Quote of the Moment:

Jon Heder - *his finger up his nose*
Rob Schneider - Aw, c'mon, don't pick your nose in front of me.
JH - I'm not picking; I'm scratching.
RS - Oh really; what are you scratching, your brain?
JH - Yeah, 'cause my brain's just so big!
    --The Benchwarmers

Unique affection

Today, in amongst the cans of soup and tuna and salmon and sauces, I found a hidden stockpile of Alphagetti.

Sometimes soft moments find you in the oddest of places.
...

It was the thumbprints of human imperfection that used to move him, the flaws in the design: the lopsided smile, the wart next to the navel, the mole, the bruise. These were the places he'd single out, putting his mouth on them. Was it consolation he'd had in mind, kissing the wound to make it better? There was always an element of melancholy involved in sex. After his indescrimintate adolescence he'd preferred sad women, delicate and breakable, women who'd been messed up and who needed him. He'd liked to comfort them, stroke them gently at first, reassure them. Make them happier, if only for a moment.

        --Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood

For me, it's the mole next to the nose that catches my eye, the inexplicable scars that crisscross the skin, the feel of the coarse hair against my fingers, the smell that cannot be called anything else but scent. These qualities are what attract; what make a man my own.

When faced with his melancholy, my instinct is also to comfort and gently reassure. I am happier if he is happier--even for that moment. But if my instinct is resisted or denied, then I have no choice but to follow deeper into the despondency. That is what makes things so complicated.

Quote of the Moment:

    "What are you doing here, Paolo?"
    "Eh...I do Raquel."
        --FRIENDS

Cheers

Listening:
Damien Rice - O
"Cheers Darlin'

...

How far do you go when chasing your dream? Do you risk the stability you have now for a long shot that may take forever until fully realized? Or do you play it safe and stick to what you know, letting that tiny window of opportunity slip away?

I was shopping the other day at IKEA when I spotted an old acquaintance of mine from afar. While I was there shopping, he was there working. Wearing IKEA's trademarked blue and yellow and the polite at-work smile, he was working the cash about ten aisles down from me. I didn't know whether to to pity him or to admire him.

Although he had ended up there sliding the scancodes of Swedish "simple" furniture, it was what came before that made me pause. When I'd first met him, he'd been a successful employee of the big-name tech-company that he worked for, he drove his own car, wore his own clothes...and he was on the brink of resigning from that life. Instead of this reliable routine, he wanted more. Motivated by his colleagues and teachers and mentors and friends, he was risking what he knew for what intrigued him: a slice of the celebrity pie; a shot at the production side of showbiz.

So what to think? Shoot him down for being stupid for falling for the sparkle of the stars? Or praise him for taking that shot in the dark and satisfying that spark of intrigue? Whether or not he achieved his dream, the point is that he dreamt. How many of us are brave enough to say that we don't know because we tried but failed at something, rather than because we just don't know? I know I'm not. But perhaps I will be. Cheers.

A Shox-ingly good show

These are mine and they're on my feet and I love them.

I resisted buying Nike Shox for the longest time, worried that once I started, I too, like so many before me, would not be able to stop. I finally caved and bought a pair of them on Tuesday night. I wore them all Tuesday night and almost all of Wednesday too. I've been at home all day today, and haven't been able to keep myself for slipping them on just for fun around the house (but not on the carpet--I know some limit). Love to me is now red and black and worn on my feet. Swoosh.

When I finally did take them off on Wednesday night it was to trade them for a pair of more formal footwear to go watch my friend sing as part of her country duo, 2 Story. Her and her performance partner both sang and played acoustic guitars--he led most of the songs while she harmonized. I admittedly got there a little late but caught some good stuff. While their material wasn't all original, their chemistry made it all their own. 1Story told us later that knowing that we were in the audience (another co-worker of ours also showed up--and even got a shout out from her) made her a little nervous, but it didn't show. Seeing live performances--especially when I know the performer personally--always gives me goosebumps when they're good; I might as well as been a goose.

After her performance, two other bands went up to perform. After the first band--which was really good though their name escapes me now--we all realized that it was getting pretty late. However, we had been told by 1Story that the last duo to go up was really good and that we should watch. They called themselves The Sun Parlour Players. She herself had not heard them perform any of their own music, but the cover that they had done of an ACDC song had been amazing and she was curious to see what they could do. Well, that cinched it; we'd stay to hear their first song before leaving.

They played their first song.

We were still there for their second song.

After the third song, we were forced to reluctantly weave our way through the now packed and standing-room-only performance area, leaving the sounds of the "foot stompin', big singin', two-person band" behind due to responsibilities of getting home safe and working the next morning. Boo. Man they were fun.

1Story has promised me to tell me the next time her duo is going to perform--in the meantime, they're working on recording their first album together. When I know the dates for these, so will you.
...

Song of the Moment: "Shake Sugaree" - Elizabeth Cotten

Got a little secret
I ain't gonna tell
I'm going to heaven
In a ground pea shell
Oh lordie me
Didn't I shake sugaree

Everything I got is down in pawn
Pawned my watch
Pawned my chain
Pawned everything that was in my name

Oh lordie me
Didn't I shake sugaree

I'm going sailing
In a wooden shoe
Looking for a star
I can tell my troubles do

Oh lordie me
Didn't I shake sugaree

I pawned my horse
Pawned my plow
Pawned everything
Even my old milk cow

Got a little secret
I ain't gonna tell
I'm going to heaven
In a ground pea shell

Oh lordie me
Didn't I shake sugaree
Everything I got is down in pawn
Everything I got is down in pawn
...

1Story performed this song that night as the lead singer. That's probably why I likey so much. :)

Telephone Tide-ings

Listening:
Craig David - The Story Goes


...

*I dial my mother's line at work*
Ma - Hello?
Me - Hey. What, you don't recognize the house number?
Ma - Why?
Me - Well, when I called from work yesterday and you recognized the number, you gave me such an enthusiastic greeting, not just "hello".
Ma - So what do you want? "Yo"?
Me - No, it's just that...
Ma - Alright; yo.
Me - ...I was just noticing...
Ma - Yo!
Me - ...that you answer differently when...
Ma - Yo, wassup?!
Me - ...alright, just say "Doobie" and get it out of your system already!!!
Ma - Yo! Doobie!
Me - There, do you feel better now?
Ma - Do you?
Me - Whatever, that's not even why I called. Do we have anymore Tide?
Ma - No. Just use the liquid Tide.
Me - Okay. That's it. I'm going now.
Ma - To smoke a doobie?
Me - No. But maybe that's what you've been doing. Bye.
Ma - Bye.
...

Mom finds the word "doobie" absolutely hilarious ever since G and I taught her what it refered to. Then again, "doobie" is just a funny sounding word in general.