough 3 day week). The train was mainly full of tourists and men in uniform, both headed to the inauguration. On the way back home this evening, it was the oddest sight. From every direction I saw men in tuxes and women in formalwear. It took me a few moments to realize they must be headed to one of the many balls tonight. I guess I just normally picture formally attired people to be stepping out of fancy cars and/or limos, not schlepping it in the metro with the rest of us commoners. Apparently there were 9 official inaugural balls held tonight. And according to the news, Dubya made it to all of them and was back to the White House by 11pm. The man obviously knows how to party hop.

All in all it was an interesting experience to be so close to the main event. Or at least much closer than I have been and will likely ever be. I never really knew there was more to it than the swearing in at midday.


*It snowed it snowed it snowed!! :) I was super excited about this until I drove home in the brown sludge that made me waste 45 minutes. Still, I look forward to the next time it snows. On a weekend night. Once I'm already where I want to be. :)

nostalgia

After an IM conversation with an old high school buddy tonight, I got to reminiscing about the various people that have been in my life. In high school, I lived in a bubble world where I saw everyone I was friends with every day, and everyone lived no more than 15 minutes away from anyone else. Hence, the thought that we would ever drift apart just never occurred to me.

Moving to college, I don't know why I didn't keep in touch, I guess I thought it was too much work? It was so much easier to let myself get sucked into the immediacy of my daily life, and let those friendships fall by the wayside. A few years after college, I feel that I've done a better job the second time around. But tonight was about remembering high school friends.

So I went on a dig. I would normally say an archeological dig, but since I was using the internet, what I found was very much in the present. I don't know what I expected, that these people would have ceased to exist merely because I was no longer in contact with them? How incredibly self-centered of me. And yet, when google came back with not just search results, but in some cases blogs with entries as recent as this morning, it took me by surprise.

I want to reach out and re-introduce myself, ask if I can be allowed back into their lives. And yet, I'm hesitant. What would I say? :) Doesn't look like I learned much in college after all.

amateur

looks like a sunrise

So, I'm no Ansel Adams, but I took this last night and thought it turned out nice. I tried fiddling with the filters, b/w, sepia, etc, but I decided full color is the most eye-catching.

Alright enough procrastination for tonight...

edjumacation

Lessons learned at la casa de sangeet tonight:

burnt rice smells like coffee

a shattered plate while being swept up sounds suspiciously like a symphony in the key of E

hot tea meant to soothe your thoat really does taste a lot better with sugar rather than salt

So, you know, another normal night at my place.

2005

The screen in my building's elevator, which delivers ads to an until now untargeted, yet captive audience (god forbid I spend a full minute of my day not staring at some type of monitor), informed me of the following on my ride this afternoon:

In Scotland, it is believed to be good luck if a tall, dark, and handsome man enters your home on the first day of the new year.

I'm so glad I was made aware of this curious old wive's tale. I must ask, however, when and in what country is it ever NOT good luck if a tall, dark, and handsome man shows up knocking at your abode? I'm just asking.

Well, another year is upon us, and that means it's resolution time. I'll go ahead and say that one of mine is to lose weight. As for one I'm more likely to keep, how about I take a crack at that world peace thing y'all have been talking about? ;)

Happy New Year, everyone! Good luck with your own resolutions. :)