Mechanics


The way we move is unique. We often do many of the same tasks. Open the fridge, snap our fingers, flush the toilet. Yet even twins don't kiss the same exact way? Mannerisms and the like make each of us unique and that is what interests me. I'm unsure if I stated this before but I think I'm gonna get my Masters in Social Psych, Cal Lightman style. People watching, interests us all (I prefer it with sound OFF) and in large part voyeurism is becoming ingrained in the American way of life. As my good buddy Mike pointed out, the main reason I want to learn about people and the ways in which they interact is because I ultimately want to know more about ME and the way I interact. I know it's usually awkward or over thought but why? Why do I insist on the rules? Where do I begin and the teachings from my parents end? I want to know what you think about me when you read the stuff I write. I swear finding out why people get into fights at the swap meet more often when the temperature goes up or why alternative kids always decided to wear black is more interesting to me than my own crazy, but I'm biased.


What I know so far is that I'm not your average guy. I'm the kind of guy who at work isn't going to flirt with the girls in Cosmetics, nor am I going to be the type of person who can see fit to give two shits about anything played on the radio. What I will do is wander into the Juniors section at my store and clink the hangers together because I like the echo in the atrium. Sitting in front of my laptop always seems more preferable to going out to the bars, and for some reason I just can't seem to ever let myself "take it easy".
Take for instance this recent reading assignment I had. Cyber Bullying is some newfangled form of shit talking that kids are doing these days. Kids are sexting which is a new form of hanky panky, and gossiping which is a tried and true method of it, and combined we have this problem where teachers are having to settle disputes between people that never actually took place. No one can see the transcripts of these conversations without access to the mobile devices involved. Teachers being far from having subpoena power or the strength of the Patriot Act behind them usually have little more than the he said/she said to go on. Now all this is quite interesting and though the legal implications are interesting I would like to point out how utterly dumb and boring this all seems when you take a step back. I was a kid once and I recall being on both the giving and receiving end of such childish drivel. It is commonplace and I doubt that at any point in our nations future will this not be the case. So like I was saying I do my own thing. I actually have learned that I can't really talk as much as I would like because the more I say the more clear it becomes I am doing things just a bit differently than everyone else. It's not that I'm better by the way just different. Take for instance this July 4th. A friend I was with pondered aloud, "why do we even have fireworks on Independence day?" Now to me this question transcends dumb into a realm of civilly disobedient of knowledge. It's like she didn't want to appear intelligent or pretend that this was even a big deal. I wept inside for her grade school education. I meet people all the time in college with not even a cursory understanding of basic school facts that make me realize I'm not long for this world. There really is nothing to be salvaged here on Earth. (Like I said, taking it easy isn't my forte) In my head I thought to tell her about the constitution, or the end of the Revolutionary War, or the National Anthem. Instead I sat quietly in shock, humbled by the presence of such a sheer void of knowledge. it was like standing next to Steven Hawking...only in reverse.

Life is hard, enjoyable, but hard. Sometimes it is no wonder why I prefer things more by myself. It's also quite obvious that I'm more Howard Hughes than P.Diddy when it comes to human interaction though. So it's not all your fault. Often times I know for a fact it's my fault why I'm incapable of dealing with the public. Though in my defense I've been doing all this without the aid of any chemical mood alterants my whole life so kudos to me for lasting this long I say. I feel like this has been another incredibly self indulgent and egocentric post and for that I apologize. This is afterall an exercise first and foremost in self dissection so that on the off chance I do leave my room when you meet me I will be a better person. Enough blabber for today. I'm going to go outside and enjoy the sun.


