toilet seats

what is it with guys and toilet seats? i've recently noticed that the toilet seat has stayed in an upright position. it used to be in the down position much more often, in fact, so often that i thought, "wow, how nice that a guy puts down the toilet seat even in his own bachelor pad!" but maybe time has worn out the need to keep up certain impressions. maybe we're getting too comfortable together. is there something as being too comfortable? is that the trade-off, reaching a certain level of comfort only to have the toilet seat stay up? maybe my next project will focus on designing a new toilet that will address this problem.

french quarters

today, i went on a stroll through the french quarters. i didn't want to be stuck in the hotel all day, breathing stale air. i got the sunshine and fresh air but also encountered some weird circus-like music. it blared all over the quarters and was off-key or something, like the machine that's blasting it was drunk. it is new orleans, i guess.

as i headed back to the hotel, the source of the music seemed to start following me. i almost started running. i kept looking back, expecting to see something like an ice-cream or coffee truck but maybe an alcohol truck instead. there was nothing, however. i don't do drugs and can't drink so i know i was sober. really. i think i'm just going to avoid the quarters for a while.

new orleans

earlier this week, i got a call to work on a project in new orleans. someone i know already got a job on the project and recommended me for another position that opened up. so i flew into the city on wednesday and started work yesterday. i must admit that a 2-day work week is awesome.

it's the type of project where everyone on it knows it's not exactly classic material, but sometimes they're the best projects. there's no pretension so no one will take it that seriously. people will still do their jobs because they're professionals, but they will have the chance to have fun on it.

the position i'm holding is a new one for me. i'm not quite sure what i have to do exactly yet, but i'm sure i'll understand it more as i get more stuff to work on. fingers-crossed that this will be a good one.

dusk over the east river

as the n train took us back to brooklyn via the manhattan bridge, we saw dusk fall over the east river. it is sadly one of the few times that i've caught the sight, considering i live in new york. the sky was a dark blue that faded into a translucent robin's egg blue that turned into a pale yellow that eventually ended in a goldenrod before hitting the horizon. all of this with the silhouette of the brooklyn bridge with its magnificent web of cables overlaying the magical sky.

i saw a woman taking a picture of the scene on her cell phone. what a waste. it's not even a matter of the quality of her cell phone camera. it's one of those rare moments where i would even forgo a photograph with a real 35mm camera so as to just simply enjoy the beauty created by a combination of nature and human being's industry without having to possess it on file or on a piece of paper.

dreaming of blueberry pancakes but why not bacon?

i had a dream last night of having brunch with my mom and sister in italy. we decided on eggs and ham. then, i noticed the restaurant also served blueberry pancakes. my sister agreed to share a short stack of them with me. i know it makes no sense since it's really american breakfast fare, and i would NEVER eat american food abroad, especially in italy, just because i think that ruins the experience of going abroad. globalization really means americanization, and what's the point of traveling abroad only to eat american food? anyway, in the dream, it made sense, in the dream-sense.

later this morning, r and i went out for breakfast. i saw blueberry pancakes on the menu and had to go for it. i got eggs as well but bacon instead of ham. i know i would've chosen bacon had it been on the dream menu. mmm...bacon... maybe i think about it enough in real life that it avoids my dreams.

day 3

this is day 3 of 2008, and i'm not sure which way things are headed this year. 2007 turned out to be a surprising year, i guess, full of extremes. love finally came. work was the worst it had ever been. i finally made holiday cards and was reminded how wonderful it feels to create.

2008 feels uncertain. it's really just work that makes me feel so uncertain. but we do live in a capitalistic society where money rules. i have to get a job. i don't know what i want to do anymore or what i'm capable of doing anymore, but i'm tired of not working. i don't want to feel like a bum this year. i normally don't make resolutions, but maybe that's it. or maybe i'm being too melodramatic. after all, it's only day 3. there are 363 days to turn things around.

yay to all the february 29 babies & merry 2008 to everyone!