happy new year, you're my only vice

I'm heading to MB's tonight for a little NYE get-together of uncertain proportions. I made tiramisu and some baguette-based appetizers, along with a salad. I even managed to emulsify my dressing properly, so no oil separation. I am a food nerd. Oh, and of course Cava and Chambord for cocktails.

There is talk (well, just between MB and myself) of heading to the Liberty Pole to join in the absurd-yet-true Rochester Kazoo Massive organized by our mayor. In all reality I think I'll be more inclined to head out to the bars as the evening progresses, but we shall see.

My outfit this year is best described as "A Georgian Gentleman in King Louis XVI's Disco." I'll post photos on my Flickr.

Anyway, I really just popped in to say "Happy New Year!" Here's hoping that 2007 is a little more impressive than 2006 was...

43 things

Someone directed me to the site 43 Things, and since I've decided to join I thought I'd share. The concept is to choose (up to) 43 things you'd like to accomplish in your lifetime. They can be short-term or long-term goals, but you can write little entries to track your progress and you can also find other people who are working on the same things. I think it'll be a great way for me to not only track stuff like my resolutions but also keep in mind bigger-picture aspirations. Or, more likely, I'll grow bored of it in a month and never update it again. We'll see.

I only have 4 things right now but I need to go to bed because a) I am still sick, and b) today was exhausting. These next few weeks are going to be a whirlwind of social activity, so hopefully I'll be healthy enough to plow through by the time the craziness kicks off on Friday.

Anyway, you can find my "things" here. Let me know if you sign up so I can subscribe to your list!

when you walk without ease on these streets where you were raised

Some of you may recall last year in Connecticut I was appalled to witness the trend of fastening full-sized Christmas wreathes to the grills of SUVs. If I, at any moment, naively claimed that nothing could be more tacky... I apologize. Because this weekend, driving through Pittsford, I saw not one but TWO behemoths that had--and you have no idea how much I wish I was kidding right now--Christmas lights woven around the little rack part on top. Fully-lit garlands of Christmas bulbs. On cars. I mean, I can somewhat appreciate the kitsch factor of garishly decorated houses, even though the enormous inflated snow-globe trend is a little hard to stomach, but this is just crossing the line. I hate Hummers in all their naked glory, so dressing them up in Christmas cheer makes me want to drive sharpened candy canes through my eyeballs.

If you want an indication of how much something as petty and ridiculous as this bugs someone like me, let me admit to you that even now, nearly 3 years later, I still feel a small knot of horror and irritation constrict in my rib cage every time I see one of those absurd ribbon magnets.

All this seasonal pet peevery has almost distracted my from my daily annoyance with bad grammar, incorrect word usage (don't even get me started on 'literally'), or when people say things like "exspecially," "probally," and "acrosst." I haven't been watching enough TV lately to rile myself up over advertising tripe, although I've no doubt that it's particularly odious at this time of year, as usual.

Anyway, there's a little bah humbug for you. I'm going to take a deep breath, put on a little Der Bingle, and have a soothing mug of mulled cider while I try to conjure the Christmas spirit. I actually do adore Christmas, I just wish people didn't have to be so awfully tacky about it.

snuffleblog

I have caught some sort of cold twice in my 3 months at this job. I never used to get sick this often... usually one relatively obnoxious illness each year (flu, tonsillitis, etc) but never a cold every month. Today's special is a head cold combined with a dodgy tummy... not so much that I am throwing up as the thought of most foods turns my stomach. I will accomplish the most essential of my chores (laundry, cleaning) and spend the remainder of my Sunday either pawing through some magazines or reading more of The Historian (I can't decide how I feel about this book. It's addictive but not particularly compelling, if I may make the distinction. That is to say, while I am reading it I find myself rapidly turning the pages, but once I put it down I have little desire to pick it up again).

I ran into MB at Barnes & Noble yesterday. It's uncanny how MB and I are forever and always simply 'running into each other'. Anyway, we had a wonderfully long discussion in the used book section and decided that we should make New Year's Eve plans. I am usually a little fan of NYE, but I know that doing something with MB & Co. will be decidedly chill and civilized.

Winter has apparently been placed on hiatus by some benevolent deity. 40F+ for the foreseeable meteorological future, as it has been for a little over a week now. Considering that we generally have a 'White Thanksgiving,' the possibility of not having a 'White Christmas' is very strange. In fact, according to the weather map, it's colder in LA than it is here. In Rochester. Unsettling. That said, I have never, never looked a mild winter in the mouth. I am more than happy to not have to trudge through shin-deep snow every day on my way to work, thankyouverymuch.

It's nearly noon, so I suppose I should start my day. Hopefully this is just a passing bug and not a harbinger of some full-blown illness.

i know i'm blog-happy today, but...

I should also add that I just found out that iTunes sells what I believe to be every episode of 'This American Life' for a mere $0.95 each. I just spent the entire iTunes gift card my brother gave me for my birthday. If you must download only one, please take care that it is 'Christmas and Commerce' (including not only the now classic 'Santaland Diaries' by David Sedaris, but also a holiday piece by David Rakoff). Also keep an eye out for any episodes featuring Sarah Vowell.

