I bought a typewriter... and other sterotypical things

It's a nice typewriter. I'm actually very excited about my typewriter. I hope it actually fulfills my expectation of helping me not be distracted when I write (type?) and isn't only "well I want to be a writer so I should get a typewriter like all the other famous writers had and used".

I tend to be ridiculous like that sometimes.

Ok. Maybe more often than sometimes.

But who's keeping score.

I'm not.

In addition to my typewriter, I've secured a cabin in the woods for a weekend to type on it. Just far enough outside the beaten path to not effectively get cell reception or data services.

I'll be cut off from the world.

In a cabin.

Writing what I hope to be the first few chapters of a book.

On a typewriter.

Anyone have recommendations for sufficiently stereotypical meals I can/should cook for myself?

Maybe swordfish steaks??

Perhaps I've just ventured off into the deep end.....

Unproductivity and the like

I wish I knew why my time spent on the computer revolves around refreshing my Facebook home page. I would really like to be doing more productive things than that....

Speaking of not being able to be productive... I find it a sick joke that the universe decides to give me not only a Sunday free, but a snow day on Monday, while simultaneously providing me with the worst stomach virus I've had in 15+ years. I'll spare everyone the gory details but it's as bad as you could imagine, maybe worse for those of you with weak stomach's. I was incapacitated on Sunday to the point I couldn't even sit at my computer. It was laying on the bed or laying on the couch and that was it. But, on the upside I suppose, here's to loosing 10 pounds in 32 hours! I'm not sure how much of that was simple dehydration, but hopefully not too much.

Another things sapping my productivity are 4 episodes of 24 in my Hulu queue. And of course, it's not just the filler episodes, but the four leading up to what some might term a 'mid season cliffhanger'. This also means that my attention is riveted to my second monitor except for the 30 second Hulu commercial breaks, where I'm typing this post. One comment on the episodes... if FBI and others don't have waterproof and shockproof cell phones in real life it'd be the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Anyway... I'm going to stop near live-blogging my Hulu watching experience and end this post before I take any more characters to say absolutely nothing of substance or value...

Blogmark - California

Like the scores of books sitting on myself with colored tassels hanging out of their tops and down their spines, marking places I've long since forgotten that I've read to, so this blogmark holds a place in my blog for my trip to California. This will be where I will explicate the following potentially confusing list of events.

In only a minor representation of no particular order, where:

- I met Gaius Baltar, the harbinger of death to the 12 colonies of Kobol, all for a hot blond and glowing spine;

- I met one of the most significant contemporary musical influences in my life currently;

- I learned that geeks everywhere can bond anywhere;

- Sleeping in an airport is an acceptable means of overnight accommodations;

- I walked 2 miles uphill because 1. I said I would and 2. was too stubborn to stop anywhere but the top;

- I decided to watch a tear-jerker of a movie on a plane surrounded by 5 adult women from the same eye doctor's office coming back from a conference of some sort, presumably having to do with optometry;

- I helped DS successfully think up a good excuse to play hookey from work and spend the day roaming her world, meeting her friends, and enjoying her company just like the old times;

- I traveled the countryside to have lunch with far off friends, because they weren't so far off anymore;

- I decided it was a great idea to take a 10:25pm flight to get me home at 6:45am after the appropriate amount of time and time zone adjustments, and then go right to work at The Agency (my blind co-workers can't see me sleeping, so I won't actually be sleeping then, right?)

- I now go to sleep to rest for my last day with the ocean on the wrong side me and turn off DS's iTunes I've been enjoying listening to (I forgot how much I missed my Robert Miles cassette tape, which I should probably get on CD now...)

Smooth Move (this is a stolen title)

So the title of this post is stolen. I stole it. I did that because it fits so absolutely perfectly to the ending of my day at work I couldn't not steal it. I'll take this moment to beg the writer's forgiveness for taking the title and even link back to her post just like if I were citing a source in a paper I was writing. Now, with that taken care of...

So today at work, the main event of the day, was moving the contents of my cubicle across the office to the my new cubicle. I think I like the new one much better than the old one I had. First, it's bigger... and when it comes to cubicle space, bigger is most definitely better. Second, it's part of a office wide reorganization to group units together, so now instead of getting 20 phone calls from a team member, she is within talking distance of me so she can just ask me whatever she needs. The second part of this second reason is now that I'm over so close to her, chances are I'll be getting a large, black, four-legged visitor walking over to my cubicle to say hello to me multiple times a day. I love my job :-)

So, I move all the big boxes of hanging file folders and desk organizers and miscellaneous Battlestar Galactica merchandise I've brought in to the new spot with no problems. I go back to bring boxes of paper that I use to print up copies of my report and I don't know if I was just tired and forgot to loosen my pants, or if they were defective to begin with, or what, but I kneel down and as I pick up the first case of paper, I hear a gigantic rip. As loud and as comical sounding a rip as you'd hear in any half hour sitcom on television. I almost thought it was fake, until I felt a draft...

