Something to Say

Kevin, one of the roommates whose name I learned only after fours months of living together, left the apartment last week for a month-long trip to China. Kevin didn't even tell me; I learned the information second-hand via Jae. I'll be moved out by the time he returns, but there are no hard feelings. On the contrary, Kevin left bottles of Grey Goose, Jack Daniels and some Brand X tequila on top of the refrigerator. PLUS, when I rummaged through his cabinets in the kitchen I found a half-full case of Budweiser and some granulated sugar for my Cream of Wheat!

It's gotta be clear to readers from that last paragraph that there's absolutely nothing going on here. Now that my master's project is submitted, I have all the time in the world to work on my podcasts, blog, look for work, etc. Naturally, none of that has happened...substituting Hefeweizen for orange juice during breakfast kinda lowers ones drive. Seriously, though, I have just over a week left in Seattle, so I'm going to try my best to cheaply live it up until the flight home.

Sign Your Name

My Korean roommate wants to change his name to something a little more U.S.-sounding to placate everyone when he applies for jobs. Not that Jae-woo isn't common here (Seattle, you know), but I can understand. There aren't too many Jae-woos in U.S. popular culture. Something told me to suggest he change it to the most difficult-to-pronounce, squint-your-eyes-when-you-read-it, "This applicant certainly isn't white!" name he could possibly think of just so that he could spite the corporate U.S., but in the end I was too lazy. Plus, it's more fun to think of names I actually know.

Jae gave me his suggestions. We eliminated Jeremy because it sounded too much like a kid's name. John was cut because it is too nondescript. Kennedy seemed like he would be trying too hard to fit in. Russell was my only contribution and it's still under consideration, as are Lucas and Victor.

On an idiotic note, how cool would it be if some parent named their kid Batman? I know, I know...that's way too dumb. But it seems like famous people can get away with naming their kids Apple and Rumer and Tallulah (what Bruce Willis' other kid's name?) and True. I want ordinary, everyday people to be brave enough to give their kids uncommon, original and even outlandish coined names. Oh wait, I'd forgotten about the Black community! I'm not being disingenuous at all when I thank the parents of the Dwyanes and LaBradfords and JoJuans. You're helping to make this world a more dynamic place.

Variety Pak

Everyone has crazy bus stories but today was something I had never heard before. Evidently, the horn on the bus was broken and so it would sound loudly, intermittently and often. It was hilarious to look at the faces of passing motorists who all probably wondered why the bus was honking at them. You know, that or whether the driver was on that street drug, Ritalin. The best was when the bus had stopped at an intersection and honked the shit out of pedestrians in the crosswalk who all looked puzzled or enraged while the driver could only shrug his shoulders. I tell you, it's the little things that make life enjoyable.

As usual, I have a ton of notes for things I'd like to blog about but with nothing new on the site to show for it. I will say that I finally downloaded Audacity in order to seriously produce some audio. Once I get the hang of it there will be some pretty nice segments to listen to. So, here are my notes in lieu of a real post. After I submit my thesis to my professors, I'm sure no one will be able to pry me away from the computer.

Puma/SOoo Fast - All three of the commercials (I think it's worth it to click through, but that's just me) are brilliant. I've never seen anyone wearing Pumas that didn't look incredibly hip. Really, despite seeing hundreds of shirts, pants, sweatsuits and pairs of shoes...in all colors...for men and women...my eyes still pop out of my head every time I see them.

The Closer - Dude, that's my show. It's not that great. Very annoying when Kyra Sedgwick figures out the mystery but doesn't see fit to explain the crime to her fellow detectives. Of course, they all find out in the end with the rest of the audience. It's entertaining enough, though, and with a little bit of the comic relief that is missing from Law & Order.

Today's comedy - Every Wedding Crashers film review seems to discuss the contemporary oeuvre of Wilson, Ferrell, Stiller and Vaughn. You know the movies: Starsky & Hutch, Dodgeball, Old School, Zoolander, etc. Some have been better than others, but it is kinda nice to bear witness to a series like this. I mean, those movies are the defining comedies of the last few years, right? Ooh, that's not good. Anyway, who are the best comedians of this generation? I should do it Bill Simmons-style. Are there different categories for sketch, standup, TV and film comics? Do any women make the cut? In about 30 seconds of thought this topic warrants, I came up with the four aforementioned guys along with Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. In the near future, I'll talk to some people and try to create a top 25. Hopefully there are some comedy purists out there who can put me in my place.

