Only Eisner

Channel Description:

Latest Articles in this Channel:

03/22/04--19:11: Article 23 (chan 1203887)

I have returned from NYC as a glass half-full of rage and half-full of euphoria. There is no room for pessimism, nor for optimism. There is only the feeling of my back shoved against a wall, eyes wide and breathing heavy, my body on a constant verge of lunging forward into a dance of joy or a fetal position of desperation. And pounding in my head is the consistant reminder that perhaps above all else, I love the feeling of feeling. And during this trip I felt every emotion I've ever known, to an extreme, thus I could not imagine giving up the experience for the world (cliche, cliche, cliche).
I should have realized the city was under the influence of a bipolar disorder, if only I had given more than a moment's thought to the weather. Warm summer breezes tickled me at midnight while falling ice greeted me in the morning. I was once blinded by the sun at 2am. I walked a street amid a desert storm, sand/ stone/ trash swirling around neon dunes, and after taking refuge to wipe the dust from my glasses, I re-emerged into a blizzard. The changes in temperature, and even season, were fast-paced and without reason. Nature is always trying to tell me something, but I am listening to techno.
I am tentative about attempting to describe the occurrences of the trip. It seems dangerous for me to go poking around in the chaos ball which is still spinning in my mind and would be defined as my second trip in one week to NYC. I think it needs time to settle. Perhaps the trip and I just need a little time apart to let things cool down.
But for the sake of throwing something tangible out there instead of this emotional blabber in the abstract, I will delicately pull out a few highlights to record here.
Seeing RENT on broadway was an absolute dream come true for me, and was everything I had hoped it would be. The songs still play over and over in my mind, making me sing in my sleep and smile to myself in the face of danger.
I have extremely fond memories of each and every bar I went to, with a very special place in my heart reserved for the two dives. The memories of "Big Tony" bringing calamari to our table as a gift in the Italian one and of the posse of African American women not letting me leave the restroom without one of their sacred cigarellos in the Irish one, will remain happiliy for ever in my heart. Other fond memories include being drunk, being well-fed, the bathroom in my hotel room, the train, driving through the mad streets, walking through the mad streets, the random party at the sex toy store, somehow accidently and completely surreally arriving at ground zero at 3am(?), and so many more things that are just a little too out of reach to retrieve at this time.
And that is that, and I will let things settle as I now submerge myslelf in a month long meditation on my existence as a walking, talking chemical treatment plant. But more on that later. Done.


03/30/04--16:22: A terribly long description of my Hum-Drum day (chan 1203887)

