Well, with any luck, Paully, Bridog, and I will be basking in the coniferous splendor of Northwoods in about 50 hours. Rumor has it that John and Maryann Morris will be joining us. This is my last blog post for a month or so. We've even cancelled our DSL connection. Going low-tech for July. I hope all is well in the netherlands of blogworld. I hope I can survive being in the car with Paul and Brian for ten hours.
posted by Jen at 1:34 PM link/comments
Wednesday, June 27, 2001
We saw David Sedaris, too, when he spoke at ISU. He signed our book, "To Jen and Paul, Aimes' fun couple." He misspelled Ames. He apologized.
posted by Jen at 3:05 PM link/comments
Monday, June 25, 2001
hello to you all, i know i haven't communicated for a while, but i only got my connection set up last week after the horrendously difficult move. but allow me to relate my adventures.
i am officially a man. melinda, i'm sorry, but i could've beaten your dad at the "roadeo." although i have not maneuvered an 80 foot truck before, i have driven a 17 foot uhaul down delancey street and across the williamsburg bridge. i would wager that my task was a hundred times more difficult, and i have presently have the chronic ulcers to prove it. it took us 11 hours to get to NYC, and it took me 2.5 hours to find an adequate parking space. i didn't get to bed until 3 in the morning.
but, brianne and i are happily settled in our southside apartment. are apartment is large, and the neighborhood is for the most part quiet. quiet, except for puerto rican day, when the entire neighborhood was swamped in a cacophany of latino techno, blasting above the decibel level of a dc-10.
i have found, though, that i've been playing the part of a pawn as brianne and i have noticed that most of the people residing in our building are white. we are participating in the hassidim effort to gentrify the neighborhood, and we both find this extremely upsetting. this isn't just a suspicion of mine, as one of our former brokers pretty much admitted this.
alas, another pride week has come out and gone, and allow me to say it was rather exciting. brianne and i took part in the drag march from thompson park to the famous stonewall's bar (the site where a 60's brawl between gays and the police broke out). it was lots of fun, filled with drag queens and all sorts of interesting characters. in particular, i was accosted by a columbian male of my age, who wasn't there for the march, who showed me the stuff of his wares to me: two bags of heroin hidden within an aspirin bottle. Of course, i had not asked to see the heroin, and i especially did not want to see the shit because there were about 10 cops twenty feet away. it didn't help the matter that he was hanging all over me and practically kissing my ear (reminds me of england).
the sunday pride march, though, made up for the uncomfortable encounter with the crazed columbian. 5 hours of dykes on bikes, queers, queens, butches, sad0-masochists, etc. lit up fifth avenue with an unparalleled spirit of festivity. i'm sure that somewhere within the repressed recesses of my unconscious i fell in love a hundred times. especially wonderful, and not to be outdone by any other group, were the brazilian and carribean floats. although one could pick up on the hints of divisiveness among the various subgroups of the gay community, there still existed an encouraging sense of unity, and the mixture of fantastic, fun sites with the sobering literature concerning aids and social repression led me to recognize how incredible a tradition this is.
also of note: brianne, miguel and i saw david sedaris give a reading at the union square borders. he walked by us, and although brianne had brought her copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day, she was too embarrassed to ask him to sign it. so miguel went up to him and asked for the signature. Mr. Sedaris asked what her name was, Miguel replied, and Sedaris' response was: "What a fucked up name, she must be from California." He wrote in her book, "Brianne...I'd be embarrassed too."
We also passed by Parker Posey on fifth avenue.
If you can believe it, though, both Brianne and I would consider this a pretty boring few weeks, especially since we've rutted ourselved into a trench of domesticity. Routine is welcome and necessary, though, as i still have three papers to complete, lots of french to learn, and my thesis to begin.