That is all.

ode to the 585

[I just found this entry in my drafts, unfinished from July, so I decided to complete it and post it to remind myself of all the things I don't hate about enduring another winter in Rochester]

A clarification.

Recently a few people have told me, rather unexpectedly, that I 'shouldn't be so hard on Rochester.' Oh! I honestly didn't realize that I was hating on the 585, but if I ever implied that I dislike it here it was probably in reference to being unemployed and living at home. Nothing personal, Rochester!

Yes, I had (and, to an extent, still have) itchy feet to run away to a bigger city for a while. Living in London made it clear that I need all those trappings around me for a while longer, particularly after being without them in New Haven. Not to mention that I grew up here, so of course certain aspects of it seem a little stale after 20-something years.

This time, perhaps because I know I'll be here for a definite amount of time instead of 'until I can get out,' the familiarity is unexpectedly comforting. I felt so tired by the end of my time in New Haven--tired of thinking about my life, tired of dealing with decisions--that reverting to something familiar felt like crawling into bed after an extremely long day.

That's not to say there aren't things I dislike about Rochester. 80% of them pertain to winter. The remaining 20% consists of the pitiful job market, the stupidly high violent crime rate, its remoteness, and garbage plates.

So, since it seems I've been unfairly turning my nose up at Rock City, here are just a few of my favorite things:

1. The George Eastman House. An unparalleled international museum of photography and film, housed in Eastman's East Avenue mansion (which one can also tour). I'm a particularly big fan of the gardens, which are a beautiful place to read. The museum's movie theater often runs small films, or directors cuts of classics, for a mere $6 (or $5 if you're a student).

2. Speaking of gardens, there are small public gardens scattered all over Rochester, but you have to know where to look for them. One of my favorites is the garden of fragrance (a garden of herbs and roses) tucked behind the Rochester Museum and Science Center. It's very tiny, there are only two benches, but it's almost always empty. Sculpted hedges surround it and it's far back from the street, so it's a lovely and cozy place to read or just sit with coffee and a sandwich.

3. I'm trying to avoid gushing too much about food, because that's usually what saturates my 'favorite things about...' lists. So I'll simply slip California Rollin' in here with the Village Gate. The Village Gate was once a factory and sometime in the 80s (I think) it was renovated into a sort of indie shopping mall. The top floor is artists lofts (although now I think there might also be a karate studio up there too) and the bottom floor is peppered with independent stores and restaurants. It goes through phases, really. Sometimes it seems on the brink of desertion, but then it bounces back again with new businesses nestled among the old standards like Ricky's Place (surprisingly good vintage clothing) and Yankee Peddler Book Shop (used books, ephemera, and vintage maps and postcards). There's always a tattoo parlor there, although I think the place where I had my second one done is gone. I love that there's no spit and polish to the place; no directory to guide you through the maze of corridors, nothing but brightly-colored paint to disguise the fact that it's a converted factory.

4. The Inner Loop. Everyone seems to despise it but I think it's nothing short of genius. When I was first learning to drive and navigate my way around the city, I'd always be able to find my way home as long as I ran into the Inner Loop. Also, if you miss your exit... it'll come back around again! As teenagers we used to have contests to see who could make the complete circuit in the shortest amount of time, like our own little race track, although I think that might be a little bit of an indication of what it was like to grow up Upstate.

5. The Geography. My Lake can beat up your lake. I think growing up on a peninsula has made me feel a little claustrophobic when I'm not around a significant body of water (even a Finger Lake or a sizeable river will do...). Plus, our river flows north and there are waterfalls in the middle of downtown.

6. I still haven't seen a cemetery as stunning as Mount Hope. It's like stumbling upon Victorian ruins in the middle of a forest. The statues and carvings on the monuments and mausoleums are a gallery unto themselves (as you can tell I love looking at photos of the place).

Oh, I suppose that's enough to keep me happy for the moment. I also found this nice little article about visiting Rochester from the New York Times, which notes some other things I love about the city (charbroil and the Public Market for starters).

ruiners!

Damn you, Television Without Pity. I used to think Jamie Bamber wasn't too hard on the eyes until you had to go and point out that he looks like a muppet. Now when I see him, all I can think of is that episode of Angel where David Boreanaz was turned into a puppet.

'House' tonight! We get to find out what happens when Wilson grows a pair. Kind of.

There was a deal on Amazon yesterday where they were selling all 3 seasons of 'Arrested Development' for $33.79. So I bought them (clearly). I've missed that show something terrible, so I'm excited.

Right, I suppose I should be off to work then...

in the morning in the wintershade

Two things that have recently increased my geekitude factor: 1. I am frighteningly addicted to the Yahtzee widget I downloaded. 2. I stayed in last night and watched tons of Battlestar Galactica DVDs (damn you J and G! I was a little slow to get on board, but I just finished disc 1 of Season 2 and am quite officially hooked).

But! Tonight I have been invited to a Christmas party by some work people. It's quite refreshing to have coworkers who are in their 20s (or, at the very least, not married with teenage children). I eat lunch with this crew, but this will be the first time I've socialized with them outside of work. They're a nice bunch, though, so it should be fun.