Indecipherables - It seems today I've seen a preponderance of men and women who look like members of the opposite sex. So much that I've had to get right next to each one as we pass on the street and look him/her right in the eyes...or chest or hips or what-have-you. It's strange how often this happened today. They've all been different, some looking like men or boys or Gwyneth Paltrow. By my humble estimation, some ugly, some beautiful but all indecipherable until that last moment where I slap myself on the head and exclaim, "Oh!" At this point, the people struggle to decipher my sanity.

Control your dog - Fucking dog owners use a goddamn leash. I'm not getting bitten again. I like dogs, I really do. But if Lassie comes charging like she did last year, it's gonna be her, not me.

Fucking Nancy Grace - I knew I shouldn't have tried watching cable news.

Void Where Inhibited

Read the first three paragraphs in Morford's new column and tell me you're not hooked.

Teachers in high school writing classes across the country should use it as an example of style. And we'll just ignore the run-on sentences.

Cafe Culture

I've been at the U-Village Starbucks almost every night this week (and it'll probably remain that way through Thursday when the project is due...you know, if you feel like gazing upon an internet celebrity). It's because with all of the libraries closing early during the summer, it's the only place open 24 hours. Starbucks is RIDICULOUS. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being at the place. It's like the undergraduate library except with fewer computers, an inverted white-to-Asian ratio and with coffee.

I could do without the incomprehensible shouts from the baristas (Is there a more pretentious word in use today?) repeating orders of venti decaf double soy caramel macchiato chai with light whipped cream and God there are about 577,460 ways to better spend your $4.35. Oh, and don't forget to drop your 65 cents change in the tip jar. I do like the fashion show aspect, though. I've made record of a few simple clothing styles I want to adopt from the hip people walking around here. There's the suit jacket with jeans and a t-shirt. There's the all-white sneakers plus jeans plus a striped short-sleeve collared shirt over a gray long-sleeved. The jeans in that last one can be substituted with khaki shorts. Whoa, I need to be writing about science education!

Before that, did you know that this Starbucks is the largest in the world? And it's only about a mile from my apartment! There are several different atmospheres a Starbucks can have. There are the Downtown style cafes located in the financial districts of a Seattle or San Francisco or maybe along Wall Street. Downtowns open early, close on weekends and are characterized by ties, blazers and briefcases...or so I imagine.

Then there's your suburban hangout-style Starbucks with a wide range of teenagers and seniors and people walking their dogs. And the local-type is the closest thing to an independent cafe. Lots of people studying and just using it as something of a free space; there's no pressure to be in and out within 20 minutes. If not for it's massive size, that's what this place would be. It's pretty decent, nonetheless.

She's Multitalented

A caption from this Saturday's Seattle Post-Intelligencer reads:

"Oscar winner Jennifer Tilly takes a break on Thursday, the opening day of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Even if she loses, she's already broken new ground as the first celeb to win one of the pro events leading up to the world championship, which concludes next week. Her boyfriend is pro poker player Phil "Unabomber" Laak."


Wait, wait, wait...something about this just doesn't add up. They're telling me that Jennifer Tilly won an Oscar??!

I guess if Angelina Jolie can win one then anyone can win one.

Good With Children

If I ever needed any confirmation of my antisocial nature, it was demonstrated this afternoon. On the daily walk to the graduate library, a little kid with a skateboard and a dog on a leash approached me. The kid couldn't have been older than 11 or 12. His dog was pretty big. It had some semblance of a golden retriever but it wasn't a purebred (as if I know anything about dogs). As the dog reared up and placed its front paws on my abdomen I could see that its eyes were two different colors, like that teacher I used to work with at International Studies Academy in San Francisco. Okay then, Captain ADD!

Kid asks where the University Bookstore is, and here's where I collapse (figuratively):

First, I point in the wrong direction, toward campus. Instantly, I remember that the bookstore is really two blocks off of campus, so I point in the opposite direction, but now I've already lost the kid's faith. Pointing isn't enough so I ask the kid if he has been there before and if he knows what it looks like, drawing a semi-wary, semi-indignant "yes" from him. Meanwhile, Fido is treating my hand like it's a Tootsie Pop. In an effort to end the conversation quickly I tell the kid to walk three or four blocks north and he would see the building. But when I resumed my own journey I chastised myself as simple and precise directions suddenly materialized in my mind: "It's on University before 45th." Maybe it's because the project is due. I just need to chill out.

Na-Na, Why Don't You Get A Job?

