Nashvegas

My 15 minutes of fame was fun! The best part was that is gave me an excuse to send a short e-mail to everybody I know - from my high school spanish teacher (who is a Jew for Jesus) to my wacky/brilliant law school professor (who is going to show it in his class). Geraldo has apparantly seen it too!

The weirdest part was being accosted on the street by a random woman who squealed and took a picture with me.

I went to Nashville to visit Petey. I had a very nice time. Nashville was a lot of fun; he lives in this cool area which somehow others perceive to be sketchy, but my sketchydar is a little out of whack after living in D.C. It seemed perfectly safe to me.

Peter has this wonderful eclectic group of friends out there. The highlights of my trip were spending quality time with Peter (watching him get a haircut) and Cindy (getting an acupressure chair massage with her at the Opry Mills Mall). And, going to a concert with Petey's buddy bear (a wonderfully interesting Nashville expert/descendant of Thomas Jefferson) Gia. Well, it was supposed to be a rally for Edwards that got cancelled (due to the VA Tech tragedy). We went to the Ryman, a pretty historic spot, and instead of politicking in the traditional sense - they brought Vince Gill from off the golf course, and Ashley Judd, and others and they sang solemn songs and it was just totally moving - especially the call-and-response version of Amazing Grace that we sung.

The plane trip back was rocky. On the plane, I sat next to an off-duty commercial pilot and there were German high school exchange students (1/2 of the plane at least) who screamed with every bump. It lightened the experience.

The one thing about Nashville that I didn't love was how smoky the bars were.
I am now sick at home with a cold that isn't quite debilitating, but rather yields magical, flourescent phlegm. I have been eating Asian food exclusively - which is a family tradition for us; something about the lack of dairy, the spice, the ginger, the hot tea perhaps? Call us crazy!

My roommate has been around and has been uber-friendly. I realize now the ultimate sign of a roommate liking you is when they speak to you through your door without knocking.

I am really into my new Nouvelle Vague/Bande a Part CD. I bought one for Petey for his bday.

Yo

Hey - random stuff:
1) My boss (who recruited me to leave CA) is leaving (for CA). Many things may change around work and in my life. More details to follow.
2) My office (that I love so dearly) is moving. Apparently my new one is even larger, so no harm, no foul.
3) I was nominated (thanks to Katie Miller) and interviewed for a documentary series called "onbeing" put out by the Washington Post. A lot of people are going to know me as of this Wednesday. They basically condense a 3-hour interview into a less than 4-minute documentary that I won't see until it goes live. The weird thing about my interview is it made me realize how nice it would be to have a therapist. I wasn't 100-percent my normal self, or how I thought I would be. I didn't tell any of my stock stories (about uvulas, Iceland, childhood garage sales), or discuss kombucha. I mostly mused a lot more about my life and drew some important connections about how my socialization truly shaped me to be who I am today - however trite that may sound.
4) I am going to Nashville, Tennessee this upcoming weekend to visit my buddy bear Petey and am mighty excited about it.
5) Today we had a fun Easter party, and ate handmade potstickers, drank fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, and played win, lose, or draw. My friends here are first class.
6) Last night I saw a wonderful movie called "The Lives of Others". The ending disappointed me, and made me feel like a total capitalist.
7) I am so proud of Geraldo after watching a Youtube video where he creams Bill O'Reilly on the issues of free speech and immigration. Go watch it now.
8) I discovered the hippy haven of Mt. Pleasant this weekend. My friend Mike knows the city really well and is generally a good person to know and have in your/my life. He hosted a really fun sedar this weekend. I like singing the Hebrew songs.
9) Last weekend, Jessica, Doug, and niece and nephew were here. We ate lots of vegan food per their new diet and I sort of dug it. We did the kite festival, the Natural History Museum, the carousel on the mall, the monuments, the zoo, and lots of restaurants. It was good bonding. Doug my bro-in-law gave me a lot of his clothes, including Gucci pants that probably cost $500. I have a whole new wardrobe. Some of them don't technically fit me, but it's worth the squeeze. (Though not with shoes - my pinky toe is achey breaky!)
10) I hosted a crew regatta on Georgetown Harbour this weekend. It was cold and entailed lots of standing.
11) I saw a church production Godspell this weekend (this version was set on the D.C. Metro). And I enjoyed it. It was very interactive, and I was at the center of audience participation (one of the cast members, a friend, sold me out for this purpose) I am on a CD-ordering kick. At the aforesaid sedar I discovered Nouvelle band a parte, and ordered it (a French band that does an interesting array of cover songs). I also got Avenue Q pursuant to my last post.