As sad as it is, life can not always be filled with big shiny adventures and interesting new people. The rules and regulations of "real life" require that one must take time to persue the mundane maintenance activities categorized as the "hum-drum." I have dedicated this month to the active persuit of the “hum-drum”, which has created a bit of a knundrum regarding my duties on this here journal of the living. Part of it is that during my initiation into this online world, I was either not given the proper instructions, or, more likely, was too drunk to understand the instructions of what my duties as a participant actually entailed. Specifically, I am confused as to whether I should only be "updating" my journal when I have something interesting and eye-catching to say. Or if the expectation is that I will write every once in a while, at set intervals perhaps, so that the virtual people here won't worry that my virtual self has bit the, uh, virtual dust.
Righto.
Obviously my decision as to what I should do is clear, seeing that I have nothing to write and I'm writing it anyway.
So here for you now is a lovely description of my exceptionally hum-drum day.
I awoke at 5:30am to the vivid yet confusing remains of my dream in which Danger Mouse, collared and leashed, played a significant role. My first visual stimulus was of the mouse standing over my bed with an angry look on his face. My first audio stimulus was of my pathetic-sounding vibrator straining to churn out a few last vibrations before death, having obviously been left on since the night before. I scribbled the phrase, "by batteries," on my hand before continuing onward with those tasks that are too banal to shamelessly write down, (and throughout the day I stole glimpses of that misspelled phrase scratched onto my hand, challenging my brain to come up with a sentence in which it could actually exist, and concluding that it could only really be the name of a poorly-named band).
The first and only stress of my day came upon me two and a half hours later as I approached the town that I had been driving towards for several hours and realized that I still had no idea where in the town my actual destination lay. I randomly began calling state agencies, begging the secretaries for any information they might have on a conference happening in Montpelier. "No, I do not know the name of the conference. No, I have no idea what the conference is for. No, I do not have a name," I stated forcefully, fearful that if I gave this last bit of information it might be enough to start a chain reaction beginning with an annoyed and bored secretary and ending with my boss being informed of my complete incompetence.
The conference was called the "Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Statewide Conference." According to the itinerary, the stated purpose of the conference was to "develop specific community based marketing outreach plan toward assuring access to state health programs." When printing on such pretty paper, you'd think they would have checked for grammatical errors.
I received the itinerary in the packet that was handed to me along with a tote bag as I entered the ballroom of the Capital Plaza. I was also handed a name tag with a really cool clip that I promised myself I would keep to use for something useful, but have since lost. I immediately helped myself to the free coffee, an action that I would repeat so many times throughout the day that I would start to get disapproving looks from the other conferencees.
Besides being pointless to the extent that it became nearly surreal, the morning was terribly boring. The speakers droned on, their powerpoint presentations mal-functioning and the audience laughing that monotonous, desperate for some sort of joy in their lives sort of laughter, while I doodled and wrote a pornographic story about the ballroom erupting into an orgy, which turned out to be completely un-erotic.
The high point of the day, high to the point of bordering on magical, was lunchtime. Promptly at ten before noon, a well-choreographed and truly beautiful dance began to take place around the dozens of round tables we all sat at. There were a total of eight waiters and waitresses, of every age and shape and color. They were all dressed in the same blood red and black uniform, made of some sort of shiny material that I longed to touch. And though they all performed the required fake smile seamlessly, their eyes were full of life and energy and thoughts of duties and desires that existed someplace other than this room. They carried shiny silver trays with elegance, dispensed drinks with grace, said only what needed to be said with polite demeanors, yet their politeness was somehow completely opposite the politeness of the conferencees. They were polite because that was their job, the others, well, they were polite because that was their life.
I felt very strongly towards each one of these people, and can still recall at least pieces of each of them vividly. I will only make mention of one though, as he was the one who burned an impression in my mind that will not disappear for a very long time. His name was Justin. That’s what his golden nameplate stated. He was a hunchback who had to wear a vest several sizes too large to fit over the hump on his back. I’m guessing he was maybe 20 years old. His face was thin, chiseled, vampirish almost, and one of the most beautiful faces I’ve seen in a very long time. His dark eyes burned holes into everything he looked at. I knew he was from another world, and had wisdom that I wanted desperately. I thought hard for a question I could ask him, but all that came out was, “where’s the silver wear?” I asked him this three times but he just stared at me with contempt, refusing even a nod in response.
And at one o’clock, they all disappeared with all traces of food and beverage as though they had never even been there.
Three more hours of droning, followed by an intense re-emergence into sunlight, and I was driving my two hours to get home, to the darkroom and now to the computer. Where I fear I have written far too much. I am wondering if there is a legal load limit for entries…how much trouble I will be in if my update gets stopped at the livejournal weigh station on it’s way to it’s posting.
In my defense I will argue that the hum-drum does take up far too much of life. Perhaps such a long entry is then appropriate, even if it is terribly trying on those that are so kind as to attempt to read the whole damn thing.
My apologies. And I totally forgot to buy batteries, damn it all.


04/01/04--16:46: Ooooh, this looks fun. I want to play too. (chan 1203887)

So, I have some sort of evil flu thingy that is eating away my brain. I figured doing this meme(?) thing would be a useful way to spend my one hour of actual awake time today.

15 Years Ago, I:
1. Was 11 years old
2. Spent the year reading every Stephen King book published up to that point (my Aunt Jan collected them and was the only person in my family that read)
3. Experienced my first kiss thus “causing” a fist fight on the playground between the boy that kissed me and my “boyfriend”
4. Wrote my first (crappy) poem
5. Got myself sentenced to mandatory counseling for hiding under a table in the baselodge for two hours during an after school ski trip while the rest of the kids sat on the bus and the teachers searched for me

10 Years Ago, I:
1. Was 16 years old
2. Was having the absolute time of my life
3. Got to spend just about every day with Grrremlinski creating magical chaos and committing random acts of really silly and brilliant insanity
4. Wore pajamas out in public a lot
5. Had my first consensual sexual experience (it was lovely though quite bizarre)

5 Years Ago, I:
1. Was 21 years old
2. Moved from Chicago to San Francisco on the back of a motorcycle, managed to drive, bus, or hitchhike through 39 of the 50 states that year.
3. Was sometimes homeless, had no money and very little food, but somehow managed to get A’s in all my classes
4. Shaved my head because I thought it would help me land a job
5. Was very very cold, for no reason at all, all of the time

3 Years Ago, I:
1. Was 23 years old
2. Had moved back to Burlington, VT for some reason I can’t remember anymore
3. Was completely in love with someone who was in love with me, for the first time in my life
4. Had found myself a normal job
5. Was purchasing a lot furniture and kitchenware, staying in most nights and loving it

1 Year Ago, I:
1. Was 25 years old
2. Was living in a house in the middle of a forest in Massachusetts
3. Was beginning to build my beloved garden, and lounging in the sunshine reading as I desperately waited for spring to come
4. Was attending all women, vegetarian, chemical/ odor-free potlucks with a bunch of middle-aged lesbians
5. Was completely and inexplicably obsessed with making gnomes

