this morning we were offered earplugs in light of the impending show. when the show began, i realized i had forgotten to collect, as the scream of multiple jet engines warming up pierced my head and everybody else's hands dove either into their ears or into their pockets to extract plugs.
and then i remembered - i've been carrying around the earplugs i obtained on the day i was inducted into the army (a long, long time ago) in the pouch the kid gave me when he got released. ironically, unlike everyone else's mine were comfortable.
go me!
i've packed now, sleepy time.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
back to basics
i saw an airshow today, and i thoroughly enjoyed it. two favourite parts: watching a spitfire's aerobatics, and seeing someone i know personally doing some crazy flying.
to summarize the day, i can write about way too much travelling, visiting a pretty cool base (although lunch was mostly inedible) and reorganizing those shifts. we're mostly settled.
it's late, i have to pack for a couple of weeks, and i have to be up early. i can't wait to get back to the desert, there's a lot less to think about down there.
shit happens at a launch
9/11 conspiracy debunking: thanks again to moonflake. someone in my course began preaching this shit on the train, it took me a while to convince him to stop spreading the word without reading their article.
kid rock makes a point - although it's not complete. the model needs to change, but simply downloading isn't the way forward. trent reznor's got it down, in my opinion.
ian usher may have something going there - sometimes a restart is a good idea
a step in the right direction: a scientific integrity oath
to summarize the day, i can write about way too much travelling, visiting a pretty cool base (although lunch was mostly inedible) and reorganizing those shifts. we're mostly settled.
it's late, i have to pack for a couple of weeks, and i have to be up early. i can't wait to get back to the desert, there's a lot less to think about down there.
shit happens at a launch
9/11 conspiracy debunking: thanks again to moonflake. someone in my course began preaching this shit on the train, it took me a while to convince him to stop spreading the word without reading their article.
kid rock makes a point - although it's not complete. the model needs to change, but simply downloading isn't the way forward. trent reznor's got it down, in my opinion.
ian usher may have something going there - sometimes a restart is a good idea
a step in the right direction: a scientific integrity oath
Monday, June 23, 2008
the snores
sleeping at the hostel was a good idea. sitting on the balcony when the american kids were "going wild" was a bad one. at least their bedtime was earlier than ours so we could talk a little and enjoy the night air once they'd made themselves scarce.
i snored last night, pissing everyone off. while i'm feeling a lot better than i did the past week, by doze id blocked and i've developed an inescapable hacking cough.
the day was all about communicating and negotiation. it was interesting, insofar as it gave a more formal background to the behaviour i've been subjected to for the last year or so.
today would've been great, but there were too many opportunities for misbehaving and we all drove our commander nuts.
she was absolutely mortified when i performed a little hands-raised-desperately-trying-to-attract-the-teacher's-attention dance "little jonny" style (i had no idea that she was right behind me at the time), and when our course is over and she's no longer in charge i'm going to have to let her in on the story to make up for it.
and handing out licorice mentos to israelis provided way more amusement than intended >:D
poor bastards.
i came home, did some shopping, schooled our new flatmate in tekken, got schooled by survivor mode, showered, did the net-trawl thing, and am now going to bed early.
success!
an hmd review that's positive, but a bit disappointing. the point made at the very end is the disappointing bit, we should be way further along than this.
holocaust denial trumps
io9's cool and crap - a potential space race vs. sporn censorship
suspended: no astrology allowed trailer
i snored last night, pissing everyone off. while i'm feeling a lot better than i did the past week, by doze id blocked and i've developed an inescapable hacking cough.
the day was all about communicating and negotiation. it was interesting, insofar as it gave a more formal background to the behaviour i've been subjected to for the last year or so.
today would've been great, but there were too many opportunities for misbehaving and we all drove our commander nuts.
she was absolutely mortified when i performed a little hands-raised-desperately-trying-to-attract-the-teacher's-attention dance "little jonny" style (i had no idea that she was right behind me at the time), and when our course is over and she's no longer in charge i'm going to have to let her in on the story to make up for it.
and handing out licorice mentos to israelis provided way more amusement than intended >:D
poor bastards.
i came home, did some shopping, schooled our new flatmate in tekken, got schooled by survivor mode, showered, did the net-trawl thing, and am now going to bed early.
success!
an hmd review that's positive, but a bit disappointing. the point made at the very end is the disappointing bit, we should be way further along than this.
holocaust denial trumps
io9's cool and crap - a potential space race vs. sporn censorship
suspended: no astrology allowed trailer
Sunday, June 22, 2008
dying but okay?
even though i'm feeling really, really horrible, and in spite of it being over a week without improvement, i've been told that if it's not getting worse, then i can't do anything more than wait patiently.
for another month, and that's just for the first appointment.
quote for the day (not mine): "money is the only thing that one doesn't put in one's mouth"
the conversation concerning my commander's perceived attitude towards me went something along these lines:
"she wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire, and that's not because it's impolite"
"she'd be standing holding the match"
"and laughing maniacally"
she's the only thing that stands between me and the next phase of the course i'm in, and what she doesn't know is that for me there won't be another opportunity. i'm going to need to have a chat with her tomorrow.
we witnessed the french president and his apparently gorgeous wife (i was sitting in the crap seats and missed everything) arriving today, and every minute until that happened (and most of them afterwards) was tortured and prolonged. too hot, too sick, too many people complaining about how the shifts don't work for them. i tried.
yesterday:
i didn't feel up to anything when i woke up, and eventually i sms'ed my mom's best friend's daughter to say i wasn't up to seeing her. she's a doctor, and brooked no argument in making a house call. it was amusing and awkward to go through a checkup at home in israel.
she declared me fit, with a couple of suggestions that i just know the army doctors won't take seriously, and we went out for sushi. we spent the afternoon chatting, moving to coffee and then to the beach with the kid, and it was really nice.
last night i met up with sammy and we went to a farewell for an ex-co-worker, and it was great seeing everyone again. i wore my new shirt [above], and so far almost everyone who's seen it finds it really amusing.
one of the guys gave me an interesting idea: open a store at cafepress, he said. hmmm.
i'm now off to the hostel again, this time i've showered first to make things easier.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
street kings
street kings is a solid film, well made and interesting. i just wish that i didn't feel so exhausted after watching it, 'cause i really wanted to go out tonight.
no, i'm not blaming the movie. it's nice to know that our neighbour's forgiven me, she watched with us and it was nice to see her again.
on a completely unrelated note, our new flatmate's got good taste and i think that we're going to get along.
no, i'm not blaming the movie. it's nice to know that our neighbour's forgiven me, she watched with us and it was nice to see her again.
on a completely unrelated note, our new flatmate's got good taste and i think that we're going to get along.