NY

Basically, my generally nonexistent roommate has been around, confirming to me that I am meant to live alone (but I don't want to sign a 1-year lease, oh the dilemma). I got home on Wednesday at about 9 pm. He put the chain lock on the door, so I knocked and he let me in and flashed me a dirty look.

So, because I wanted to escape the roommate, I decided to go to NY this weekend and it all worked out a little too perfectly.

I literally decided about 10 minutes before I left work Friday (after deciding not to go and making tentative plans for the weekend here). My bus trips were only 4 hours each way -- and I didn't reserve or prepay. I had such a blast. The weather was gorgeous. I ate tons of great food. Hung out a lot in the East Village. I am sorry, U St. and Adams Morgan can't compare, though Ave. A reminds me of 24th St. in the Mission, but less scary.

NY is just so cool. I can't believe I EVER compared it to D.C. (i.e. when I was in law school). What ever was I thinking? It feels so safe. The food is so yummy and there is so much variety. There is so much stuff going on late night. There is so much diversity - every color, shape, and size is represented. I don't find it overwhelming at all. I probably need to still live there. Darn, I am confused. I wish I got to live multiple lives.

The highlight of the weekend was seeing Avenue Q (and of course hanging out with Beverly and Priscilla). I have been wanting to see the play for the last 3 years and had such high expectations. I had heard the music, but the context for this is everything. I went with Beverly and the play was sold out. We lost the lottery, but someone who won sold us their tickets, so we had nose bleeds. Anyway, I love the play. It is hilarious. I mean, the content is so dark, but it is presented in this really unique way that makes it so light-hearted and endearing. My favorite line is at the end, which says "Sometimes life is scary, but it's only temporary."

Today I saw my brother Dale and his family in Rye. This is the first time I have hung out with family from my dad's side since he passed away. Dale and I have a very natural bond, though we are very different; he is a die-hard republican, and a Mr. Fix-it/tech maven. He thinks it's crazy that I have travelled to Iceland and Israel and eat Indian and know about churrascarias. But, we have a lot of like for each other. And respect. We went "geocaching", which is like treasure-hunting. Apparantly, it's this hot thing that people are obsessed with. There are all these folk terms for geocache muggers, and the like. We went through a marsh and it was a lot of fun. My niece, Amelia, is 10 and seems very well-adjusted. It was great to talk about dad. I know -- wherever he is -- he is happy that Dale and I spent the day together.

Seems like my sister is coming to visit in D.C. Doug decided all of the sudden that he wanted to come to D.C., so after virtually begging her for the last 6 months with no firm committment (mainly b/c I want to spend time with Parker and Emma), it seems like it's going to happen. We had a little argument about them staying at the Mandarin Oriental, which is in SW. I told them it was sketchy - but they were like "it's on the tidal basin" and I was like, "and?" I find his level of power in the relationship so frustrating, but I am not going to lose sleep about it. They know what I think and I've thought it for so long that it really has no bearing on anything.

Dreams and Obsessions

Today I was walking to work. The weather has been good so I was all peppy; especially because I passed through a protest. Then I saw this big mass of people, which was exciting and reminded me of NY. Then I realized the mass of people was due to a fire drill in a large office building. But, whatev.

I keep on having the recurring nightmare about watching airplanes crash in mid-air. Last night it was a quazi-lucid dream, which totally freaked me out. Sarah and I were together -- flying American airlines, but our plane was delayed (which is relevant to our recent flight out of Austin). Meanwhile, a Delta airliner just stopped in mid-air, suspended for about 5 seconds and just belly-flopped into the ground. The weird part about the dream was that in the dream I freaked out because my recurring nightmare had come "true".

