Saturday, June 21, 2003

Wow...what was that? I guess I'll stand by not erasing or editing it. But I didn't say anything about adding commentary. I seriously could not type...the ol' drunk and peck wasn't working out for me. I vaguely remember what was going through my head as I wrote, so I'll walk you through it as best as I can. I was also having a conversation with Jake while I was typing, so that may account for the sporadic topics.

It is remarlkab;le to be in such a position...
Best Lead-in Ever!

SO much to say, so little dexterity.
It took me three tries to type that.

tonigh waw svery enjpyable. It was a fitting end to everything. No ending is ever perfect, buy I had a chance for a pretty good one and I chose to take it. Check up on me on July 21st. Or do not, I can't honestly tell you if I care. The following days will hurt. And I will regret choosing such pain. But I am not a stranger in a strange land.
This is in reference to a pact I made with Dan Roche to work out old-school for the next thirty days. And it includes altering my diet as well. No more Riva's burritos. Oh, the pain.

The past few days have been poignantly stirring. I have been caught in a fluury of development of relationships.
I must be lying here. Maybe not about things being stirring, but I can hardly describe anything in my life as a "flurry."

Go team blue!

Donovan is the only person in the world who will get that.
We were both wearing blue shirts at the party.

But I do not mean to alienate all others. I feel like a surfer, paddling furiously against that monster wave that inevitably will come
I had been talking about Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure earlier today with my sister and here I am pretending to be a slightly more articulate Keanu Reeves.

I'm riding it now, though. Gone are the arbitrary measures of my worth. Gone is the excess that I so willingly drown myself in.
Excess=Riva's.

I hope that I am lost completely. Now the conditions are such that the chaff cannot rise, only the wheat.
I don't know, maybe I wanted a sandwich or something.

Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.
I'm not sure here either but I do remember stubbing the bloody hell out of my left pinky toe.

The most important literary moment I can recall is oddly Interview With The Vampire. The part where it is understood. You are dying. You are dying, and you will reawaken. Ha, romantic indeed.
I think I am actually getting drunker somehow

Bouncing arojnd are we? Bounce with me, then.
Now I'm sure of it.

I am a Batman fan. Really, have a tattoo on my shoulder.

But the unspoken part nhas always been the villains. My favorite villain?

Two Face.

Why? Because he is a man with the same capabilities., all tha changed was his methods. He chose to fall victim in order to get what he wanted. He sacrificed himself, really.
I had a conversation last night about Batman villains. It must have had quite an impact on me.

I'm not about sacrifice.
Well, I'm not.

But pain, I know well.
I must be talking about my toe again.

Enjoy this drunken post, it will be the last in a while. People have died of depriving themselves alcohol. But let us see.
Fun Fact! Yes, people have actually died from withdrawal when quitting drinking.

Let us see what I do.
Yes, let's.




Thursday, June 19, 2003

"Noooooooooo!" I cried as I leapt at Tim to snatch the phone away from him. I succeeded, but in my moment of distraction Andew S. had seen his chance and was dialing away. And of course, as I tried to stop him Tim managed to unlock his phone. I was no match for speed dial.

I have heard of key parties, wherein all that are drinking give up their keys. I now propose phone parties, where if you pass a certain point of intoxication you must relinquish your phone.

I suppose that you just have to let them make their own mistakes. It's the only way they'll learn.

You just can't tell them what to do.

But I will advise any and all who live in Hayden Square or frequent the area to stay out of the hot tub for at least 3 days. You'll want to trust me on this.

On a much more sanitary note:

Andrew Severyn and I would like to formally announce our joining of forces. Be afraid, World. You know have two drunken minorities to contend with.

Although I don't think I'm technically a minority in this state...

But our point is made.

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

I'm home.

I'm alive.

What more do you want from me?
The Car.....Is Done!

Now I can finally go back home! Back to work! And the heat! And the no beaches! And back to the bills and bosses and not-so-fresh seafood and...and...

Aw, crap.