Yesterday, I:
1. Was 26 years old
2. Woke up at 5am and drove to the office
3. Was overwhelmed by constant pinpricks of stupid bits of stress until my body responded by erupting into a fever
4. Realized I was too ill to drive home and checked myself into a hotel
5. Spent the evening in delirious conversations on my cell phone that I can’t remember, and throwing up

Today, I:
1. Am still 26 years old
2. Woke up at 6am in the bathroom of a hotel
3. Checked myself out, started to drive to my first location, realized I still had a fever and couldn’t understand basic road signs, turned around, and drove home
4. Passed out
5. Woke up, took a bath, started writing this thing, and plan on passing out again once it is done

Tomorrow, I:
1. Will still be 26
2. Will probably still be sick and will stay in bed all day
3. May get up to make some tea at some point
4. Might have the energy to try to read a little bit
5. Will try very hard to refrain from calling people in a delirious state as it scares them, and scares me that I can’t remember what I said


05/08/04--20:58: Too much time on my hands? (chan 1203887)

For months now, (oh, has it really been four months), I have been telling myself I would buy some damn furniture for my apartment. I would wake up and say, "dela, darling, today is the day...just do it..." And at the end of the day, still lacking in furnishings, I would console myself by insisting that the emptiness was preferable, conducive to creative thought by it's mere lack of distraction. But each morning it would start all over again...that desire for some sort of material object that would convince me that this is in fact home. Specifically, it was a bed I longed for. That marvelous thing that provides a space for both one's most ecstatic moments as well as one's most relaxing. The place where both conscious and unconscious dreams are lived out. That place of both silence and screams. Ah, but the act of getting such a thing seemed beyond me. My car was made for great gas mileage which means it can hold no piece of home decor larger than a table lamp. And the Fed Ex, UPS, and USPS have all given up on me...I can't even manage to get a pair of tights delivered much less a bed. And even if one was magically left on my doorstep, I am only one...and one who lives on the third floor and has accidentally pissed off her neighbors enough that I would be ashamed to knock on their doors asking for assistance carrying such a thing up two flights of stairs. And then the solution hit me. There was a day before people faced such dilemmas, a day when a woman who wanted a bed would make it her own damn self. Surely my ancestors did it. There must be some memory that goes back hundreds of years that I can somehow summon up. And with a few trips to the junkyard, the lumberyard, and the walmart...I did it. And I worked up enough of a sweat that I will sleep very soundly in it tonight. So off I go to my brand new, homemade, cyber-monsterfurry-happyfaced-bed O chaos. And though I wanted to show a picture of it, I could not summon up any ancestral memory that told how the hell to put a picture in this damn entry, so I simply replaced the non-existent picture of me with the picture of my bed. I'm not sure if it worked. Hmmm, perhaps I was born in the wrong decade, or the wrong century.


05/23/04--19:11: One Hour Photo (chan 1203887)