Allow me to Reintroduce myself

Mr Miyagi. I call my new heart Mr. Miyagi because though I'm never quite sure exactly what he is doing, I trust it is for the best. I have to say it's been a year of close calls. There are times when I feel sick, tired, and unstable. But this year is done, and I'm here. So this must be what it feels like to achieve something..I mean technically I have achieved something before, but because I have this aversion to drawing attention to myself, today is the first time I feel special about it. I absolutely love the fact I get to be here. I know literally what it is like to wish I were dead. I know what hating waking up is. It seems outstanding to me that I feel these feelings because in my whole life I've never really wanted to let people know how happy I was. I've never done anything someone else hasn't. Birthdays, high school, now bachelors degree ... What is so remarkable for me about those things? I don't know anyone who hasn't done 1 if not all of those things. But now I get to feel unique for just one moment and in all honesty I feel like I'm standing back in awe of the accomplishment just as you all may be.
These are the moments life is made of. We all are fairly free in each day to do as we choose but there are also those days life decides for us. Sometimes life gives you a hurdle and sometimes it gives you a shortcut. The game of life is all about maximizing the short cuts and trying to avoid the hurdles. Even now I don't think there is a single thing I've been through that I would ask not to have to repeat. I mean sure there's a list, but no one thing stands out as purely bad. Conversely there is also nothing I think I could do again and I continue to be amazed a lot of it happened the first time at all. This blog started out of the mix between old habits and new inspiration. I suffered loss and experienced new joy. Today is a another marker on the road that left from the convergence of fate and willpower.
My family and all they've been though, my friends and all their love, my own fucking mind for willing the body to do things no one expected it to. I have to be grateful for each. The variables that went into my success are so great that I don't doubt the butterfly effect could have toppled me completely. One different nurse, seriously. One different doctor. One different decision by one of you to call me or show your support. I am so much less than I appear to be because so much of what I am was given to me. I cannot stress how meaningful it has been to hear well wishes and support. I try to use my gifts to return the favor and the second any of you feel I'm not living up to expectations, I expect to hear about it.
I've never been less sure something was going to happen than when I first saw the 1st year survival rates for transplant patients. Anyone who knows me, knows I am cocksure and self confident to a fault. I can do no wrong, I often think I'm invincible. I have no such delusions anymore. I just want to say thank you one last time because I don't plan to make this a yearly event. It is momentous and it is impressive but what I've done I will always continue to say was expected. I had all the support and help anyone could ask for and so much of it I feel guilty there are others attempting to do what I'm doing with less.

Batata Quente

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I've never done a .gif before. I tinkered with the settings so now only 3 posts should appear per page which will help with the load time considering all the multimedia aspects I like to use. This also marks my return to regular updates. I got called in to work on July 4th so even though my wallet was happy, I certainly was planning on using that day in a way that would put me back on schedule sooner. Enough chit chat though.
Now as for Prince, in this moment, he emotes such that you almost forget he is 4 ft tall and has better heels than half the girls in LA. *snaps twice* I love Prince and I think in a lot of ways you have to look at him as an example of how to live your life in a very Macro sense. I say macro because he is obviously crazy. Heels, boas, capes, and ass-less chaps aside he is always busy and always fabulous. Prince has no time to be seen in public shopping. He isn't ever at the hottest club mingling. The man lives in a mansion and cooks pancakes for his guests at 4 AM from time to time. He is the most interesting man in the world and all because he doesn't have the time to tell you about it. Dos Equis definitely has an ingenious marketing strategy but they're missing one key element. Interesting people are always doing and rarely have time to fill in the little people on the deets. As far as I'm concerned I'm ok with living my life a bit closer to Prince than maybe you are. I'm not going near heels under any circumstances nor will I ever wear the ass-less chaps but purple is a nice color and I'm a big fan of scarves, so if a boa is going to land me a mansion then this blog is about to be renamed the JT-Rex Boa conservatory.com
Life beckons and as always I feel like I want to hit snooze. I want to travel the world but in this day and age that can be an expensive thing to do. So I'm promising myself one in state trip and one out of state trip before the new year. I'm thinking Portland in Late August for a whole week would be nice, then from there perhaps Chicago sometime to see a grad school this fall? Sounds fun I think but as always I'm planning trips I want to take alone. I have a horrible track record with trips so hopefully I can sign someone onto the Chitown or even the out of country trips. I'll be with and surrounded by friends in Portland which is kind of why I want to go away. I love all my friends and I'm luckier than lots of people because they all want me to do well and seeing people get genuinely happy for you is a touching thing. However it's insulating and with that much love why would I look anywhere else right? I think a tour of Cardiothoracic medicine wards might be cool. Though off the top of my head that would take me places like Minnesota (Mayo Clinic) and Maryland (Johns Hopkins) so not exactly the most tropical locales available. We will see what happens. Right now it looks like I won't be moving home until after Christmas so I have time to plan this stuff out before shit starts to get real.
I've been out of the house more and more lately. I think in the time post 12/09 I was in a major funk and just didn't want to go outside or see anyone. A lot has changed since then and I'm finding the need to sit in front of my computer happening less and less. I feel bad though. I go whole days doing actual activities and and hanging out with actual people and then I come home to a cold laptop that's been neglected all day. I feel bad but I'm sure it's for the best, it's about time I regain some people skills. I certainly don't intend to let the rat race come between me and the WB & C but I can see a difference already between the way I look at events during a day. Much of what happens I could write about but it's not unique in anyway. When I was moping through life random events seemed more quirky and odd but now that i'm back in the world of the living it seems like life is good but not noteworthy. So all I have to say about summer so far is that... Jonah Hex was a surprisingly good movie as was Lovely Bones. Toy Story 3 however was unnecessarily dark and sad. I want pets, a house, and a family but screaming babies/children are as close to instant birth control as is available right now. Retail can be tedious, boring, and stressful. It can also be a lot of fun. I miss Mr. Wellington like the Dickens and soon I will have him replaced.
I hope you all are doing well and maybe just maybe one of you will leave proof that you were here? Comments are now turned on in case you wanted to leave one.