I have been plagued by recurring nightmares to include:

1) A version of Chinese water torture involving dabbing ketchup on my face.
2) A series of dreams about my teeth crumbling into dust or falling out, i.e. chewing into an apple (at Applebees)
3) A dream about being miniaturized and stuck in a glass of water (which I recently found out happened to a mouse in my friend's house).

I also realize that I no longer have an obsession. I used to be obsessed with colleges, but now that that's my job, I can sort of let it go. In my life I have been obsessed with:
1) track housing communities in South Florida (I used to know all the included features for every community)
2) cruise ships (I used to know the gross tonnage of every commercial cruise liner in the world; I was also a superstar in my high school oceanography class)
3) tennis rankings
4) colleges (I read the entire Lisa Birnbaum college guide 8 years before I was to go to college and concluded that Pepperdine and Rhodes College were my two top choices - that was back when I considered myself a "Republican" which I dropped ONLY b/c my mom dated an Armenian con man named Berge who was a devout member of the GOP; I guess everyone serves a purpose)

A random sad note is that one of my favorite dishes - the chicken crepe salad at Raku (hold the cucumbers, and add extra sesame dressing) is no longer. Laura and I used to go exclusively for this dish. Let us remember the good old days.

Hippy Backpacking Gypsys

Hippies
Growing up, my mom was anti-hippy. In contrast, I have always considered myself to have a special affinity for hippies. My ex is a modern-day hippy, and her mom certainly was and is.
I think because of this my mom sort of likes hippies now. However, my friends insist that I am a yuppy; not a hippy at all. While that was sort of confirmed in SF, when after Dana's birthday, we went to my fave 80's bar in the Mission, Delerium, and one of my friends overheard the bartender asking "what are all these yuppies doing here?" I actually sort of revel in that.

I guess this sort of disturbed me because in Washington, DC, I definitely thought I was as countercultural as one can be. OK, so I don't do drugs, or act in a "free love" manner, I shower regularly, and I don't recycle. I actually used to do all those things a lot more because I respect it all. (Alumni Directors should wear cord jackets with elbow patches, not nose rings). Doesn't ideology count for something? So, either I am a deactivated hippy or I am not a hippy. Whatever.

Backpacking
So, my mom and I "travelled" around Europe (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic) after I graduated from college. I always said we backpacked, but these same friends call me on that lingo as well. They insist that backpacking requires backpacks and staying at hostels. So, yeah, my mom and I did wheel around luggage - true. But, we travelled for 3 weeks without any plan at all. We took trains, and experienced all kinds of adventures -- including sleeping on a sketchy Amsterdam houseboat where I couldn't even fit my whole body in the room, my mom getting locked in a bathroom in Prague, staying in a strange Turkish suburb of Berlin and almost freezing to death, and jumping out of a moving train in Frankfurt. My mom had never travelled this way before. And, I have backpacked before. And, even though our primary luggage wasn't a backpack, our experiences were more similar to those of a technical backpacking trip than they were to a normal trip to Europe.

Gypsys
So, I made fun of gypsys the other day. I basically said something like Borat would say, but far less comedic. Anyway, I was also called on this because this group is very oppressed in Europe because of these stereotypes. I responded that in our country they are not oppressed, so it is not a problem. He countered, well, what if black people weren't oppressed in Europe and a local person starting raising stereotypes about crack. I see his point. Not sure if I can justifiably make gypsy jokes anymore. Does it make me as bad to just think it?

Backers

Austin was so much fun! Yee-haw. You should check out all of my yelp reviews.

We all drank Shiner Boks or Lonestars at most every meal, and sang full-volume in our minivan between adventures. We played celebrity and Mike strummed the Banjo while Sarah crooned church songs. I purchased cow-hide cowboy boots.

We saw music too - some good (jug band), some not so good (duelling piano sexists) - and partook in chicken shit bingo. I ate lots of queso, which is yummilicious. A lot of our plans didn't work out, but I think we mostly felt revived and excited to realize we are still young and fun, though perhaps in a slightly more subdued and responsible form.