Friday, June 20, 2008
apocalypto
or perhaps, "the most incredibly long chase in the history of chases". a pretty film, but way longer than needs be. in fact, they could pretty much have done without the hour and a half introduction. it doesn't have any continuation in any event.
in other news, i played fallout 2 this afternoon and i'm now very upset. i invested a lot of time on a series of interesting things, only to quick-save over the good stuff with an unfortunately bad decision. now i either have to live with my mistake, or go back and do the whole section again. that sucks, especially when i pedantically went through an area to ensure that i scored every experience point possible.
that'll teach me. you know what? it just did. i'm going to leave my mistake as is.
in other news, i played fallout 2 this afternoon and i'm now very upset. i invested a lot of time on a series of interesting things, only to quick-save over the good stuff with an unfortunately bad decision. now i either have to live with my mistake, or go back and do the whole section again. that sucks, especially when i pedantically went through an area to ensure that i scored every experience point possible.
that'll teach me. you know what? it just did. i'm going to leave my mistake as is.
shopping frenzy
i began the morning scheduling guard duty, and i'm incredibly proud of myself for managing to make it almost fair! it's not a fun job, to be honest.
unfortunately, i wasn't given all the papers that i needed to bring to the emergency unit, so i'll have to try again on sunday via fax. i did enjoy the walk though, with my hat down and my head bobbing to zenzile and high tone's funky dub beats, and my closer to mario shirt amused / offended quite a large variety of people.
i ate cholent for breakfast at dizengoff, which was way too heavy. i couldn't find the second-hand game store that our new flatmate told me about, the one closer to home has been abandoned and the other one near the mall is closed for renovations... within the last half an hour, i've bought crash bandicoot warped, abe's exodus and the noir box set online.
on the way back home i passed by pongo to print
REAL MEN
DON'T
WEAR PINK
on a bright pink XXL shirt. it brought a grin to everyone who saw it, but i'm not sure when's a good time to put it on.
i felt terrible when i arrived home, and i think i may have to nap again. i can't tell if i feel this way because of the heat, low blood pressure, or because i have a summer cold, and it could very well be a combination of them all.
unfortunately, i wasn't given all the papers that i needed to bring to the emergency unit, so i'll have to try again on sunday via fax. i did enjoy the walk though, with my hat down and my head bobbing to zenzile and high tone's funky dub beats, and my closer to mario shirt amused / offended quite a large variety of people.
i ate cholent for breakfast at dizengoff, which was way too heavy. i couldn't find the second-hand game store that our new flatmate told me about, the one closer to home has been abandoned and the other one near the mall is closed for renovations... within the last half an hour, i've bought crash bandicoot warped, abe's exodus and the noir box set online.
on the way back home i passed by pongo to print
DON'T
WEAR PINK
on a bright pink XXL shirt. it brought a grin to everyone who saw it, but i'm not sure when's a good time to put it on.
i felt terrible when i arrived home, and i think i may have to nap again. i can't tell if i feel this way because of the heat, low blood pressure, or because i have a summer cold, and it could very well be a combination of them all.
thursday night sans alcohol
[actually posted at 8.19am on return of the internet connection]
all three of us went out to see what the tel aviv street music festival thing was about. first stop: hadag nachash. i don't really like them, but a song of theirs that i do enjoy was up when we arrived. i made a snide remark that the next song would have to be hinei ani ba (here i come), one of the most awfully annoying songs ever written, in order to balance things out.
the security girl, in addition to flirting with me, informed us that there were only nine minutes left of the concert. that made me certain that hinei ani ba would be their last, and i was right.
worse than that was watching butt-ugly mercy cases (both for being butt-ugly and for being completely in the dark musically) gyrating in ways that brought to mind half-cooked slimed chicken.
when that was over we took a walk through rothschild, which was busy as hell and filled with beautiful women. once upon a time i met one of the guys working at the sandwich stop, and he was surprised that i remembered that we'd talked about his band. they're performing next week, but i'll be doing the desert thing so no go.
we decided to make a pass by levontin 7, and treated ourselves to a performance by yael dekelbaum. her first song was great, but set a serious tone that was completely exploded when she invited her father on stage with his banjo to play bawdy irish folk music.
her range, both vocal and style, is absolutely incredible. she's riveting, and highly entertaining. there were two camps, one on either side of the stage. the left side were making fun of her, the right cheering and vetoing and singing along... apparently this is the "usual" format, and it was really easy to play along :)
we got home to discover that the shower curtain rod is out of commission, our new flatmate doesn't dry himself before standing on the mat and at 2.50am - while writing this - i've lost internet and i'm sure it's because he's hung something over the router...
in the morning: the plumber, the hospital to return a form, and a second-hand games store to try and find crash bandicoot or abe's exodus.
all three of us went out to see what the tel aviv street music festival thing was about. first stop: hadag nachash. i don't really like them, but a song of theirs that i do enjoy was up when we arrived. i made a snide remark that the next song would have to be hinei ani ba (here i come), one of the most awfully annoying songs ever written, in order to balance things out.
the security girl, in addition to flirting with me, informed us that there were only nine minutes left of the concert. that made me certain that hinei ani ba would be their last, and i was right.
worse than that was watching butt-ugly mercy cases (both for being butt-ugly and for being completely in the dark musically) gyrating in ways that brought to mind half-cooked slimed chicken.
when that was over we took a walk through rothschild, which was busy as hell and filled with beautiful women. once upon a time i met one of the guys working at the sandwich stop, and he was surprised that i remembered that we'd talked about his band. they're performing next week, but i'll be doing the desert thing so no go.
we decided to make a pass by levontin 7, and treated ourselves to a performance by yael dekelbaum. her first song was great, but set a serious tone that was completely exploded when she invited her father on stage with his banjo to play bawdy irish folk music.
her range, both vocal and style, is absolutely incredible. she's riveting, and highly entertaining. there were two camps, one on either side of the stage. the left side were making fun of her, the right cheering and vetoing and singing along... apparently this is the "usual" format, and it was really easy to play along :)
we got home to discover that the shower curtain rod is out of commission, our new flatmate doesn't dry himself before standing on the mat and at 2.50am - while writing this - i've lost internet and i'm sure it's because he's hung something over the router...
in the morning: the plumber, the hospital to return a form, and a second-hand games store to try and find crash bandicoot or abe's exodus.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
rewash mandatory
*breathes out deeply*
today began *horribly*. we discovered a leaky faucet, had serious issues with our washing machine when we tried to run the load on a quick cycle, and i left too late. in addition to leaving late, and getting to the stop a little after all the buses had gone past, i hurriedly hopped into a taxi and we hit a freak traffic jam in the wrong direction.
aside from the expense, when i realized that it would be faster to run (and that if i didn't run i'd miss my train) i launched into a sprint all the way to the station. i need to emphasize that it was so hot and humid this morning that the airflow out of the vents in the car was bright white.
about a minute from the station entry i began feeling faint. "not here," i told myself, "keep on going". on the way down the stairs my sat-phone's belt clip hooked the drawstring of some poor woman's trousers, and fortunately she managed to stop me just in time because otherwise i would've taken them with me :S
the guys i was meeting with managed to convince the train team to hold the doors, and i entered, exhausted, sweaty, faint, and with my heart rate so high i thought it would simply fail. i continued to feel awful, on the verge of fainting, until we arrived on the base. i'm really grateful that they forced me to rehydrate and made sure we sat in the air-conditioned sections of the train and the following buses.
the morning was spent arbitrarily in an air-conditioned tent, some guy asked me to look after his rifle and disappeared... it took about two hours to find him, i was getting worried that i'd have to take the damn thing home with me. i find it amusing that even after all this time, carrying a weapon feels natural and relinquishing it awkward.
after lunch, the first real beef meal the army's provided me in ages, i made my way to the clinic to sit and chat with the doctor. he referred me to a neurologist, so now i have an emergency appointment for the end of next month. gotta love the army.
the rest of the afternoon i spent going crazy trying to organize the guard schedule. we're grossly undermanned and half the group are conditional, so i have to make the best of an impossible situation.
i really, really need to get in the shower. our landlord just left after inspecting the leak, and i can finally get clean again.
today began *horribly*. we discovered a leaky faucet, had serious issues with our washing machine when we tried to run the load on a quick cycle, and i left too late. in addition to leaving late, and getting to the stop a little after all the buses had gone past, i hurriedly hopped into a taxi and we hit a freak traffic jam in the wrong direction.