"Heaven Restores you in Life"


There are wars going on in my head that no one is winning. No one will ever win them. I always win, but to me winning often looks like losing feels. It is a selfish sort of victory. Cut off the nose to spite the face. I am a spiteful bastard who wants to always be even with those he deems adversaries. Trouble is when you get "even" with someone who's torn you down everyone just ends up in a flaming wreck. I really don't know how to end this loop but I know I just started cooking with Rosemary and may be my new favorite thing since I discovered twitter #hashtags.

If you're a fan of Interpol you've got to be a bit upset. The group has been hard to follow. Plagued by rumors of turmoil and a revolving door of moving parts, this now Trio is about as consistent as a broken clock. Always right every so often, but with long gaps in between where you're never too sure. Carlos D where are you? I find Interpol strange to write about because the ratio of how much I care about them to how much I like them (The Care:Like quotient) is amazingly small. (1:100ish) I really like them, but know almost nothing about them. They aren't my band, I didn't discover them for myself. I was introduced. And so as such an acquaintance was made I am able to fully enjoy their sad mopey music and feel unaffected by it. Cee-lo belts one ominous chord in the background of a song and all of a sudden I'm in shambles but Paul Banks can drone on all day in that monotone yell of his and I feel just fine. Perhaps it is better this way. I suppose it is important to mention that Interpol is the only thing BJ ever introduced me to I didn't hate. It was actually sad how many things I've later rediscovered that I realize I didn't hate so much, but for some reason if she liked it I HAD to hate it. But never these guys. Perhaps it is a testament to them? By contrast however, I couldn't stand to see a band of mine switch its parts around. D.A. and Max birthed Chester French. If either of them ever left I don't know what I'd do. And trust me Max is just as silent on record as Carlos is but they make their presence felt. Julian Plenti what are you doing here? I swear to christ I would punch Dan Auerbach in the mouth if he came out as Ryan T. Sanders and did a solo project. For the record Serge Tankian did a solo effort which sounded exactly like his System of a Down stuff. When I see him, to be sure there will be words exchanged. Music for me is pretty sacred. I love it, I need it. If you're good at it you're a higher being in my eyes, and if you understand it and/or have a good ear for it then I am more likely to get along with you. Don't come at me with any of this lowest common denominator stuff, these radio records. I want to hear about B-sides and live shows. And his name shall be the remix.
I'm getting back on my feet. Pretty soon I will be a whole year out of surgery and I will be able to really put that chapter of my life behind me. I don't think the timing could be worse. So much of my life, all the boyish thoughts and dreams died even when I wouldn't. I made it through the fire to appear on the otherside without anything or anyone familiar to me. Here I go as always planning to go through my life without an accomplice. No man is an island. Call me Gilligan. I'm not really lost but I know I not a mediocre person doing exceptional things. Quite the opposite. I'm a big ball of potential who has amounted to little or nothing. Maybe now that I'm a bit more isolated I'll be able to start turning the potential into output? Who kn0ws? Everyone I talk to sees someone in me that I don't fully believe is there. I think Mandela was right, fearing not what we cannot do, but that which me are meant to be and all that jazz.
I promise that as soon as I figure out what I'm doing you'll be the first to know. Maybe you can tell me? Comment if you think you know what I'll end up doing with my life! DO IT!!