Maybe some of you will move out to Austin with me one day or at least visit?!

Since I have left the Bay Area so many of my friend have left, from Turadg, Thorben, Beverly, Shannon, Mike, and now Joanna, and Dana, and prospectively, Andrea. The whole time I was there very few people left (in contrast to my experience in D.C.). If I ever move back, it will be totally different to have those people absent from my life.

I can't believe I have been in D.C. for so long - approaching a year. I can do this. And, I am glad I did it. After being in Texas, while walking to work I realized that the walk to work is like a Marshalls or TJ Maxx fashion show. Sad. People are also markedly ruder here -- specifically in the service industry. I insist on being nice.

Last night Mike planned a great night for us. Through the freezing rain, we went to a book release party (the Not for Tourists Guide to D.C.) at Local 16, to El Khartoum Sudanese for dinner, we saw an indie play and drank some at the Warehouse, and ended the night at a gay country-western/karaoke bar (which had no Texas beer), where Mike and I randomly ran into two other Mac grads (one of whom exhibited the characteristic Mac aloofness). It made me realize D.C. is dandy.

In the play, they used this term "mench" which is short for mention. I like it. There was a whole sequence where they ended every word/name with "ers" and it stuck in my head.

I am going to Puerto Rico with my mom for my birthday present. I haven't been since my grandma died when I was in 9th grade.

I got to see my old friend chicken the other day. He was like a little brother to me. Now he is 26. I haven't seen him in perhaps 5 years. He slept on my floor and we gossiped about the old days. Was really nice. Overlapping memories are the most rewarding kind.

Break

I go to Austin this weekend and, even though vacation was just a few months ago, I totally need a break. Austin is a total foil to Washington, D.C. Fun there is cheap and lazy. D.C. is fast-paced and full of 'tude. I wish I had friends in Austin. I would totally move there and live large. I want a little craftsman house with a back yard. A unique place that I can fix up, host BBQ's, have my friends stay in a proper guest room. Maybe I'll do it. My mom and Basil will be there and it really has everything that I need, save for friends. The big problem is as we get older, I dread having to make new friends. And finding a place with a critical mass of single people; where this is normal. This is why I will eventually move back to the Bay Area; methinks after the Presidential election. (As of late, I have been feeling strangely apolitical.)

Steph, an old friend, started working with me. I have been without aid at work for going on three months. Accordingly, my head has been spinning. It is so nice to have an ally. With this much-needed partnership, I feel reenergized and confident that my program can move forward. I am even motivated to take some classes, though the specific classes change all the time. I think I want to take a class on Africa and a voice class.

The person who I originally was going to hire -- who was ultimately vetoed -- got another job, which made me feel so relieved. I carried around a lot of guilt for a long time; you would think I was Catholic.

I think about my dad a whole lot. He gave me his watch and I wear it all the time and feel so much pride when people compliment it. I wish I were staying in better touch with my family on that side. The woman who was first lady of Mac when I was there -- Marge McPherson -- passed away at 60. It affected me more than I thought it would, perhaps because of my dad.

Ahmed, my old roommate, is around (from Dubai) and stayed with me the other night. It was as if he never left. He was an outstanding roommate. My current roommate is truly rarely here. He is too busy at the Oscars, or chasing Brittney Spears at Sky Bar in LA.

I don't like arrogance and moodiness, or any combination thereof. I just have to share this.

I finally have some D.C. restaurants that I love -- Super Pollo, Hee Been, Neyla's, El Khartoum, Amsterdam falafelshop, Bombay Palace weekend lunch buffet, New Fortune dim sum, thai Tanic and Singapore Bistro for delivery. This constitutes a critical mass.

Anyway, after the debacle that was law school Spring Break in Florida, I have slight pangs of anxiety about a 7-person trip to TX. Remarkably, vacations are much more snippety in the adult world. I am planning on Europe in October.

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalyze yourself. Answer the following questions with the first thought that comes to mind. Then read which each answer means.

