Story Archive - May 2008

Building Fashion (05/14/2008)

It wasn't so much of a controlled effort to end up as part of the Goth scene. - Kenny Hickey

I was in LA over the weekend for my brother's graduation and while packing for the event I realized I don't have a good hoodie anymore. I'm not entirely sure how that is. I used to have a green Massimo hoodie and a block faux-goth Hawaiin Island Creations hoodie and I adored both of them, but some time ago they have gone on a vacation which is no permanent. All I have left are two Google hoodies and when I wear those people who don't know assume I work for Google and I get paranoid around people who do know because I assume they are walking on egg shells around me. It's awkward for everyone.

Since hoodies are all about exuding one's personality, finding the right one is a great cause of emotional concern for me. I don't want to just go out and buy some random hoodie that people will judge incorrectly on. That would be tragic! I went trolling around e-bay to try and locate a Shonen Knife or Puffy hoodie without any success. There is a decent chance that I might be able to score something decent j-pop related at AX this year, so I'll make sure to keep that in my mind.

As I was trolling around, Adzar suggested I go looking at the local Hot Topic and I must admit that I was shocked he suggested it, intrigued by the idea and embarrassed that I was intrigued by the idea. Really, what says my personality any stronger than pretending to be a 16-year-old emo boy? Not a lot.

Speaking of which, while I was at LMU over the weekend for the bro's graduation he took me out to college parties. People would ask me, "Are you graduating this year?" To which I would say, "I already graduated from a sister school." This lead to the embarrassing question of, "when did you graduate." I would pause, knowing I was that old creepy guy who shouldn't be there, and say "let's just say I'm the oldest person in this room." This comment would typically cause a pause and response of "are you like, 25?" Oh kids. So naive. The bro commented that the ladies would flock around me and all I could say was, "yes, I exude maturity in the form of a light scent of stale whiskey. Women can't resist that. It smells like class."

Little Tail (05/05/2008)

I write about myself with the same pencil and in the same exercise book as about him. It is no longer I, but another whose life is just beginning. - Samuel Beckett

I've written in pencil in my lifetime. I have not written as much as many other people have but still have written more than many people will. I am completely overwhelmed by electronic communication at work and have lost the luxury of time to spare to bother with a pencil and paper. Writing, real instrument to paper writing, has become just another leisure activity that I don't have time for in my day to day world. If I did it, I would just spend so much more time transcribing it all a second time from pad to screen. It's a waste really.

I have an old purple plastic sharpener from high school sitting on my desk and when I get the chance I pull out one of my old pencils and sharpen it. You know the sound. The grizzly cranking noise as a wood is torn from stock until it has reached a point. Time to start to draw it across a pad. I am enticed by the friction of paper on graphite as I draw one across the other. My ear curls in delight at the scratching noise of the action--that fresh scent of cedar. On special nights, when I need a fully sensual experience, I'll reach into the back of my pencil box and pull out a #1 grade pencil that writes silky soft carbon melting on a page as it lightly kisses across the surface.

You pen lovers, with your ink, how little you understand the love of it. So much is wasted on you.

This Is Just To Say (05/01/2008)

Around hour fifteen of the work day and I must admit I am somewhere inbetween ashamed and giddy of the changelist comment I just typed while submitting code at work for my validator:

justToSay.pl

I have written
the lines
of code
in Perl

and which
you probably wanted
to be
in Java.

Forgive me
they were uncompiled
so hotfixed
and so simple.