Blending In

Was crossing the street to a Starbucks when a slow-ass rickshaw almost ran me over. After it passed there was a flood of people coming at me so I puffed up and charged forward. It's really hard to miss me so the first three people gave way. Then some couple holding hands decide to continue their hand-lock despite me slicing directly between them with no where else to go. Now separated I hear the bitch call after me, something like, "Thanks a lot, moron." I don't acknowledge it outwardly, but inwardly I'm thinking, "Take your lovers shit somewhere else. Welcome to the streets of New York."

Definitely more comfortable here now.

Indeed

On the train home from the gym I came to a conclusion. After many years of vacillation, review, and comparisons, I prefer The Crystal Method over The Chemical Brothers.

Dark and Brooding Always Wins

Not sure how much I like John Mayer. Still confuse him with Jason Mraz. Mayer sure does look good on today's new album and in the Who Says video. Guess I don't listen to either enough.

Bigger Brother

Got the anticipated letter from the State Department today. They want five additional pieces of identification from an approved list within ninety days or I will receive neither my passport nor my application fees. Further, they want me to complete a worksheet that involves listing family members, prior places of employ, previous residences, and schools attended. In a word, I was livid. Thankfully there was no phone number to call because I would have not been pleasant.

While I understand we're on permanent Orange Threat it still feels like harassment. I submitted the exact documents they requested. Further, I will use the same documents I provided them with already to acquire these additional documents. It feels like their gathering additional information about me, wanting me thoroughly tagged before releasing me from the country.

Not sure if I have any avenues of appeal, but I've got the time to find out.

No One Else Around

Paid extra for some vibrant flowers while picking up groceries. Normally carnations are enough but these caught my eye. The checker made the usual assumption, saying something like, “Those will make someone happy.” Yeah. Me.

Working as Intended

Normally I can eat a little over a pound of chicken in the evening when I'm doing the no-carb thing yet today I was filled up on half that. In fact, I've noticed that when I'm more active my appetite is much lighter. For instance, during my very busy Saturday in New York I ate half a sandwich for lunch then the other half for dinner and nothing else that day. In Seattle on my last day I ate dinner with John then didn't eat again until dinner the next day.

I'm thinking that is normal but it sure seems unfair. Having a higher appetite when indolent combined with the lack of metabolism means fatness. Definitely unfair. Something to fight.

Damn Technology

Love the little USB drives for archiving the endless digital detritus I accumulate. Been doing a lot of scanning/purging so figured I should pick up a new one. I ordered a Western Digital 400gb from Buy.com last week and it arrived today. Naturally there's an ad from Buy.com today for a 650gb drive for $2 less. *sigh* Normally I'll just shrug it off but this one bugged me. Got an RMA number for the 400gb then placed an order for the 650gb.

Queen of Mean

Lisa Lampanelli is going to be here in May. Tim introduced me to her… she's totally trashy, racist, and sarcastic. A guilty pleasure I will be indulging in.

Like Clouds

Would occasionally catch parts of Lady Gaga's various videos at the club but it wasn't until this weekend that I had a chance to watch all of them. Wow. Granted having near naked men in all of them creates some of the allure. Yet the choreography and visual impact (costumes, props, make-up, et cetera) are more compelling. My favorite is Poker Face… the way it starts with her coming out of the pool in that skin-tight body suit. *str8 shivers* Heard some chick at the club saying that Gaga's songs have another six months of play before being gone for good. Sure it's fluff, but I hope not. I need fluff.

Not Bitter!

Decided not to wait until tomorrow. *smirk*

Sources

So over at my place some cute guy sticks his hand up my shirt and suddenly my life is back on track. Eating better, back at the gym, cleaning up the apartment, et cetera. *rolls eyes* Wish I could find motivation on my own.

Not Even for Madonna

Got an announcement that Center Ringside seats are now available for Britney's show. Apparently it's right in the middle of all the action. They're going for, in pairs only, $550 each. I think not.

Accutron by Bulova

Up until the last three or four years I've been horrible with watches. I'd always leave them somewhere; even that beloved Databank I had in High School was misplaced before the battery needed replacing. Been buying Fossil watches exclusively for more than a decade now since they're relatively trendy while under $100.