aside from the expense, when i realized that it would be faster to run (and that if i didn't run i'd miss my train) i launched into a sprint all the way to the station. i need to emphasize that it was so hot and humid this morning that the airflow out of the vents in the car was bright white.
about a minute from the station entry i began feeling faint. "not here," i told myself, "keep on going". on the way down the stairs my sat-phone's belt clip hooked the drawstring of some poor woman's trousers, and fortunately she managed to stop me just in time because otherwise i would've taken them with me :S
the guys i was meeting with managed to convince the train team to hold the doors, and i entered, exhausted, sweaty, faint, and with my heart rate so high i thought it would simply fail. i continued to feel awful, on the verge of fainting, until we arrived on the base. i'm really grateful that they forced me to rehydrate and made sure we sat in the air-conditioned sections of the train and the following buses.
the morning was spent arbitrarily in an air-conditioned tent, some guy asked me to look after his rifle and disappeared... it took about two hours to find him, i was getting worried that i'd have to take the damn thing home with me. i find it amusing that even after all this time, carrying a weapon feels natural and relinquishing it awkward.
after lunch, the first real beef meal the army's provided me in ages, i made my way to the clinic to sit and chat with the doctor. he referred me to a neurologist, so now i have an emergency appointment for the end of next month. gotta love the army.
the rest of the afternoon i spent going crazy trying to organize the guard schedule. we're grossly undermanned and half the group are conditional, so i have to make the best of an impossible situation.
i really, really need to get in the shower. our landlord just left after inspecting the leak, and i can finally get clean again.
rewash
yecch. waking up at 2.30am with a head full of mucus and the scratched pain of early throat infection. summer colds are ugly.
and of course, discovering that i forgot to take the laundry out last night. smells a bit iffy.
the mausoleum - artistically sad, this one.
sci-fi lessons to save the world, or "how we can not screw it all up worse than we already are"
goro fujita's work is simply masterful
video footage of human ovulation! pretty darn impressive, actually
deep crow from spore: this designer's popularity is on the rise, i hope i get a chance to play sometime soon...
beautiful SCIENCE! shirts
redeeming AvP: i still haven't seen the second movie :(
louisiana might just pass that bill - and we might just laugh at them. maybe the whole bible belt should just secede?
vote for penny arcade! give 'em 100!
and of course, discovering that i forgot to take the laundry out last night. smells a bit iffy.
the mausoleum - artistically sad, this one.
sci-fi lessons to save the world, or "how we can not screw it all up worse than we already are"
goro fujita's work is simply masterful
video footage of human ovulation! pretty darn impressive, actually
deep crow from spore: this designer's popularity is on the rise, i hope i get a chance to play sometime soon...
beautiful SCIENCE! shirts
redeeming AvP: i still haven't seen the second movie :(
louisiana might just pass that bill - and we might just laugh at them. maybe the whole bible belt should just secede?
vote for penny arcade! give 'em 100!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
95/40
after breakfast this morning i paid the medic a quick visit and yes, i *do* have low blood pressure. yesterday the woman in charge of the clinic shouted at me until i understood that the only way to prove that i'm a sufferer is to pass out repeatedly.
essentially, she told me that i have to intentionally screw myself up.
i was told this morning that that won't be necessary, but the first opportunity i'll have to see a doctor is next week, which kinda sucks.
yesterday was a day of entirely forgettable lectures. i did receive a call informing me that the project i was working on until recently has reached a major milestone, and that only served to remind me of how far removed i am from reality at the moment.
the weather the last couple of days has been absolutely disgusting. last night a bunch of us ran in uniform with our gear, and that was mighty uncomfortable. and i wasn't feeling too good anyway - i think i might be coming down with something.
we stayed in a hostel last night. SxS called, and we chatted for half an hour. part of the discussion was an absolutely beautiful plan involving snowboarding ^_^
we all slept like babies on the orthopaedic mattresses, i dreamed real dreams for the first time in a long time [august, january's don't count as those were fever-dreams].
we travelled with a really amusing / frightening / smelly bus driver to an arbitrary base and spent the day doing nothing. i emphasize because it wasn't for lack of trying.
one of the guys has been trying to organize a mini-project with a couple of us for about two weeks, and we never get a chance to sit on it. or when we do, nobody remembers.
the concept "verbal ejaculate" keeps springing to mind whenever he opens his mouth, he's loud, tactless, permanently and completely unaware of his surroundings and is generally focused in the wrong direction.
anyway, today he was particularly naggy, and at some point it looked as though we had an opportunity to get busy and something interfered: he lost his temper, stormed out screaming, crumpling up the work done so far and tossing it on the way out. it took a while to calm him down, and it was only later that i got an opportunity to discuss with him how grossly inappropriate his behaviour was.
he's a nice guy, but childish and clueless, and that's kinda tough to deal with.
so i'm home again this evening, i've taught our new flatmate a lesson in tekken (although he's really not bad) and cleared a bunch of internet stuff off my rss plate, and i'm planning on getting some rest. i'm going to need all my strength to figure out shit to do tomorrow.
linkage:
calvin & hobbes made me laugh out loud today :)
ooh - that reminds me, we woke up watching snoopy this morning! it was in hebrew, but the translation to sign language was from the english and i think that's mighty unfair to the deaf israeli kids.
a cute ie cake to the mozilla team
essentially, she told me that i have to intentionally screw myself up.
i was told this morning that that won't be necessary, but the first opportunity i'll have to see a doctor is next week, which kinda sucks.
yesterday was a day of entirely forgettable lectures. i did receive a call informing me that the project i was working on until recently has reached a major milestone, and that only served to remind me of how far removed i am from reality at the moment.
the weather the last couple of days has been absolutely disgusting. last night a bunch of us ran in uniform with our gear, and that was mighty uncomfortable. and i wasn't feeling too good anyway - i think i might be coming down with something.
we stayed in a hostel last night. SxS called, and we chatted for half an hour. part of the discussion was an absolutely beautiful plan involving snowboarding ^_^
we all slept like babies on the orthopaedic mattresses, i dreamed real dreams for the first time in a long time [august, january's don't count as those were fever-dreams].
we travelled with a really amusing / frightening / smelly bus driver to an arbitrary base and spent the day doing nothing. i emphasize because it wasn't for lack of trying.
one of the guys has been trying to organize a mini-project with a couple of us for about two weeks, and we never get a chance to sit on it. or when we do, nobody remembers.
the concept "verbal ejaculate" keeps springing to mind whenever he opens his mouth, he's loud, tactless, permanently and completely unaware of his surroundings and is generally focused in the wrong direction.
anyway, today he was particularly naggy, and at some point it looked as though we had an opportunity to get busy and something interfered: he lost his temper, stormed out screaming, crumpling up the work done so far and tossing it on the way out. it took a while to calm him down, and it was only later that i got an opportunity to discuss with him how grossly inappropriate his behaviour was.
he's a nice guy, but childish and clueless, and that's kinda tough to deal with.
so i'm home again this evening, i've taught our new flatmate a lesson in tekken (although he's really not bad) and cleared a bunch of internet stuff off my rss plate, and i'm planning on getting some rest. i'm going to need all my strength to figure out shit to do tomorrow.
linkage:
calvin & hobbes made me laugh out loud today :)
ooh - that reminds me, we woke up watching snoopy this morning! it was in hebrew, but the translation to sign language was from the english and i think that's mighty unfair to the deaf israeli kids.
a cute ie cake to the mozilla team
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
electric priority
how did i wake up so early this morning? i arrived at egg's place just as he got home from his date - 6.29am - and we had ben & jerry's for breakfast.