Anyway, i must be off to study heidegger's critique of historicism. i should be coming home sometime in late july or early august for a little bit, so i hope to see y'all soon. (and i'll try to come on to the blog as often as i can)
posted by sean at 10:30 PM link/comments
The blog is like an anti-blog these days. Lindathemum, let us in on the secrets of Kate and Bill. Or maybe not. Friday is my last day in Blogland for awhile. We're even cancelling our internet service as of July 1, since we'll be out of town for all of July, and then moving ever westward.
posted by Jen at 12:59 PM link/comments
Friday, June 22, 2001
Well - I grew up in the country. Animals are animals. I don't do pets (except for Gus who has gone before). But even I got a bit teary when I looked at petloss. I am going to get off the blog and play Spier Solitaire.
posted by lindathemum at 10:00 PM link/comments
Oh Holly...you let petloss.com get to you. Truthfully, the first tribute I clicked on was written by a kid whose dog had been hit by a car. It was sad...but the electronic rendition of "can you feel the love tonight" took the edge off.
posted by Jen at 4:23 PM link/comments
Damn you.
I had ten minutes between things to check the blog, and saw the dead pets link. Ha, I thought, I will look, and laugh at the crazy, misguided addled senior citizens and old maids that are a bit too attached to Muffy. I made the mistake of looking at the message board. A thread - "looking for a place to die" - damn. This guy is just watching his dog die. And then you keep reading and now I'm crying for these people and for every pet I've lost and I'm supposed to be at a budget meeting in one minute and I'm going to have puffy red eyes and when they ask me what's wrong I'm going to have to say "some guy on the internet that I don't know is losing his dog and thet're going to think I'm crazy and I'm writing a very, very, very, run-on sentance,
posted by Holly at 4:00 PM link/comments
Wednesday, June 20, 2001
I kind of admire anyone who can maneuver an 80 foot truck.
I don't admire our neighbors, who, at about 3 am this morning, were setting off bottle rockets. They've done it before and I cannot CANNOT fathom the appeal of this activity. Maybe I'm growing old and grouchy, but, really, I've never been excited by bottle rockets.
Here is a website that combines songs such as "can you feel the love tonight" with tributes to dead pets, in alpabetical order according to the pet's name. I am immensely pleased that I found this one. It's tacky, sentimental, and misguided, all at once. Click on the "tributes for 2001" to get a sense of just how extensive this page is.
posted by Jen at 3:22 PM link/comments
Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Thought I'd surprise everyone and post. LIke one of those "guest" appearances on old sitcoms when you aren't really all that surprised to see who the guest is after all.
So, I'm sitting at the Shaker House, basking in my pjamas at 10:30. Why, you ask? Because it's officially summer vacation and I officially have nothing to do. However, my mother informed me yesterday that dad was going on vacation the first week of July and will be off for 5 weeks. My motivation to get a summer job has increased triple-fold. Perhaps 3.
Got to see dear old dad in the Ohio Professional Road Drivers 'Roadeo' this weekend. What seems to be about 150 middle aged-white men with facial hair driving very slowly in cirlces in actually a very cleverly disguised competition. Truthfully, I was fascinated. Not only was it some of hte best people watching I've been treated to, the competition was really impressive. They have to drive around what is basically an obstacle course. FOr any of you who got your driver's license in Ohio, it's like a manueverablilty test. Only six of them, all lined up close together. And only, you're in a huge truck. Huge. They did this shit in car-haulers. Those suckers are 80 feet long. "Here park your rear right side tire in this box. It's only 4 inches bigger than your actual tire and if you aren't centered exactly, we won't give you any points at all. Never mind that it's 80 feet behind you and that you can't really see it any way." Now, for a girl who gets out and does a little dance after an exceptional parallel parking job, this was big amazing stuff.
Alas, dad didn't win. Some man who looks exactly like dad did. Not too altogether surprising.
Best wishes to those on trips. Missing you. Come back in one piece.
Today's guest star, signing off.
posted by Melinda at 10:37 AM link/comments
Friday, June 15, 2001
my my... cabins, mussels, tides, sun. That's one serious vacation. Paully and I are on a vacation of sorts, now that roommate James has left for a summer of supervising academic summer camps in Ohio and, later, in New Jersey. In other words, we've got the apartment to ourselves, and we all know what sordid things will ensue.