I have one hour of down time this weekend, and it is to be spent here, at the Walmart, in West Lebanon, NH. I sit outside on the single park bench next to the three soda machines, none of which contain a single can of soda. I am doing sociological research, or perhaps an anthropological cultural study, of the Walmart tribe. The technical term for my role would be tourist. I am definitely not dressed appropriately for the part. "Nice shoes, " I hear for the third time in my first five minutes. I have already stopped counting the glares. Observation number one: there is a storm of immense proportions brewing. The clouds are moving at highly abnormal speeds, the wind is ripping signs from windows, hurling blue plastic bags across the parking lot in a loud, chaotic, nearly hypnotic fashion. The sky is darkening to shades that are completely unacceptable for mid-afternoon. The air is crackling. Lightning is flashing in the distance. Not a single shopper seems to notice. These people are obviously professionals. They have their routine down. I get the feeling that if the sky was falling around the Walmart, the constant pushing of shoppong carts in and out of the store would continue, and continue, perhaps eternally. Observation number two: one fourth of all shoppers head directly to the soda machines after exiting the store. This is intriguing. They do not just stop at the machines as they pass by, suddenly realizing as they see them that a soda might be refreshing. They leave the store and head strait for the machines, with purpose, with direction, almost as though the soda is the free gift they get for having shopped at the Walmart. Except the soda isn't free...and there actually isn't any soda in the machines anyway. I begin to wonder if Walmart only stocks the machines once a day, and this is a ploy to get people shopping nice and early. The earlybird gets the soda. Yes, definitely intriguing, especially since I know damn well the inside of the Walmart is stocked with soda for sale...more varieties for less money than in the machines. I'm afraid this is beyond me. Observation number three. Three fourths of all shoppers leave the Walmart having purchased paper towels. A few, from what I can tell, came to the store for this sole purpose, (though I have to be fair. I have no idea how their time was spent in the Walmart...I can only tell you that they left with nothing but paper towels). This makes me wonder...is there anywhere else where a person can buy paper towels? Has Walmart secretly purchased all of the paper towels on the planet? Will they someday withold them from us unless we give them what they want? Oh dear. What will they want? And so I begin to think about my own single role of paper towels. I realize I have no idea where it came from, and even worse, I have no idea why I have it. It's been sitting on my counter for over four months, completely unused. I'm really more of a sponge and handtowel kind of girl. And then I get a little paranoid. What if I've been taken in by the same mind control that seems to be forcing all of these innocent shoppers to purchase huge quantites of paper towels. I mean, why else, when I have so few useful things in my apartment, (ie. pans, sharp knives, a toaster), do I have something that I neither want nor seem to need. I vow to get rid of the role as soon as I get home, perhaps leave it on the doorstep of an unsuspecting neighbor. Observation four: one fifth of all shoppers exiting the store walk halfway across the parking lot while staring at nothing but their receipt. They do this with no apparent concern for the fact that they are about to get hit by a car or walk into another human being. Observation five: nine out of every ten Walmart shoppers is there with a child. Most of the other ten percent stare at the surrounding mass of children around them with such disturbed looks on their faces that I can only assume they also brought a child with them but lost it. I have to guess that Walmart gives some sort of discount or special gift to those shoppers who show up with a child because it is obvious that some of these children do not belong to their assigned adult. Perhaps they were rented for the trip. It doesn't matter if the shopper is 80 years old, or 12 years old, they will not enter the store until they have grabbed a hold of the hand of some small child. And observation number six: there is magic at the Walmart, in the form of what must be the Walmart Shaman...an old man, maybe 75 years old, dressed in a suit, pilots cap, and sunglasses, driving back and forth in front of the store on his moped. For the entire hour I am there, he drives back and forth, back forth, his red scarf flapping in the wind, a huge smile on his face, waving to all the shoppers going in and out of the store.


06/01/04--16:47: Article 18 (chan 1203887)

D	Delicate
E	Elitist
L	Luscious
A	Astounding
D	Dignified
E	Entertaining
J	Juicy
A	Arty
V	Virile
O	Outrageous
O	Odd




Name / Username:




Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com


06/09/04--16:31: lost puppy in chicago (chan 1203887)

So, I just received this from Rob and though I know putting it here won't make it visible to lots of Chicagoan eyes, it's something. And yes, I still have not figured out how to put a picture here, so the picture of me is actually of Ripple:

"Ripple is a puppy that lives in Chicago. He belongs to my friend Tonette. Ripple walked outside yesterday, and someone left the gate to Tonette's building open, and now Ripple is missing. I know it's a long shot, but could you ask the Chicago folks to keep their eyes open for a puppy named Ripple that looks like this? (See picture of me...) Merci merci merci."

The word from Tonette...

"I live on the South Side in Hyde Park, but he could end up anywhere. He's a dark brown brindle boxer. With white chest markings. He was last seen at 61st and University around 9:30 pm. He has a black collar with tags (which, of course, don't have the right contact info on them.) And our phone doesn't work... no one knows why, the phone company can't figure it out... sweet. If you would let your Chicago friends know, I would be very very grateful."

So, if you see a puppy, grab it and run.
Just kidding. If you see THIS puppy, um, grab it and, um, let me know you have it? Yeah, do that. Or do something smarter than that which I'm sure you'd be able to think of once you were in the situation...
Right. Thanks.


06/15/04--12:04: Article 16 (chan 1203887)

How to make a dela

Ingredients: 3 parts anger 3 parts silliness 3 parts joy

Method: Combine in a tall glass half filled with crushed ice. Serve with a slice of wisdom and a pinch of salt. Yum!





Username:




Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com




06/23/04--10:58: Gnome Heads (chan 1203887)

Okay. What's up with this?
The heads are falling off from my gnomes! And this phenomenon is entirely unexplainable. It's not like I'm playing with them too ruff or anything. I'm not playing with them at all. They're sitting completely stationary in their little spots, unmoved and unharrassed when I go to bed. And then when I wake up in the morning...voila, some of their heads have popped off. This has been going on for a little while now. It's kind of like when I was younger and I had fish and sometimes during the night one of the fish would jump out of the tank and commit suicide on the kitchen floor. I thought maybe it was because I had named them all after French artists. So, since then, I've named all of the fish in my life, "Normal," so that they won't get complexes and commit suicide. But the gnomes don't have names.
Is this a sign that all beautiful things must come to an end? That even gnomes won't last forever? Damn. That's a harsh blow to my psyche.
Or am I just supposed to learn to love my gnomes in their new, headless, disturbing states? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. And I suppose, if I had a kid, or a puppy, or something, and it's head popped off in the middle of the night, I would still love it...just in a different sort of way.
Or I could just ignore the strangeness of the phenomenon all together, take control of the situation, and glue all the damn heads back on. Though that could turn out disastrous, as I've concluded from a certain experience I had last week that when glue and I are left alone in a room together, glue is definitely the one in control.
Ah, boy...I don't know. Perhaps I should make an appointment for them at the vet...prepare myself for the horrid task of collecting little gnome stool samples to be analyzed at the lab...


