Sometimes you just find the coolest stuff when you’re looking for something else…
And it strikes me that there are currently way too many graphics and not nearly enough text on my front page right now. The balance usually swings in the other direction, so it’s probably OK, but it’s also something I need to work on…
But not tonight…
I finally got it. By that I mean this chest cold and flu-ish thing everyone I work with seems to have. And I want to thank them all personally for coming into work contageous. Really…
It came suddenly, over about three hours this morning. Since I’m not allowed to take anything for this, I’ll just sweat out the fever, the chills, the aches, and the cough which makes it all about ten times worse. I started by sleeping (sort of) for about four hours this afternoon. I may do so again tonight and tomorrow…
I’m not pleasant to be around when I’m this sick. Especially when there’s not a bloody thing I can do about it…
I pretty much haven’t gotten out of bed for two days., and I just about can’t remember the last time I felt this fucking miserable…
I won’t say that I feel great this morning, beacuse I surely don’t. But I think I may have arrived at the point where I can drive to the Safeway and get some decent food in the house. And maybe even sit upright long enough to answer some email…
Dammit, this is not how I wanted to spend my weekend. I should be curled up watching cartoons with Mark right now…
This is getting on my nerves. I feel like I’m sort of floating in a foam, not quite connecting properly with anything. Lest anyone worry, my problem is physical, not metaphysical, and I think it’s mostly result of the still slightly present death flu, combined with the fact that I haven’t really had a cigarette in five days…
And yes, I am using the fact that the idea of smoking makes me nauseous right now as an easy way to get through those first days of nicotine withdrawal, thanks. At least something good should come out of this whole thing…
But I sure do feel fuzzy-headed, even though I think I’m at least close to healthy again. I can’t quite concentrate on things. Sounds seem kind of muffled. And everything smells funny. I wouldn’t look for any exciting revelations or profound thoughts in this space for at least another day or two…
Yeah, as if…
It needs to be Friday and I need to be answering my door and seeing this face right now. An unplanned two-week separation is even worse than a planned one…
The Grapes of Wrath. I’ve seen it more than ten times. I have it on tape. But I’ll still sit through the damned thing every time it’s on TV…
Apologies for the lack of updates this week. I’m working on on it. Really…
Major US cities I’d most like to live in if family, climate, and economy were not factors:
Chicago
Major US cities I’d probably consider living in given the right set of inducements:
Major US cities I can’t imagine ever wanting to live in:
Rest well, Dr. Scholl…
In response to a request for elaboration about yesterday’s list of cities I might like (or hate) to live in, I’ll offer the following bits of info on what I do or don’t like in a city. And if some of this sounds familiar, that’s because it is, but I don’t think the original essay is posted anymore…
I like cities with a distinct urban “feel’, but this is a subjective thing. Some people think “urban” means Times Square in New York or Union Square in SF, but I’m more inclined to give that designation to ares like the Outer Mission or Brooklyn. I like a little grit and a certain reality. I don’t do tourist traps nor malls…
I also like cities to have texture. By texture, I’m not referring to successive waves of gentrification which have turned interesting working class neighborhoods into cutesy little boutique zones. Texture refers to a mix of building ages and types. It means things like diners and hardware stores rather than shops selling nothing but ironic greeting cards…
I don’t like places which, like so much of the sunbelt, appear to be nothing but stucco and plastic, all of it seemingly erected last week. I’m not fond of “upscale” places, nor of large and visible “gay neighborhoods”. These places tend to be exceedingly boring and bland and superficial, and full of similarly boring and bland and superficial people I don’t want to share the sidewalk with…
I like places with enough of a literate and collegiate presence to support good bookstores and good, cheap restaurants, but without that annoying and overpowering “college town” syndrome. That’s also why I tend to like bigger cities; they can absorb a large university presence without being overwhelmed by it…
I like places where transit is a viable option, but not the only one. I’d like not to have to drive, but I’d also like to be able to do so when I feel like it. I like some density, but not so much that it makes completing the simplest task a nightmarish challenge…
I am completely unconcerned with being around a large “gay community”, nor do I care much about “cultural opportunities” like the opera, the ballet, etc. I judge a city based on its good and cheap restaurants rather than its four-star “fine dining” experiences. I want a five dollar meal, not a five dollar cup of coffee. And I’m more worried about having an easily-accessible Target or Wal-Mart than a Macy’s or a Bloomie’s…
And when I get bored with the city I’m in, I’d like there to be lots more within easy driving distance…
Hope that begins to clear it all up…
OK. I’ll play too. How well do you know me? (Quiz closed; link is to results.)
And if I were all of you, I’d be very careful about giving these people an email address…
I’ve been interviewed both live and via email over the years, and email interviews are always more taxing than I think they’re going to be. Maybe because I actually have to worry about spelling and punctuation…