I did get my strawberries at the Farmer's Market. Was suspicious of the booth that just said "Bison" on it. I stick to the veggies and flowers at these gatherings.
We're setting up the trip to Northwoods with Brian. Kate, as you know, Brian is rather intent on having an itinerary. The current itinerary exists in a very abstract sense, since Paully and Brian have not been able to get past the "who will bring the alcohol" assignment. Brian announced that he prefers to drink "6 or 7 drinks, slowly" to sort of savor the progression from sober to drunk. Paul, meanwhile, prefers to slam a few Long Island Ice Teas. And they're both disgusted with me, because my plan is to buy a large jug of cheap wine that will sit on the porch with me, getting tastier by the day.
posted by Jen at 5:07 PM link/comments
i haven't bought ANYTHING in freeport... what a good boy am i
posted by billyjoe noodle-bob at 10:43 AM link/comments
Thursday, June 14, 2001
Weird ... violent geriatric strawberry filchers (today I'm in thesaurus mode). Just got back from spending the night at a cabin north of here that Linda and Phil have access to. Overlooking a bay ... Mmmmm. Walked on the beach. Sat on the deck all afternoon today soaking sun. Pictures to follow as soon as I figure out what the hell Bill did with my camera. Tide went out this morning and we got to walk across the bay. I felt very Moses. Bill dug up a whole mess of mussels; guess we're eating them tomorrow for lunch. Tonight we're back at the house in North Yarmouth in preparation for Bill's friend Phil's bachelor party. Bill's going off to the nudie bars with his boys; I'm being whisked away by the female faction of the Portland gang for drinks and general revelry. The consensus is that I'm going to be the one having the better time. Heh. Will report on the morrow before we head back up to the cabin. Stops at the outlet stores in Freeport Monday and today yielded me a mess of new shirts, a wonderful bright orange skirt, and a handful of assorted undergarments, all for less than $75. I am one happy girl right now. Off to play ...
posted by Kate at 6:05 PM link/comments
Wednesday, June 13, 2001
Driving Mr. Albert is excellent. It's a freaky book about a freaky situation involving a freaking brain in tupperware. What more could one want?
Last night on Jeopardy, the Final Jeopardy answer was "members of this family have won a pulitzer prize, a nobel prize, and an Oscar." I was soooo excited because I knew the answer -- Hemingway -- and then the contestants all got it wrong. They answered Kennedy. What?!!! Fools... It was one of those moments when I was yelling at the TV.
I'm off to spend money at the Farmer's Market today (the only good thing about living in the midst of agriculture...) I have to jostle the grandmas for a chance at a quart of fresh strawberries. It's a skill I've fine tuned over the last three summers. If you're too polite, they buy ALL the strawberries. I've seen it happen, and I've gone home without my strawberries.
posted by Jen at 3:05 PM link/comments
Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Handmaid's Tale is one of my favorites. There was a movie made, but it was pretty rotten. I recommend renting it if you can get it for under $3 and simply interested in seeing what they did with it. Maine rocks, by the way. We're having a really good time. Bill's upstairs right now cooking me breakfast. Lovely, lovely boy. We're currently awaiting the arrival of Bill's brother, Steve, who's flying in at some undetermined point today. Today it's raining and a bit chilly, but I think it might just be the excuse I'm looking for to curl up with a book. LindaTheMum's copy of Driving Mr. Albert is looking pretty attractive right now...
posted by Kate at 11:52 AM link/comments
Monday, June 11, 2001
Hmmm...a reading group is voluntarily reading "Far From the Madding Crowd"? I've never read it, although I looked at it a few times and it failed to bring about any level of excitement. Isn't it a really long book? So let me know how it goes.
I'm on a mission to read all the "dystopia" books, so that's why I picked up "Handmaid." It's interesting to read it in the context of other famous dystopia books (1984, Brave New World) because of how language is treated, both by the writers and by the characters. Mostly, I'm floored by how these books are still relevant today. Very much required reading.
posted by Jen at 9:37 PM link/comments
Yes - They are here! Bill and Kate in the body as well as the spirit. We had a great dinner last night. Bill has finally realised that he loves good red wine - in a surprising coincidence we happen to have a few hundred bottles of the stuff. Everyone happy - I think. Bill and Kate still asleep (they went out last night after dinner), and the Polish Prince and I just about to have our first cup of coffee.