06/23/04--17:27: Oh, I really like this slander machine. I could sit here and play with this for hours (chan 1203887)

Slander! happyelfling and dustycat have been secretly doing it! heathergalaxy got deladejavoo drunk and naked, and took photos. rambleman downloaded them. rambleman and deladejavoo secretly peed in grrremlinski's cornflakes. grrremlinski is gonna pop a cap in rlo's head, yo. tn_hammock runs a secret pornography ring. blisslessening and grrremlinski are regular models. rlo saw something they shouldn't have in reverend_gb's parents' bedroom... Enter your username to dish the dirt on your friends!




11/17/04--15:00: Inhalational Bacteria (chan 1203887)

So, I have gone and picked up a new obcession. It all started one day while hanging out in madphysicist's apartment when I saw his pocket-sized particle physics book. I knew I just had to have one for myself. And when he told me I could just go to the scientific information website and ask them to send me one for free? Well, I was sold. And then I started thinking. If these people will send me a free book...I wonder who else will? Yeah. I went a little crazy with it. And then promptly forgot all about it until today, when I got my first batch of free crap. The particle physics book came, (along with a cute little pocket diary for physicists), as well as 3 books from the American Psychology People about sexual addiction, 4 books from NIADA that are all about the current biodefense agenda for category b and c pathogens and category a agents, and a huge-ass box from the US Department of Health with information on every disease I never wanted to know about. Hee hee. I wonder what will come tomorrow. I do remember that OSHA promised they were sending me actual samples of dangerous materials...but that just seems too good to be true. Yup.
And on another note. I have in fact returned from San Fran, and it was a truly brilliant trip. It had been six years since I went out to get something one day on the East Coast with every intention of being home for dinner, and somehow never made it back. It was terribly bizarre to encounter it all again...though its amazing how everything seems to remain the same with the exception of all of one's favorite places, which somehow move down the street...or disappear all together. But there were plenty of new things to explore, and blisslessening and I did so with crazy, feet blistering vigor. Yup. Enough on that. There will, of course, be pictures.
Now I must rush off to NYC land...another brilliant adventure awaiting.


11/23/04--02:35: Insomnia Strikes Again (chan 1203887)

What the hell is wrong with me? I went to sleep at 1:30am only to wake up at 3:10am feeling like I could never sleep again.
Did some cleaning. Wrote some Nano. Now I suppose I can use up my last 15 minutes before heading to work here and say that I've returned from NYC, and it was absolutely delightful. Brilliant, even. It made me smile. Yes indeedy. And now I have two exciting full days of work before heading off to Maryland. I did the calculations in my head. If I were paying for my apartment like a hotel, just for the nights I'm sleeping here this month, the going rate would be $93/ night. Damn.
And of course, seeing as how I had bunches of free time yesterday, three new galleries have been uplifted to onlyeisner.com. They are R-Lo's birthday, Flying the Friendly Sky, and the San Fran trip. Enjoy. And for those of you so patiently waiting, the NYC gallery will be next...though I really don't know when next is.
And yay! Its time for me to go to work! Is there anything more pathetic than sitting around in the quiet wee hours of the morn in your fancy work clothes, just waiting for the time to come when you can go to your job?
I hope all you beautiful people are out there dreaming of other beautiful people. Or at least getting your selves to bed soon. Night night, lovelies.


03/22/05--10:47: Eeeeeeek! (chan 1203887)



And I haven't even started on the other three rooms yet.


05/05/05--11:11: Return (chan 1203887)

The return from Tennessee happened at 4am yesterday morning. Bright lights Big city, such a strange world.
Of course, the gathering was wonderful as usual. And of course, it is something that is frustratingly indescribable. Debauchery at its most loving and kind. Anarchy at its most communally-minded. Dancing to hand drums around the fire and dancing to techno at a flashy rave. Going for days without a shower, while somehow dressing in your finest and looking the best you've ever looked. Cold, wet, dark, gooey, chaotic, calm, shiny, strange. Though only the second rainiest I've ever been to, it was by far the coldest. Unfortunate that I packed shiny dresses and nothing warm, but luckily we somehow brought a hell of a lot of blankets.
The coming home process is always a hard one for me, (and I've suddenly come to the interesting realization that in 8 years of going, I have never come home to the same place twice). The harshness of the physical environment there is overwhelmed by the emotional support, and I find this real world of flushing toilets and going about one's business to grate and burn against my still vulnerable insides. Yesterday, after driving through an hour's worth of traffic and honking, filling out papers and trying to find the appropriate slots to stand in, I locked myself in the Budget Rental bathroom and cried for over an hour. But this sort of thing is to be expected.
Now I must get my brain out of the aimless wandering mindset of fairy land enough to unpack, locate my phone, and find myself some form of employment. If only being there didn't always make me feel I should persuit a career in making shiny things. Oh evil reality, how I do despise it.
Oh, and if you like to look at boys, (and sometimes even girls), in dresses, you might enjoy these.