1. You are not alone. You are walking in the woods. With who?
Andrea or Steve

2. You are walking in the woods. You see an animal. What kind of animal is it?
A little froggy

3. What interaction takes place between you and the animal?
He looks at me for a moment and hops away into the darkness

4. You walk deeper in the woods. You enter a clearing and before you is your dream house.
Describe it.
A large brownstone with big windows.

5. Is your dream house surrounded by a fence?
No.

6. You enter the house. You walk in to the dining room and see the dining room table. What do you see on AND around it?
On it: Lots of Asian and Indian and Cuban food.
Around it: A mix of old friends and close family - my mom, dad, sister, niece, and nephew.

7. You exit the house and a cup is on the ground, what kind is it?
A big Macalester hot chocolate mug.

8. What do you do with the cup?
Wash it and put it on the drying rack.

9. You walk to the edge of the property where you find yourself standing at the edge of a body of water. What kind of body of water is it?
A moving brook with lots of little pebbles.

10. How will you cross the water?
I will hop over the connecting rocks.

Meanings:
1. The person who you are walking in the woods with is the most important person in your life.
2. The size of the animal is representative of your perception of the size of your problems in your life.
3. The severity of the interaction you have with the animal is representative of how you deal with your problems.
4. The size of your dream home is representative of the size of your ambition to solve your problems.
5. A lack of a fence is indicative of an open personality. People are welcome at all times. The presence of a fence indicates a closed personality. You'd prefer people not drop by unannounced.
6. If your answer did NOT include food, flowers, or people, then you are generally unhappy.
7. The durability of the material with the cup is made of is representative of the perceived durability of your relationship.
8. Your disposition of the cup is representative of your attitude.
9. The size of the body of water is representative of the size of your sexual desire.
10. How wet you get in crossing the water is indicative of the relative importance of your sex life.

Vulnerable

Last week sort of sucked. Besides two friends' parents becoming ill (one who's father is a dear friend of mine), and my heat not working, I had a strange pain in my groin, which I convinced myself was cancer (of the Tom Green variety). So, I called my insurance and they assigned me to a PCP. When I arrived at the office, I saw the sign "Women's Health Specialist" next to my doc's name. I went in anyway. Turns out I have an inoperable inguinal hernia, which is much better than cancer. This led me to a couple realizations:

#1 that I'm getting increasingly less invincible with age (which also means that I need to exercise), and
#2 that I'm incredibly private about these things (I didn't share the situation with anybody until I checked out OK); and in the bigger picture, I value vulnerability in others, when I am only selectively vulnerable.

So, I am older. 28 to be exact. This takes me away from legitimately claiming myself in my mid-20's. In a lot of ways it's the perfect age; I am taken seriously in a professional context (no longer Doogie Howser the Alumni Director), and I am still young enough to be considered "fun" by college kids. My biggest problem with aging is not age itself, but the fact that I can't jump through a time portal and be 22 again. I just can't believe I am going to lose my 20's so soon. Another problem is that everybody at work guessed I was turning 30 or 31. I am not sure where I get my old-looking genes because my mom and dad look(ed) incredibly young for their respective ages.

Last night I had a birthday party at my apartment, which was incredibly fun and well-attended despite frigid temperatures outside. (which includes my song obsession of the week - "Remind Me" from the GEICO commercial.) At about 8 pm, when only 7 people were here, my never-before-seen, silver-haired, 70+ year old next door neighbor came by to tell us to be quiet (which reminded me of Len in CT, and our hotel neighbors at the Utah Marriott, Petey). Anyway, we partied until 3:15 in the morning without a hitch. Though I was supremely stressed about the neighbor, the greatest thing about the party was circulating around and reconnecting with people who I hadn't seen in months. It gives a context for future scheming. Until they have babies.

My friend Skyler pointed out the feel of the party was markedly different from a college party. There were 60+ but it never got out of control. There were lots of couples, many were married (though none had kids). People brought good wine and premium vodka; I served Lambic peche. Nobody vomited. A lot of our conversations centered around big life decisions -- kids, career, location, spirituality, relationships. I spoke gleefully about mutual funds (yay for Vanguard's International Value!), and debated with a statistician about equating standardized tests. Let me mention - it wasn't sedate - there was a great energy and lots of smiles and laughter; i.e., I had a blast. But, my contemporaries, we have evolved. And, it's OK. It's actually great.

