Monday, September 19, 2005
Saturday, September 17, 2005
dark and stormy: 1/2 dark rum, 1/2 ginger beer
I brainstorm all the time. Imagine hurricane Katrina times 40 billion going on inside this thick skull I carry around. The storm is usually so rough, with waves so big that most of my thought boats end up sinking before delivering their cargo. This is why I carry a pen almost everywhere I go with exception to the three s’s (showers, swimming, and sleep). Other than that, one or more writing utensils can be found in my possession at all times.
What kind of storms am I talking about? What goes on inside my head when I’m not puking out too many words to describe a simple idea? Reading my blog is a small documented timeline of some of my written brain hurricanes.
This past Wednesday, I walked into taco bell for lunch. I sat alone, and ate my ½ lb spicy chicken burrito supreme with both hot and mild sauce. The thought came to my mind in an instant, triggered by an event that I’ve since forgotten. I pulled out the pen, a pad of paper, and started writing. My sailboat had been adrift, when all of a sudden, a huge gust of wind caught my sails and started pulling me in a direction that I just went with.
I had the punch line in my sights, so I started backtracking up to it. I was simply jotting down short handed notes in the most legible handwriting possible. The idea was to start my dear reader with some background info, link those facts to other facts and then arrive to some tie-up conclusion. All the while I focused only on these introduction factoids.
Come time to lay down the punch line, drop anchor, tie up to the pier, take the sails down and call it a day, I forgot. My storm had sunk the ship of thought. I forgot the punch line. How did all of these ideas come together? I have no clue. Here’s what I have written on my piece of scratch paper:
That’s where it stops. And that’s where I stopped. Putting both types of hot sauce into my spicy chicken 1/2lb burrito supreme broke concentration enough for me to lose and never regain that moment’s thought.
Tragedy? Yes. It was to be a blog. I decided that this boat sunk so close to shore that I’d drag it onto the pages of high-entropy and display what could have been.
I brainstorm all the time. Imagine hurricane Katrina times 40 billion going on inside this thick skull I carry around. The storm is usually so rough, with waves so big that most of my thought boats end up sinking before delivering their cargo. This is why I carry a pen almost everywhere I go with exception to the three s’s (showers, swimming, and sleep). Other than that, one or more writing utensils can be found in my possession at all times.
What kind of storms am I talking about? What goes on inside my head when I’m not puking out too many words to describe a simple idea? Reading my blog is a small documented timeline of some of my written brain hurricanes.
This past Wednesday, I walked into taco bell for lunch. I sat alone, and ate my ½ lb spicy chicken burrito supreme with both hot and mild sauce. The thought came to my mind in an instant, triggered by an event that I’ve since forgotten. I pulled out the pen, a pad of paper, and started writing. My sailboat had been adrift, when all of a sudden, a huge gust of wind caught my sails and started pulling me in a direction that I just went with.
I had the punch line in my sights, so I started backtracking up to it. I was simply jotting down short handed notes in the most legible handwriting possible. The idea was to start my dear reader with some background info, link those facts to other facts and then arrive to some tie-up conclusion. All the while I focused only on these introduction factoids.
Come time to lay down the punch line, drop anchor, tie up to the pier, take the sails down and call it a day, I forgot. My storm had sunk the ship of thought. I forgot the punch line. How did all of these ideas come together? I have no clue. Here’s what I have written on my piece of scratch paper:
“i have lots of friends from chinese school -> it all started back in high school.
Now I have lots of friends who went to school in Michigan. I may as well have…-> the Michigan folks are all buddies & dancers. So, I’m always watching dance ish & listening to hip hop. Which I don’t like all that much. So I’m watching this movie_”
That’s where it stops. And that’s where I stopped. Putting both types of hot sauce into my spicy chicken 1/2lb burrito supreme broke concentration enough for me to lose and never regain that moment’s thought.
Tragedy? Yes. It was to be a blog. I decided that this boat sunk so close to shore that I’d drag it onto the pages of high-entropy and display what could have been.
Monday, September 5, 2005
grub club #3
grub club #3: corya all you can eat hot pot & bar-b-q. this clement street restaurant was visited by the grub club this past tuesday 8/30/05.
chooser: gemma (she called in and made reservations. we saw the yellow sticky note and it said ‘jama’)
attendants: gemma, jon g, george, abby (for a sec), and me.
best dish: the meat, lots of it. the hot pot was good, but the marinated meat was everyone’s favorite.
honorable mention: gemma, she picked it.
geek of the week: lloyd, cause he can just never show up.
restaurant rating: gemma, jon g, and george said 7. although in the picture george only held up a 6 (she’s an accountant too, makes you wonder).
super bonus: we got the cool corner seat, and a picture from the outside was needed.
grub club #3: corya all you can eat hot pot & bar-b-q. this clement street restaurant was visited by the grub club this past tuesday 8/30/05.
chooser: gemma (she called in and made reservations. we saw the yellow sticky note and it said ‘jama’)
attendants: gemma, jon g, george, abby (for a sec), and me.
best dish: the meat, lots of it. the hot pot was good, but the marinated meat was everyone’s favorite.
honorable mention: gemma, she picked it.