Jen - The Handmaid's Tale is one of my all time favourites. Margaret Atwood is an amazing writer. A deeply subversive book. I also recommend 'Cat's Eye'.
Enjoy. Try not to get too involved in the chipmunk wars.
I'm reading the latest P.D. James 'Death in Holy Orders', I am having trouble putting it down. I'm putting off reading 'Far From the Madding Crowd' - the last book of the series for my book group. Also a bit of light reading!
I'm happy! Bill is here, Kate is here and Steve & Vanessa are coming!
posted by lindathemum at 8:58 AM link/comments
Sunday, June 10, 2001
Good to hear that everyone has made it to Maine. I feel like I'm the entire audience here on the blog, since all the bloggers who regularly post are now all in one place. But that's alright. Spent the day basking in the sun, reading "The Handmaid's Tale,"...geez, what a book. Nothing like a little light reading...Also watched chipmunks battle each other for the right to sit on a cement block. It seemed very important to them.
posted by Jen at 5:19 PM link/comments
Aha! We've made it to Maine after the longest roadtrip in the universe. I need to fix that header to illustrate the fact that we are now in Maine. I think a digital photo is in order, but the camera's charging at the moment, so it'll have to wait until later. I'm sitting here staring at the screen thinking that I really ought to have something clever to say, but I think I left my creativity somewhere around Syracuse. I've sent for it, though, so maybe it'll show up here in the next couple of days.
posted by Kate at 2:46 PM link/comments
Saturday, June 09, 2001
Paully & Jen - I'm so happy to see the photographs from your road trip. Looks a bit like the trip we took (only in the other direction) in 1982. The Big Horns really are big. I am also happy to see a photo of Lindaspaullysmom. We need to recruit her into the Blogmother's Union. You all look happy and proud. And so you should be - it's a lot of work.
The Polish Prince and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kate and Bill. We are getting updates. Apparently they left Cleveland sometime this morning. At 2pm they were in Niagara Falls (just stopping off to see the Falls). At 7.45pm they were 40 miles North of Albany. We decided to have dinner, drink the wine and go to bed. We have left the lights on, and the front door open. Hopefully they will wake us up when they get in. Stay tuned ….
Where are you Lindathemom?
posted by lindathemum at 10:47 PM link/comments
New pictures...Idaho and selected sites on the road to Idaho, plus Paul's graduation.
posted by Jen at 10:06 PM link/comments
Friday, June 08, 2001
Yeah, that "cheese food" stuff is not at all OK. I must have eaten acres of it as a kid, between the macaroni and cheese, the individually wrapped American cheese slices, and the Velveeta. And the cheese puffs, cheese balls, and cheese sticks. Nowadays, I shun Velveeta like it's meat, sometimes splurge on a canister of cheese sticks, and still have a fondness for macaroni and cheese. ("Kraft Dinner," as some Canadian counterparts in the writing program called it. They were made fun of.)
While eating a well-balanced dinner of fried rice and beer, the rice container somehow catapulted from my hand and spewed itself across the carpet. I still can't figure it out. Paully took it all in stride, saying "well, you vacuumed today, so it's probably alright to eat it." I swept it up with the broom.
posted by Jen at 9:37 PM link/comments
Homemade mac-and-cheese does indeed rock. It's not really even in the same category as the Kraft stuff, since the boxed mac-and-cheese professes to be made of that nebulous "Process American Cheese Food" substance. Speaking of, we buy a lot of those individually wrapped slices of Process American Cheese Food because The Boys seem to enjoy it. Every time I go to the grocery store and pick up a package of the stuff, I'm disturbed by its implications. My brain starts automatically deconstructing the verbage (damn side effect of having studied too much English), and I've come to several conclusions regarding its unsettling implications: 1. The term "cheese food" is perplexing because it implies that the substance is not, in fact, cheese. The catch-all use of the word "food" is like the manufacturer saying, "Look. This stuff's not cheese. We don't know what the hell it is, but we're certain it's food because you can eat it. Don't ask any more questions." In other news, Bill and I leave bright and early tomorrow morning to begin our 13+ - hour pilgrimage to Maine. Wish us luck and good travel, and remind me to check assorted engine fluids before we leave.