Anyway, I should go pick up some booze for the party (we're supposed to bring either food or beverage, but it seems that a lot of people are bringing food so I'm opting for the latter... probably some sort of apple cocktail). It's starting to get cold now... I guess winter is on the way!

the consumer is king and unhappiness is treason

Remember in my last post when I mentioned that, were the day to come when I purchased a new computer, it would be a PC notebook? Well, that day came and passed this week and I found myself scooting to the Apple store to adopt an adorable little MacBook instead. Two-fingered scrolling... how did I live without it? The iSight kind of unnerves me a little, though. It feels a little HAL-like. So I'm currently all wireless and delighted, sitting at Spot and enjoying a grilled cheese focaccia and a surprisingly not nasty apple-cinnamon café au lait (they messed up my order, in which I asked for a café au lait and an apple-cinnamon Italian soda. Oh well). I had a fairly productive Christmas shopping excursion to Parkleigh after having my eyebrows plucked half-to-death at Scott Miller.

It's a gorgeous day here. High 50s, sharp sunlight, just a few wispy clouds. I think I'll spend the rest of the day Christmas shopping, or more likely tearing my hair out wondering what to give my father.

Right, well 12.30 so I really should get on with it all. I'm off to one of my mother's favorite boutiques to see if I can check her off my list.

ask me i won't say no how could i

More questions of the day because I'm a little too tired to write anything properly, and stupid Dr and Mr Doris Haggis-On-Whey held up my Amazon shipment. I did recently finish The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke, though, which was delightful. Quite nearly as enjoyable (and not nearly as long) as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Very charming.

What's your favorite music for a Sunday morning?
My Soul Mix (Otis, Geno, Al, etc.)

What song makes you rock the karaoke mike?
Eddie Money's 'Take Me Home Tonight.'

What's on your top 5 video games list?
Video games? Really?

What's the worst pickup line you've ever heard?
'Listen luv, I don't have time to chat you up, but do you fancy a shag?' Clearly, I swooned.

What comedian makes you pee your pants laughing?
Well that's a bit extreme! But of course it's Eddie Izzard.

What's your method for calculating a tip?
Restaurant: a little more than double the tax. Bar: $1 for just about everything. Hairdresser: $15. Eyebrow waxer: $5.

What character in a book can you connect with or relate to the most?
Mon petit prince.

What song best describes your current mood?
'(Don't Go Back to) Rockville' - R.E.M.

What's the most drastic change you've ever made to your appearance?
Hm. I don't really do drastic. I once dyed my hair blonde. That didn't last long.

How do you eat your pizza: folded, flat, or with a fork and a knife?
Folded. It has to be a big, floppy slice. I'm not so sure I could get on board with someone eating takeout pizza with a fork and knife. My unconfirmed theory is that anyone who eats pizza with silverware is bad in bed. Feel free to do your own field work.

Windows, Mac, Linux - What's your preference and why?
I really, really don't care. I use my computer for the most basic functions: e-mail, IM, music, interwebs. From a design point of view, yes, Macs are delicious. But I actually really like my Vaio and I think my next computer will be a cute Vaio notebook. Plus, we all know John Hodgman is utterly awesome and in serious contention to ascend to the right hand of Stephen Fry in my personal pantheon of greatness. PCs win by association.

What's your dream career?
Getting paid obscene amounts of money to travel and do research. Oddly enough, 'money' and 'academia' rarely go hand-in-hand.

What's your favorite radio station, past or present?
WBER circa 1993-1998.

What would the title of your autobiography be?
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Why?
Well if I could figure that out it'd be half my problem solved, wouldn't it? I'm going to say London, though. I have friends there who are fantastic and I completely fell in love with the city.

How did you pick your Vox name? Does it mean something?
Actually, Blogger is just about the only place where I'm not 'fauxarbres.' My Blogger name 'clockworkbird' doesn't really mean anything. I just liked the imagery and connotations of it. As for good old fauxarbres... it's been with me since my days on AOL, so circa 1998. I was obsessively into Radiohead at the time and wanted a screen name that was Radiohead-related. As it happened, half of the world was obsessively into Radiohead at the time, so such screen names were a little hard to come by. So I decided to translate something into French. 'Faux Arbres En Plastique' was too long, et voilà! Faux arbres!

What is your favorite scent?
A few that I love: freshly-cut lawns and gas-powered lawn mowers; garlic and onions cooking; autumn.

What's your sign? Do you believe in astrology and horoscopes?
No, I don't believe in horoscopes. That said, I'm a Libra and sometimes I think that certain aspects of my sign completely apply to me (hates conflict, has a tough time making decisions, is happiest when in love, wants things to be placid and beautiful). But then again... meh.

What did you think you would never ever do... but did?
Live abroad.

Do you remember your first flight? Where did you go? Why?
I was 6 and went to visit my Aunt in California. It was awesome. Ever since then I've loved travel.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
Jellied eel, I suppose. I like to think I have a rather adventurous appetite, but rarely do I have the opportunity to exercise it.

What food or drink do you love when it's cold out?
Tea. Mulled wine. Spiced spiked cider.

Do you listen to podcasts? Are there any you'd recommend?
I listen to some NPR ones and The Word Nerds.