And then I found $10


What a summer this has shaped up to be. I haven't shamed myself too much these past few months and after a nice celebratory trip home with my main squeeze Drew, I'm ready to get to business and put Eugene in the rear view. I realize I just used a colon in a post title for the first time...it feels strange. I haven't been able to sit down and write in a while so I will now get back to basics and share a story from work.


My job is an interesting one. "Sales" as we call it is kind of like an exercise in primal instinct. Marks...I mean customers need to be courted and catered to, tracked and pursued. No matter which way you slice it selling things to people is a lot like hunting. I often see someone across the room poking at luggage and you might assume that depending on how close I am to my daily sales goal I am more or less interested in helping them. Because making this goal is never all that important to me I usually decide to go over based on how confused they look. I genuinely enjoy meeting and talking to people all day and commission takes all the fun out of it. During a recent sale we were having I sent tons of patrons to other registers because they would end up waiting for me. It was sad to see. So when it comes to "sales" my motive is a social one. I've already met a lot of interesting people and I hope the trend continues especially after one recent group of folks came through the store.

A family came in and I noticed them ambling towards me over the shirt I was folding so I stayed still to allow them to reach me before I went to put it back on it's shelf. The mother and grandmother seemed a tad lost and as I prepared to explain where the restrooms were (it's ALWAYS the restroom) one of the little cherubs they had in tow hit a hanger rack and hit the deck. The noise was abrupt and sharp but not overly loud and there wasn't any odd of fleshy thud so I was pretty sure he hadn't hit his head. Yet in true customer service fashion I got overly worried and asked right away if he was ok, when in fact for the most part, I did not care. His mom fussed at him as she stood holing who I assume to be his sister and G-Ma bent down to investigate.
What is remarkable about this is that the boy the entire time peered up at me from beneath the rack and stayed there, unflinching. He wasn't crying and he didn't seem hurt. I think for him this was just a chance to take a respite from being drug around the mall by this matriarchal duo. I actually had nothing but sympathy for him. I stand all day and watch men lose their souls as women drag them around the mall. My ex's for the most part have never wanted me to go with them to the mall. It's not like I have any sort of remarkable taste in women's clothing. (less is better ladies) Cha-Cha would always try to get me to go to Vicki's Secret with her but at 18 I had some weird aversion to it, so I always fought not to. Needless to say, I respected this kids gangsta.
Regardless, this young fellow was quite content to lay there and so after a few silent moments from him on the ground they finally got him to his feet and stomped off in the direction of what they actually wanted... A stroller. I guess they knew 5 minutes before they found me that this kid was in no shape to keep walking but I'd wager it had nothing to do with him being tired. If I recall this was on the prelunch side of my shift and a spry young man like himself could probably have run circles for 18 consecutive hours that day if it suited him. Instead he was being forced to shop and so in pure passive protest he simply lagged. Keep up the good fight guy, you'll make Ghandi himself proud with passive resistance like that.