2. Why is it "Process" instead of "Processed"? Is this merely a grammatical snafu, or are there deep-seated reasons why the word is not quite an adjective?
3. If the word "Process" is really supposed to be an adjective, I have trouble with the structure of the name. "Process American Cheese Food." Sounds more to me like "this is cheese food comprising a processed American" (Conspiracy Theory! Mass cannibalism being forced upon hapless cheese consumers! IT'S PEOPLE! AMERICAN CHEESE IS MADE OF PEOPLE!) rather than "this is some variation of American cheese that has been processed."
posted by Kate at 9:34 AM link/comments
Thursday, June 07, 2001
I've never visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, althought I supposed I'd like to, eventually. I just always associate "hall of fame" lingo with sports and old athletes whose greatest moment was that touchdown no one remembers now. So it would be neat to see Hendrix's guitar, but a unplayed guitar on a pedestal is just not the same as a guitar being played.
collard greens - never had them. Associate them with former crazy asthmatic roommate, Monica Carter, whose grandmother gave her tupperwares full of collard greens. I looked at them once and deduced that they were the most overcooked greens in existence. Give me raw spinach.
short ribs - also never had them. Flesheaters beware, lurkings of Mad Cow under every bone...
cornbread - yeah. Paully and I make it all the time. 24-7, cornbread heaven.
homemade mac and cheese - double yeah. My grandmother used to make it and the way the cheese got kinda crusty on top was delightful.
posted by Jen at 10:39 PM link/comments
We went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yesterday evening, which was reasonably interesting, especially since they were having a "$5 admission" night. To paraphrase Bill, this was a good thing because the exhibits at the R&R Hall are worth paying about $5 to see. Not bad, necessarily, but didn't really blow our minds. To compensate, when we got home, I went out and got take-out soul food from a place called Hot Sauce Williams. I fed Bill sauce-coated short ribs, collared greens, homemade mac and cheese, and cornbread. He loved it, so now we're thinking I should move to Melbourne and we should open a soul food restaurant there in the manner of Aretha Franklin's restaurant in Blues Brothers. The problem here, of course, is that after the 26th time someone came in and made "gimme four whole fried chickens and some white toast" jokes, I'd have to be locked up somewhere with padded walls and limited access to sharp objects.
posted by Kate at 9:30 AM link/comments
Tuesday, June 05, 2001
in other news, Kate's friend Tony took me out yesterday, I mainly went along for the ride. We had nice lunch, and hung out with his friend, and on the way home, we stopped off "in the hood" to get some beers. He bought a "40", but i just couldn't bring myself to do it... i swear to god i'm going to try some malt liquor before i leave though..... and no i'm not, darling, mostly because i did.
posted by billyjoe noodle-bob at 4:52 PM link/comments
Bill's posting again, mostly because he's afraid I might eventually get the last word in while we're both sitting here posting at the same time.
posted by Kate at 4:52 PM link/comments
a) Holly, you're buffer than the Crocodile Hunter... I knew you would be, when I saw that 55 gallon drum of "OK 10,000 Muscle Builder Protein Powder" in your room b) That's great news about Steve.. I can't wait to see him c) enjoy the sensation of simultaneous posting......
posted by billyjoe noodle-bob at 4:50 PM link/comments
Yes, yes, HollyBear, we all know that you are MightySocialWorker Woman, able to leap scores of inner-city projects and discarded malt liquor bottles in a single bound. I didn't really think they'd turn Bill into a gang member, mostly because someone speaking ghetto in an Australian accent would be silly. An editorial comment on Bill's post: The Crocodile Hunter is not buff. You would know that, Mr. Dennis, if you'd ever seen him. Nyer.