Tell us about your first kiss. Who was it with? How old were you?
To be honest, I don't remember. It was probably with our family friend B, but I could totally be making that up. I want to say it was around Kindergarten or 1st Grade though.

What do you do to get rid of a cold or the flu?
Mainline Nyquil and sleep.

What are your top 25 most played songs?
On iTunes you mean? Uh, lemme see...
1. Refreshing Rain
2. Inspiring Thunderstorms
(Those are both white noise that I put on repeat to fall asleep, hence why they're the most played).
3. Strange Powers - the Magnetic Fields
4. I'd Rather Dance With You - the Kings of Convenience
5. Hard to Beat - Hard-Fi
6. Ready 2 Wear - Felix da Housecat
7. I Luv the Valley, Oh! - Xiu Xiu
8. Hung Up - Madonna
9. Ladytron - Roxy Music
10. Maple Leaves 7" - Jens Lekman
11. Minnesoter - the Dandy Warhols
12. Blood - Editors
13. I Die: You Die - Gary Numan
14. You Are the Light - Jens Lekman
15. Modes of Transport - Astrid
16. Hanging On the Telephone - Blondie
17. Ooh La La - Goldfrapp
18. Heartbeat - Annie
19. Heaven Hammer (Missing) - Beck
20. In a Big Country - Big Country
21. Bonnie and Clyde - Serge Gainsbourg
22. Just What I Needed - the Cars
23. Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money
24. Maybe You Can Owe Me - Architecture in Helsinki
25. The Dreaming Moon - the Magnetic Fields

Which cartoon character best represents you?
Does the Little Prince count?

What's your favorite thing to shop for?
Books. Books and clothes. And house stuff.

What was your very first job?
Stocking shelves at Wegmans.

What's the best way to spend a rainy day?
Well, I'm guessing it's probably going to be inside the butterfly garden at Strong Museum. That's where I'll be spending my next rainy weekend day. Otherwise, there's always reading at a café or poking around the Eastman House or Memorial Art Gallery.

What do you like to make or order for brunch?
Mimosas. Stuffed french toast.

What gameshow or reality show would you kick butt on?
Remember 'Rock n' Roll Jeopardy' on VH1? I could've rocked that.

What's the most memorable building you've lived in?
My apartment on North Parade in Bath. Absolutely stunning, and fantastic views. I miss my parapet.

in two thousand years this place will be covered by ice and the people who will dig us up will be in for a big surprise

My annual winter hibernation is starting a little early this year, I think.

I don't know if it's the cold weather or the meager rations of daylight, but already I find myself building up my stores of books like layers of fat in preparation for the long, bleak months ahead. Usually this doesn't set in until around Thanksgiving, but this weekend was so blustery and my to-do list so overwhelming that I wanted nothing more than to putter around the house 'getting things done' and snuggling up. It was absolutely delicious.

Last weekend was the birthday foofaraw which--what with its pommes frites with truffle oil, kir royales, and karaoke--somewhat glutted me on the whole 'going out' biz. It was fun, absolutely, but excessively draining.

I went for a coffee this afternoon and when I walked out of the café and into the perfectly crisp air I remembered how coffee-laced breath mingles so exquisitely and distinctively with the smells of autumn. The only thing missing from that chord was a slow, sated drag of a cigarette.

Only Revolutions was disappointing. In fact, I found it very nearly unreadable. That said, it did touch me in a strange way and I do love the way he breaks the linear tendencies of the medium. I think David Mitchell did a better job with it, though. I'm in the midst of yet another Jeeves book right now (they are like crack) and then I will probably move onto Alan Alda's autobiography while I wait for my next shipment of books to arrive. I am looking forward to the rumored Hodgmanesque (yes, that's right... Hodgmanesque) humor of the Dr and Mr Doris Haggis-On-Whey books.

I'm considering making Christmas pressies again this year, since a) I am poor, and b) I need a hobby for a number of reasons. Hopefully there will not be another horror like the absinthe fiasco of '04 (although I like to think that the unspeakable nastiness of the moonshine was overshadowed by the--if I may--sublime deliciousness of the truffles). I am planning on some things edible, some things inedible... we shall see.

Oh, and short of flying to London and knocking on doors I have no idea what to do about getting letters of reference from my UCL professors. They seem to be completely incommunicado and clearly are not checking (or are ignoring) their email and voicemail. I'm wondering if I should be thinking about a serious plan B. Not that it would be the end of the world... to be honest, I'm not particularly eager to add to my debt while living on Ramen for two years. I've become a little enchanted by that well-dressed temptress Disposable Income. We shall see. Maybe I can enter the field with just (just!) my History MA.

Ok, apples and peanut butter.

i was drunk on the streets of chicago for 14 days on end

I've decided to stop drinking for a year.

This is primarily because I find myself shelling out $30 for the privilege of feeling like death-on-a-stick the next day and accomplishing absolutely nothing. As an added bonus, this weekend it resulted in yet another bout of nasty tonsillitis. So now I think I will limit myself to the odd glass of vino with dinner. Drinking any more than that just isn't worth losing a day or more in recovery. I might still go out once in a while, but I suppose I'll just offer myself up as the designated driver.

I have tried every hangover cure and preventative measure under the sun. And it's not even that I'm drinking that much and/or often... my body is just unwilling to accept anything more than the most limited consumption. Bummer.

