The Job Thing
On the heels of the car situation, I did some hard thinking and decided that I didn’t enjoy just barely getting by any more. While freelancing afforded me more time, it was also more stressful to keep hunting for jobs and juggling several projects at once. I realized that working for AllLaw had no stress involved. I didn’t have to worry about that paycheck and there was always something for me to do.
So I started working full time. I am now the Creative Director at AllLaw.com, which is just a title I proposed because it sounded more professional than Intergalactic Special Agent. It also is a better description of what I do there.
I am in the process of bringing closure to various freelancing jobs. I want to devote all of my free time and energy to non-work related activities. This decision is a huge stress relief and it will make a lot of problems go away.
Here in my car I feel safest of all
A couple weeks ago the air conditioning in my Rodeo pooched out. The mechanic told me I should just buy a new car as it would be cheaper than fixing it. This was a major bummer and the last straw in a teetering haystack of financial stress. I’ve poured more than the vehicle is worth in repairs into it already. The wiring harness fiasco of several years ago comes to mind.
But I love my car. It is perhaps the only mechanical thing I have ever had emotional attachment to. I started a new life with this car. It has gotten me out of many tough situations. All sorts of amazing things happened in and around it.
Maybe it is time to give it a rest from all of my shenanigans. It’s ten years old, so it still has some life left. I’m tempted to go get another Rodeo, one just like it only a more recent model, and pretend that nothing has changed. But I should really look into a hybrid or at least something more fuel efficient.
Lately I’ve been driving with the windows down and the heat hasn’t been that bad. So I can probably live in denial for another month or so.
Us and Them
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine on the GeeksOn forums posted a link to another 9/11 conspiracy theory. My comment turned into a little rant that I will re-post here:
Though I am a little tired of 9/11 conspiracy theories as they just make me depressed, I will comment.
Do I think the government would senselessly kill thousands of people to start a war that would be profitable for them? Yes. If they are okay with sending off thousands of soldiers to die and they are okay with senseless Iraqi deaths (soldiers and civilians), then a few more are no problem. A single death is a tragedy, but a million deaths is a statistic, right?
Do I think the government would use television shows or other popular media to advance a particular doctrine? Yes. This should not be a surprise. Superman was employed for all kinds of anti-Nazi propaganda. Today we don’t use Superman, we use Jack Bauer.
The reality is that we live in a world where horrible things happen every day, some of it committed by national governments. Having the greatest number of iPods and grande lattes has not purchased a moral high ground for the United States. Our government is corrupt because it is populated by the same corrupt human beings that live on this planet. Laying blame elsewhere has replaced responsibility. DIGGing up conspiracy theories has become the poor man’s activism. We are numbed into complacency by the constant CNN news ticker of tragedy because if we stopped for long enough to actually let the headlines into our hearts, our interstates would clog up with weeping, shattered people.
It would not matter if the government made a formal announcement that they had assassinated JFK using mind-control rays broadcast by reverse-engineered alien technology and that they penciled in the order for the towers to crumble in between a meeting with the Bavarian Illuminati and the Secret Cthulhu Fan Club. We would just be outraged that the baseball game was interrupted and we’d make brave, impotent proclamations in forums and call for heads to roll. We would point and point and point, standing in a forest of mirrors and still wondering why no one was doing anything to make the world softer so we could get back to our nap.
There is no “Them.” There is only “Us.” There’s just you and me. The guy who cut you off in traffic? It was me. I had to get to work as soon as possible so that my job could kill me quicker. The guy that shit on you in the forum because you actually liked Matrix 2 & 3? That was me. It’s easier to ignore my own hatefulness when I’m making you feel small. The person that is eating up your blue sky and blue ocean and blue tomorrow? Me. I need the SUV and plastic bags and aerosol to protect me from ever encountering your dirty human soul.
But I still want you to love me. I still want you to hold me and say “there, there.” I still want your forgiveness. So let’s not talk about me. Let’s talk about “Them” and “They.” Those guys are fucking everything up. Not you and me. We’re going to clean up this town.
Right after we watch this awesome YouTube video.
The Alucard and Moriarty Show
For those of you who read my blog exclusively for updates on my cats, I will not disappoint you.
Even now Moriarty is splayed across my desk, writhing in strange cat ecstasy as he rubs himself over every available surface, firing off random macros as he falls upon the keyboard. This is a daily event. No work is too important for me not to stop and scratch his ears.