posted by Kate at 4:50 PM link/comments
I don't know how I feel about this. Someone has chosen Hiram (the area and the college) as a location for their movie. According to the trusty Record-Courier newspaper, filming is happening at this very moment. And since that link will send you to the stellar Record-Courier online newspaper, it probably won't work and that is NOT my fault. Kate can vouch for the credibility of some of the folks who run the RC and its offspring newspapers.
posted by Jen at 4:26 PM link/comments
You know, Bill, you might want to be a little offended that Kate thinks you're such a wuss. The area she is so terrified of you running into is where I work. Every day. You might recall, now that you have met me, that I am not what you would call buff or intimidating. After dark I don't want to be there. Hell no. But during daylight hours it is perfectly safe. Might be boring though, but safe.
posted by Holly at 3:45 PM link/comments
Bill, just to let you know, your big brother is in Grand Forks ND today. He has a flight test in Detroit on Saturday and went to Grand Forks to use the simulator. - Go figure! He and Vanessa are planning on coming to Maine on Friday, June 15th to stay for a few days.
Enjoy Cleveland.
Mr. Grumpy, posing as:
posted by lindathemum at 3:07 PM link/comments
wow. ok so i went here and saw this exhibition. It was simply gorgeous. I'm a sucker for monochrome photographs at any time, but monochrome portraiture? hold me back. The most astonishing part of the exhibition was....... oh shit hangon gotta go eat lunch. More later.
posted by billyjoe noodle-bob at 12:37 PM link/comments
I dragged Bill to work with me this morning, handed him a map of University Circle, and sent him on his way. Think he's gone over to the Cleveland Museum of Art. It's times like these that working in an institution surrounded by cultural facilities comes in very handy.
posted by Kate at 9:50 AM link/comments
Monday, June 04, 2001
I don't know, Kate...shipping Bill off on a Cleveland bus could have been a learning experience.
Today, Roommate James put Vaseline on the bird feeders in his next level of warfare against the squirrels.
Now, someone doing a search for "vaseline on bird feeders" will come right to the blog. You know it's bound to happen.
posted by Jen at 4:54 PM link/comments
See what I mean? Sensible. Bill - stay off bus, catch train. Listen to Kate.
When you visit Kate you can show me how to do some of the clever things you do on the net, and I can show you how to play spider solitaire.
posted by lindathemum at 9:50 AM link/comments
*falling over laughing* This one is by far the best yet: Someone visited us by doing a google/yahoo search for pictures of coleslaw from Pizza Hut.
posted by Kate at 9:10 AM link/comments
Me? Sensible? *if you listen closely, you'll hear the sound of my parents laughing hysterically* But yes yes; Bill's safe and at my house right now while I'm stuck working all day and I soooooo don't want to be here at the moment. Bleh. Hooray for banana blueberry muffins. I'm pretty much a fan of all things pastry. Bill asked me this morning if he got bored, if it was OK if he "just jumped on a bus" to explore the city. I explained that, as tempting as the idea sounded, I did not want to perform heroics when he ended up somewhere in the bowels of East Cleveland and was abducted and brainwashed, Patty Hearst-style, into becoming a gang member. I always wanted to be a superhero, but I think I more prefer the idea of fighting large genetically-enhanced monsters and scheming villains played by aging British men. Real people are much scarier. In any event, I made Bill promise that he would stick to the city rail car thingy, which will get him effortlessly and safely downtown without any cryptic routing, unlike Cleveland busses.
posted by Kate at 8:57 AM link/comments
Sunday, June 03, 2001
Having to watch 6 movies on a miniature TV while sitting next to a sweaty person would give me just as frightening a hangover as if I'd consumed Mad Dog while jet lagged. I hadn't thought about the excessive condiments on the table, but, come to think of it, I'm always nudging them out of the way, lest they crowd and tempt.
