Author: F C

RE SSW’s comments in http://www.triscribe.com/wp/index.php?m=200312#post-69:

I thought that the boy scout leader’s strategy in keeping Sandra backfired. I suppose that if you had to spend your last night on the island with someone, it would be better for one’s sanity to not have Jon scheming and psyching you out all night. However, there was no way that anyone on the jury would have voted for Jon. When the questioning by Jon (I think) forced the scoutleader to renounce her uniform, that lost it for the jury, IMHO.

December is the perfect storm. Partially because of my November travels and partially because I have several unexpected expenses totalling a few thousand dollars, this month’s budget is extremely tight, as in it’s going to be instant noodles and microwave burritos until at least the 24th. Thankfully my college friends have Christmas on the Saturday after Christmas. Much elsewise in the way of worries, but I’m not going to get into it here. I’ve received a lot of love and affection, though, for which I am grateful.

Not to mention Verizon sent my DSL bill for collection when it was actually paid. As soon as Time Warner gets phone service operational, I’m switching.

Happy B-day last week to SSL!

My driver’s license is up today, on my thirty-third birthday. It sort of feels like Logan’s Run, where at thirty-three, you were in line to being incinerated. Or on a brighter note, Jesus was rapping up things and preparing to be resurrected.

The day after I got back from Hawaii, I realized that I had procrastinated long enough and I had to get my license renewed pronto. Eight years ago when I last renewed my license, the DMV was in some brick building. Now it’s on the second floor of a shopping mall. The other major improvement is that lines have been minimized: there are two short intake lines that make sure that you have the right forms and take your photo if necessary. Then you’re given a computer-generated number where you wait your turn on benches until the computer generated woman announces that it is your turn. It’s a lot more humane than the old system. One and 1/2 hours and $45 later I was out with my new temporary license in hand. I visited the Pathmark that I didn’t know was there (in walking distance — ah, another 24 hour choice over Key Food) and a Storage USA (I need a safety valve to get rid of the excess junk out of my apartment.)

I’m sitting here writing, my forearms tingling and inflamed from delayed-reaction sunburn. I’m convinced that my body is designed for sub-tropical weather — there, my skin is smooth, clear and supple, here in the frigid want-to-be-like-London weather my skin is dry, itchy, and feels so tight I want to shed it. An ignoble way to begin a thirty-third year, but so many other things are going right. A Wong Tai Sin soothsayer, after feeling bumps and looking at moles, peged my expiration date to be around 2043, so what is a thirty-something to do? I remember my childhood filled with itching: itching is your body’s way of reminding you that you are alive and have to do something.

My Hawaii pics are still uploading (600+) and I have a few vignettes from the trip that I will post as they are completed. Just excuse the time warp.

It’s 8 PM and I’m going to catch the bus now to get back to the airport. Wow, what a trip! I’ve must have taken over 500 pictures. I’ll work on the summary on the plane back.

Day Two in Honolulu. I wanted to be Hawaiian for the day and four students were coming into HNL that night. I went to Chinatown to buy lei’s (Lin’s Lei Shop is the place to go — it’s like a 1/3 of the price at the airport, assuming the stores were open, which they were not because they were night flights). I took the 19 bus to the airport, which took about 45 minutes. P– called me on the cell phone on the way there. She was also on public transport — the Q train. At the airport, I met John who was meeting his Korean wife coming in from Newark. He is a German who moved here from Middle Village, Queens. He was a butcher before moving here and got into the real estate investment business. The team members showed up ahead of schedule; I made my alohas and they were estatic. To be on the giving end of aloha was worth it.

Other stuff I did that day: plate lunch at I Love Country; shaved ice (green tea and mochi — mmmm….) at Waiola Bakery. The Triple Crown of surfing is going on, but that is on the North Shore. Lu’au tonight!

I’ve been AWOL this past week, being that I was in Anaheim, CA for a conference. I didn’t get a chance to blog because I was busy putting together another work of art– the medium of choice was PowerPoint. Did the red-eye back to JFK to make it in for work today. I have over 600 pictures of the most magical place on Earth. Tomorrow morning, I’m leaving for Honolulu for another conference. Maybe I’ll find an Internet hot spot somewhere?

[Scene: downtown 6 train , Me reading the Village Voice. The paper is open to the advertisement for the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. All are seated shoulder to shoulder]
Woman, late 40’s, long salt & pepper hair : Are you going to the parade?
Me: No, not really.
W: Why not?
M: Well, my dad’s in the hospital so I’m not really in the trick or treat mood. [My dad’s doing fine, not to worry — he’ll be out on Saturday.]
W: Oh, I can understand, I’m sorry about that. I’m going as Susan B. Anthony. I’ll carry a sign saying “their servitude is all the more debasing because they do not realize it.”
M: Maybe you can throw Susan B. Anthony dollar coins?
W: It’s too bad they never caught on.
M: Yeah, the JFK dollar coins had it right — they were the right size.
W: The new dollar coins were too much like quarters.
W: Have you seen the new $20 bills?
M: Sure, but with that pink background they look kind of fake.
W: I think that they are colorful.
M: I know that they’re trying to stop counterfeiting, but everyone knows what the old bills look like.
W: Other countries have money that have different colors and different sizes, and it works for them.
M: [getting off at Grand Central] Anyway, I hope you have fun at the parade.
W: Thanks, hope everything works out for your dad.