As my apartment is twice the size of the one in Albuquerque, they have plenty of room to run around, explore and play. They usually like to be wherever I am, so they have staked out numerous sleeping locations throughout the office. Alucard enjoys draping himself across the bookshelf or the other end of the desk. They each have a corner on the floor as well. But if they are feeling especially decadent, they will nestle amongst the pillows and blankets of my window nook.
There are plenty of tiny flying bugs and imaginary creatures for them to chase. This is not to say that my apartment is infested. Occasionally a gnat will get in and the cats will pursue it relentlessly.
Another favorite game is Make Loud Banging Sounds In The Next Room And Play Innocent When Drey Comes To Investigate. They always win that game.
My apartment has many doors, so Alucard and Moriarty are confounded daily by their closed mystery. “What could be behind the door? Last time it was a closet, but I’m sure this time will be different. This time it will open upon the fabled catnip forest. If I keep my little cat heart pure, I will soon look upon its leafy bounty.”
Remember the Alamo
I have now visited every Alamo Drafthouse here in Austin. There were four when I arrived, but now there are only three, and in a few months there will be four again. Sadly, the original Alamo closed at the end of June. I was able to attend a few of the farewell events such as Quentin Tarantino’s Last Night at the Alamo Grindhouse as well as Half-Ass-A-Thon. Before living in Austin, I had attended Butt Numb-a-Thon twice, so I was already convinced of the Drafthouse’s awesomeness. I am sad to see the original go. But it will be reborn a few blocks away as the Alamo at the Ritz. This old movie house is being restored and updated into a state of the art theater.
For those of you who have not enjoyed the Alamo Drafthouse experience, let me describe it for you. First off, it is best to arrive at least an hour before your film begins. This is not so you can wait in line or get a good seat (though those can be factors). No, it is so that you can order your food and drink while you enjoy the pre-show. The pre-show consists of a thoughtfully edited presentation of clips relating somehow to what you are about to see. For instance, before the latest Die Hard film they showed a behind the scenes feature about the previous Die Hard movies, clips from Moonlighting and the famous Seagram’s Golden Wine Cooler commercials starring Bruce Willis (or “Bruno” as he preferred to be called).
In front of each row of seats is a sort of platform where you can place your food and tasty beverages. The food at the Alamo is prepared by actual chefs and is delicious. You cannot order a nasty greasy hamburger there, but you can definitely order a gourmet Royale with Cheese and a $5 milk shake to wash it down. There are often themed feasts to go along with movie premieres. You can also order buckets of beer. And the movie has yet to begin.
Before the trailers, you are likely to see advertisements for upcoming special events at the Alamo. They have monthly sing-a-longs, Saturday morning events for kids, a Mystery Science Theater 3000-style series, special guests, and more. They make their own “Turn off your cell phone and shut up during the movie” segments. My favorite is the cleverly-edited Star Wars clip with the Imperial officer taking a call at the meeting with Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. “Don’t talk on your cell phone or we’ll throw your ass out.”
At this point, it almost doesn’t matter what movie you’re going to see. You’re surrounded by people who love film and you can order food and beer until halfway through the movie. The Alamo Drafthouse is the greatest movie theater in the country.
The official site: http://www.originalalamo.com/
My domain continues to expand
Each day I grow more comfortable with my particular section of Austin. I know the main streets and which way to drive if I get lost. I am growing familiar with back ways and alternate routes. The traffic here is unexplainable, I-35 choked at either end by invisible bottlenecks during rush hour (though 4-7PM isn’t exactly an hour, is it?).
I owe much of my success to an intimate relationship with Google maps. As I find cool places, I add them as markers to my own personal map.
If you don’t already use Google maps, you lose 25 points. Speaking of Google, the other night I witnessed my friend Mischa call the Google hive mind on his cell phone and speak to it, gleaning a phone number. Not a mere search or text message, but a voice conversation. Those who do not fear and respect the hive mind will become the lowliest worker drones in Google’s thrall on the day It awakens.
So…
Okay, so the blog is back up. I have an idea about what I want to do with this space, but I won’t be able to explore it for a while. I cannot promise any sort of regular updates. You know how I roll by now.
Testing
Hello World.
Sometimes I want to burn this whole world down
This is pointless.
I never really said goodbye.
On this birthday I will be reborn.