geek of the week: lloyd, cause he can just never show up.
restaurant rating: gemma, jon g, and george said 7. although in the picture george only held up a 6 (she’s an accountant too, makes you wonder).
super bonus: we got the cool corner seat, and a picture from the outside was needed.
shake it like a polariod picture
i met a guy from argentina. he said that americans felt rude upon introductions. at home, when he saw a friend, he would hug them, and kiss each cheek. us americans don’t kiss on cheeks, us americans shake hands.
the handshake itself is a very interesting beast. the handshake used to be like a signature, a guarantee. “shaking on it” was as good as a written contract in a court of law. the handshake is now simply our form of greeting. people say that a handshake is very important. a proper handshake gives the greeted person an impression of your character.
there’s many different types of handshakes. the professional handshake is firm, eye contact is made, and a bit of shaking must go on. this is the handshake that both men and women in a professional environment must have in order to give off the “i mean business” impression.
back in the days, two men would shake hands firmly, as the above noted professional handshake. women would shake hands with men, but it wasn’t really a ‘shake’. the woman would hold out her hand, palm down, fingers pointed towards the ground, and then the man would bring his hand up underneath and simply hold her hand. this lasts just as long as a man to man handshake would last. once in a while i encounter a shake like this, but it’s not so common anymore. personally, i’m not a fan of it either.
then there’s the dreaded wet noodle. i hate these shakes. it’s when a man to man handshake turns out to be a woman to man handshake with two men. that’s right, i go in with a firm handshake and they simply stick out a dangling hand. i end up squeezing the crap out of their hand, and it’s now an awkward state for both parties.
speaking of powerful handshakes, there’s always that one guy who does the python grip handshake. you give him a firm, ready to shake hand, and he comes in with 400psi of bone crushing “hello, nice to meet you”.
the wet palm handshake needs no explanation, and no example.
my most hated handshake is the no look. i hate the no look. people should get slapped for the no look handshake. let me paint the picture: you meet someone for the first time, extend the hand, say your name, listen to –and then forget their name, when your hands meet, they look away. they look away. it’s horrible that they don’t give me 10 seconds of attention upon the first time of ever meeting me. i should slap them, and want to at times.
no look handshakes are ok if it’s not the first time meeting someone. with buddies, chums, friends, or acquaintances a different handshake is then used. all different versions of the second handshake exist. some include hugs, punches, snaps, claps, you name it, it’s been done.
time and place also determines the type of shake you get. with girls, in a fun, party, or nightlife environment, a kiss on the cheek is more normal than a simple hug or handshake. with guys, people you normally wouldn’t give the shake-hug to, get it.
yea, this is what’s racing thru my head as i greet someone. normally all of these ideas contaminate my mind and that’s why i forget the name i just met.
i met a guy from argentina. he said that americans felt rude upon introductions. at home, when he saw a friend, he would hug them, and kiss each cheek. us americans don’t kiss on cheeks, us americans shake hands.
the handshake itself is a very interesting beast. the handshake used to be like a signature, a guarantee. “shaking on it” was as good as a written contract in a court of law. the handshake is now simply our form of greeting. people say that a handshake is very important. a proper handshake gives the greeted person an impression of your character.
there’s many different types of handshakes. the professional handshake is firm, eye contact is made, and a bit of shaking must go on. this is the handshake that both men and women in a professional environment must have in order to give off the “i mean business” impression.
back in the days, two men would shake hands firmly, as the above noted professional handshake. women would shake hands with men, but it wasn’t really a ‘shake’. the woman would hold out her hand, palm down, fingers pointed towards the ground, and then the man would bring his hand up underneath and simply hold her hand. this lasts just as long as a man to man handshake would last. once in a while i encounter a shake like this, but it’s not so common anymore. personally, i’m not a fan of it either.
then there’s the dreaded wet noodle. i hate these shakes. it’s when a man to man handshake turns out to be a woman to man handshake with two men. that’s right, i go in with a firm handshake and they simply stick out a dangling hand. i end up squeezing the crap out of their hand, and it’s now an awkward state for both parties.
speaking of powerful handshakes, there’s always that one guy who does the python grip handshake. you give him a firm, ready to shake hand, and he comes in with 400psi of bone crushing “hello, nice to meet you”.
the wet palm handshake needs no explanation, and no example.
my most hated handshake is the no look. i hate the no look. people should get slapped for the no look handshake. let me paint the picture: you meet someone for the first time, extend the hand, say your name, listen to –and then forget their name, when your hands meet, they look away. they look away. it’s horrible that they don’t give me 10 seconds of attention upon the first time of ever meeting me. i should slap them, and want to at times.
no look handshakes are ok if it’s not the first time meeting someone. with buddies, chums, friends, or acquaintances a different handshake is then used. all different versions of the second handshake exist. some include hugs, punches, snaps, claps, you name it, it’s been done.
time and place also determines the type of shake you get. with girls, in a fun, party, or nightlife environment, a kiss on the cheek is more normal than a simple hug or handshake. with guys, people you normally wouldn’t give the shake-hug to, get it.
yea, this is what’s racing thru my head as i greet someone. normally all of these ideas contaminate my mind and that’s why i forget the name i just met.
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