March 30, 2003
Home sweet home
After a week of travels, I'm finally home.
I have to back-blog and fill in Days 3 & on of the Washington trip, as well as my trip to/from Oaktown... which would bring me up-to-date to today.
Unfortunately, I think my network card died while I was in DC. I cannot log on to the internet or access our network.
What a pisser.
March 28, 2003
March 27, 2003
Washington DC, Day 2 (continued)
After all the excitement with the Redcoats and WCL on Day 2, I took the Metro from Capitol South back to Tenleytown-AU and grabbed a cab back to the place I'm staying.
Jan and I were rushing to leave the city before rush hour hit so I could see her weekend home in Warrenton, VA. We got stuck in traffic anyway, but made good time & got out there just in time to walk around her 2.5 acre property in the light of the sunset. Her beautiful house overlooks a small lake, complete with a dock, and a flock of ducks and geese. (Did you know that geese hiss if you get too close to them? I didn't. They can be mean suckers.)
We had dinner with Jan's Himalayan cat, Lilo, who insisted on hanging out on the dining room table as we ate. Rainbow, Jan's Sun Conure, hung out on her shoulder, getting little veggie treats from Jan as we talked.
We had a quiet evening at home, watching Part 1 (of 3) of a PBS Bill Moyers special "Becoming American, the Chinese Experience." Part 1 sucked. Jan fell asleep before the first hour was over. I was bored, but I watched it all.
I took a shower, looked through Jan's bookcases (lots of Marilyn Monroe books), and since my insomnia had kicked in, I decided at a very late hour (past 1 am) that I would attempt to get online via Jan's laptop there.
That was probably the biggest mistake of this trip.
First of all, Jan has DIAL-UP at her place in Warrenton. And you know how I feel about DIAL-UP.
Second, her laptop runs Windows 95. 'Nuf said.
Third, Jan uses AOL. This proves to be more nightmarish than you can even imagine.
When I opened AOL and dialed up, everything SEEMED fine and dandy... that is, until I tried to go anywhere outside of AOL. Nothing worked. I noticed that she was running AOL 5.0, so for once, one of those junk AOL CDs came in handy as something OTHER than a coaster... I tried to upgrade to AOL 7.0.
This took approximately 25 minutes to do, since the CD & laptop were just that slow. Added to that, AOL is so fucking bloated, everything loaded in super-slo-mo.
When I tried 7.0 the first time, it said I had to "set up the modem." So I clicked on "auto detect modem," which of course, promptly crashed the laptop. After several reboots, I tried to manually select the modem from a list of 500 modems. Unfortunately, it did not work when I selected the modem that was on the laptop. Upon further investigation into the way 5.0 was set up, the modem "selected" was some random modem, not even the same brand as what it actually was. Go figure.
Finally, after much troubleshooting, I manage to get online via 7.0... By this time, it was roughly 2:30 am and I am fading fast from the sitting and waiting.
Now, the problem is that there are some glitches with the AOL 7.0 mail, so I cannot leave 7.0 on like that, as Jan will be unable to check her AOL on the laptop.
The point of this long-ass, boring story is that I stayed up until 4:45 am messing with her damn computer.
Sometimes I can be dumber than dirt. It's not like I didn't know that I needed to wake up early the "next" morning.
March 26, 2003
The magnet is on again
Damn.
Where is the switch for that weirdo magnet? And how the hell do I turn it off?
After that whole Redcoat fiasco yesterday, I wandered around Union Station, did a bit of souvenir shopping (what a tourist I am), and then showed up at my old workplace, the California Governor's DC Office. Of the people I knew when I worked there, only one remained. I was very glad to see him and to visit with him. We quickly caught up on old times and pledged to stay in touch (we'd better this time!).
From the Hall of the States, I walked down to the new (to me) National Japanese American Memorial, which was a big hole in the ground the last time I saw it. It was very moving for me and while I was trying to take it all in, a weirdo walked up to me.
Weird-Crazy Lady (WCL): Are you Japanese American?
Joz: No
WCL: What is your extraction? [Extraction?! What the hell am I? A tooth?!]
Joz: My parents are from Taiwan.