In "rock and roll is satanic" news, the Des Moines City Council denied a beer permit for the annual "heavy metal, your kids will come home with tatoos" concert, so the promoters had to cancel the concert, thereby upsetting everyone under the age of 30 in the central Iowa area, where there is not much to do. The councilmen foolish enough to be quoted in the paper were like (cue the doddering old voice) "last year it was just too loud...all those kids have better things to do...you don't need beer to have a good time..." This is why kids with half a brain flee Iowa for Minneapolis and Omaha, sin cities in comparison...
posted by Jen at 6:45 PM link/comments
Not only would you be in the gutter - your socks wouldn't match.
posted by lindathemum at 4:21 PM link/comments
So – a mother can relax now – Bill with Kate – Kate is a sensible girl – everybody seems to be happy.
Find out here how much in A$ 70,000 Yen is.
We are getting ready – hope you like banana blueberry muffins Kate – I made three dozen this morning - all now resting safely in the freezer. Call me and let me know if you have any firm plans next weekend. Call me anyway.
Do we get a countdown to Maine? 6 days.
posted by lindathemum at 4:19 PM link/comments
heheheh hey and here's what i was finding to post about - one piece of holy hella crazy wow funk flash animation ... gotta love peewee herman.... here hell. yes.
in other news, i just saw a new trailer for the Lord of the Rings.... hell yes
posted by billyjoe noodle-bob at 3:58 PM link/comments
For extra fun, here's a picture of Bill posting to the blog..
posted by Kate at 3:44 PM link/comments
having said that, i drank alcohol completely of my own free will and against the advice of both my mother and Kate. (this is Bill because Kate has just jumped on the other computer to download the picture we took this morning) and for this I shall be punished. Let it be said once more with feeling my mother was right and i should listen to her more often because without her i would be in the gutter
posted by Kate at 3:14 PM link/comments
OK so in my own defense on the whole "things i have complained about" front, a) there were nine damn condiments on the table at breakfast. This is too many (having said that, i managed to use four of them) ouch my brain hurts now, perhaps my anti jet-lag strategy of "stay up for 29 hours and consume massive quantities of alcohol" hasn't quite worked out for me... more soon, we'll be posting our happy snaps as we go, but the camera ran out of batteries and space this morning so we've only got one so far. And yes, JAL has groovy entertainment options and I did have my own miniature TV and watched 6 movies. But I still had to sit in the same 15 inch wide seat next to a slightly overweight and miraculously sweaty Japanese businessman for 11 hours. This sucked.
posted by billyjoe noodle-bob at 3:09 PM link/comments
Hey, here in Cleveland there's a place called Fado that has Strongbow on tap. Strongbow rocks. Hey, guess what, y'all ... As I type this, Bill's sitting next to me. Hee. We're in my office cause my house's internet connections are all fubar at the moment. He's blogging, too. Wonder who'll finish first. Holly took a digital pic of us this morning, so as soon as Bill finishes using the PC, I'll post it as proof that he's actually here. Yay. American Things That Bill's Complained About and/or Marvelled At Thusfar: But ... hey ... guess what ... Bill's great and he just saw me type that and now I'm all embarrassed. I'm going to go read over his shoulder now. Hee hee.
*That the 'up' escalator at the airport was on the right side, not the left
*That there are too many damn condiments on restaurant tables
*American beverages come in quantities that are much too great for human consumption (we went to the gas station a little while ago and Bill saw a 55 oz. beverage cup).
*Also, we went to the grocery store last night and we walked past a display of Scope mouthwash that was packaged up buy one get one free or some other arrangment that yielded the buyer two bottles of mouthwash. Bill says no one ever needs to have that much mouthwash at any given moment.
posted by Kate at 2:50 PM link/comments
Saturday, June 02, 2001
Paully and I and a English prof from ISU went out to eat at Ames' Irish establishment, Dublin Bay. Were highly amused to see "Irish Nachos" on the menu, but were delighted with the fish and chips. Had cider (alright, it was that wimpy Woodchuck american cider) on tap, but we pretended otherwise. Kate, I got an email from Joyce Dyer. Part of her memoir will be published in the North American Review, which she said was a very big deal. Yeah for Joyce.