Well, one discouraging thing that I noticed is the tendency for people to start becoming hermity at this age. I know a lot of people who are well-intentioned with a very social past who just opt to stay at home -- because it's regimen. I also notice people are a lot more likely to flake, as I have mentioned before; this is probably because we live much more siloed livess. Alarmingly, Sarah pointed out to me, and my current roommate's behavior corroborates, that single men over 40 basically go home every night, watch TV, do work on their laptop and drink hard liquor, often alone. I don't want to do that; but maybe when I am doing it it won't be so bad.

Something that my PCP told me in light of my hernia and aging is that I need to exercise more. She said that my metabolism is not going to get any better. And, as I age I can start to develop chronic problems due to my lack of substantive exercise (not including walking). My family has been bugging me about this for years, which has justified my resistance -- to now. I just need to bite the bullet and do it. I just don't know where to start. Men's Health Magazine? I have hired Akeisha, to harass me to do this. I also need to force myself to eat healthier! The sad thing is that I totally know how to eat healthy, it's just a matter of attention span and discipline.

So at the party more than one person came up to me and said the common thread about my guests was that everyone was nice. I like that. I usually say that the common thread of my friends -- the primary attractor -- is vulnerability. Something that Jen pointed out to me is that I am only selectively vulnerable, which is true. It is a major double standard. I have a great skill, which has grown out of my stream of consciousness/ADHDness, to change conversations when I don't like where they are going. And, I can't stand to be psychoanalyzed - unless I determine the scope/set the parameters.

With that said, I can't believe I didn't tell anybody about my fear. I apologize to myself for that.

B-day

Today is my birthday. I share it with Kim Jung Il and Sonny Bono. I like that. I also like sharing my ethnic mix with Geraldo and David Blaine.

Homeless

Today when I walked up to Alumni House I saw two older homeless men sitting on the stoop. I acknowledged them and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. In the fridge there are boxes of leftover Papa John's pizza that are about to be tossed. I thought - why don't I offer the pizza to the homeless people on the stoop? I asked the secretary what she thought and she said sure - unless it will attract them back. That seemed like a thoroughly reasonable rationale to me for about 20 seconds, until I came to the realization that these are human beings. I would rather they eat and bother me for food than suffer. Anywho, I handed the the pizza (selecting the veggie one) and they were so thankful. I can't believe I even considered not giving it to them. How thoroughly un-Macalester of me! Should I go down and offer them another pie?

In other news, I am having a birthday party tomorrow. I bought a new Ipod which I populated with a "Party Mix". I was pleased with the finished product save for the fact that it runs 16 hours long. Oops. Road trip to Jacksonville!

Old Friends

After numerous bouts of phone tag and a little harassment on my part, I just spoke with a friend from law school and it made me feel really good. This is because:

(1) Reconnecting with old friends with layers of [literal and figurative] distance is like hugging your snuggly childhood teddy bear, or tasting your grandma's secret recipe collard greens (if only my grandma made collard greens).

(2) This particular buddy bear's/old friend's life had progressed so much, and seemed so destined for greatness, that it made me beam with happiness. Birmingham (my favorite professor in law school who I should write to) would posit that we have shared utilities.

I need to do that more often.

Dash

Today one of my colleagues provided a pearl of wisdom.

When somebody dies people seem to focus a lot on the year of birth and the year of death. However, all that really matters is the dash.

Make the dash count!

Good Weekend

I had a great weekend. I was riding on the Metro on Thursday and realized that despite my hesitation, D.C. is starting to feel like home.

Thursday, I saw Cara, my liberal female counterpart from law school who was here for a conference. We enjoyed tapas and good catch-up conversation.

Friday night I did two happy hours with Sarah - one at a Belgian beer pub - Bireria Paradiso, and then one with she and my colleagues at the Capital Grille. We sipped on Stoli Dolis (pineapple-infused vodka) and ate a fancy Delmonico steak and I loved every morsel. One of the guys there (a friend of my colleague's) is a Republican. It's amazing how much less contempt I have for Republicans than I did when I was in undergrad. He was a super nice guy and a regular at this place, and we weren't charged for any drinks and were given free dessert. It was a gluttonous event.