This day was pretty good if I recall. I also gained a compliment. I don't actually care about them, but the source is very important. A man came in to buy an omelette pan and so I began to show him the individual pans we have in stock. Almost all are 9" or 12" inches and all are either non-stick or stainless. He wanted a non-stick pan in the 10" or higher range and so I began to uneasily show him the wares. At this point I knew little if anything about cookware and so I feared he would quiz me beyond my training. The questions were fairly rudimentary and I slowly walked him through each. He paused a moment to examine a rack of pans and for no reason at all I walked to grab the first pan we saw just so he could do a side by side comparison. Most folks in my line of work would start the upsale here, and consider my move a good way to really get the customer thinking. "Get the product in their hands" they'll tell you. I did this because we were hanging out and to be honest I felt I should be able to tell them apart because up til this point I could not.

He made a comment that he was glad I'd brought the first pan and then came the kicker. "Which pan would you recommend me?" I was in no position to say which I liked more not owning either and I didn't even know the price of this new one but I felt like the first pan we saw was just mediocre and if memory serves the reason I picked pan #2 was because it had an insulated grip. I hate picking up hot handles. A pause and then he says, "really, this one? even though it costs more than the other one?" Fuck, now he thinks I'm trying to upsell him on a more expensive piece when thats the last thing I want to do. I clinch up for a second reaching for a reason besides "rubberized handles that I can point to and then it hits me. The pan he's got now is non stick, and the one he wanted was nonstick. "Do yourself a favor, throw in the extra and get stainless, you won't be back to replace this. I promise."

I, right now have absolutely no idea if this guy makes pots and pans for a living but I just told him something which I know is at least 38% made up so it's hot under the collar to say the least. I'm sweating quite a bit under the black cashmere. Luckily for me and my self esteem he actually smiles and says "yea I was thinking that too, I'll take the stainless." We walk over and as I ring him up he asks me if I would believe that 60% of the execs atop Fortune 500 companies got their start in sales. I told him that I had no clue but I'd believe it. He said he knew it was true because he was one of them and then mentioned that I was a good salesman. So good in fact that he offered to hire me on the spot.

That was a lie. He didn't offer because he is retired now but we did talk for a second about sales and selling and he was very nice. I was for once able to take a compliment because the 90 seconds prior were so filled with tension that all I could feel was relief and say thank you. I guess I learned one more thing about selling that day too, it's about bullshitting as much as it is about hunting.

Hulk Smash?


I can't tell you how frustrating it is to be accused of something you haven't done. On T.V. whenever I see people in shows being accused of crimes they haven't committed I always laugh. Why get so upset? If you didn't do it, then the court will see that and I'm sure you'll be set free. The way these people act is just hilarious though. I'm sure in part it is theatrics, but another part of it mirrors true human emotion. In my head I tell myself I would smile and laugh. "You think I'm the one who killed that hooker? I don't even like sex that's offered to me oftentimes, so why would I be paying someone for services? Detective, you've got the wrong guy." In my head this is the calm refusal I would offer. But I think in reality it would be hard to deliver this speech as calmly as I've dreamt it up. Imagine being a kid in class accused of cutting the cheese, or a boss reprimanding you for a mess at the desk when you've just shown up for work. Imagine tripping over a dead body and when you stand up you're surrounded by police. Calm isn't exactly the prevailing emotion in most of these situations. What you want to do quickly and firmly is assert that this accusation is false. You want to make known quickly and if need be loudly that this is wrong. No NO NO! You've got the wrong guy here?! But what if someone is accusing you of being contrarian, or stubborn and argumentative, or always trying to be right?

Now you're stuck. Especially if this person is not all that calm themselves. It can sometimes be an untenable situation to try and tell someone forcefully and with all due care, that they are in fact wrong about you needing to be right all the time without seeming to prove their point. It's not impossible but I've come to realize I don't have the patience to pull it off. If I know I'm right and you're mistaken the Aries in me tells me to just shut up and emote "fuck off" towards the person. I've got stories of at least 3 people I still talk to on a regular basis who put me in this position. I tried to tell Franklin that Ben Rapelisberger won the Super Bowl as a rookie and once the wiki proved me wrong I spent 15 minutes apologizing. I think I'm the only person who does this. No one who tries to set me straight ever apologizes which is quickly climbing the ranks of things that annoy me. A long list indeed.