Yes, that's right, it doesn't just happen on tv and in the movies, I split the ass seam of my pants right down the middle. I wasn't quite sure what to do that moment, since I still had the box of paper in my arms, so I looked out both directions of the cubicle, and then just walked over when no one was coming. No one had needle and thread for me to attempt some sort of re-seaming by hand on it (yes, I sew) nor saftey pins, so from 2pm until I left the office today, I had the arms of my jacket tied around my waist, coving the foot long hole exposing my boxers to my colleagues.

I was actually much less embarrassed than I would have though that I'd be in that situation, probably as a result of reading the original "smooth move" and remembering my own advice. Yeah, it felt a little awkward walking around making sure my coat was tied around my waist, but other than that... I think more people were confused by the amused smile I had on my face than anything else. So yes, that was my "smooth move" today and why I had to absolutely steal that title for this post. And just to prove it to anyone who thinks I'm telling a tall tale:

Rock around the clock...

Sun 10am: Wake up in Chicago to spend the last time of day with Actress before Surfer and I head back east.

Sun 12pm: We put in Office Space to watch for the first time. I thought it was ok, but thought the plot was super weak and couldn't relate at all. I actually love my job and love working in cubicles more than I ever expected to!

Sun 3pm: Get to airport and bid Chicago farewell.

Sun 4:30pm: Run into same Relationship Girl from Philly that we met on the flight here (what are the odds we all picked the same flights). If I didn't explain this before, I'll clarify later.

Sun 8pm: Back in Philly safely, got Surfer's luggage, and took taxi back to my apartment

Sun 9pm: I get the key that E left for me after he finished installing our new door, that actually closes and locks now! It'll be nice to feel safe in my own apartment again. Took out the garbage and showed Surfer my finally repaired car which he was mighty impressed with

Sun 10:30pm: Spend time at Surfer's house talking with his parents and helping him pack for Costa Rica which he was leaving for tomorrow

Sun 11:30pm: Finally decide that I'm going to drive Surfer and his friends to the airport in GW's truck once he gets back from NYC but after we drop Surfer's sister's car off to get fixed.

Monday 12:30am: Drop Surfer's sister's car off to get fixed. Narrowly avoid 3rd major accident by not getting hit by idiot who decided to run the red light when I was making a left turn on green. Unanimous decision to officially name my car "Lazarus" or "Laz" for short as a result of it's death and resurrection experiences. Finally, after 133,476 miles my car has an official name. I'm happy.

Mon 1am: Go over to GW's apartment to pick up his truck. Hang out with a random German and GW's little sis for a while.

Mon 1:30am: Back to Surfer's house where he makes pancakes for us to eat cause we didn't get dinner really and were still kinda hungry from the day's events. Realize at this point there will be no sleep tonight.

Mon 2:30am: Leave Surfer's house all packed, get gas for GW's truck, a Red Bull (the big 12oz) for me, and go to his friend's house to pick everyone else up.

Mon 3:45am: Pick the 4 of them up, load 11 surf boards and 5 bags into the bed of GW's truck and head to Newark Airport

Mon 4:45am: Get to Newark, drop Surfer and friends off safely and I head back to GW's with his truck since he needs it for work at 6:30am

Mon 6am: Drop keys and a $20 off at GW's place. The genius he is locked the front door, so I had to break into the back sliding door to leave the keys and money inside.

Mon 6:30am Get back to my parents house to change, get what I need for work, and write this post, because blogging is starting to become a minor obsession... and I like it.

PRESENT TIME: Finishing this post, making lunch, and getting ready to go to the train

For those of you keeping score, that's correct, I will have gotten exactly 0 hours sleep for work today! Luckily my main task for today is moving the contents of my cubicle across the office to be closer to the rest of my Executive Services Unit people. This means that I will now have a large black lab randomly wandering over into my cubicle during the day to say hi when he feels like it.... and that's made of awesomeness. I'd like to take this moment to once again thank my father's genetic history that allows me to do these crazy things to help out my friends. I'm really really glad that it's something I'm capable of doing.

And now, I'm off to work! Have a good day everyone!!!