Saturday I slept in and went looking for apartments with my friend Susie. We looked all around Northern VA. One place in Crystal City (also known as "Crystal Shitty") pissed me off. It was about $260K for a 200 square foot efficiency overlooking a power plant reminiscent of Homer Simpson's place of employment. In the evening, I went with Jen to see Balkan gypsy performers in Takoma Park, which totally reminded me of Berkeley. It felt nice. Went out for late-night grub with the performers in Clarendon.

Sunday (today), had brunch with my mentor from San Francisco and had an INCREDIBLE fondue party at Sarah's. We had beer/cheese, meat (shrimp, sirloin, etc.), and dessert fondues and a homemade Italian cream cake. It, again, was quite gluttonous. Being at Sarah's was so much fun -- people kept on stopping by and it felt really comfortable.

Worlds colliding-wise, three big coincidences:
(1) Susan (the one I shopped for real estate with) is sharing an office with one of Vanessa's (one of my closest friends) closest friends.
(2) Susan and I checked out my colleague's (the one who I share an office with) apartment by complete coincidence.
(3) I went to middle school with my colleague's college roommate, who is a producer for Ali G. Unfortunately I don't forget people.

A Music Person

The other night one of my good friends dodged a "squirrel nut zipper" concert (or some name like that) to hang out with me. I didn't know who they were and she accused me of, in general, not being a music person. Though I still love this person, her accusation totally offends me.

What does it mean to be a "music person"? Is it based on how many CD's you own, how much trivia you know, or how many concerts you've been to in the last 6 months?

I posit that -- frustratingly -- a lot of white people especially have this notion that if you are white and don't listen to Brit pop or some obscure indie band or classic rock - then you can't be a "music person" and are not as good as them. They make PC exclusions for non-whites who listen exclusively to ethnic music of their background.

I am here to say that I am a music person. I love music. It drives my moods and decisions. I listen to lots of music. I listen to lots of different kinds of music, spanning from Nick Drake to Toto to Nine Inch Nails to Neil Young to Robin Thicke to India Aire to Rufus Wainwright to Elliott Smith to Lisa Loeb to George Michael. And, I am proud of what I like. And, I am not about to criticize anyone because they don't like or know any particular band.

I also sing. Singing has been an extremely important part of my life.

I am a music person because I love music and I can't live without it (unless I were deaf).

Pisco

I like working for a big organization where I have lots of colleagues.

Whenever I go to Bertucci's for lunch (I know it's an evil chain, but they do have good bread) I inevitably bump into a host of friendly faces who I am genuinely happy to see. Today I was taken out to lunch with someone from the multicultural center. I like him, but he keeps telling me how minorities think -- basically through the lens of afrocentrism, i.e. minorities value personal relationships over logic and value cultural symbols. I find this perspective essentialist. I also think afrocentrism does not account for a multitude of other oppressed peoples' perspectives (i.e. Native Americans, Southeast Asians). I also think this is an affront to people of color who do not think in the ways he tells me they do. Am I not Puerto Rican because I rely on statistics and metrics in making decisions? It's almost as bad as Biden's statements as far as I am concerned.

Anyway, today I drank some pisco sours with my colleagues after work and they were yummy. We then attended a performance by this guy who pretends to be Mark Twain. I was trying to curb my ADHD, but ultimately it was too dreadfully boring and I needed to scoot. I wish it were Ali G up there.

Simple things

Here are some little updates:

- I hired a new Assistant Director and she is WONDERFUL. I am so elated! Lord knows I need the help.

- Tonight I had a wonderful night. Mike (who I found out is joining for Austin -- which totally surprised/excited me), Jen, Sarah and I did a sushi happy hour at Cafe Asia, saw a free comedy competition at GW (the funniest joke involved bobble heads and Parkinson's disease), went up to the student union to play cheap bowling (one of D.C's best kept secrets)/singing Lionel Richie, and got free coke, ate homemade brownies, and walked home in the powdery snow. It was a night full of the simple things with four interesting, different people.