Anyway, despite my aforementioned craptacular state of health, I will go out to eat sushi with my childhood friend M tomorrow night and hopefully not spread the germitude to her. Wednesday I think G is coming over to watch the season premiere of 'Lost' (so excited! I can't wait to see what this season is going to be like).

Tonight, though, I am simply going to ignore the fact that my room is a mess and snuggle up in bed with my mug of TheraFlu. I'm debating whether I am in a state to start The Sea by John Banville (unlikely), flip through the new issue of 'InStyle' (more likely), or watch a few more episodes of 'Jeeves and Wooster' (extremely likely).

yeah. it's just that we're putting new coversheets on all the tps reports *before* they go out now

New job = exhausting. Not that I'm complaining, mind. I'm more than thrilled to be done with that whole obnoxious job search process for a while, even if I do find myself experiencing occasional 'Office Space' moments.

The weekend was pretty fun, though, despite the fact that I was completely shattered. Friday night MB invited me to a dinner party, which was lovely. Good to see him; I'm glad he's still in town. Saturday night I went to dinner with my mother and then came home and watched a few episodes of 'Jeeves and Wooster' (I splurged and bought the box set). I fell asleep rather early and still felt exhausted when I woke up. Sunday G and I went to Abyssinian for yummy Ethiopian food.

I think I'll be heading back to karaoke this Saturday with G and B (MB can't make it this weekend but I'm planning on dragging him out at some point). Friday night will be nothing but 'Jeeves and Wooster,' maybe a bit of wine, and LOTS of sleep.

Oh, and I also have a 'Plan B' formulating in case something goes awry with my grad school plan. Which it might very early if my letters of reference don't arrive on time. I have 1.5/3.0 of them (one in hand, one promised, and one unconfirmed), and as you can imagine that does not set my mind at ease in the slightest. Eep. Anyway, the Plan B involves moving to Europe so it wouldn't be hard to bear at all. Hehe.

I was so glad to talk to people at MB's dinner party that were also plodding through an 'in-between' moment in their lives. Very comforting to know I am not a huge failure yet!

Anyway, it's 10pm, which is apparently my new bedtime. I work 7.30-4 now with a commute that isn't nearly as frustrating as my old one, but is by no means an easy drive. Actually, coming home is usually worse than heading to work. Particularly when the VP swoops into town to attend a little $150-a-head fundraising dinner, causing one of the busiest sections of one of the most congested expressways in Rochester to be closed during rush hour. Just further proof that the man is evil. :P

right ho, jeeves

Oh, I love Wodehouse's Jeeves series.

Overlook Press has released special editions of a bunch of Wodehouse's works, including quite a few Jeeves books. They're delicious not only for the delight of the actual text, but also the fact that they are hard-cover, cloth-bound, and feature swoon-worthy vintage-inspired cover art (see illustration provided). So even though they are a bit more pricey than a paper-back Penguin edition, I can't help but aim to collect them all.

In fact, I would love to find a way to make prints of the jacket art and hang them on my walls.

But anyway, book geekiness aside (I do have a little bit of a... problem... when it comes to buying books) you should all head to your wishlist / bookstore / library and try on at least one Jeeves book. So funny, so endearing.

la meme

Birthday wish number one.

Anyway, I really don't have much to say... so instead I'm going to answer all the 'Questions of the Day' that Vox has spit out so far (FYI, they've given me 4 more invites if anyone wants 'em. Just let me know your e-mail address). Whee.

As a youngster, when you scrounged together enough change to get some candy, what did you buy?
Hm. I think my favorites were Warheads, Nerds, and anything of the gummy persuasion.

What's the last thing you changed your mind about?
Literally the last thing, or the most important last thing? The most important thing was changing my mind about moving to DC. The actual last thing was my decision to waste time filling out these questions instead of reading.

What was the first album (record, cassette or CD) you purchased with your own money?
I believe, to the best of my recollection, it was U2's Achtung Baby circa age 12.

If you had a time machine and could travel anywhere in time, where would you go and why?
Paris during La Belle Époque. I'd love to run around drinking absinthe with the bohemians. Or, 1940s Hollywood (same as above, but substitute champagne and Golden Age film stars).

If someone was visiting your town for the first time, what would be the one place you'd tell them they just had to go see.
That really depends on what they're into. I think the Eastman House is the most obvious answer--and for good reason--but not everyone is into museums. Mount Hope Cemetery can be a beautiful place to wander and look for famous graves or try to sneak a peek inside the abandoned church.

Do you believe in ghosts? Follow-up question: What's the most supernatural experience you've ever had?
I don't not believe in them. I've never had an experience with anything supernatural, but I'm completely freaked out by the idea of ghosts. Even, like, ghosts of relatives. No thank you.

What's your favorite board game?
Scrabble!

What's your favorite season?
Autumn, without a doubt. I love all my autumn clothes, I love the smell of the fallen leaves and the briskness of the air, I love mulled cider and pumpkin pie, I love my birthday and Thanksgiving. I love simply everything about autumn (except, of course, that it is a harbinger of winter).