WCL: Thailand?
Joz: No, Taiwan.
WCL: Oh. [Obviously disappointed that I'm not JA. I think she wants to apologize on behalf of all white people right then and there and is disappointed that I can't be the recipient for the apology for all JAs, near and far. Darn the bad luck. This chink isn't a nip.]
I think it's just awful that this happened. I mean, I never KNEW!
Joz: [ignoring WCL.]
WCL: It's an outrage, simply an outrage! Don't you think?!
Joz: [ignoring WCL some more.]
WCL: Don't you think it's an OUTRAGE?! [She pokes Joz. Joz is not thrilled at being poked. Especially by a weirdo.]
Joz: Yeah, an outrage. [Joz shoots mental darts at the WCL. 'Go away and leave me alone' darts fly toward WCL. Unfortunately, my darts misfire completely. WCL stays and talks incessantly for another 20 minutes. I ignore her with only moderate success. It is hard to ignore the poking.]
The silver lining is that she took a couple of photos for me at the Memorial. I know I look lame because I don't know if I should smile (to look good in the photo) or grimace (since that's what I feel creeping onto my face).
I breathe a monumental (pun intended) sigh of relief when she says she has to catch the Metro at Union Station. I walk across Capitol Hill and over 6 blocks to the next Metro station to avoid her.
Do you see why I don't like public transportation?
March 25, 2003
The Redcoats are coming!
Today, I got on a bus (!) and then hopped on the Metro toward Union Station.
Somewhere along the way, a swarm of folks wearing bright red jackets/coats got on. They were obviously a part of some convention & upon further investigation, I realized they were all postmasters (or retired postmasters) from all over the nation. Sweet as these hard-working folks may be, I believe it must be somewhere in the postal code that in order to be a postmaster, you absolutely must have an ugly haircut. If they hadn't had their name tags and postal service pins on, the array of bowl cuts, mullets, and cuts-so-fugly-they-don't-even-have-names would have led me to believe they were in town for the "Whoa Nelly! I've Got an Ugly Haircut" competition.
Then to my dismay, they started to follow me. When I stood up to get off the Metro, they all did the same. I swear, they followed me out to Union Station, stood in the same line as me for food, and when I finally thought I lost them, I plopped down in front of one of the fountains outside the station to eat (and to enjoy the beautifully, gorgeous weather). But then, all at once, the Redcoats started spilling out of the front doors of Union Station, like red ants evacuating their hill.
They started toward me and my palms began to sweat. I began to worry that I had accidentally made some comment about the hair out loud, instead of thinking it in my head, as I'd intended. Suddenly, they all turned and crossed the street in the other direction.
I should have figured. The National Postal Museum is across the street from Union Station.
March 24, 2003
In Washington DC
What a crazy couple of days weeks it has been.
Aside from the insanity of packing & moving, I went directly from concert craziness to packing like a madwoman in order to get on a red-eye from LAX to Reagan National Airport in DC. I only got a two hour nap on the flight from L.A. to Chicago and I had to change plans to take a 7:00 am commuter flight into Washington DC. By that time, there was not much more sleeping I could get done on the plane.
Stepping off the plane and seeing this beautiful city in the Spring made all these vibrant memories rush back to the forefront of my mind. I could instantly feel the electricity of this amazing city rush through my body and felt immediately at home. I didn't even hesitate to get on to the Metro, defying my phobia of public transportation.
Jan, my good friend (and former work associate), picked me up from the Metro station and brought me back to her place near American University. After a quick nap and shower, we hopped into the car and drove down to the Ronald Reagan Building for a special presentation on the life of Reformist Charlotte Perkins Gilman at the Woodrow Wilson Institute.
The city is much louder than I remember it. While walking around Dupont Circle today, there were countless police officers on foot, bike, horse. Choppers flew continuously overhead. People were holding signs and chanting, protesting the war. Security is at a maximum, which is comforting and upsetting at the same time.
I had dinner with a dear friend from L.A. at a Lebanese restaurant. The food was super yummy. It was great to see her and to catch up with her since I had last seen her in L.A. before she moved here. How does 5 months fly by so quickly?