Standing in line at Target last week I was behind this delicious guy. Though put together well, I was struck by how his spendy watch was the perfect accent. I'm now up three so I figure the fourth could be something a bit more elegant:


UPS says it will be here on Wednesday. Looking at this image now I think the diamonds are a bit ostentatious, yet they contrast the bold simplicity of the face nicely.

Better not lose this one.

Heh

The weird guy in the cubicle across from me just told someone on the phone, “It's wide, but it's short.” Proud of my self for not laughing out loud.

Breaking the Chains

Images of Star Trek Online continue to trickle out. With all the drama around Perpetual then Cryptic I remain unconvinced it will ever see the light of day. And actually, I sorta hope it doesn't. EverQuest and World of Warcraft claim an inordinate chunk of my life. It was difficult to avoid Star Wars, the comic Heroes things, and Conan but I did. If I can manage to stay out of a Star Trek MMORPG then I can truly make WoW my last. We shall see.

Ready to Restart

Andrew texted me about doing some clubbing then turned out to be busy Friday night. Then I didn't feel like going out Saturday night. Still, a nice weekend despite sobriety. *snicker* The hilite outside of the gaming world was muffins.

I love bran muffins though I detest things with baked fruit in them. Every bakery in existence is hell-bent on throwing in raisins or dates in so I have to make my own. Last week I did find a premade mix yet there was the unmistakable fruity aftertaste—cherry I think. So I found a decent recipe and picked up everything I was missing on Saturday night.

Classic Bran Muffins

• 1½ cups wheat bran
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!

Got around to making them tonight and they turned out rather well. I was worried that most recipes depend on the fruit to keep things moist so I went a little over on the oil and buttermilk. Have to admit it was also fun baking again. Need to get some bread going. Just have to be cautious. With no one else around to eat this stuff I'll have to take them into work.

Many Years Ago

My Duncan Sheik ticket arrived in the mail last night. I really don't like General Admission shows but I've never seen him live. Plus $20 was nothing after pissing away $300 on tickets for Britney. Well, after facility charge, convenience charge, conversion charge, and order processing it was $32. Heh.

His self-titled album was incredible, setting the bar for me. Somehow I'd missed the release of Humming so I bought it along with Phantom Moon in 2002—much to my dismay. While his vocal timbre was still consistently enthralling, I found his later ballads roaming and pedantic. Couldn't avoid hearing the Gabriel & Dresden remix of “On a High” at the club, yet I never thought to listen to Daylight. Haven't heard anything from White Limousine.

Listening to the three new tracks stream from his website it seems nothing has changed. There's even an air of empty pretense to the composition. Yet I still like his voice. And that Holly Brook chick harmonizes with him very well. So it's worth checking out live. Plus he's still attractive despite all the facial hair. Not sure if I'll bother with the album though.

This Moment

Listening to NPR's coverage of the inauguration and I'm embarrassed for my country. One interviewer observed that about 98% of the visible crowd is African American. They also mentioned that all of the statues in the Mall are of white men except for MLK which took a special act to have placed. All these happy observations are making me crazy. I'm sure the rest of the modern world is like, “Finally catching up, eh?” I wonder what the defining moments were that took America away from the diversity it was purportedly founded upon.

Fickle

This morning the snow was coming down pretty fiercely then by Noon the sun was out, melting some of the roads clear. Now it's snowing again. Going to be deadly out there. Wish it would make up its mind.

Kahn Gone

Just read that Ricardo Mantalban died yesterday morning. *sigh* All of these Star Trek celebrities departing really make me feel the mortality. Even fantasy characters are not immune.

A Weapon of Massive Consumption

This new Lily Allen song won't leave me alone. Why am I such a sucker for the mainstream? *ugh* Oh well. Will have to pick up the album next month. Or maybe look for a torrent of the advance.

Working from Home

In the last hour the temperature has gone from -18°F (-28°C) to -14°F (-26°C). I gave up trying to chip the ice out of wheel well as my ears were burning with cold. The two people on my team that actually did make it into work are wishing they hadn't bothered now. *snicker*

Today is definitely a Two Martini Lunch Day.

Must Have!

I need this shirt and it's completely out of stock. Bastard consumers!