Have you ever applied for a job that seems like a little bit more than you would like to take on? I threw my name in the ring for a couple of them back at home. The jobs are at Stanford and Berkeley so that means a ton of people applied for them. Also, the reviewers will certainly get a chuckle out of my six months worth of experience in student services. Otherwise, my application was dynamite. I got all philosophical in my writing sample where they asked for the components I would include in a leadership training program for students. To justify conflict management training, I wrote:

Conflict management is another vital component because public service is seldom done alone, and good teamwork is necessary for a group to have success. Virtually no group conducts itself entirely free from disagreement, but student leaders must be able to act as moderators, diplomats or even confidants so that the completion of the service goal and group mission remains both the focus and the result.

Huh? HUH? Is that too dull? I think it's something that would interest the application review committee. Anyway, there's two pages of that stuff so we'll see if I at least get an interview out of it. Watch me have to eat my words when I get one of those "The position has been filled" emails instead.

Anyway, back to the point...what does one do if offered a job that's a bit of a reach for him (Governor of California)? Perhaps the credentials are solid on paper but the practical experiences just don't add up to enable the person to perform well (General Manager, New York Knicks). Do you decline after going through all of that trouble? Or do you accept the job and stumble embarrassingly through it? I won't worry about it, as it probably doesn't happen that often. Plus, if it were really, really out of my league I wouldn't have bothered.

To Be Continued

Just like old times...

I'm upstairs in my Mom's walk-in closet typing on the iMac. It's nice to be back at home in the Haystack for the holiday weekend. It'll be my last respite before the project is due and everything else that needs to be done for me to END SCHOOL FOREVER!! Unless I start missing campus life and get motivated for that doctorate.

Remind me, someone, to stop flying Southwest Airlines. That open seating policy reminds me of junior high school all over again. By the time I board the plane, I walk down the aisle to find only middle seats available, people avoiding eye contact and purses and bags placed in spots where I might want to sit. And wouldn't it be faster and more orderly to have assigned seating anyway instead of playing that game? Plus, I can't stand the flight attendants wearing shorts.

These are little things I'm complaining about but I don't think it was because of any crankiness. I must have been in a good mood because I actually started a conversation with the woman sitting next to me. Talking with my neighbor on a flight is something is absolutely DREAD and I know I'm not alone in that regard. So what, pray tell, was it that inspired me to be sociable on an airliner? Oh, you know! Come on, say it with me now...she was ROCK SOLID. Is it perhaps time to retire my 70s-era lingo? She had an accent so I asked her where she was from, which is really all I wanted to know but she hit me with something to the effect of: "I'm from Brazil but I'm staying a year in Seattle and my sister just came up and visited me and we're going to stay with a family who we know in San Francisco. I've never been there but they've lived there for 14 years and I'm really excited to see the Golden Gate Bridge and we're not staying right in San Francisco, I don't think...where it is we're staying, Isabella? Fairfax. Fair-FIELD? No, she says it's Fairfax but I think we'll go back and forth so where are you from?" I pointed to the ground and that was about all the conversation I could stand.

The Lakers' new draft pick, Andrew Bynum, has a page on MySpace that is your typical teenager web production. Eric noted that Bynum answered one of those quiz questions: "Hot Topic or Abercrombie & Fitch?" with the incredibly accurate reply, "Neither, I'm Black (and part Cherokee)." And, in my recent post (about my little episode with the razor) I made a crack at Abercrombie and race. I've mentioned this before, but it still just boggles my mind how people can run and individuals can support such a blatantly racist company. It's no secret...I know it and Andrew Bynum knows it. I'm sure there are a ton of other racist and/or morally reprehensible companies out there. I only mention A&F because it's on my mind and it seems to be so...celebrated. Okay, Dad wants to go to sleep. This post is to be continued...

Standard Whining

I think it's safe to say that recently Ice Climber has been in a creative sinkhole. Of course, many readers out there are just itching to say "Sh*t, this whole site is a creative sinkhole! What's the URL for Dooce?" Hell, I don't know. I took it off my links. I'm sure there's something interesting on Plastic, though.

It's important, I think, to understand the purpose of this website. Still, there's a hobby mentality surrounding it for me. Ice Climber is like a Tamagotchi or like that episode when I was nine and I had a tiny potted cactus; it's just an examination of yourself to see if you can make the egg hatch or, in the case of the cactus, have the willpower to keep from watering it. I just couldn't fathom a plant that needed no watering...for weeks! One day I broke down and watered the cactus. I did it out of love; it was in order to save the thing from withering away even though it showed no signs of dehydration. Anyway, the cactus died the next day...isn't it ironic? Ice Climber has been going on for well over a year, so maybe I shouldn't worry too much about creative lulls because they've certainly happened before. Somehow, though, I'd like to make it bigger and better...or just have it serve a higher purpose. I can't say anything definitively just yet, but I think before long there may be some sort of transformation.