What a long, but fun & exciting day. I wish I had a digital camera so I can chronicle this short trip... I'll take my regular camera out tomorrow and take some shots as I wander around the city.
March 23, 2003
More packing...
Pack, unpack.
Pack, unpack.
Pack, pack, pack.
Does it ever end?
Oh well. Packing for 7 days of traveling sure beats packing for a move.
phew!
so we're done moving. almost. there's still the fish tank and some odds and ends over at my brother's house, but for the most part we are now living in our new place. it's crowded, but it's ours. and very private. i'm very happy.
now is the end (mostly) of my stress for the month. we've moved, the choir i sing with had their performance tonight, and i can finally get some sleep. the performance went well, we were well received by the audience, i think.
if only i had enough brain power left to finish my blog...
March 22, 2003
A major pimpin'
If you're dying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious jozjozjoz in action, this is where I'll be tonight. This is also the most likely cause of my infamous twitching.
~~~~~~~~~
FYI... this concert is LA Weekly's "Pick of the Week" & is on the front page of the entertainment section of Friday's La Opinion!
Tickets will be available at the door & the box office opens at 7pm!
TONIGHT!
Vox Femina Los Angeles concert: "Canta Para Todos"
music of Latin & South America (Mar 22 @ 8PM)
Dr. Iris S. Levine, Artistic Director
Vox Femina Los Angeles, Southern California's premier women's choral ensemble, presents CANTA PARA TODOS on Saturday, March 22, 2003, at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. Also featuring Jackeline Rago and The Snake Trio, CANTA PARA TODOS focuses on music of Latin and South America.
Tickets for the concert are available online at www.voxfeminala.org.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 (8 PM)
"Canta Para Todos"
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
3300 Wilshire Boulevard, two blocks west of Vermont in Los Angeles.
Prominent folk music from Venezuela, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia will be showcased in Spanish. Represented composers include: Jackeline Rago, Gilberto Valdés, Luis Casas Romero, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Alberto Favero, Otilio Galindez, David L. Brunner, Ysaye Barnwell and Stephen Hatfield with arrangements by Carlos Abril, Juan-Tony Guzman, Emile Solé, Alberto Grau, and Julian Gomez Giraldo.
The Snake Trio is a refreshing breath of Latin jazz with a cool Venezuelan twist that will have you savoring your Coltraine with Joropo and your Ellington with Calypso. It's music with imagination and talent worth hearing over and over. (Jesse "Chuy" Varele, Music Director, KCSM-FM, San Mateo, CA) For information about The Snake Trio, visit www.thesnaketrio.com.
The Snake Trio will accompany VFLA on several songs. In addition they will perform a short set of their own. The concert will conclude with both groups performing several songs together. This concert is made possible through a grant from the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.
March 21, 2003
Pornolize this!
Stolen blatantly from Sonia's site, turn your site into a porn page.
Check out jozjozjoz :: brain barf... pornolized!
On second thought, it's not really all that much different from the original.
UPDATE: DOH! Pornolize is down... :(
Sorry the linky no worky!
March 20, 2003
Still twitching...
The consensus seems to be stress, though I was voting for Kevin's thought that the twitching might be caused by low potassium intake.
So I ate two bananas. And I was still twitching.
Then I thought that I might be having a twitch attack due to lack of sleep (per siwwygirlie).
So I slept until the sun scorched my face. And I'm still twitching.
But I don't care what Judy says... I've already been tweezed... so there will be no more plucking around my head for a while...
March 19, 2003
I'm the ACE!
This little thing I saw at blog ala indigoddess.
You are a classic; the quintessential New Yorker.
You are cultured and love to travel, though you
wouldn't move from New York in a million years.
Then again, you may just be a tourist, trying
to see all the sights in a single day.
Which New York City subway line are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
March 18, 2003
This entry is brought to you by Verizon DSL...
Whoo hoo!
DSL is up! Now I can finally download e-mail at a speed faster than that of an arthritic snail.
DSL seems slower than my old cable modem, but a big *fook you* to AT&T Broadband, which says that you have to pay for (at least) "basic cable" through them in order to get the "discounted cable modem rates" (which, of course, are still more expensive than DSL rates).