on the way to base i wanted to find a coffee shop / bus, and walked the long way around from sheinkin to rabin square before sitting down at the former. it was already humid and hot, and i wasa bit a lot sore from last night.
today we had back-to-back lectures, although nystire and i managed to escape for a good shinto lunch.
i had a shower when i came home, and hit the sack expecting to be up and dealing with bills and our flatmate at 8pm... they left me to sleep until 11.30pm. nice!
due to a little confusion on the kid's part:
the kid: did we pay the electricity bill?
me, turning up the volume: no, but i we do have powerful beats
this was followed by the two of us doing a little dance with some crazy trance pumping off philosomatika... then dealing with the paperwork.
nystire really irritated me this evening. he pronounced a word in hebrew incorrectly, i corrected him, and immediately afterwards made the same mistake intentionally and assumed an affronted tone.
he claims that "i wouldn't understand" why he finds the language / corrections in the language offensive. his passive rejection offends me, especially when it's something that would make his life easier.
communication is a very important tool, and when only one side understands something the whole point is lost. how do some people manage to miss the object of the exercise?
i cleared all the news from my reader today. i scanned maybe ten of the items before doing so...
cool robot!
what gummi bears are made of... thanks to bad astonomer, i think i might have to buy this.
i can't determine whether the quote "the distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success" comes from bruce feirstein or ian fleming.
on the way to base i wanted to find a coffee shop / bus, and walked the long way around from sheinkin to rabin square before sitting down at the former. it was already humid and hot, and i was
today we had back-to-back lectures, although nystire and i managed to escape for a good shinto lunch.
i had a shower when i came home, and hit the sack expecting to be up and dealing with bills and our flatmate at 8pm... they left me to sleep until 11.30pm. nice!
due to a little confusion on the kid's part:
the kid: did we pay the electricity bill?
me, turning up the volume: no, but i we do have powerful beats
this was followed by the two of us doing a little dance with some crazy trance pumping off philosomatika... then dealing with the paperwork.
nystire really irritated me this evening. he pronounced a word in hebrew incorrectly, i corrected him, and immediately afterwards made the same mistake intentionally and assumed an affronted tone.
he claims that "i wouldn't understand" why he finds the language / corrections in the language offensive. his passive rejection offends me, especially when it's something that would make his life easier.
communication is a very important tool, and when only one side understands something the whole point is lost. how do some people manage to miss the object of the exercise?
i cleared all the news from my reader today. i scanned maybe ten of the items before doing so...
cool robot!
what gummi bears are made of... thanks to bad astonomer, i think i might have to buy this.
i can't determine whether the quote "the distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success" comes from bruce feirstein or ian fleming.
Monday, June 16, 2008
the sweating
morning hassle
we had to meet up at the far gate this morning. the far gate requires two buses of unreliable frequency, the near gate a single line that comes practically every five minutes.
i got on the first bus on time this morning, but alighted at the next stop to briskly (in the heat and humidity) walk home and fetch the hospital papers i'd forgotten. i sent my commander an sms to inform her that i'd be late, but as i got on the first bus the second time around nystire called me to inform me that i was running late... i had no idea.
i did tell him that i was on the bus already, and he had the grace to tell me to hurry up. of course, i could always begin whipping the bus-driver and yelling "giddy-up, horsey!", but i have a feeling that wouldn't really get me to my destination at a greater pace.
as i got off the first bus he called me again, which didn't really make things happen much faster than they would have otherwise. i asked if it was possible that the group could move on without me, to which he responded in the negative. i hesitated to consider the possibility that he hadn't thought to ask our commander, but had merely assumed the irrational... a pity, because i would've been right the first time.
the third panicked phone call was completely unnecessary. i caught up to the group before they'd completed entering the base... and we all walked through to the near gate. i would've made it there about twenty minutes before they did.
once we got there i found our commander, who told us to go find something to do. all that hurrying was worth it, right? right?
the shameful report
after coffee and a little work, i had to walk back to the far gate to hand in the forms from the hospital...
i had to explain to the girls working there why i thought i needed to be there, and i don't think they really appreciated the whole "low blood pressure" angle, especially considering that it's not mentioned much in the official documentation.
i call this "suspicion of alcohol poisoning bias".
lunch hassle
we were told to call at noon to find out the plan. i wanted to eat at shinto, off-base, but i was told not to leave and to meet back at 1pm for lunch with everyone. about four of us were hungry and bored, so we visited the officer's mess.
at a quarter two, nystire started getting antsy and demanded that we leave. i stopped for an ice-cream on the way, which put me about two minutes behind everyone else... when i caught up to them (around 12:58) they were on the phone with our commander: being informed that we'd been released for the day.
i hung around another hour or so and finally, for the first time in months, managed to clear my inbox!
rollerblading into trouble (explosion)
i bussed home and changed, put on my blades and made myself coffee for the run to singer's to say goodbye (she's leaving for the states).
the light in our kitchen - a nice, round bulb - is not adjusted for people above 6'. every time i raise my hands (like when trying to fold sheets) i bump into it... unfortunately, my blades make me even taller and this time i knocked the frame out. causing the (and i watched this in slow motion, unable to react) heavy bulb to tear off and slowly arc through the air, crunching into the ground and exploding (luckily for me, as i only managed to partially cover my face) horizontally.
the point of putting on my blades was to get to singer's faster and more comfortably, but i swear the city council has it in for me: not a path there that wasn't under construction. a five minute journey took me about twenty, every block forward taking me one sideways.
the hat
singer liked the hat. she was sorry she didn't have for the whole group - i'm rather proud of my design.
dnd blade
after making noise with singer's acoustic (the strings feel so much less sharp and harsh than mine) and shooting the breeze, i made my way home through the park so that i could listen to part ii of the 4th edition DnD from penny arcade and pvp.
it's such a wonderful piece that i really want to resume tabletop gaming... not that i've ever really managed my time well enough to play seriously before :(
bulb 'n coffee
after a shower, i bought a replacement bulb and had a long cup of coffee while reading the fall of hyperion. it's great, except for the bit where silenus manages to spew while on the tree. we're talking about an entire fantasy universe, but he's still human to some degree. i can't buy the scene.
gassing up
the kid and i missioned to replace our gas masks. the security guards had no clue what we were talking about, and when we finally figured out where to find the guy it wasn't because there was a big sign saying "replace your gas masks here". we then had to suffer his oddball sense of humour and his not-so-funny "getting older means losing your ability to get an erection" speech.
tough buddy
the kid is a dangerous gym-partner. i'm feeling all sore and twisted. good, healthy even, but i'm hurting. i did have a few moments of feeling like a monster, but they passed.
philosomatika
the station's been on a roll the whole night, playing crazy beats non-stop.
a good supper
i did some quick shopping, we ate well, and in four and a half hours i'm getting up to wake up egg for coffee so that i can get the ambulance papers back. poor bastard.
we had to meet up at the far gate this morning. the far gate requires two buses of unreliable frequency, the near gate a single line that comes practically every five minutes.
i got on the first bus on time this morning, but alighted at the next stop to briskly (in the heat and humidity) walk home and fetch the hospital papers i'd forgotten. i sent my commander an sms to inform her that i'd be late, but as i got on the first bus the second time around nystire called me to inform me that i was running late... i had no idea.
i did tell him that i was on the bus already, and he had the grace to tell me to hurry up. of course, i could always begin whipping the bus-driver and yelling "giddy-up, horsey!", but i have a feeling that wouldn't really get me to my destination at a greater pace.