What's the best movie sequel ever made?
Uh. Probably the Godfather Part II, although I consider that more of a 'second volume' than a sequel. And its goodness is mitigated a little by the pile of tripe that is Part III.

What's your favorite song of 2006?
Oh geez, I don't know. What came out this year?

What's the best thing about 3-day weekends?
I usually allow myself a 'freebie' day to sit around doing absolutely nothing without feeling guilty about it.

What was the first rock concert you ever attended? (We know, they're not called "rock concerts" anymore, but still...)
Hm. I think it was Weezer at the Horozontal Boogie Bar in 1995.

What's your favorite family tradition?
We don't really have a lot of traditions, but I do love getting together for Thanksgiving dinner.

What's the oldest thing you own? Where did you get it from? Significance?
Probably my dresser, which I think was my great-grandmother's. I like it, it's kind of deco.

If I was to hand you $10,000 and the only condition of the gift was that you had to spend it -- and spend it completely -- within the next hour, what would you spend it on?
I'd put it toward my student loans. That would take care of $10,000 right quick.

You're given one dish to cook or bake: what's your signature recipe?
Ooh. Tough one. Even though I haven't made them in years, people were always a fan of the chocolate pots and they're dead easy to make.

Do you have a nickname or a name certain people call you? Where did it originate?
The British lot call me 'Leenie,' but I have no idea of its origins. Very strange, as no one in the states calls me that.

What famous person do people say you resemble? Comparison pictures, please.
I've never been told that I look like a celebrity.

What song was the number one song on the charts the day you were born? How about the day you turned 21? What do you think about the song?
The day I was born: Queen - "Another One Bites the Dust" - meh. Not one of their best.
The day I turned 21: Jennifer Lopez f/ Ja Rule - "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" - I actually kind of liked that song at the time. I haven't heard it since my days at the Holiday, though. :P

Has there been a book that has changed your life? Maybe just a little bit?
Bien sur! Le Petit Prince! I'd have to throw The Unbearable Lightness of Being in there as well.

What was your favorite arcade game growing up? What's your favorite game now?
When I was little it was Pitfall for the Atari. Now... I couldn't care less.

What's your worst travelling story? Horrible airport experience? Seasickness?
There are two. Number one, being stranded overnight in a train station in Crewe because I missed my overnight sleeper train to Glasgow. Number two, sleeping under the breakwall in Ullapool Harbor because I didn't realize that my hostel had a curfew and was locked out. Both were very, very cold and uncomfortable nights.

What's the most extreme weather you've been in? A memorable storm? Heat wave? Or something else?
I suppose Rochester's ice storm was fairly extreme. Nothing like a hurricane, to be sure, but really rather unpleasant.

Soda? Cola? Pop? What do you say? Any other regional words that set you apart?
I used to say 'pop,' but now I say 'soda.'

Play any instrument or speak any language, which do you choose?
I'd love to be flawlessly fluent in French.

If you could open any sort of restaurant, what would it be like?
I'd rather open a bar. It'd be really swanky and loungy, but without being kitschy or ironic (or, for that matter, pretentious). Obviously it would have a drool-worthy jukebox and not a single television set in sight. Lots of tables, though. With those little candles in nubby red glass jars.

What or who is your favorite product mascot? Why?
I can tell you my least favorite mascot, and that's the Snuggle Bear. Although that's a long-standing hatred, and it's very possible that the Nasonex Bee will hold the title if he's still around a year from now. *shudder*

If you could get someone in your life to start a blog, who would it be and why?
Phen. He always has adventures.

When you were younger, were there any game shows that you religiously watched and wanted to be a contestant on?
When I was young I loved all the really cheesy game shows, like "Press Your Luck" and "Win, Lose, or Draw!". I don't think I necessarily wanted to be a contestant on them, but I watched them all the time.

What's your morning beverage of choice? Coffee, tea, juice? Homemade or store-bought?
If I'm feeling rich it's a Starbuck's grande sugar-free, fat-free hazelnut latte. If I am feeling... notsorich... Dunkin' Donuts vanilla spice coffee with skim milk and one Splenda.

How well do you know your next-door neighbors?
I don't, really. At all. I don't even know their names.

When was the last time you had to speak in front of a group? How did you feel?
It's been aaages. I had to do a presentation on my honors project in front of one of my advisor's classes in college. I felt... well, mostly hungover, since it was at 8am.

What was the last wedding you went to? Were you in the wedding?
Rach & Pete's wedding in May. No, I was not in it.

Tell us a little something about your first car. Do you have any photos you can share?
The Thunderchicken! 1989 Ford Thunderbird in navy blue, handed down to me from my parents in 2001. It's the car I drove in high school, though, so really I'd been cruising around in it since 1996. It died a very speedy death in the summer of 2002.

What albums are in heavy rotation for you right now?
The Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass
Various Artists - Ocean's 12 Soundtrack
DeVotchKa - How It Ends
Nouvelle Vague - Nouvelle Vague

What was (or is) your favorite subject in school?
I liked AP Psychology a lot. English was fun, depending on the teacher. In college it was clearly history.

What's the nerdiest thing about you?
90% of the time I'd rather stay in and read than go out.