05/06/05--10:15: God-Damn-Friggen-Aaaaaaarrrrg! (chan 1203887)

So, it seems that some bastard's Cinco De Mayo celebration simply could not be complete unless it included tearing off the part of the porch my bike was locked to and running off with it, (the bike that is. The part of the porch is still lying there).
Damnit.
This is not the good start to this morning I was hoping for.
(Gremlin, yours is still there. I would bring it in, but would have to tear apart more of the porch to do so. Let me know.)


10/30/05--13:50: Article 8 (chan 1203887)

This past week has been lacking in a huge number of social activities that I've become accustomed to, (some more essential than others, but all important in their way), leaving me with an overall feeling of weirdness. I think the highlight of my week was walking home after watching the final game of the World Series. It was raining, yet the streets were filled with happy people. All of the normally frowning and grumpy people of the city were suddenly smiling, laughing, jumping up and down, and hugging strangers. Everyone was saying hello to everyone. Everyone had big goofy looks of joy on their faces. I wish people could be this friendly and joyous in general, and I think there are certainly more important things to be happy about than sports, but just seeing it whatever the reason was a beautiful thing.

Last weekend I ventured to Six Flags NJ. I've never had an amusement park experience quite like that one. It was raining and cold. Many of the coasters were closed, including the newly built Kingda Ka, (now the largest coaster in the world and the reason for the expedition). The park was all decked out for Halloween, and the dark windy gloom of the day mixed with the amazing absence of people from the park gave the whole place a very eerie feeling. It almost felt like we had snuck in after the park had closed. Even if the park hadn't been covered with skeletons and cobwebs, there is something ghostly and spooky about walking around a place in quiet and gloom that is usually crowded with mobs of people and screaming children, ice cream and way too much sunlight. The coasters become huge, looming structures. The Old West Town becomes just downright scary.
The entire day was very fitting for the season, and I definitely enjoyed myself despite not being able to go on Kingda Ka. We stuck it out for the day, and whenever a coaster did open, we were able to get on it with little to no wait. Here are some pics of the park.

My trip last weekend has to have been one of the shortest I've experienced. I got into NYC late Friday night and left in the afternoon on Sunday. It was all way to quick for my taste, and I realized things were moving too quickly for my brain to handle while at the airport heading home. I was standing in a very long line to get through security (probably another 45 minute wait till my turn). I had no idea what time it was, and hadn't even thought to check. I was listening to my walkman and I noticed a woman from my airline going through my line a few times. Ten minutes after I saw her go through the line the first time, I heard her yelling my destination in between songs. I went up to her and told her I was on that flight, and I swear she wanted to slap me. She dragged me through security and to my gate, where they promptly put me on the plane. It seems the flight was about to leave without me.


04/15/06--01:47: Article 7 (chan 1203887)

BWAHAHAHAHAhahaha, this a pirating of Dela'a LJ...

we gladly interupt the normal stream to give you the TRUTH about Dela.


WOOOOO we're all drunk! berianneeeeebrainsis already backastage, what a scenester.


04/15/06--01:53: special guest chicago appearance (chan 1203887)

BWAHAHAHAHAhahaha, this a pirating of Dela'a LJ...

we gladly interupt the normal stream to give you the TRUTH about Dela.


WOOOOO we're all drunk! berianneeeeebrainsis already backastage, what a scenester.


04/16/06--10:10: Article 5 (chan 1203887)

I'm still in bed at the moment... wrapped in a cacoon of blankets. I have brunch and Easter Eggs on the horizon, so that should probably change soon.

Thus far this trip has been fairly excellent. The first day included a brief trip to Pier 39 (oh yes, we were tourists!)where Gremlin and I barked at Sea Lions and took pictures of Ephalump in the bathroom. Then we went to Alcatraz where they gave us headphones and threw us into a throng of similarly headphoned bipeds. Overall it was an enjoyable venture, despite the inevitable cold that settled into our bones, because it brought back images of an important movie of my youth. (I know you are probably thinking it's an Alcatraz jail brake movie, but really, it's a Mike Myers film. Points to anyone who can guess what it is...)