as i got off the first bus he called me again, which didn't really make things happen much faster than they would have otherwise. i asked if it was possible that the group could move on without me, to which he responded in the negative. i hesitated to consider the possibility that he hadn't thought to ask our commander, but had merely assumed the irrational... a pity, because i would've been right the first time.
the third panicked phone call was completely unnecessary. i caught up to the group before they'd completed entering the base... and we all walked through to the near gate. i would've made it there about twenty minutes before they did.
once we got there i found our commander, who told us to go find something to do. all that hurrying was worth it, right? right?
the shameful report
after coffee and a little work, i had to walk back to the far gate to hand in the forms from the hospital...
i had to explain to the girls working there why i thought i needed to be there, and i don't think they really appreciated the whole "low blood pressure" angle, especially considering that it's not mentioned much in the official documentation.
i call this "suspicion of alcohol poisoning bias".
lunch hassle
we were told to call at noon to find out the plan. i wanted to eat at shinto, off-base, but i was told not to leave and to meet back at 1pm for lunch with everyone. about four of us were hungry and bored, so we visited the officer's mess.
at a quarter two, nystire started getting antsy and demanded that we leave. i stopped for an ice-cream on the way, which put me about two minutes behind everyone else... when i caught up to them (around 12:58) they were on the phone with our commander: being informed that we'd been released for the day.
i hung around another hour or so and finally, for the first time in months, managed to clear my inbox!
rollerblading into trouble (explosion)
i bussed home and changed, put on my blades and made myself coffee for the run to singer's to say goodbye (she's leaving for the states).
the light in our kitchen - a nice, round bulb - is not adjusted for people above 6'. every time i raise my hands (like when trying to fold sheets) i bump into it... unfortunately, my blades make me even taller and this time i knocked the frame out. causing the (and i watched this in slow motion, unable to react) heavy bulb to tear off and slowly arc through the air, crunching into the ground and exploding (luckily for me, as i only managed to partially cover my face) horizontally.
the point of putting on my blades was to get to singer's faster and more comfortably, but i swear the city council has it in for me: not a path there that wasn't under construction. a five minute journey took me about twenty, every block forward taking me one sideways.
the hat
singer liked the hat. she was sorry she didn't have for the whole group - i'm rather proud of my design.
dnd blade
after making noise with singer's acoustic (the strings feel so much less sharp and harsh than mine) and shooting the breeze, i made my way home through the park so that i could listen to part ii of the 4th edition DnD from penny arcade and pvp.
it's such a wonderful piece that i really want to resume tabletop gaming... not that i've ever really managed my time well enough to play seriously before :(
bulb 'n coffee
after a shower, i bought a replacement bulb and had a long cup of coffee while reading the fall of hyperion. it's great, except for the bit where silenus manages to spew while on the tree. we're talking about an entire fantasy universe, but he's still human to some degree. i can't buy the scene.
gassing up
the kid and i missioned to replace our gas masks. the security guards had no clue what we were talking about, and when we finally figured out where to find the guy it wasn't because there was a big sign saying "replace your gas masks here". we then had to suffer his oddball sense of humour and his not-so-funny "getting older means losing your ability to get an erection" speech.
tough buddy
the kid is a dangerous gym-partner. i'm feeling all sore and twisted. good, healthy even, but i'm hurting. i did have a few moments of feeling like a monster, but they passed.
philosomatika
the station's been on a roll the whole night, playing crazy beats non-stop.
a good supper
i did some quick shopping, we ate well, and in four and a half hours i'm getting up to wake up egg for coffee so that i can get the ambulance papers back. poor bastard.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
it's all about standing up
after a most edifying chat with my mum, i've learned the following:
1. when i need to pee, i should first jump up and down until i get my heart-rate up
2. the ideal dietary supplement for me is a choc/banana coke float
3. if i feel faint after standing up too fast, i should crunch my abs
the total bill for this morning's episode stands at around NIS 1K. that's pretty steep.
the kid and i watched the last episodes of how i met your mother and ate a brilliant supper with catch the vapour in the background.
i really need to get back into the snow.
we interviewed our final applicant, and he made a good impression. here's hoping.
i went to the brown bar for mmf's 30th, drank a coke and chatted a while before hunting egg to pick up the ambulance papers - i just discovered that the reason i couldn't find him is because he was on a date: watching sex and the city. i'm embarrassed for him.
it's now past time to finish the dishes, shower, and pray that i'll get enough sleep before 7am.
1. when i need to pee, i should first jump up and down until i get my heart-rate up
2. the ideal dietary supplement for me is a choc/banana coke float
3. if i feel faint after standing up too fast, i should crunch my abs
the total bill for this morning's episode stands at around NIS 1K. that's pretty steep.
the kid and i watched the last episodes of how i met your mother and ate a brilliant supper with catch the vapour in the background.
i really need to get back into the snow.
we interviewed our final applicant, and he made a good impression. here's hoping.
i went to the brown bar for mmf's 30th, drank a coke and chatted a while before hunting egg to pick up the ambulance papers - i just discovered that the reason i couldn't find him is because he was on a date: watching sex and the city. i'm embarrassed for him.
it's now past time to finish the dishes, shower, and pray that i'll get enough sleep before 7am.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
a little bit of catch-up
i spent some time reading through my rss feeds yesterday, and there were a few highlights:
ozone depletion is a good thing - we really needed to figure this shit out before confiscating CFCs.
flash is back - and looking pretty good, with his flash agenda and all
wanna buy KITT? i don't, but it's a cute idea.
fruity oaty bar commercial: i'd forgotten about this.
is barack obama an elitist? colbert proves it!
the organic fruit fucker! it's all slimy.
i still haven't read any news :P
ozone depletion is a good thing - we really needed to figure this shit out before confiscating CFCs.
flash is back - and looking pretty good, with his flash agenda and all
wanna buy KITT? i don't, but it's a cute idea.
fruity oaty bar commercial: i'd forgotten about this.
is barack obama an elitist? colbert proves it!
the organic fruit fucker! it's all slimy.
i still haven't read any news :P
morning splendour and grace
i'm still hurting.
my situation didn't improve this morning, and egg escorted me in the ambulance to spend three hours in emergency discovering that i didn't have alcohol poisoning. what i did have was a terrifying ordeal with dizziness, vomiting, a violent pain in my head that's only now beginning to subside slightly and my entire system in a flat panic for far too long.
so yeah, i'm going back to not drinking again. i am not going to repeat that experience. and i'm going to worry a bit more about these fainting spells.
there was a bunch of fun stuff i had planned to do today. a morning in emergency was not on the list. i think that's very important. there isn't any room for spontaneity, i have a list. a list that includes the beach, computer games and rollerblading, playing frisbee and reading a book over good coffee. you gotta stick to the list.
my situation didn't improve this morning, and egg escorted me in the ambulance to spend three hours in emergency discovering that i didn't have alcohol poisoning. what i did have was a terrifying ordeal with dizziness, vomiting, a violent pain in my head that's only now beginning to subside slightly and my entire system in a flat panic for far too long.
so yeah, i'm going back to not drinking again. i am not going to repeat that experience. and i'm going to worry a bit more about these fainting spells.
there was a bunch of fun stuff i had planned to do today. a morning in emergency was not on the list. i think that's very important. there isn't any room for spontaneity, i have a list. a list that includes the beach, computer games and rollerblading, playing frisbee and reading a book over good coffee. you gotta stick to the list.
la petite mort
again - this being the fourth time if i'm not mistaken. this is the third of the four incidents that i was attempting to urinate at the time. i suspected a lack of oxygen after the last couple of bouts, this time the second i felt it coming i began to breathe really, really deeply.
it didn't help.
i managed to sit on the floor with my back against the wall, and miraculously not piss myself, as wave after wave of unconsciousness struck me. when it was over, and until i regained enough composure to move, i thoroughly soaked my clothing with sweat. i climbed into the shower with the sensation that going through this can't be much different from suffering a stroke.
i can't help but wonder how much neural damage i suffered this morning.