Are there any snacks, food or candy that are no longer made that you desperately miss?
I don't know if they're still made or not, but I haven't seen any since Louie's Sweet Shoppe closed... clove flavored stick candy. I wonder if they have them at the model Louie's in the Strong Museum. Hmm. Ooh and cherry phosphates!

What movie would you really recommend renting or seeing this weekend?
I just rented Heathers, which was great.

What books are on your nightstand?
1776 - David McCullough
Take the Cannoli: Stories From the New World - Sarah Vowell
A Sorrow Beyond Dreams - Peter Handke
a GRE Prep Book
Diners, Bowling Alleys, and Trailer Parks: Chasing the American Dream in Postwar Consumer Culture - Andrew Hurley

Who's your favorite movie villain?
I don't know if this counts, but I always adored-despised the preppie, rich asshole roles that James Spader was cast in during the 80s. Pretty in Pink? Less Than Zero? So good.

What is your browser's default home page set to?
Excite.com.

What's your favorite way to keep in touch? Phone, snail mail, email, text message, _____?
Well, I prefer snail mail but generally no one is interested in writing back (with a few exceptions) so it tends to come down to e-mail or phone.

What song or lyrics are stuck in your head at the moment? What album is it from?
"Recommendation" by Mirah, from the album Advisory Committee. Last night, though, I couldn't get "Do Your Ears Hang Low" out of my head. NO idea why that popped into my tired little brain, but it drove me nuts. :P

i can't stop those flashin' reds

Does someone mind explaining to me why the Jayhawks are so perfectly paired with red wine and rainy nights?

Damn.

Maybe it has something to do with the previous entry I wrote about wine making me nostalgic and melancholy. The Jayhawks do that too, you know. In specific and general senses. Much tugging of the heartstrings, m'dears, between the two. You try listening to Tomorrow the Green Grass and not feel all smooshy inside.

'a most decided humbug'

I saw the Cardiff Giant today! Rather by happenstance, actually. More on my little daytrip later. Possibly much later.

les choses sérieuses

Wine makes me silly, sentimental, and nostalgic.

I kind of like it, though.

Every time I come home and clean out my closet I find my box of the sentimental fragments I've needlessly saved over the years. Some of the people who sent them are dead, some are out of touch, others have just changed. Most of it isn't particularly romantic, to be honest. Birthday cards. Scraps of paper. Ticket stubs. Mixed tapes, even though I no longer have a working tape deck.

I miss the feeling that little scribblings and scraps are important. I haven't turned bits into things to hold onto for many years. I think that, at this point, I'm holding onto those bits not so much clinging to the people who sent them as the person I was who chose to keep them. If that makes any sense.

Sigh. Everything just seems so inconsequential and ephemeral now. I miss the feeling that my present is significant.

I have a BritRail pass. A mixed tape with Astrid on. A postcard that never quite made it to Pittsburgh. A transatlantic letter on Houghton College stationery (and a card addressed quite cryptically to 'Bea Dermont'). Cartoons on HWS spiral notebook paper. A note from Scotland. Photos of myself holding someone's hand. A fateful number on the back of a setlist. Another, less fateful, written on Marianne Faithful's forehead.

I threw it all in a shoebox more than 3 years ago, and haven't added a thing since, other than a few particularly decent mixed CDs sent in courtship.

Am I that jaded that I want nothing of this time? Paradoxically, I believe I'm happier now than I was back then.

I think it's that unbearable lightness again. Five years ago I was at the whim of a flock of gulls. Now I might be under a glass dome with but four thorns for my defense.

Silly, isn't it?

the less we say about it the better, make it up as we go along

I sat in a cold bath for about an hour today, reading the new issue of In Style and cursing the lack of AC.

Yoga at 8am tomorrow, if I can manage to sleep tonight with a low of 79. Bah. Yesterday I almost fell asleep during the relaxation bit at the end.

If this heat ever breaks I'd like to go to karaoke again soon. I'll have to see what B is up to. I might also have to badger C to go with me to the fair when he returns from the midwest.

Ugh. I can't even deal with this right now. Time for ice cream and a book, I think.

left running you said you were flying

I'm back on Last.FM. My page is here, but give it a little time to accurately reflect my recent listening habits. Do feel free to add, by the way. I quite like their new 'scrobbling' tool. Incidentally, I like the term 'scrobbling' even less than the word 'blogging.' So there.

So.Hot. I feel up to very little today, although I wandered around town a bit this morning before it got too muggy. I'm considering starting a photoblog over at Vox, where I was bestowed an account just for being curious. I have a pair of invites, too, so if anyone is interested let me know. Realistically, though, the chances of me bothering with another blog are pretty slim, even in my current state of general boredom.

It's my own fault, though... I've been laying low lately. Mostly because of the heat, partly because of my dwindling funds, and slightly because I've been feeling strange. I have the feeling that I should be 'Figuring Things Out', although I haven't the slightest idea of what those things are. I'll reemerge once I have a job and it's not so damn hot out. As usual, I can't wait for autumn. My knee-high dark brown leather heeled boots are looking at me longingly from within my closet.

Oh, and pilates totally kicked my ass (and back, and abs) yesterday. It was really more like PiYo, actually. I can't wait to go back, but that's certainly not happening today.