posted by Jen at 4:39 PM link/comments
Friday, June 01, 2001
So I was sitting here feeling sorry for Bill because he has to spend so much time cooped up in airplanes, and then I decided to check the Japan Airlines site to see if his flight got into Narita on time last night (the answer: yes). While I was on their site, I stumbled across an "in-flight" services page, which lists all the amenities given to economy class passengers on Japan Air. Now I don't feel bad for him anymore. I wish American airlines would take lessons from the Japanese. Sheesh.
posted by Kate at 1:25 PM link/comments
Thanks, Linda. I was actually just wondering how the time difference worked out for Tokyo. You saved me the internet search for "world time zone maps." I have an astonishing amount of clean laundry right now. It's still in my car. And I've officially lost my mind under the strain of excitement and nervousness. Here's a rundown of what I did last night: 6:30 p.m. -- Go to laundromat. Haul in 6 garbage bags filled with garments. Procure thousands of quarters. Realize have forgotten laundry detergent. Buy 7 packets of laundry detergent (total = $3.50) from laundromat vending machine, then wondered why the hell I didn't just walk across the street to the grocery store and buy a bottle of detergent. Curse self for stupidity. Sort laundry. Laundromat is fairly empty aside from six or seven people speaking Spanish and attendant (mid-60s African-American man sitting behind counter muttering at Headline News Channel broadcast). Begin loading laundry into assorted machines. Suddenly, attendant stands and rushes to my side. He is upset because I am not using sequential machines, but rather the machines in row that are not marked "Out of Order" or filled with someone else's now-complete-cycled laundry. Attendant begins ranting about people who "leave their laundry unattended," grabs laundry cart, and unloads abandoned, damp laundry in very "that'll show 'em," self-satisfied manner. Orders me to use newly-vacated machines instead of machines in opposite row. Decide to obey, as is not good idea to trifle with those who are criminally insane. Go back to loading laundry. Five or so minutes pass. Attendant is suddenly at my side again, angrily explaining to me that if I was going to do that much laundry, why the hell didn't I save myself some money and use the "triple-loader" machines instead of the "single-loaders." Consider explaining to man that I am making some attempt to sort laundry according to color and/or fabric, but ultimately remember vow to not anger man. Deposit remainder of laundry (contents include socks, cotton underpants, tshirts, silk blouse, velvet skirt, jeans, sweaters, and assorted additional items that clearly do not belong in the same load) into triple-loader to avoid sending man into schizophrenic frenzy. 90 minutes later, while folding now-dry-and-clean laundry, am accosted by man selling video tapes out of cardboard box. Do not want to buy movies from man with cardboard box. Manage to get rid of him. Leave laundromat at 8:30 p.m. Had promised housemates that I would stop at grocery store to rectify fact that household is devoid of both coffee creamer and toilet paper. Go to Super KMart after brief stop at local mall to peruse Kaufmann's clearance items. Try on a few things. All items make me look like squash speared on toothpicks. Leave mall in typical female "oh-god-i-am-so-fat-and-the-fashion-industry-can-go-to-hell" huff. Super KMart purchases: bread, milk, pair of trouser socks, coffee creamer, giant 20-roll package of toilet paper, camouflage-print tank top (it was on sale. i couldn't help it.), new razor (have lost mine) with accompanying blades (blades ($5.99) cost more than razor ($2.99) -- WHY???), cigarettes, bottle of wine, enzymatic animal odor removal solution, large 6-roll pack of paper towels. Also threw in two new pillows (current pillows are old and flat and offer roughly same cranial support as sleeping with head on pancake.) and pillowcases, all of which were part of the "Martha Stewart Collection." Was very angry about this. Did not want to give money to Evil Martha Stewart Regime. But had to admit that $15.50 for two pillows and two pillowcases was pretty good deal. Got home at 10:30. Went to bed. This morning, could not find coffee creamer I purchased last night. Checked whole house and car. Nothing. How on earth did I manage to lose two containers of coffee creamer between KMart, my car, and my house???
posted by Kate at 10:04 AM link/comments
It's 7:30 pm on Friday night in Tokoyo. Have a good time Bill - see you soon.
posted by lindathemum at 6:28 AM link/comments