Most of all I find this situation funny indeed not just for its Catch-22 like segments but also because I simply cannot tell you how often I have to explain to them that I in fact am sure I'm sure because I only really speak when I'm sure. I hate sounding like a dumbass I apologize for 15 minutes not because the other person was right but because for 15 minutes I sounded like an idiot and they had to endure that. I used to bet my brother exorbitant amounts of money on things when we were kids. He'd try and tell me things like the sky was Green or that Raphael was the Blue Ninja turtle or something. (He's obviously the red one) And so every time he lost a bet he'd laugh hysterically or something and I would be incredulous. He still owes me like $252 Billion or something. I took that shit serious and he never won a single bet. Jerk.
I'm just going to shut up. When people accuse me of being stubborn or an ass they're never really wrong. I just don't think many folks have seen me melt down completely. Few people know just how "bad" i can get. And for someone who is willing to bleed for his loved one's I don't even think I wanna know what I'd do if someone really tried to get me on some false charges..? It couldn't go over well for anyone involved I know that much.

The Reeling (Miike Snow Remix)

It's all very simple


The heart wants what the heart wants and all I want is someone to put up with my shit so I don't have to..and watch Aquateen with me. It's only been 355 days with this "new heart" so I will give it time to lead me where I need to go. In the meantime I'm home now so this will have to be quick. More/better updates are soon to come..including the 100th post wrap which is now 32 posts late and the end of college wrap which is a month and a half late or 9 months early depending on how you look at it. Tomorrow we go to Huntington Beach and if I'm lucky a visit with the Bodhisattva. See you soon.

I want You: Plural not Possessive


Last Friday night didn't go quite as expected and I've learned a lesson I ought to have long ago. My words are a weapon and their biggest victim is myself. I pop off all the time. I'm quite unafraid to write or say certain things and this usually works only to make me out to be a bigger ass hole than I need to be. I think I've said it before and I'm going to say it again. "When the only tool you have is a hammer, to you, the whole world is a nail." I think I often use my writing specifically to do a job better done sometimes another way.
It's summer time, which means it's time for grody, sweaty sex and movies. This isn't that kind of webpage so for now I will just stick with movies. I don't know what happened to this video and why it looks so trippy but I actually like it. Otherwise it's just 4 Frenchmen standing awkwardly while a bunch of Liberal Hippies cheer them on. Please enjoy.


Ed. Note: Apparently the video uploaded in a very normal and boring fashion; the trippy and much cooler version on my computer was never seen. I continue to apologize that your life is not mine.

The Mgmt.

Geek Life


I'm going out tonight, and I have work tomorrow so it will be a while before I get a chance to check back in. Until then I offer more proof of my utter Nerd-dom. I am so much more concerned with downloading this new song by Dave Sitek than oogling Daisy that I can actually tell you what book she was holding towards the end of the video. And it only took me like 3 views to decide I don't care for her dancing.....Yea I said it.

No Pants Dance

I'll bet you can't guess who I think looks best in this shot. No really you can't.


I could easily do this for the low, low price of $20

Yeen knOW!

No matter how bad it is now I'd rather live in 2010 than 1910.

Absolutely gorgeous...Ladies, you look nice too.

Kim I fucking hate you and your horrible taste in men. Take off that silly ass hat!!

Hey look at this.

Made enough for two boy, Stunt Double

Trannies

Life is a party

Be still my beating heart.


"As a father your only job is to keep 'em off the pole."

No checked Luggage

Fuck what people think. I do what I want.


Oh hello there. #lordhavemercy. El oh El smiley face.

She has a great GPA.