- Notably, I think we all felt a little bit old hanging out at a college - but it was also great doing it together!

Photos

Tonight I compiled a photo album; a real one - not one on snapfish.

To be honest, I am resistent to digital cameras on a few grounds. My main beef is that the instant gratification of having a picture turn out immediately leads people to take and erase pictures over and over again until they get the perfect picture. As a result, people become more obsessed with getting a good picture than they are with engaging in their surroundings. Oftentimes before people take in the scene (or in lieu of it) they are snapping away.

Another beef is based on my experience tonight. I have had many pictures of my dad (from his wife), laying around loosely, getting bent out of shape. So, I did what I haven't done since I got back from South Africa and bought a real life album - the kind with an adhesive back and a thin plastic veil. It was so therapeutic and rewarding to arrange an album and memorialize my dad -- and our relationship -- in such a tangible way. It will be so much better to share with people when they come to my place. Especially seeing the old black and whites and polaroid pictures, was a very moving experience.

Remarkably, some of my favorites of these pictures are candids that are not the most attractive images of me or my family members; definitely pictures I (or they) would have erased were I (or they) to have had the "luxury" of an instant retake. I guess sometimes the past isn't pretty... until the future. Or something.

Caveat: OK, I admit that this blog wouldn't be nearly as relevant without the attached pictures. So, digi cameras can't be all bad.

100K

It's interesting how points-of-reference change.

We were talking about how much Vanna White must make - and my friend guessed 100K and I was like hell no - she must make 300-500K. (How much do you think Vanna White makes? Whatever it is, she looks very good for her agel she will be 50 on February 18.)

Then, last night I was at a party and we got to talking about health care policy and this girl is like, "doctors make 100K - so they should be more responsible with their patients..." And, I was thinking "whatever doctor only makes 100K and is not a Doctors Without Borders type of doctor is probably not someone you want to see."

In both cases, when I heard 100K I was thinking that's not that much money. I mean, I don't make quite 100K, but it doesn't seem very unattainable. I have many good friends making twice that amount.

When I was growing up, my mom was a teacher. She had lots of degrees and seniority, so she made an especially good living for a teacher. I remember being really impressed with my mom's 70K-ish salary, and now I'm in awe by how she paid for everything (a Lexus, my private school, camp, etc. - this is not to say that she made responsible monetary decisions.) Even accounting for inflation, her money went far.

I also remember legitimately liking Tony Roma's, Outback, Macaroni Grille, and other chains (including Denny's) as my favorite restaurants. I still go to these places for novelty purposes (actually I haven't been to any of these restaurants in at least 2 years or more, except for the Chili's in the airport and the Friday's for a happy hour). Anyway, I don't take these restaurants seriously and probably wouldn't unless I lived in suburban Ohio.

SF Flashback

Tonight Sarah cooked up a Mexican feast and warm brownies with homemade whipped cream and we watched Grey's Anatomy. Afterwards, I caught a cab (due to lethargy) and in the back seat, lo and behold, was a deaf transvestite prostitute. There was a traditional-looking Indian woman in the passenger seat who told me "the man is deaf" (meaning the prostitute). So, naturally, I thought this was the transvestite's interpreter. But, it turns out she was the cab driver's wife. For some reason, I get along with cab drivers. And, during the ride, we debriefed on the tranny.

Earlier today, I spotted what seemed to be a homeless man in the alumni house. It weirded me out, so I consulted with the secretary who gave me a historical summary. Apparently this strange man occasionally comes into the house stating he is an alumnus, which is verified by the alumni directory with a Boston address (though he refuses to show photo ID). He does, however, present checks for hundreds of dollars that don't bounce. He is a strange man who mumbles, rather than talks, and who almost had a physical altercation with my friend, the employee who left. Today, he came by, sat in the waiting room without acknowledging the secretary, read an entire newspaper, and left.

These oddball experiences totally remind me of my former life in SF. However, when they happen here, they throw me off a bit more... Khaki used to weird me out when I was in SF, but now I wear it.