Ok, cherry FreezPops beckon.

always thought i was someone, turned out i was wrong

Is there such a thing as a friend crush? That is to say, a platonic but rather giddy desire to befriend someone? Less of a crush than... a smoosh. You have no interest in sleeping with them, yet you find yourself oddly drawn to them.

Anyway, I have a smoosh on Alton Brown. The culinary expertise, the extreme geekiness... faaaantastic. I've been glutting myself on DVR'ed 'Good Eats,' so I'm interested to see what his new show will be like, as food + travel = yes.

I've been feeling a little off this week. Right now, nothing seems satisfactory. Even a small dose of budget retail therapy didn't cheer me up, although these tumblers I found at Target are totally adorable. I have no idea what's causing this malaise. Particularly since I haven't been this optimistic and excited about my future since I graduated college. I have a plan! A good plan! I should be excited and happy and hopeful and giddy! And I am. Moreso once I have a few things (i.e., job, acceptance letters) under my belt.

But maybe it's not the future that's weirding me out; perhaps I've been thinking too much about my past lately. There was something unsettling about the hangover I woke up with on Monday morning... it was almost like 10 years of emotional and personal residue were leeching into my system along with the toxins from the previous evening's ginfest. I don't really want to get into details here, but so many of my memories from the past decade make me feel a little uneasy. That's not to say I look upon my past with regret, nothing of the sort, but I just wish I'd been a little less... silly.

Anyway, I have an early pilates class tomorrow (back at the gym for me! Running in the park was fun, but I started to get nervous about being on my own in such a remote area) so I should be off to bed. I'm actually reading The Stand now, which is Not Bad in a very pulpy way. I've never read any Stephen King before, although my brother was quite a fan when we were growing up. I have a feeling, though, that this might be a bit of a McBook... cheap ($7.99 at the supermarket), filling (1135 pages), but leaves you feeling a little dirty. I'm only 150 pages in, so we'll see.

jens lekman is love

Yes, he is.

Oh, and the show was beautiful. I am thisclose to running away to Gothenburg. No abductions this time, although I hereby give an official huge props to the sizeable and enthusiastic Rochesterian crowd. Clapping and singing along! Well done!

Those of you on either end, I hope you caught or will catch him.

You can find photos of the show at my flickr.

Do note, by the way, that he is possibly the tallest Swedish person I have ever met. I was wearing 3-inch heels, placing me in at a solid 5'11", and he still towers over me by nearly a head. Knowing my MO, I should be in love (hur hur).

Oh you're so darling, Jens.

i feel like going home but at the same time i don't

Unemployment is nowhere near as recuperative and relaxing as I'd thought. In reality I'm just bored, fidgety, and stressed about finding work.

In other news:
*The Family Circus is infuriating. Why is this in the paper? It seriously compels me to do harm.
*It's so nice to be allowed to turn right on red.
*When did they stop making tan M&Ms? Has it been that long since I've had them?
*Jens is coming to town a week from Sunday. I am positively giddy.
*My current Wiki Triumvirate: MuppetWiki, LostWiki, RocWiki. MuppetWiki being the obvious Caesar, if only for this picture of Cookie Monster using an Ernie disguise to steal cookies:

Genius.

oh crumbs, oh carrots!

I should have stayed far, far away from my computer today.

I was bored this afternoon and started uninstalling unused programs, only to uninstall my wireless receiver. "What's this 'lsyswa28'?," I thought. "Surely I don't need that..." and POOF! No internet. The CD to reinstall the drivers was, of course, in one of the many boxes (I knew not which) scattered among my room, the basement, and the garage.

I finally put everything back together only to fiddle around with the settings here and DELETE THE ENTIRE BLOG, as you might have noticed.

*palm meets forehead*

So folks, how's that for a fresh start? I suppose, on the one hand, it was only 7 or so months of entries... but still. Does anyone know of an archiving program for Blogger that backs up entries on your hard drive? I also had to restore all my custom template settings, which took forever, but it did result in an update of my links list, so there you go.

Well, since I've quite thoroughly wiped my slate clean, here's the news I had alluded to in my previous (now non-existant) post:

I'm going back to grad school.

Or, at least, I'm planning on it. Would I that it were so easy! There is always that little hurdle of actually being accepted... Doubly so when the schools I'm applying to are Cornell and Columbia. Why those two? Simply because they are the only schools in the area with a Master's program in Historic Preservation. Cornell is my top choice, Columbia a close second (if I can afford it).

So hey, on the bright side I have finally (after about a decade of consideration) figured out what I want to do with my life. And even though I won't graduate until I'm almost 29, I'm excited to go back. In the meantime (as I have another year before my theoretical matriculation) the plan is to find a job here in Rock City and hoard money. DC will have to wait a few years, but I'm still planning on making the move once I'm properly equipped with my shiny new degree.

In September, after the semester is underway, I'll zip down to Cornell for a visit with admissions and a few faculty members. Until then there's not a whole lot I can do; I've e-mailed my former professors for recommendations, but they don't seem to be answering their school e-mail (and I doubt they will for another month at least). I also have to take the stupid GREs, as I managed to avoid them the last time around.

We shall see. Provided I don't accidentally delete this journal again, I'll keep you all updated as things progress.