Wow, that was surreal.

The current picture at the top of the webpage is a one inch strip of this picture that I took with my Kodak digital camera. The size is suitable for use as a Windows background. You can right-click on it and select “Save Picture As…” to save it on your computer.

Forty more names have been edited from the list of people lost on 9/11. One of my friends is a claims investigator for the victims’ fund.

I’ve upgraded the WordPress program to the current version, 0.72, which should provide nice new features both in the viewing and editing of posts. Let me know how it’s working for you.

OK, this is going to be more Joyce than O’Neil — here is my stream of consciousness from my Boston trip.

buzz it’s 8:30 couldn’t go to sleep until 3 busy day yesterday randomly met janet reno the bus left at 7 supposed to have lunch with s– at noon dropped off my laundry grabbed my laptop bag got to fung wah bus at 9:30 in chinatown looks like nobody’s there bought a ticket woman doesn’t understand round trip gave me only one ticket walked to get a lai cha and cha siu bao crowd gets bigger woman walks out with shoulder pack leads everyone around the block to the arriving bus chinese mob overruns english tourist in the virtual queue the bus is clean better than greyhound read honolulu frommers guidebook on the way up called the office dealt with three people the bus took a reststop at mcdonalds diesel filled up 30.00 connecticut seems to go on forever ezpass is called fastpath in mass turnpike leads to back bay then to south station then to the gate at chinatown four hours later wizened ticket man with nyu stern cap leads people off of bus woman waits patiently while druggies and vets walk aimlessly s– shows up go to chilean chicken sandwich place guacamole spread yummy around downtown crossing go shopping in filenes basement shirts too new no discount found survivor black and white tv sets with flashlights compasses flashing reflectors for 25 bucks walked to the commons s– had to go to class took a look at the changing colors of the foliage and changed direction quickly to avoid the drug buy dude with red flannel jacket I tried to ditch walked around squirrels jump around and pose for the camera i took pictures went into the cemetery and took scary pictures of paul reveres tombstone creepy skulls on top shopped at cvs with my member card wonder what the mbas must be thinking i’ve used the card in brooklyn, nj, dc, vegas, sf and now boston thought about walking to south station but i’m freezing my ass off so take the t kind of a mistake because it’s rush hour but at least i’m warm get free metro papers and a map which should come in handy walk up atlantic avenue along the wharfs walk past franks lobster roll maybe when i get back walk across the bridge to boston world trade and back by then franks was closed so thought i should find fanuleil hall new world plaza hotel has awesome architecture then under I93 the highway that the big dig should be getting rid of so many yuppie asian probably chinese on the streets two wrong turns finally get to fanuleil hall walked through nothing changed in three years then through to quincy market took a pass on the dry looking fish and chips went for the japanese teppanyaki chicken teriyaki instead so much better sales guy sat next to german guy tourist trying to pick up german girl tourists japanese couple having clam chowder owen the guitarist not doing well but looks good from balcony dome lights reflect from the windows walk out saw cheers the replica bar then rushed off to cambridge stupid me put a dime into the turnstile spent five minutes trying to find the token in my pocket transferred from green to red went past mass gen central station harvard five before seven couldn’t find the pit nor bittle street s– called met at the out of town newsstand made two wrong turns but then comic book guy set us straight around eastern mountain sports then to the biddle theater screen is rear projected clock with purple neon the movie robot stories actually four stories well worth the trip director was there doing q&a he was an android office worker connecting to another hapa female android in the film stories are like twilight zone or outer limits episodes actually emphasizing the humanity to be found anywhere even a machine there’s flurries greeting us outside one hour before the last bus we go for drinks at the red house wonderful bar full of fireplace smell 2 whiskey sours yankees losing on tv mad dash for bus almost left laptop bag behind get to red train that arrives central station looks like the sign for central in hong kong mgh park green train group of chinese teens one looks like vivian chow only 20 minutes left get off the train at boston commons no idea which way is chinatown get pointed in the right direction find the dunkin donuts s– mentioned found the bus but its travelpath not fung wah made sure it was a new york bus conductor says i have to buy ticket from ticket booth got on and collapsed s– called and made sure i was all right p—im-ed me but i just told her i was running for the bus watched iron chef wayne brady and las vegas on the laptop dozed off at 1 suddenly awakened in nyc chinatown walked to the f train not going to pay 20 bucks for a 5 minute taxi ride after a 10 buck 4 hour bus ride the train came right away walked down the alley to the apartment looked at the pedometer racked up 20656 steps or nearly 10 miles in 24 hours downloaded my camera and collapsed in bed by 4 am buzz it’s 8:30