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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…

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…

It’s turned out to be a seriously hectic week and I never quite expected that. And it may be a fairly hectic weekend too. Oh well. It will help keep my mind off where I won’t be…

On the agenda:

• Working on a new site, and maybe doing some preliminary work on another new one too.

• Shooting a solution containing boric acid directly into my right eye. Several times.
• Catching up on long-neglected email.
• Laundry and severe spring cleaning.
• A blood-letting tomorrow so that I can learn that my condition hasn’t really changed much since the last one.
• Definitely a movie break on Saturday night.
• Popping downstairs and smashing in some idiot’s windshield if his car alarm doesn’t shut the fuck up really soon.

Oh God. I’m Charlotte Flax from “Mermaids” too. There has to be some significance here, but since I’ve never seen the movie, I won’t take a stab at what it might be…

Which Winona Are You?

Thanks to Mark via Sarah. Or vice versa. Y’know, you two really need to meet at some point…

I hate Sunday nights. Just when I’m getting used to being curled up, comfy, and cozy from the weekend, I don’t get to be anymore. It’s right about now that those 189 miles seem like about a million…

But now I’m sort of grinning. And sort of tired. And sort of pondering putting that extra blanket on the bed to compensate over the next twelve days…

It was a good weekend: pizza and Quiz Show with Mark, Dan, and Jamie on Friday night; record stores, subways, Escape from New York, and Ethiopian food with Mark on Saturday; and the post Chinese New Year street festival in Chinatown today. And then there was this morning’s blue breakfast, but that’s a story for another time when there are pictures…

Wow. Tad’s has a website now. Cool. And it’s less than six months ’til this year’s birthday bash. Mark your calendars…

Home from a slightly-belated Valentine’s Day weekend in Fresno with Mark. It was every bit as romantic and wonderful as I wanted. You know, of course, that I’ve scored the best boy in the world. And for those of you who are totally cheesed out by all MY mushiness lately too, well, tough. It’s probably gonna get worse…

But not tonight. There’s nothing but sleep in my immediate future. Especially since I left my toothbrush at Mark’s and don’t much feel like going to the all-night Walgreen’s at this point…

I feel a spurt of updates coming tomorrow (later today?) for the holiday, but I ain’t promising…