Monday, June 16, 2003

I feel like a housewife right now, only I'm not so much cooking or cleaning. In fact, I am eating and making even more of a mess. I hope that deters any of you that are contemplating trying to whisk me away to elope. Brian Goldstein is off at work. So far my day has consisted of eating waffles, playing Tony Hawk 4, and taking a short nap. Curse this prison!

I have had plenty of time to think. And thanks to the wife of the mechanic, I will have even more time to think since she went into labor this morning. I really don't know who to be angry at. The wife? The husband? The baby? All three? I've never hated an entire family before...wait, yes, The Osmonds.

I've been lying on the floor staring up at the ceiling trying not to think about the beer in the fridge. Instead I've been analyzing the group dynamic of the five of us that originally went on this trip. I've observed the following:

The Great Divide; Male/Female Herd Mentality:
We are all friends, but during our running around our group would almost split into two, like an amoeba going too fast for itself. Alan, Andrew, and I would usually be running off ahead with Lauren and Kate a bit behind us. It could be because of our longer legs, or maybe we smelled badly. Maybe both were factors.

The Big Tease, aka The Christ Figure:

Time after time I have seen this happen. At the very beginning of the trip, one member of the party will do or say something whiny, stupid, embarrassing, or all three. If this is noticed by the majority of the group, that member of the party is done for. They have unwittingly designated themselves as the Crap Receiver. Yes, they will get hassled for anything they say, do, suggest, or complain about. It varies from person to person to person and group to group, but there is often someone who is the butt of of most of the jokes. For example, when I went camping with Chuck, DC, Nunemacher, and some of the other boys, it was Tim who was getting all the crap. When I went to San Francisco with Brian Young and Nick Gordenski, it was Joey Moore who fell prey to our constant criticism. And this trip (the one I am still on thanks to Ford and a zygote) it was Andrew Nunemacher. It wasn't too terrible, but he was pretty consistently made fun of. I assume it was because he was the only non-2000 there. And the youngest. And he doesn't really drink. And he just kept asking where and when we were going to eat next. But the role he played was a crucial one, particularly as events became more stressful.

Save Us Cheebus!

When the car broke down, we rose to the occasion. There was no bickering that I can recall. We all understood the problem and it's implications. We were all a little worried, but mostly just glad we had made it out of traffic alive. We worked very well together in crisis. I was very impressed with the girls' car-pushing abilities. I lift my mug to all present.

The Ex-Connection:

Of course, it is difficult to observe myself without bias. So I'll just try to forget what I was thinking (which is seldom a problem) and focus on what I was doing. I was examining my interaction with the others and I found anomaly, and not in an unexpected place. Kate and I are pretty wild (as individuals) and are often up to something...zany. Anyway, we began synchronizing our antics. She would get all crazy and run around and do stuff like try to pull Andrew's towel off (we were washing our clothes) and I would just be chillin'. And when she was chillin' I would usually be hopping around. When we were both together we were pretty chill. I am not reading anything into it, but I just noticed it so I thought I would mention it.

* * *
I am feeling oddly stressed. I know that this really isn't that big of a deal. I'm missing work, but they know and seem to be cool about it. I am using my parent's car, but they have mine to use until I get back. It isn't as roomy, but hey, life's rough. There are the impending costs of repairs, but that is what emergency savings are for, right?
Thus far, all my bases are covered.

I am starting to think that I am just being worn down a bit by the constant crushing of my hopes. The rollercoasters at Six Flags have nothing on the emotional one this auto shop has had me on:

Friday Morning: "It's going to be done Friday afternoon."
Friday Afternoon: "It's going to be done Monday morning."
Monday Morning: "My wife is in labor, it'll have to wait until Tuesday."
Tuesday Morning: ???

I have to keep my cool. Always look on the bright side of life, I say.

And one thought does make me feel better.

I just realized that I may be the first person in history to ever go to a mechanic and pay less because of labor.

AlwaysEphemeral: What news, O Goldstein?

Brian Is Workin: this sounds fuckin unreal
Brian Is Workin: the guy called me
Brian Is Workin: the mechanics wife went into labor this morning

AlwaysEphemeral: ...