Um, WHY would I want to do that when we already have DirecTV?
...now, when I get my big, giant, L-shaped mahogany desk delivered tomorrow, I can *finally* bring my good ol' computer in to the new place!
March 17, 2003
So I'll never be a Playboy Bunny...
Since I'm never gonna be a Playboy Bunny, I will just have to exercise my exhibitionist fantasies as a Happy Bunny, instead. [Jim Benton, you're a trip!]
congratulations. you are the "kiss my ass" happy bunny. you don't care about anyone or anything. You must be so proud.
which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Thanks to Sonia, the "you smell like butt" happy bunny. Not to mention Tasha, the "you're so dumb" happy bunny.
March 16, 2003
March 15, 2003
Which OS are You?
I saw Drew's post & was originally afraid to take this quiz, but it turned out not being so bad.
March 14, 2003
For Murphy's Mom
Dear Murphy's Mom:
Today, I came by the house to pick up some mail. When I got there, the gardener was outside watering the backyard and Murphy was running around all over the wet pavement.
When Murph saw me come through the door, she thought she was going to get some playing time & grabbed one of her tennis balls and headed toward me... one of her old, grungy tennis balls... one of the icky ones that she'd chewed until it had popped.
It was wet and slimy and black and gross. And she dropped it on my foot.
Now, normally, this would not be a big deal, but today, I was wearing hose and heels. And the aforementioned slimy ball landed *plop* on my foot. Let's just say that the hose did not provide any kind of protection for my foot from Murphy slime. And there was a nice little black/brown/green splat mark where the ball landed on my foot... but it's ok. I was headed home soon, anyway. And I threw the ball exactly once for Murph today... sorry if she seemed disappointed when you got home.
At least she did not try to jump on me. :)
March 13, 2003
You have 978 new messages!
Doh!
I don't check my e-mail for 2 lousy days and THIS is what I return to... thank goodness I did not even attempt to check e-mail via dial-up.
Had to go back to the old place to check via the cable modem connection, but was it worth the gas money.
Now where's that 'delete' key?
March 12, 2003
A minute of your time, Mr/Ms Blogger?
---excerpt---
Check it out:
My thesis is an attempt to fill in the void in academic work about blogs. Previously in articles and commercial books published about blogs (Rebecca Blood's books and the O'Reilly book, for example), why we blog has been researched using personal experience, with a few indepth interviews, or by analyzing websites. None of these three ways can come close to providing as accurate a depiction of the blogging population - who we all really are, why we blog, and how we're using our blogs - as a survey.
So how about it? We've all taken the "what robot are you" and "what type of hat do you keep behind your toilet" tests, so why not take a few minutes and help this kid out?
---end excerpt---
March 11, 2003
Dial-up sucks
Arrrrgh.
Dial-up!?!?! What the hell?! I hate this! Damn DSL takes a week to set up?!
BAH! They just have to flip a switch!
I can't believe they are making me suffer like this...
March 10, 2003
At the office all day...
Was there more than 10 hours straight.
That's what I get for not doing anything other than moving this weekend.
Doh.
March 09, 2003
We've moved...
Mostly.
We still have the office (which stays put until we get our DSL), some kitchen stuff, and the fish tank.
Other than that, we're done... now for the unpacking... sigh...
March 08, 2003
March 07, 2003
They like me... they really like me!
Ok, maybe not, but I got linked a bunch of places this week (mostly for that parking ticket check I wrote).
Check it out!
• Joelle, who rules, linked me! Whoo hoo!
• Gamshi says that I rock!
• Diana says I am her blogger hero!
• Elly pimped me!
• Hats off to me from Jenn!
March 06, 2003
Our vacuum sucks...
...Actually the problem is that it doesn't suck.
That's why it sucks.
[pause to be smacked senseless]
March 05, 2003
Thin Mints for breakfast
We just got our yearly shipment of Girl Scout cookies last night.
Of course, I started eating Thin Mints right away.
And I was even smart enough to save some so I would be able to have them first thing in the morning. Yummy.
