Freeformblah
Well, my summer has officially drawn to a close. True, I have something like 8 days until school begins again, but with the cool weather and the insane amount of work, I will no longer be allowed to have any fun for several months. I will actually be paid OVERTIME this week--how awful, that I've spent 43 hours of this week at Gap. That's almost two days of this week. I worked from 8AM-9PM a few days ago. I cannot do that again. My feet are killing me, because they were cramped in these cute pointy-ish-toed shoes all day. They're not pointy enough to regularly cause me pain, but because I put some inserts in to compensate for my rediculously high arches, there wasn't enough room for five toes in them. Then, after working eight hours tonight, I had to drive around with theo for two hours to find parking. Two hours. Two hours of the rest of my pseudo-summer were spent in a car, just so I could go home and pass out. And now he's watching some CNN shit, so I can't go to sleep because we've been sleeping with each other through this past week, and the television is right next to my bed, practically. Fuck.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Observations
So, Yuki is a Republican. And I'm fine with that, I suppose. I came home this afternoon to see that she had mauled my Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker. I mean, this thing was destroyed. Only an R could have done such damage. And I know I should be more upset, but it's alright--so whatif she doesnt want her fathers to marry? So what if she's a crazy Christian zealot? So what if she wants only the rich to flourish in the twisted capitalizm of our fine country? I still love her.
But...just in case she was rethinking her allegiance to the almighty W, I bought her an elephant chew toy. And, in the few hours I've left the two of them alone, it looks like she might be saved after all.
I spent my hours away from my socially-conservative dog and her (former?) political mascot viewing the film Garden State downtown. The one word I would use to describe this film is genuine. Natalie Portman's character was just so...real, and perfect, and reflective of so many humans in my life. Variety described the film as "piecemeal," but I would definitely disagree. Sure, the whole "enjoy life" theme may be a bit cliche, but the film really elegantly handled the overused mantra and used it to tie the seemingly unrelated elements of the film together. Aside from the story and acting, I really enjoyed the visual aspect of the film--lots of symmetry (I have a mild symmetry fetish) and well-orchestrated images. The soundtrack is also brilliant. Go see this film.
So, Yuki is a Republican. And I'm fine with that, I suppose. I came home this afternoon to see that she had mauled my Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker. I mean, this thing was destroyed. Only an R could have done such damage. And I know I should be more upset, but it's alright--so whatif she doesnt want her fathers to marry? So what if she's a crazy Christian zealot? So what if she wants only the rich to flourish in the twisted capitalizm of our fine country? I still love her.
But...just in case she was rethinking her allegiance to the almighty W, I bought her an elephant chew toy. And, in the few hours I've left the two of them alone, it looks like she might be saved after all.
I spent my hours away from my socially-conservative dog and her (former?) political mascot viewing the film Garden State downtown. The one word I would use to describe this film is genuine. Natalie Portman's character was just so...real, and perfect, and reflective of so many humans in my life. Variety described the film as "piecemeal," but I would definitely disagree. Sure, the whole "enjoy life" theme may be a bit cliche, but the film really elegantly handled the overused mantra and used it to tie the seemingly unrelated elements of the film together. Aside from the story and acting, I really enjoyed the visual aspect of the film--lots of symmetry (I have a mild symmetry fetish) and well-orchestrated images. The soundtrack is also brilliant. Go see this film.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
"Vacation" Pictures
So, instead of going on a real, far away family vacation, my parents had to buy a new furnace for their house, so we've just been doing things in and around Chicago. Here are some pictures from yesterday's North Side tour.
Yuki at Loyola Beach. Having never been to abeach before, she'd never experienced sand. Not only that, but she'd obviously never experienced land that met up with water--this theory was proven when, after chasing birds to the waterfront, she just bounded in to the lake, surprising herself and the rest of us.
Me, administering water to get the sand out of her mouth, which you can see in picture one.
Three generations of Solems, on the Loyola campus.
So, instead of going on a real, far away family vacation, my parents had to buy a new furnace for their house, so we've just been doing things in and around Chicago. Here are some pictures from yesterday's North Side tour.