***
i spent yesterday afternoon either lying in bed restlessly or sitting online. in the evening egg and i went to cheers - it's a bar on allenby, but the playlist hit tool and pink floyd when we sat down. during the night it became packed with a good crowd, and the music remained top class.
i'm shocked at how much we drank. absolutely mortified. i crashed at egg's because there was no way in hell that i'd have survived even half the journey home. and now i'm feeling like a freakin' zombie after my little wake-up call.
it didn't help.
i managed to sit on the floor with my back against the wall, and miraculously not piss myself, as wave after wave of unconsciousness struck me. when it was over, and until i regained enough composure to move, i thoroughly soaked my clothing with sweat. i climbed into the shower with the sensation that going through this can't be much different from suffering a stroke.
i can't help but wonder how much neural damage i suffered this morning.
i spent yesterday afternoon either lying in bed restlessly or sitting online. in the evening egg and i went to cheers - it's a bar on allenby, but the playlist hit tool and pink floyd when we sat down. during the night it became packed with a good crowd, and the music remained top class.
i'm shocked at how much we drank. absolutely mortified. i crashed at egg's because there was no way in hell that i'd have survived even half the journey home. and now i'm feeling like a freakin' zombie after my little wake-up call.
Friday, June 13, 2008
weekend on wheels (with a jammed axle)
1. this world makes no sense to me
when the truth i'm learning is so far from my reality
my view of myself so transparently
warped and wounded
correctly corrected in ways i despise
but despising my shortcomings and wishing them gone
2. lying to myself doesn't interest me,
so how can i pretend that i don't want you?
i can't play the game and i'm too tired of the same
so i'm going to be true
and leave
i feel awful. probably going to go back to sleep in a second. i had breakfast earlier (after unsuccessful clothing shopping) on a corner of bazel while reading a book, and i actually started passing out.
yesterday was mildly torturous. most of the day was covered with presentations, and only the first and last half an hour held much interest. there wasn't enough oxygen and i just couldn't focus. the lunch break was annoying: we had an hour to kill in the middle of tel aviv on a thursday afternoon and we weren't allowed to venture past the steps of the building :S
i bought a beautiful book on the way out: it ate billy on christmas. it's absolutely stunning!
which reminds me, i finally finished j.v. jones - a fortress of grey ice. the final chapter and epilogue are way too fast for the rest of the book, but other than that it was superb as usual and i can't wait to get hold of the third.
and now i'm back to reading dan simmons - the fall of hyperion. finally!
a few of us ate sushi together, and then i returned home to put in the laundry, have a quick shower and crash. the kid woke me up before my alarm - "dude! hurry up! get dressed! there's a guy here looking at the apartment!". i felt sick, dizzy and delirious and exhausted, and there i was dragging myself out of bed to meet with a potential flatmate who doesn't understand time-slots.
we spent the next couple of hours interviewing, with a couple of nice people and some really weird ones. the coffee helped a little, but while it removed the sick feeling it didn't do anything to relieve me of my exhaustion. of course, when singer called to organize an outing to hear eatliz i didn't say no.
i'd completely forgotten about this, but on monday / tuesday night i returned a missed call: "hi, totalwaste. sorry, my phone just dialed your number by itself". when she told me her name i didn't even register, just told her it was alright and wished her a good night. last night when i went past cafeneto to get coffee for the bus ride to the barbie, i discovered that it was none other than sunshine - i can't believe that after all this time and especially after the last incident she's still got my number.
why would she keep my number??
singer and i missed the first four songs of the performance, but the rest of it was totally worth it. lee triffon wasn't at her best, but even so was still incredible, and eatliz's new songs are really, really good.
and surprising: they've got an awesome metal track where the geeky bald guy with glasses just went ape... hardcore growling was not something anyone had anticipated, and it was both good and highly amusing!
singer and i walked all the way back to the ilke. after the concert i was feeling horrible, and she wouldn't make a decision. some of the chatting on the way was pleasant, lots of it really wasn't, and by the time we finally arrived the situation was dire. in the heat of the moment, though, she made a point about my not listening to other people that really did sink in.
strangely, the second we entered the bar my mood lifted, i felt better, not even bt could bring me down and the drinking began. we drank ourselves silly, enjoyed a much better evening, and i think it was 4am when i stumbled home.
i sent a message this morning to lee regarding something she'd said last night between songs: they're trying to get to lollapalooza (vote for them!), and she mentioned that radiohead was going to be there. i told her there's no need to bring them up, radiohead may be world-famous but eatliz rocks :)
this morning the kid went to buy summer clothes and i joined in the hope of finding shorts. not a single pair. but i did get new boardies - a pity that they didn't have stock of the ones that i really wanted in my size :(
i did the shopping when we got home, went out for breakfast, slept, and am now about to crash for another short bout before heading out.
when the truth i'm learning is so far from my reality
my view of myself so transparently
warped and wounded
correctly corrected in ways i despise
but despising my shortcomings and wishing them gone
2. lying to myself doesn't interest me,
so how can i pretend that i don't want you?
i can't play the game and i'm too tired of the same
so i'm going to be true
and leave
i feel awful. probably going to go back to sleep in a second. i had breakfast earlier (after unsuccessful clothing shopping) on a corner of bazel while reading a book, and i actually started passing out.
yesterday was mildly torturous. most of the day was covered with presentations, and only the first and last half an hour held much interest. there wasn't enough oxygen and i just couldn't focus. the lunch break was annoying: we had an hour to kill in the middle of tel aviv on a thursday afternoon and we weren't allowed to venture past the steps of the building :S
i bought a beautiful book on the way out: it ate billy on christmas. it's absolutely stunning!
which reminds me, i finally finished j.v. jones - a fortress of grey ice. the final chapter and epilogue are way too fast for the rest of the book, but other than that it was superb as usual and i can't wait to get hold of the third.
and now i'm back to reading dan simmons - the fall of hyperion. finally!
a few of us ate sushi together, and then i returned home to put in the laundry, have a quick shower and crash. the kid woke me up before my alarm - "dude! hurry up! get dressed! there's a guy here looking at the apartment!". i felt sick, dizzy and delirious and exhausted, and there i was dragging myself out of bed to meet with a potential flatmate who doesn't understand time-slots.
we spent the next couple of hours interviewing, with a couple of nice people and some really weird ones. the coffee helped a little, but while it removed the sick feeling it didn't do anything to relieve me of my exhaustion. of course, when singer called to organize an outing to hear eatliz i didn't say no.
i'd completely forgotten about this, but on monday / tuesday night i returned a missed call: "hi, totalwaste. sorry, my phone just dialed your number by itself". when she told me her name i didn't even register, just told her it was alright and wished her a good night. last night when i went past cafeneto to get coffee for the bus ride to the barbie, i discovered that it was none other than sunshine - i can't believe that after all this time and especially after the last incident she's still got my number.
why would she keep my number??
singer and i missed the first four songs of the performance, but the rest of it was totally worth it. lee triffon wasn't at her best, but even so was still incredible, and eatliz's new songs are really, really good.