(Who cares that I just had 80 calories... 5 grams of fat and 5 grams of sugar in the first 10 minutes of my waking hours? Those Thin Mints had half-a-gram of protein, dammit!)
March 04, 2003
What the fuck do you mean when you say that I'm profane?
I'm surprised (and I admit, a little thrilled) at all the comments my parking ticket check got.
Diane, a good friend of mine, says that my blog is very funny, but also very profane.
What the fuck? I never fucking curse. I only use fucking curse words for a goddamn reason. And vulgar language can be fucking useful, too.
I only cuss when:
•I'm really, really, really, really fucking pissed
•I'm fucking frustrated
•I've had a run-in with a fucking bastard or total bitch
•It's just been a fucking shitty ass day
It's only then that my vocabulary gets all crappy and goes straight to hell. Every other word that comes out of my mouth is straight off of George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words (Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits, if you forgot them).
Ok, so maybe Diane has a point... but I'm going to blame it on the 'mom' in her. I still love her, even if she occasionally doesn't like my choice of words. (Don't worry, Diane... I am not in the least bit mad at you!)
Maybe I've got to learn to curse in Italian, instead.
MORE:
THIS is the Monty Python bit I was looking for & Kevin found the audio for it!
March 03, 2003
Behold! Buttercup Applepants!
I stole this this game from Alisa's blog, which she got from children's book, "Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants" by Dave Pilkey: The evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names.
Buttercup Applepants?! Sounds like some tasty edible clothing!
Wanna play?
Use the third letter of your first name to determine
your new first name:
a = poopsie
b = lumpy
c = buttercup
d = gidget
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = fluffy
h = cheeseball
i = chim-chim
j = stinky
k = flunky
l = boobie
m = pinky
n = zippy
o = goober
p = doofus
q = slimy
r = loopy
s = snotty
t = tulefel
u = dorkey
v = squeezit
w = oprah
x = skipper
y = dinky
z = zsa-zsa
Use the second letter of your last name to determine
the first half of your new last name:
a = apple
b = toilet
c = giggle
d = burger
e = girdle
f = barf
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = cootie
j = monkey
k = potty
l = liver
m = banana
n = rhino
o = bubble
p = hamster
q = toad
r = gizzard
s = pizza
t = gerbil
u = chicken
v = pickle
w = chuckle
x = tofu
y = gorilla
z = stinker
Use the fourth letter of your last name to determine
the second half of your new last name:
a = head
b = mouth
c = face
d = nose
e = tush
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = butt
l = brain
m = tushie
n = chunks
o = hiney
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = buns
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = kisser
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = brains
z = juice
March 02, 2003
I got no rhythm
siwwygirlie/gamshi has gotten me addicted to a dumb game that I cannot play.
Sounds stupid, but it's true (and very sad). If there is anyone on this great earth who has zero hand-eye coordination, it's me. I suck, but it makes me happy to play this game.
Dance Dance Revolution, my ass. It's not ddr for fingers... it's more like crack with music.
Shouldn't I be packing or something?
Saturday Scruples
Procrastinating some more... aka Saturday Scruples.
1. You're driving alone on a highway at night when a desperate looking person tries to flag you down. Do you stop? I'm a girl with a cell phone. No, I don't stop, but I do call and send help.
2. You're summoned for jury duty in what promises to be a tedious trial. Do you pretend to have views which will disqualify you? Maybe. I don't think so, though. Jury duty sucks, but it IS part of my civic duty.
3. You smoke. Your teenager wants to smoke because you do. Do you quit? I smoke? Do I really? Ick. Then hell, yeah, I'm gonna quit!
March 01, 2003
I paid it, dammit.
So I bit the bullet and paid the dumbass parking ticket.
But I didn't want to. And it wasn't fun.
But I did leave a nice little message on my check... THAT was kind of fun...
UPDATE:
I really didn't give a flying fuck if they couldn't cash it, but Mike says that I better be careful because they might not deposit it (and therefore charge more, come after me, etc, etc.)
Call me chicken, but to save myself a potential headache (& more money), I re-opened my envelope and put a line through the word "Fucking" and initialed it.
So the check is now properly made out to "The City of Fucking L.A."