Yuki at Loyola Beach. Having never been to abeach before, she'd never experienced sand. Not only that, but she'd obviously never experienced land that met up with water--this theory was proven when, after chasing birds to the waterfront, she just bounded in to the lake, surprising herself and the rest of us.
Me, administering water to get the sand out of her mouth, which you can see in picture one.
Three generations of Solems, on the Loyola campus.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
"BTW"
So, I officially live in the ghetto--both in the traditional sense of a community strung together by a common social category, and in the contemporary sense of a community riddled with crime and other ickiness. Besides the brutal murders that have occured within the past year (three and counting), the suicide that happened yesterday right next to my old apartment building, now my own building has been uncovered as a drug house. My downstairs-across-the-hall neighbor was arrested a few weeks ago for (what I gather from the patchwork of gossip) selling crystal meth out of his apartment.
Theo came home, dog in tow, to find a swarm of "police cops" in our stairwell, in front of to battered-down door of our otherwise-reclusive neighbor Eddie. He was carted away to jail (and promptly evicted because of the insistence of my upstairs neightbor, the prude hypocrite), and we've been surveyed not-so-subtlely ever since, by burly "undercover" officers wearing oh-so-discreet Sox jerseys. (Note: I live a stone's throw away from Wrigley Field; Sox jerseys are ritually burned here, with or without their person still inside.)
Then, tonight, yet ANOTHER alleged bust took place, hearladed by police cars, man-looking women, and two skinny young guys oddly handcuffed to each other. I'm getting tired of feeling like I live in...well, Chicago. I suppose it goes with the terrain, though.
So, I officially live in the ghetto--both in the traditional sense of a community strung together by a common social category, and in the contemporary sense of a community riddled with crime and other ickiness. Besides the brutal murders that have occured within the past year (three and counting), the suicide that happened yesterday right next to my old apartment building, now my own building has been uncovered as a drug house. My downstairs-across-the-hall neighbor was arrested a few weeks ago for (what I gather from the patchwork of gossip) selling crystal meth out of his apartment.
Theo came home, dog in tow, to find a swarm of "police cops" in our stairwell, in front of to battered-down door of our otherwise-reclusive neighbor Eddie. He was carted away to jail (and promptly evicted because of the insistence of my upstairs neightbor, the prude hypocrite), and we've been surveyed not-so-subtlely ever since, by burly "undercover" officers wearing oh-so-discreet Sox jerseys. (Note: I live a stone's throw away from Wrigley Field; Sox jerseys are ritually burned here, with or without their person still inside.)
Then, tonight, yet ANOTHER alleged bust took place, hearladed by police cars, man-looking women, and two skinny young guys oddly handcuffed to each other. I'm getting tired of feeling like I live in...well, Chicago. I suppose it goes with the terrain, though.
Difference/Indifference
I received a substantial raise today. I mean, like a really really substantial raise. Like, I could live semi-comfortably on this pay now in Chicago if I worked full time at Gap. Not that I'm going to do that, but it's big enough to make my checking account sublimely happy.
It's Market Days weekend again--and I'm feeling really indifferent about it. After last year's debacle, when the actual setup of the streetfest kept me up all night long, and I ate breakfast with a violent homeless man the morning after, I'm wishing I was just out of town for the whole thing. Basically, Market Days is just another weekend for my fellow gays to get drunk and shirtless and obnoxious, and buy things like rainbow boas and earthy lesbian jewelry. Oh well--hopefully Allison et.al. will spice it up.
Do you want the code for this weekend's Friends and Family days? If so, contact me.
I received a substantial raise today. I mean, like a really really substantial raise. Like, I could live semi-comfortably on this pay now in Chicago if I worked full time at Gap. Not that I'm going to do that, but it's big enough to make my checking account sublimely happy.
It's Market Days weekend again--and I'm feeling really indifferent about it. After last year's debacle, when the actual setup of the streetfest kept me up all night long, and I ate breakfast with a violent homeless man the morning after, I'm wishing I was just out of town for the whole thing. Basically, Market Days is just another weekend for my fellow gays to get drunk and shirtless and obnoxious, and buy things like rainbow boas and earthy lesbian jewelry. Oh well--hopefully Allison et.al. will spice it up.
Do you want the code for this weekend's Friends and Family days? If so, contact me.