Saturday, May 29, 2004

Yesterday, I went to the used bookstore and procured two fine works of literature (by Willa Cather and William Faulkner) for a song (or $4.50, depending on how you view it). Glee! I am glad that truth and beauty are unpopular these days...it means that they are often bargain priced...

Adventures in cookery and general domesticity! Made potstickers (or chinese dumplings, whathaveyou) from scratch, an arduous procedure. If my time were in any sense translatable into money, the process would have been unwarranted. As it is, my time is free (in all senses of the word), and the results were toothsome and delectable.

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Listening to: David Bowie and Sonic Youth, I'm Afraid of Americans. David Bowie has aged so gracefully...

Pondering: well, according to the Onion personals, at least, all of the areas where I might potentially be working this fall are devoid of intelligent, single men. Musclebound troglodytes, the lot of them (actually, some of the troglodytes aren't even musclebound). Oh well. Just me and my Futurama episodes, contra mundum.

Latest job offer: teach 1st-3rd grade at a Catholic private school...in New Jersey...which doesn't have a classroom, or building, or anything. Yet. However, should they get off the ground, I would get to have free reign in designing the curriculum, plus have a whole bunch of eager parent aides (yes, this entire venture is mom-founded. how did you guess?). The founders are tres enthusiastic, and the whole (hypothetical) school has an "adopt a lost puppy on a shoestring budget...for God!" atmosphere which I find familiar. And appealing. Awww, a lost puppy...

Sunday, May 23, 2004

Etiquette dillema of the day: I was sitting at Mass today, and the couple in front of us had two children; a hyperactive two year old, and a ~three month old in a baby carrier. At some point during the Mass, while the parents were abstracted, the two year old poked her head over the pew, flashed me an impish grin, and began leaning against the infant in the carrier in a manner definitely conducive to smothering. In such a situation, is it more polite to:

A. drag the child off of the infant oneself?

B. quietly alert one of the parents as to the murderous intent of their offspring?

C. remain seated and watch the proceedings in a horrified but impartial manner, much as one would a Discovery Channel show where the larger eagle chick forces the smaller into starvation through coopting more than its fair share of regurgitated fish?

I was about to go with (A), but fortunately one of the parents noticed on their own and intervened.

Saturday, May 22, 2004

Activities of the evening include peeling potatoes and drinking Coronas. The process of peeling potatoes becomes more pleasant as the Corona drinking continues...

Things which currently weigh upon my mind:


  • teaching at a private school, salary-wise, is somewhat akin to glorified volunteerism.

  • I am categorically opposed to pantyhose. This, alone, probably disqualifies me from most white collar type jobs.

  • I have the upper arm strength of a cancerous lemur, and the hand eye coordination of a somewhat backwards infant. This, alone, probably disqualifies me from most bluecollar jobs. Also, I have a strong aversion to fire and heights, which lets out roofing, welding, pottery making, and glass-blowing. Let's not even get into my dislike of driving, dealing with people over the phone, or selling useless products.

  • grim corporate entities which attempt to pass themselves off as loving, caring corporate environments where individuals actually matter are more annoying than the straight-up grim corporate entities.

  • I like bugs, children, small animals, being useful, cooking, blathering on about biology and chemistry and philosophy, writing about esoteric topics, being cynical, and criticizing earnest people. This probably amounts to a lifelong love of being sort of poor.





Friday, May 21, 2004

Well, I've knuckled under. Sold out. Succumbed to the ease of push-button publishing and pre-fabbed templates...