RandomCha

It’s awfully cold today and rather dull here. I wouldn’t mind if it stays that way all day. I think I may go see “Vera Drake” after work. I’m, umm, sort of Brandon’s “supervisor” (which sort of makes me uneasy; I don’t fill the taskmaster role too well) but I don’t have anything for him to do right now. Expect to see many sharp, short posts from us today.

02/14/2005 IRS USATAXPYMT ACH Ent (155.00)

It was a Monday, I left my iPod at home, four people called in sick (flu), and yet somehow work was still okay. And now I’m home and Andy’s on his way to class. I really really ought to go work out. And probably I shall. But really tonight I just want to watch a DVD and have some popeye (code word for … take a guess … free mix CD to whomever guesses correctly first).

We did the V-Day deal last night. So extremely pleasant. It was dark, rainy, and we went to a sweet little newish French restaurant on Broadway called Cafe de Bordeux (wild thing is that bandersnatch went there this weekend too, though not last night). I know we were both supposed to be focused on each other, but our waiter was HOT. It’s BYO so we brought our own bottle of wine, red, French, and wonderful. The food and atmosphere were perfect. Highly recommend it. Very reasonable. The dark chocolate dessert crepe was heaven. Then we walked home and exchanged valentines. Andy gave me a book by J.G. Ballard (nothing says ROMANCE like J.G. Ballard, hehe) which looks great. And I sort of became a hero for giving him a top-to-bottom apartment cleaning courtesy of a maid service, which will occur on Friday morning. Never gotten maid service before. I feel like Richard Dreyfuss.

And then we did some things which I will not go into. Clue: involved lotion.

So, here I am. Almost five. I’ll give myself a bribe: if I go to the gym, then tonight I can have a Manhattan. See, I’m testing Manhattan recipes for the Oscar party. And I’ve come up with two versions: sweet, and dry. Sweet = bourbon + curcacao; dry = bourbon + vermouth (dry is the classic recipe). Both are wonderful.

I justed listed 15 items on eBay. How many will sell?

Somehow I JUST lost my transit card, somewhere between getting on the bus and getting to the train platform. Super. Now I have no lunch money.

Am I the only person who thinks that “eXistenZ” is a better movie, and more philosophicaly uncanny than “The Matrix”?

Yes, I have insomnia. So I’m up.

Jimmy Smith died. In his honor I will now listen to his recording of “Got My Mojo Workin’,” one of my top 100 favorite songs. The B-3 was never so cool and so funky.

I thought: I can either go to the gym, or just walk to dinner. So I walked to dinner. From lakeview to Andersonville, about 2.5 miles. It took me exactly one hour. I had my iPod and it was playing a nice random mixture. It was very windy. After 10 minutes I was no longer concerned with the cold. I walked north on Broadway, went past a lot of scenery that I hadn’t seen in awhile. Anna Maria Pastaria, the new Borders, the Green Mill, the Uptown. My legs were tingling towards the end, they felt wooden, like I was an old sea captain who hadn’t been on land in a long time. I was the first one to get to the restaurant, Andie’s. I waited outside. I was listening to “The Look of Love” by Isaac Hayes when Andy got off the bus and we went inside.

Cadbury Royal Dark chocolate.

Yesterday I won an eBay auction for an Aimee Mann CD and paid for it using PayPal. This morning I got an email from the seller: “Thanks for the purchase of the Aimee Mann CD… I took a look at the Press website… the Spinning Plates concept is so cool! I read a few excerpts and really enjoyed it. I have decided to save some $$ and get it asap (I’m a student and pretty broke most of the time) definately something that I want to explore! Just wanted to pass that on to you.”

Wow, see, I love the net.

In other news, writing on the novel is going so-so. I still have 100 pages of “The Magic Mountain” by Thomas Mann left (I started reading it around Thanksgiving and it’s been killing me) and I’ve recently realized that the novel I’m WRITING is coming out sounding like the semi-clunky English translation of what I’m READING. Ugh. Another reason to hole up today and finish the damn thing. I’m enjoying it, to a degree (it’s like the literary equivalent of Metamucil: a bit gritty going down but keeps you regular). However I don’t want the novel to be like that. I will switch to the Patricia Highsmith novel I just bought and then everything will be hunky dory.

Andy is going to a Super Bowl party that some people from the library are throwing. I said thanks but no thanks.

Work’s been sailing along. Brandon is really fitting in well. I’m more cheerful too. Meanwhile, our government is a dreadful mess and most Americans are still idiots. But you know I’ve found it to be true that mostly, personal well-being for me is the opposite of whatever’s going on in the public sphere.

“Little Wing” by Neil Young is one of the most beautifully haunting songs in the whole world.