and surprising: they've got an awesome metal track where the geeky bald guy with glasses just went ape... hardcore growling was not something anyone had anticipated, and it was both good and highly amusing!
singer and i walked all the way back to the ilke. after the concert i was feeling horrible, and she wouldn't make a decision. some of the chatting on the way was pleasant, lots of it really wasn't, and by the time we finally arrived the situation was dire. in the heat of the moment, though, she made a point about my not listening to other people that really did sink in.
strangely, the second we entered the bar my mood lifted, i felt better, not even bt could bring me down and the drinking began. we drank ourselves silly, enjoyed a much better evening, and i think it was 4am when i stumbled home.
i sent a message this morning to lee regarding something she'd said last night between songs: they're trying to get to lollapalooza (vote for them!), and she mentioned that radiohead was going to be there. i told her there's no need to bring them up, radiohead may be world-famous but eatliz rocks :)
this morning the kid went to buy summer clothes and i joined in the hope of finding shorts. not a single pair. but i did get new boardies - a pity that they didn't have stock of the ones that i really wanted in my size :(
i did the shopping when we got home, went out for breakfast, slept, and am now about to crash for another short bout before heading out.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
a late start :)
no mercy for jack thompson - what a moron. at least he's out for the moment, but i can sort of imagine him finding a way to harass gamers everywhere regardless of his bar status.
i'm feeling a bit sore from last night.
i'm feeling a bit sore from last night.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
i've had enough for one day
fabulous: now the network card's working but the video card's on the blink. this upgrade is ridiculous.
after posting i took our carpet and some blankets to the dry-cleaners.
in the first place i stopped the woman was really weird. i asked her about prices and she began to shout at me that nothing i gave her would be returned before the beginning of next week... when i asked again she looked startled and suspicious (of what, i don't know) and quoted me really high prices.
the guy in the second place i went to laughed and told me to do the blankets at home - which was really nice of him. he completely refuses to have anything to do with carpets, though.
i spoke to singer, who complained (as usual) because i don't like talking on the phone. to make a point, i began with extremely fake cheer to discuss the most minute and mundane details of sunday morning... without actually saying anything. what's frightening is that she knew that i was trying to upset her, but she still enjoyed the story - i lost patience before she did.
my word, the problem with women everywhere. almost everywhere, he corrected himself sagely...
i had pre-gym dinner at coffeeholic while reading the news, went shopping with the kid and then let him drag me to my doom. my body is hurting.
i was planning on going out and having a beer, but it's late and i definitely need to sleep before tomorrow.
after posting i took our carpet and some blankets to the dry-cleaners.
in the first place i stopped the woman was really weird. i asked her about prices and she began to shout at me that nothing i gave her would be returned before the beginning of next week... when i asked again she looked startled and suspicious (of what, i don't know) and quoted me really high prices.
the guy in the second place i went to laughed and told me to do the blankets at home - which was really nice of him. he completely refuses to have anything to do with carpets, though.
i spoke to singer, who complained (as usual) because i don't like talking on the phone. to make a point, i began with extremely fake cheer to discuss the most minute and mundane details of sunday morning... without actually saying anything. what's frightening is that she knew that i was trying to upset her, but she still enjoyed the story - i lost patience before she did.
my word, the problem with women everywhere. almost everywhere, he corrected himself sagely...
i had pre-gym dinner at coffeeholic while reading the news, went shopping with the kid and then let him drag me to my doom. my body is hurting.
i was planning on going out and having a beer, but it's late and i definitely need to sleep before tomorrow.
maybe not packed and ready to go?
well. i thought i was mighty clever on sunday morning, having sorted everything out the night before. due to a highly unfortunate set of circumstances (primarily my not paying attention) i managed to leave the apartment with only half my kit, not including a towel, board-shorts, civvies or a pillow case. the last few days i've been showering with face towels and i couldn't get in the pool with everyone else on the most relaxed day of the year.
i did spend it in front of the telly, though - one of the movie channels had a kevin smith day :)
last night we had a group session that made things a little awkward. it was a forerunner for the sociometric, where everyone ranks everyone else. doing it on paper and anonymously is difficult enough, but to do it face to face got everyone on the defensive.
in particular, we've got a female NCO with us and i told her that she seems very sensitive to the point where i feel the need to be careful around her. i wasn't the only person to mention this, and her response was along the lines of "i'm not at all sensitive, you don't need to worry. i can handle and i welcome any observations" - exclaimed in a voice on the verge of tears.
well - that was my observation.
aside from the negative comments i received, almost all of them being over-conviction and stubbornness, one of the compliments really surprised me. the craziest guy in our course (great guy, but has a slight problem with authority) said that he sees me as a role-model... i still don't know what to make of that.
a short while earlier i had a private chat with our commander, who gave me some interesting insights - the primary one being that i need to learn to pick my battles. i was completely taken by surprise not just by how candid our conversation was, but by the fact that she appears to have come from a similar place.
not easy advice to take, either way.
so from monday's sandstorm spent indoors and tuesday's calm-but-clammy gardening in the bright sunshine to today's heavily humid arbitrary touring, it's been a short week and i need to hit the shower pretty urgently. the only reasons i haven't gotten off the computer:
1. our flatmate was showering first. he informed us last night that he's moving out early, which only adds to the joy of sorting everything out by the time our contract comes to an end.
2. i made the mistake of upgrading my ubuntu installation on the weekend, and it took me a while to get my pc to boot up windows again. i'm using windows to download drivers for my network card...
3. i *had* to finish doing the facebook thing :S
but that's all in the past, now.
i did spend it in front of the telly, though - one of the movie channels had a kevin smith day :)
last night we had a group session that made things a little awkward. it was a forerunner for the sociometric, where everyone ranks everyone else. doing it on paper and anonymously is difficult enough, but to do it face to face got everyone on the defensive.
in particular, we've got a female NCO with us and i told her that she seems very sensitive to the point where i feel the need to be careful around her. i wasn't the only person to mention this, and her response was along the lines of "i'm not at all sensitive, you don't need to worry. i can handle and i welcome any observations" - exclaimed in a voice on the verge of tears.
well - that was my observation.
aside from the negative comments i received, almost all of them being over-conviction and stubbornness, one of the compliments really surprised me. the craziest guy in our course (great guy, but has a slight problem with authority) said that he sees me as a role-model... i still don't know what to make of that.
a short while earlier i had a private chat with our commander, who gave me some interesting insights - the primary one being that i need to learn to pick my battles. i was completely taken by surprise not just by how candid our conversation was, but by the fact that she appears to have come from a similar place.
not easy advice to take, either way.
so from monday's sandstorm spent indoors and tuesday's calm-but-clammy gardening in the bright sunshine to today's heavily humid arbitrary touring, it's been a short week and i need to hit the shower pretty urgently. the only reasons i haven't gotten off the computer:
1. our flatmate was showering first. he informed us last night that he's moving out early, which only adds to the joy of sorting everything out by the time our contract comes to an end.
2. i made the mistake of upgrading my ubuntu installation on the weekend, and it took me a while to get my pc to boot up windows again. i'm using windows to download drivers for my network card...
3. i *had* to finish doing the facebook thing :S
but that's all in the past, now.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
on maggots and sunsets
a quick summary:
thursday continued:
1. great sushi as usual.
2. a long walk to ramat aviv (!) to catch the tail end of the orange music festival. seeing that many people jumping up and down to an infected mushroom instrumental was nuts.
3. getting caught in traffic on the way out was more nuts, but not as much as considering going out without sleeping.
4. passing out without going out.
friday:
1. trying to sleep in... unsuccessfully.