That evening we got ourselves gussied up and hit a very ooh-fa-fa Vegetarian restaurant called Greens. I'll leave the describing of said food items to people who get into that kind of thing, but it was a brilliant dinner with some brilliant folks. (Thanks, laustinthought!). After another jaunt back to our homebase, it was off to the DNA lounge for a Mash-up night. (This was our 3rd outfit change on our first day here. Gremlin was despairing that she hadn't brought enough clothes... ha!). DNA was filled with dancing weirdos and fun beats - made more fun by the arrival of PsychoKitty, and the eventual (much awaited) arrival of our fey friend, Stormy (who's very presence got the party STARTED). In typical synchronicitous style, Gremlin realized that one of the performers that evening was none other than Steven Satyricon - a fey friend for years (we've seriously known this one from when he was a kid in bib overalls singing RENT songs with dishpan hands) and spent a portion of the evening trying to figure out how to track him down backstage. (Our hostess with the mostess came to her rescue on this one).

Yesterday, after a shower debacle (we won't talk about it), Gremmie and I hit the streets. We spent several hours getting sentimental in the People's Cafe, and then hit some of my favorite clothing stores on Haight (probably the only place where I actually ENJOY clothes shopping. To bad I'm on a budget). We got a tiny taste of Golden Gate Park - only enough to not get lost - and then zipped of to the Castro movie theatre to see "The Lady in Question" - a documentary about drag queen, David Busch, and his fabulous entourage. It was magical.

Austin snagged us after the show, and we hit the Lingba thai restaurant where we proceeded to get tipsy on froo-froo drinks (with Monkeys!), and listen to a house DJ. Oh yes, we ate too - although some of the food was eaten later in messy fashion while giggling on the bed... but I'm getting ahead of myself. We gathererd more troups and went to the Make-Out Room, where they promised us music (that I didn't know the name of) and we played pool. Some dancing took place as well, but there was no making out. What's up with that?

Now it's early, and we are off to brunch. (I am out of my cocoon, and putting on clothing). Today should involve the following: More Drag, Easter Eggs, a picnic, a hunky Jesus (or twelve), Gremlin's Aunt, Gremlin's Easter Bonnet, Rain, and possible bouts of mayhem. Stay tuned for further details...


08/15/06--21:39: Groovy Gaming Con and not so groovy time with the Family (chan 1203887)

I went to my first GenCon this past weekend, and it totally exceeded my expectations.
Some of the highlights were:
-The people watching was amazing. It was a constant utter geek parade, complete with costumes that made me giggle, raise my eyebrow in confusion, raise both eyebrows in shock, or gawk with total admiration. And the people not in costume were just as interesting.
-I got to hang out with a lot of friends I really like but don't get to see all that much.
-I got to sleep in a closet with a door that closed.
-I got to be associated with the "winning team" both my first night at the Ennies Award Ceremony, and the last night at the dodge ball game.
-I got to dance in a cage on two separate nights.
-I won/ was given a whole crapload of free games.
-AND...I managed to play some games.

I liked it. My hope for next year is to save up vacation days so I can go the full four days, and money so I might be able to purchase some of that gorgeous gamey merchandise.

On a not-so-bright note, my maternal grandmother has been in the hospital on the verge of death for about 36 hours now. Chances are close to definite that I will need to fly to Vermont for the funeral within the next 7 days. I really do adore my grandmother. Her advice to me from as far back as I can remember was, "Never get married, NEVER have children, and Don't let anyone talk you into doing what you're 'suppose' to do." She was a fiery woman, a dancer and artist, who was unbeatable at Rummi and insisted on buying and driving bright red sports cars until way past the point at which she could legally see to drive. She also had brilliant decorating taste, (her carpets, furniture, and knick knacks were turquoise and jadite and very mod). But she has been suffering for a long time in an advanced stage of alzheimers and though it is sad to have her go, I feel like she has been gone for quite a while now.
Certainly the hardest part of all this will be having to go home and spend time with the rest of my family.
And this seems shallow, but it's also a bit frustrating to know that I have to be out of town for a few days sometime in the near future, but to have no idea which few days those will be, (and this leads me to long contemplations about the world, and life, and how horribly small-minded it is to think of a person's death as something that might fit into my unimportant schedule).
Ah well. C'est la vie...et la mort.


10/20/06--07:34: some small amount of time passes ... (chan 1203887)

Notes from today:
-I spent much of yesterday and will probably spend much of today looking for Jesus. The funny thing is that every time I try to run a transaction report involving this title, the printer breaks, the system goes down, or the text file comes up blank. I have no proof of this books existence nor do I have functional ducumentation of its supposed time here.

-Also, I spent most of last night talking online to a very good friend from the early years of college. I hadn't heard from him or about him in close to 10 years. It's been so long I couldn't remember how he spoke and this made it quite difficult for me to get a grasp of what was being said in the conversation. I realized that whenever I read an IM message, I hear it in my head in the voice of the person writing it. I imagine this is normal. Not being one to speak to strangers online, I hadn't realized until last night how essential hearing that voice is to even a basic understanding of what the conversation is all about.

