Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Hi, I'm [Condoblogger]...
For all of his wonderfulness, there is one area in which "P" does not do very well in. He's a bad introducer. I'll be standing next to him for long periods of time without being introduced while he talks to someone. It's not something that bothers me... we've talked about it and I know it's not a comment on me or anything like that, it's just one of his foibles.
Ultimately I introduce myself and we move on.
SOMETIMES this is a carefully crafted tactic on "P's" part. On occasion he will not REMEMBER someone's name and so my JOB is to introduce myself, thus forcing the other person to introduce his or herself as well. Then "P" can just apologize for not introducing us AND pretend that he knew the other person's name all along.
Last night we were at a party (not a Halloween one, just a regular one) and "P" was having a conversation with a guy who is looking for work in "P's" line of business. As usual I was not introduced. Also as usual (at a party) I had been drinking. So at a lull in their conversation I stuck my hand out and said, "Hi, I'm [Condoblogger]," and the guy replied in kind with a greeting and his name, and their conversation moved on.
About 5 minutes later, I realize that I have not yet been introduced to this guy, so at a lull in their conversation I stick my hand out and say, "Hi, I'm [Condoblogger]." Both the guy and "P" look at me as if I were from Mars, and "P" says, "We know. You just introduced yourself a couple minutes ago." I was so embarrassed. Still am. I am terrible at parties. I try too hard, drink too much and interrupt too often.
Is this early Alzheimer's or a Pavlovian response to certain party stimuli or was I just drunk? At least I won't forget that guy's name now... "Good to meet you, Chris."
Ultimately I introduce myself and we move on.
SOMETIMES this is a carefully crafted tactic on "P's" part. On occasion he will not REMEMBER someone's name and so my JOB is to introduce myself, thus forcing the other person to introduce his or herself as well. Then "P" can just apologize for not introducing us AND pretend that he knew the other person's name all along.
Last night we were at a party (not a Halloween one, just a regular one) and "P" was having a conversation with a guy who is looking for work in "P's" line of business. As usual I was not introduced. Also as usual (at a party) I had been drinking. So at a lull in their conversation I stuck my hand out and said, "Hi, I'm [Condoblogger]," and the guy replied in kind with a greeting and his name, and their conversation moved on.
About 5 minutes later, I realize that I have not yet been introduced to this guy, so at a lull in their conversation I stick my hand out and say, "Hi, I'm [Condoblogger]." Both the guy and "P" look at me as if I were from Mars, and "P" says, "We know. You just introduced yourself a couple minutes ago." I was so embarrassed. Still am. I am terrible at parties. I try too hard, drink too much and interrupt too often.
Is this early Alzheimer's or a Pavlovian response to certain party stimuli or was I just drunk? At least I won't forget that guy's name now... "Good to meet you, Chris."
Friday, October 26, 2007
Off Target
Guess they don't need my holiday help. Hmph.
Needless to say, I'm shocked. If I go in there and see one of these people working I may loose what is left of my self esteem.
Actually, there is a whole 'nuther component to this story now. My REAL job has changed yet again and my new hours would not be compatible with a shift at my favorite retailer... so it all worked out sort of.
Even so, I'm still pissed I didn't get an offer.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Uncontrolled Fire Sucks
So tough to watch all the tragedy in California right now.
I've been there... in both senses of the word "there."
I've been "there" in Southern California during fire season. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley just outside L.A. I went to a private school west of my 'hood down the 101 for my Elementary/Jr. High school years. It was evacuated a couple times due to fires that raced from Agoura to the sea following Kanan Dume Road. The school never burned (much to me and my classmates chagrin) but it came close. Hopping over 12 lanes of freeway to get to us.
A lifetime later... Superbowl Sunday 2001, here in Atlanta, the house I shared with my first "living together" boyfriend burned badly.
That's our bedroom on top and an adjacent study in the pic below that.
We'd had friends over to watch the game earlier in the day and had been making good use of the fireplace. I think we must have had it running (gas flame, gas logs) all day. It wasn't until late that night that the house caught fire though.