2. buying the hat i'd ordered last week at dizengoff center.
3. seeing the print of my design come out beautifully. waiting for the actual print. being surprised by the news that the printer managed to put it on upside down - how professional. they didn't charge me for the correction, but the image has an awkward shadow and i'm not entirely happy with it.
4. the gay pride parade. my arms got burned, my chest and back didn't - and my shirt was off most of the time. i've decided that i'm preparing a shirt and a sign for next year... [front] if i could choose i'd be gay... [back] ... but i can't.
the street party was great fun, ssf's boyfriend's a dick and the beach party was excellent until the concert started.
5. after a shower i took my book to the coffee stand and enjoyed a wonderfully chilled read / iced-coffee and roast-beef salad for about an hour.
6. trying to nap... unsuccessfully.
7. watching the forbidden kingdom with the kid. best intro ever! i'm not including the wire-fu mountain scene, but the rest was absolutely beautiful. brilliant film.
8. meeting up with egg and going to the meimad for a rock party the likes of which i haven't enjoyed in well over a year. i was barely capable of walking home, and after a quick shower i flopped into bed at 6am, completely exhausted.
saturday:
1. waking up at 8.30am, trying to sleep in... unsuccessfully. for anyone who's noticed a pattern, i suffer from insomnia at home. anywhere else i sleep like a baby, most easily when i have something that needs doing.
2. i sat online for a bit, then took a walk so that i could listen to the penny arcade / pvp online d&d 4th edition podcast (here's the second episode). there're quite a few chuckles in there, and i really enjoyed myself :)
3. worms. maggots. millions of them. our flatmate has spot-like habits, specifically leaving a mess of foodstuffs around the couch. so our slimy, squirming little friends spent the afternoon giving us the run-around... and the heebie-jeebies. it took forever to clean the apartment; my room is so dusty i only managed the big, obvious tufts of dust before losing my cool, downing a couple of slugs of tequila and going to the beach with the kid.
4. we met up with gco and a couple of his buddies for a great afternoon in the water and playing frisbee (with a real one, not our dingy bastard), then had sundowners at mike's place. it's the first time i've enjoyed doing that outside of south africa.
5. rushing home to change, deal with a bunch of irate / confused fellow vacationers, and meeting singer on the bus to comfort 13.
6. the concert was for the prevention of animal experimentation, but eatliz (butcher) was playing so i didn't care. the first one-man band was a bit horrible. shlomi shaban was great. amit erez (one of eatliz's guitarists) played - some of it was decent - and then the rest of eatliz came on and were superb as usual.
one of my cousins was there, and would have missed their performance if i hadn't convinced him to stay a little longer - he was suitably impressed :)
7. i need to go to bed.
thursday continued:
1. great sushi as usual.
2. a long walk to ramat aviv (!) to catch the tail end of the orange music festival. seeing that many people jumping up and down to an infected mushroom instrumental was nuts.
3. getting caught in traffic on the way out was more nuts, but not as much as considering going out without sleeping.
4. passing out without going out.
friday:
1. trying to sleep in... unsuccessfully.
2. buying the hat i'd ordered last week at dizengoff center.
3. seeing the print of my design come out beautifully. waiting for the actual print. being surprised by the news that the printer managed to put it on upside down - how professional. they didn't charge me for the correction, but the image has an awkward shadow and i'm not entirely happy with it.
4. the gay pride parade. my arms got burned, my chest and back didn't - and my shirt was off most of the time. i've decided that i'm preparing a shirt and a sign for next year... [front] if i could choose i'd be gay... [back] ... but i can't.
the street party was great fun, ssf's boyfriend's a dick and the beach party was excellent until the concert started.
5. after a shower i took my book to the coffee stand and enjoyed a wonderfully chilled read / iced-coffee and roast-beef salad for about an hour.
6. trying to nap... unsuccessfully.
7. watching the forbidden kingdom with the kid. best intro ever! i'm not including the wire-fu mountain scene, but the rest was absolutely beautiful. brilliant film.
8. meeting up with egg and going to the meimad for a rock party the likes of which i haven't enjoyed in well over a year. i was barely capable of walking home, and after a quick shower i flopped into bed at 6am, completely exhausted.
saturday:
1. waking up at 8.30am, trying to sleep in... unsuccessfully. for anyone who's noticed a pattern, i suffer from insomnia at home. anywhere else i sleep like a baby, most easily when i have something that needs doing.
2. i sat online for a bit, then took a walk so that i could listen to the penny arcade / pvp online d&d 4th edition podcast (here's the second episode). there're quite a few chuckles in there, and i really enjoyed myself :)
3. worms. maggots. millions of them. our flatmate has spot-like habits, specifically leaving a mess of foodstuffs around the couch. so our slimy, squirming little friends spent the afternoon giving us the run-around... and the heebie-jeebies. it took forever to clean the apartment; my room is so dusty i only managed the big, obvious tufts of dust before losing my cool, downing a couple of slugs of tequila and going to the beach with the kid.
4. we met up with gco and a couple of his buddies for a great afternoon in the water and playing frisbee (with a real one, not our dingy bastard), then had sundowners at mike's place. it's the first time i've enjoyed doing that outside of south africa.
5. rushing home to change, deal with a bunch of irate / confused fellow vacationers, and meeting singer on the bus to comfort 13.
6. the concert was for the prevention of animal experimentation, but eatliz (butcher) was playing so i didn't care. the first one-man band was a bit horrible. shlomi shaban was great. amit erez (one of eatliz's guitarists) played - some of it was decent - and then the rest of eatliz came on and were superb as usual.
one of my cousins was there, and would have missed their performance if i hadn't convinced him to stay a little longer - he was suitably impressed :)
7. i need to go to bed.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
i hear seafood calling
this last week was a lot tougher than the previous one. gone was the excitement that accompanied being in a new place and with new people. at least the people are great and we're all getting along, the exercise and random sports intervals are excellent, and the food's mostly pretty good.
it's been humid. last week was nice, this week was difficult.
what sucks is that i just don't have the patience or the energy for the coursework. i passed one of the tests but failed the other, and i didn't bother to prepare for the presentation i had to give this morning and it did NOT go well.
we've also had all sorts of annoying discipline problems. there's nothing worse than being caught doing something wrong when i really should've known better and i just wasn't paying attention.
ooh - the celebration for monday's birthday girl was awesome - we had balloons and bubbles (i couldn't help myself), and she was really happy with the gift that nystire and i got her.
the bus ride today was okay if a mite scary, the train was stinking hot but most of our group was together and we actually had a pretty good time :)
i got back a few hours ago, ran laundry and had a quick nap. i fixed the internet connection: our wonderful flatmate had completely covered the aerial with a huge folder. genius.
now for sushi and a fun weekend!
it's been humid. last week was nice, this week was difficult.
what sucks is that i just don't have the patience or the energy for the coursework. i passed one of the tests but failed the other, and i didn't bother to prepare for the presentation i had to give this morning and it did NOT go well.
we've also had all sorts of annoying discipline problems. there's nothing worse than being caught doing something wrong when i really should've known better and i just wasn't paying attention.
ooh - the celebration for monday's birthday girl was awesome - we had balloons and bubbles (i couldn't help myself), and she was really happy with the gift that nystire and i got her.
the bus ride today was okay if a mite scary, the train was stinking hot but most of our group was together and we actually had a pretty good time :)
i got back a few hours ago, ran laundry and had a quick nap. i fixed the internet connection: our wonderful flatmate had completely covered the aerial with a huge folder. genius.
now for sushi and a fun weekend!
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