-Also, I love my co-workers. Batman has been developing lesson plans for me during his breaks to make my learning of Spanish easier. And I continue to teach him how to use the computer. It is a brilliant exchange.

-Also, I've agreed to a Venn Diagram challenge because I am a dork.


01/11/07--12:54: Practical Cheesemaking (chan 1203887)

Thanks to all who came out to dinner last night.  It was yummiliscious.  And yeah, there's nothing like stuffing yourself with Indian food and then squishing into the back seat of a cab with 4 other people.
So it seems tomorrow I head to NYC.  I am completely mentally unprepared for this trip.  I've put pretty close to zero thought into it.  And now it has snuck up on me and frankly I'm a little confused about the whole thing.  Ah well, I have no doubt it will be splendid.

About a month ago, pathogen tagged me to do some 5 random things about myself meme (or maybe it was 6?).  So just so he knows I'm paying attention, here's 5 or 6 random things about me:

1. I'm afraid of my reflection.  This isn't a low self confidence/ I hate how I look thing.  I am actually terrified of seeing myself looking back at myself.  In order to look at myself in a mirror, I need to stand at an angle and glance out of the corner of my eye.  It also helps if I have something in front of me blocking part of the reflection.

2. I am fond of monkeys.  And needles.

3.  At some point this year I will have been a vegetarian for half my life.

4. My sun sign is Virgo, my moon is in Taurus, my rising is Pisces. My rising and sun signs are in complete opposition and each make square aspects with my midheaven which falls in Sagittarius and is in conjunction with my ruling planet Neptune which is also in Sagittarius.  Both Jupiter and Mars are in Cancer and both Venus and Saturn are in Leo.  Mercury falls in Virgo.  In case you care.

5.  I intend to throw out about 75 percent of my socks tonight.

5.5 misterentropy has just bounced into the room I am in carrying a pastel covered fish book full of stars.


02/26/07--19:31: attractive flower-box facade is producing annoying hum (chan 1203887)

I've finally finished putting up photos from the January trip to NYC.  Looking through them, it seems there was a lot of drinking, eating, and singing into microphones whenever possible.  At least we got a bit of excercise walking across the brooklyn bridge and coney island beach/boardwalk.  Damn that was a fun trip.

Speaking of exercise, I think my body is going through some sort of breakdown do to the sudden lack of it.  All the skating (plus bootcamp like drills during practices), yoga, and the normal miles of walking plus climbing plus lifting I do at work each day were cut short exactly 2 weeks ago. It's been a very long time since I moved around this little.  My appetite is all fucked up. I don't want any food until I suddenly start to feel ill from lack of it.  And I have this nervous energy and feeling of general annoyance surging through my veins at all times. 
On an exciting note, today is the first day since the sprain that I feel like the ambling around I've been doing could almost appear to be nearly a walk, as opposed to a hopping/ impatiently lurching limp.  My moving around went so well that I was filled with that feeling I get at amusement parks, an overwhelming desire to run at top speeds to my next destination. 
It is my goal that this time next week I will be at practice, (right now I imagine they are just finishing up one of those marvelous drills where you run 3 laps then do push ups, 3 laps then squats, 3 laps then crunches, etc etc till you can't see straight and start to tip over...oh how I envy them).  Even if I can't do much, I will be there doing something, damnit.




10/11/07--07:11: Some weekend happenings (chan 1203887)

There are a few derby related events going on this weekend that some of you may find of interest.
I am of the opinion that both are going to be pretty darn fun.

On Friday, October 12 the Windy City Rollers will be hosting a fundraising party at Horseshoe (4115 N. Lincoln Ave.)


Come meet, greet and eat with the Rollers at 7pm
Stay for the female fronted Misfits cover band MURDERLATION, starting at 9pm
Then for a dance party with roller girl DJ KaPOW at 10pm

There is no cover, but a $5 donation is certainly welcome!

$2 PBR Tallboys on special.

Also, there will be a preview of the Derby Double Date skaters which will be auctioned off at the October 21st bout!!

Other events of the night include:

Auctions for one of a kind derby related prizes
Raffles for services & prizes donated by sponsors and derby girls including:
-Brand New Weber Q200 Portable Grill & Rolling Cart, perfect for grilling & tailgating
-60 Minute Massage care of Massage by Wendi
-Gift Certificate for Kuma's Corner
-Painting by roller girl Phannie of the Opera
-Baking For the Taking baked goods certificates (courtesy of roller girl, Carnage Wilson)
-Free Personal Training Session
-Broken Cherry Gift Certificates
-2008 Season Tickets
And many more!!


And Sunday:


I've been promised there will be a BONFIRE.