I used to joke that "Queer as Folk" saved my ex's life. After our friends had left and I'd gone to work he stayed up late to watch it. If he'd gone to bed at his normal time, the smoke probably would have lulled him into unconsciousness before the fire really got going.
The investigator's best guess is that there was a structural defect that developed in the chimney slowly over the 70 years the house stood there. Somehow the wood framing adjacent to the fireplace (you can see the chimney coming up through the second floor in the lower pic) became superheated and just combusted. There's also a good chance that whoever converted the attic space into living space had improperly built the staircase framing too close to the chimney but most of that evidence was lost in the blaze.
The fire probably smoldered in the wall for hours before really lighting up and breaking through a light switch at the top of the steps. When my ex tells the story, the house "burned down" but in reality it was just very badly damaged. The pics above are of the upstairs, water and smoke caused most of the damage downstairs. That was really the worst of it. In a way I wish the house had burned completely to the ground. That way everything would have been gone... clean slate. Instead we had to go in and try and decide which of the memories that survived the flames were salvageable, and which were just too far gone. Seeing the stuff that I loved damaged was much harder than just never seeing it again.
It was traumatic, but our neighbors and friends came together and helped us out... I am trying to imagine what the atmosphere in Lake Arrowhead must be like... or Castaic Lake where whole NEIGHBORHOODS are trying to deal and cope. Over 1500 homes burned to the ground. Amazing.
click --->here<--- to find out some ways to help
I've been there... in both senses of the word "there."
I've been "there" in Southern California during fire season. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley just outside L.A. I went to a private school west of my 'hood down the 101 for my Elementary/Jr. High school years. It was evacuated a couple times due to fires that raced from Agoura to the sea following Kanan Dume Road. The school never burned (much to me and my classmates chagrin) but it came close. Hopping over 12 lanes of freeway to get to us.
A lifetime later... Superbowl Sunday 2001, here in Atlanta, the house I shared with my first "living together" boyfriend burned badly.
That's our bedroom on top and an adjacent study in the pic below that.
We'd had friends over to watch the game earlier in the day and had been making good use of the fireplace. I think we must have had it running (gas flame, gas logs) all day. It wasn't until late that night that the house caught fire though.
I used to joke that "Queer as Folk" saved my ex's life. After our friends had left and I'd gone to work he stayed up late to watch it. If he'd gone to bed at his normal time, the smoke probably would have lulled him into unconsciousness before the fire really got going.
The investigator's best guess is that there was a structural defect that developed in the chimney slowly over the 70 years the house stood there. Somehow the wood framing adjacent to the fireplace (you can see the chimney coming up through the second floor in the lower pic) became superheated and just combusted. There's also a good chance that whoever converted the attic space into living space had improperly built the staircase framing too close to the chimney but most of that evidence was lost in the blaze.
The fire probably smoldered in the wall for hours before really lighting up and breaking through a light switch at the top of the steps. When my ex tells the story, the house "burned down" but in reality it was just very badly damaged. The pics above are of the upstairs, water and smoke caused most of the damage downstairs. That was really the worst of it. In a way I wish the house had burned completely to the ground. That way everything would have been gone... clean slate. Instead we had to go in and try and decide which of the memories that survived the flames were salvageable, and which were just too far gone. Seeing the stuff that I loved damaged was much harder than just never seeing it again.
It was traumatic, but our neighbors and friends came together and helped us out... I am trying to imagine what the atmosphere in Lake Arrowhead must be like... or Castaic Lake where whole NEIGHBORHOODS are trying to deal and cope. Over 1500 homes burned to the ground. Amazing.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
OK, How Butch am I?
I came across this test on Mike's blog (he is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). The first time I took it I was Platoon but I forgot to cut and paste the code. So I took it again, surprisingly similar films! I did the 45 question survey (doesn't take as long as you would imagine). Which one are you?
Lots of movie posts in my little blogosphere right now... the post that started it all on Mike's page, then there's Jason's post about Kubrick, Paul's post about Into the Wild, even cerebral Joe posted about the cinema on the beach this week. What's up with that?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)