I had a post go up last night which I'm pretty sure no one saw. If you did then that memory is worth it's weight in gold because I don't think it's going back up. It wasn't anything dramatic I just was unhappy with its quality and after mulling it all day I didn't get to it in time to take it down. My bad. Instead I hope you like the pictures.


Shout out to all the people with nothing better to do. Don't watch me, Watch tv.

We Are Sparta!!!


This is an old snapshot but it warms my heart to see that I get hits even when I go days and days without posting. Thanks for always checking in for updates. I also recently noticed I have a reader in Anaheim and I didn't know I knew anyone out that way? So hello to you I suppose.

Thanks,
The Mgmt.

The Rabbit

Gag order Pt.2




I'm back..a little late as always, but I trust you all had a good holiday weekend.

Thanks,
The Mgmt.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The older I get the more I realize why people don't want to talk to each other, and why mind reading though improbable seems like a highly overrated talent to have. Let's all take a second to think of the things we think about during a day.
Now lets all promise never to discuss any of that with anyone...because that was just disgusting. I know I have thoughts I wish I could forget all the time. All the time. I wish I KNEW HOW to QUIT you!! No I'm kidding I quit you already...hehehheeh. Shouts to Pruane2Forever.

All I'm saying is that the other day I walked home with bullets and condoms in my pockets. Well actually I went to dinner first at a family restaurant and all I could think was, "if only these folks knew I was so prepared to both end and prevent life right now.." In reality I had just helped a friend move and the two things he had most of in his place were just that- Bullets and Jimmies. I have no clue why an abundance of either is truly necessary but I'd like to think that he just anticipated the worst and that needing a lot of either means either something very good or very bad and so it would be best to be fully prepared for such a moment. Anyway as parting gifts and the down payment on my days work I was afforded a sample of his cache...That's what she said.
I have a spider's bite on my inner thigh. This upsets me in a way that is quite like finding..mud... on your white shorts.... before Wimbledon. God that was an awful analogy. I suppose it's somewhere north or a trip to the dentist but awfully far south of finding a quarter on the ground. As random daily occurrences go, for me, finding a bite of any kind is at it's base a symbol. I, as I'm sure we all do, find my body adorned in every manner of scratch, bruise and sometimes even bites, while putting on clothes or during showers . (My ex used to bite me..HARD. I don't bruise easily but I did often. The perks of long distance relationships are few though, so I'll count bites as one.) But they were all signs, markers, of the fact that someone or something has been on your body and when you get bitten by a spider it almost always is in your sleep and almost never does it yield super powers. So in my opinion they are a a wholly dissatisfactory thing. I do not like it and no matter what Kate says about them eating pests I've never sought out to harm a spider and I'd appreciate if they showed me the same respect.

US Soccer finished as we all knew they would, at home watching like everyone else. There is no hope for the US side to ever contend for a top spot in world soccer competitions because our best athletes are doing every other sport but this. My own brother for instance would make a great body double for Oguchi Onyewu but he is now riding the pine all so he can keep getting a free education at one of the top universities in the nation. I don't disagree with his choice completely. I think it is a safe, smart move. If I had his talents I might try to play at the highest level simply because our team is so piss poor and it would be a nice exercise in exploration to see just how much better we could get by adding talent alone. Never mind our grade school tactics or the complete lack of team alchemy on field. Oh well. Brazil has been bounced and so they too will sit by and watch. Funny how two overhyped teams have been ousted by more upstart competition. I don't read the Portuguese news but I'm pretty sure one of the biggest endorsers of the Brazilian side is actually an american company. Nike and all the oodles of soccer fans here stateside adorned in the Azul y Verde latch onto them because our own team is so incompetent. Hungry to latch on to a winner more so than most othe countries we eschew patriotism and root for Goliath instead of our own burgeoning David. It is hard to root against a team like the Brazilians but there is no reason why so much talent should fizzle out so readily. What they have in talent usually makes up for the lack in perseverance but in the sad reality of things the US and Brazil are at opposite ends of the same truth; One is too talented for their own good, the other just thinks they're too good.


I don't know who makes these but they make me feel like I'm on the Truman show.