pinpoint oxford

snobbery

2005-08-26T12:18:00.000-04:00

the two women in front of me are talking about lunch. one of them is trying to describe falafel to the other. im always surprised when i find someone who lives or works in new york who doesnt know what a falafel is. whats worse is that the women describing falafel (and hummus)is doing a such a terrible job at it.

2005-07-28T14:02:00.000-04:00

I was returning some items at a local chain electronics store.. you know, the shack of radios, and over heard this conversation:

employee 1: Hey, what's that bird that brings the babies?
employee 2: A stork!
employee 1: A what?
employee 2: A stork! S-T-O-R-C-K!

2005-07-28T11:08:00.000-04:00

I've seen flooding in Mumbai during the monsoons, but this is unbelieveable! I got an email from my cousin who said my dad was stranded at the airport. He works in the area and thought the airport would be a safe place to get shelter. His car ran out of gas and there was no way to fill it up, so he stayed in his car for a while but eventually decided to walk to his brother's place in Bandra where he spent the night. It took him 2.5 hours to get there. What freaks me out the most is this line from the BBC article:

Those killed in the city were crushed by falling walls, trapped in cars or electrocuted.

My mom knew that my dad had left work, but with the phone and power outages, had no idea where he was or where he spent the night. she slept in the living room so that she would be able to hear him come home since the elevators and doorbells wouldnt work with no power. Thankfully, she wasnt alone. My aunts were visiting and couldnt get back to their homes in the floods.

My cousin walked from Worli to Bandra and also stayed there and then walked to Andheri the next day. The total distance is somewhere between 6-9 miles. and through flooded streets!

My brother was able to call them this morning. Dad was finally able to get his car and drive home and he seemed fine. After about 36 hours of craziness, the rain has slowed down now. As I read other accounts of it I still cant imagine what people must have gone through.

In case you didnt know...

2005-07-25T15:59:00.000-04:00

when it comes to zombie movies set in england, Shaun of the Dead is waaaay funnier than 28 Days Later.

Spoilers

2005-07-22T10:56:00.000-04:00

Ive been to 3 shows since Ive been back in NY and it seems like every show has those one or two tools that will spoil it for everybody else. These people are on my shitlist:

Spoon at Webster Hall
The three girls right behind us who decided to have a screaming contest between songs...oh yeah, and the Phantom Farter.

Feist at the Bowery Ballroom
The guy standing next to me who took about 50-75 pictures of Feist for EVERY SONG! It might not sound so bad, but try enjoying a show when you have *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* filling up your ears.

and most recently at the Esthero show yesterday at Irving Plaza. There were these three girls standing next to me who were yapping through every song she played. But between every song, the one that looked like Angelina Jolie kept shouting a request for the same song, Superheroes. Maybe I shouldnt bitch because I actually really like the song, but there should be a point when you realize "hmmm, the singer on stage really isnt taking audience requests from the 20th row, so maybe i should just shut the hell up".

This list makes me feel like such a hater. But when I think about it, Im sure people think the same thing about me. There's probably some blog out there where someone's talking about that tall motherfucker that stood in front of them and blocked their view of the show.

But besides that the show was pretty damn great. Esthero and her band were awesome. and Prince Paul DJ'd between the opening acts. He first came on between opening act I and opening act II. Before he started spinning, he introduced himself and then proceeded to give everyone his resume. Almost like Troy McLure's, "you might know me from other musical acts like..." and I thought it sucked that he had to do that. People should know. or atleast the type of people who go to Esthero should know.

2005-07-20T13:29:00.000-04:00

she started talking as soon as she got on the train at jay st. or maybe she was talking before and just continued once she was on. she was definitely not talking to herself but wasnt really talking to anyone in particular, at least not in the beginning. she went on about someone pressing charges, how they have been after her and wouldnt leave her alone, how she has no food, no money, how she had been in a battered women's shelter, but they still came after her, how other women were after husband, how jamaicans had put voodoo curses on her husband, but her husband wouldnt leave her. it wasnt a sob story by any means, she wasnt doing it to ask for money or any handouts.

i looked around, avoiding eye contact as people are generally accustomed to do in these situations. the others did the same, occasionally glancing her way, trying to avoid any confrontation. especially in an enclosed space like a subway car, during rush hour, going through a tunnel underwater.

at times, it almost felt like a spoken-word performance, like something you'd see on def poetry jam - loud, passionate, real. i wanted to look at her. not to stare, but because i was really listening. at some point she started talking about being a nurses aide. and i wasnt quite sure how it all fit into the picture until I saw the woman sitting down in front of her in light blue srcubs reading a book on sonography. she had started addressing her directly, calling her a west african whore - "like the ones that were trying to steal her husband". the other woman kept a "yeah whatever" expression on her face and looked away and around, trying to ignore the verbal assault that she was now enduring.

I was standing near the door when the train stopped at broadway/nassau, i pushed myself towards the side to let people off. the woman in scrubs started walking out while the insults kept on coming. when she got a few feet away from the train she turned around, knowing that there was enough space between her and the passengers inside the train and started to defend herself. "im no nurses aide!, i TEACH nurses aides!" she said as she started walking away. the doors stayed open and 5 seconds a police officer strolled up to the side of the subway car door.

she got a little quiet when she noticed the officer standing outside the train. he stood outside the train, next to the door and gave her a come here motion with his hand. "can i talk to you for a second?" he asked her. she replied saying that she was just riding the train to go see her father, there was a nervous tremble in her voice. he stood there, and a few seconds later was joined by another officer, and then another one some more seconds later. I was still standing next to the door and moved inward and to the side. Two officers then stepped into the train and walked towards her. they asked her to step off the train, she maintained that she was just trying to visit her father but soon gave in and walked off the train. As one of the officers walked off the train, he turned to me and asked, "Was she being loud? was she making a lot of noise?

"She was just talking", I said, but as the words came out of my mouth, I nodded and I think that was all the officer needed to see. The officers deboarded, the doors closed and the train started moving again. but I felt guilty, like I had just ratted her out like she was someone who had made my ride unpleasant which was the furthest thing from the truth.

Looking good Billy Ray!

2005-05-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

I finally remembered Dan Akroyd's character's first name...Louis!

The painting job was a huge success - But with the crew I had working, it's no surprise. I forgot to take some pictures on sunday when all the tape was peeled off, but I will upload the ones I have that will give you an idea. The floors need a good cleaning, but other than that, im ready and excited to move in.. just have to wait a few weeks. As Cesar kept remarking throughout the day, it's "Looking Good!"

I cant believe it's already May - where is all the time going? I have just 4 more weeks left here and Im going to try to make the most of them. Ive been in a bit of a rut the last week or two. I have so many things I want to do but I keep telling myself that they would have to wait until after I move - and that's a load of procrasticrap. So im going to make these 4 weeks as eventful as I possibly can: go out more, take more pictures, see more bands, watch more movies and hike the Old Rag.

'splainin

2005-04-15T13:37:00.000-04:00

a little bit of explaining is in order. the short story is that due to some miscommunications and ass-umptions, my move date has been postponed by a month.

i freaked out a little because while i was dealing with the all the who-said-whats, i had my apartment broker trying to reach me to confirm a lease signing for the weekend. cancelling the appointment would have probably meant that i would lose my deposit and would have to go through the apartment search process all over again.

but things have a way of working out and the lease signing will proceed as planned. the apartment will be vacant for a short while, allowing me to move gradually if i need to. and im being compensated for the month.

i dont mind another month here. all i ever wanted was a fixed date that i could plan by. order has been restored.

d-day..

2005-04-13T18:20:00.000-04:00

is the end of the month.

a week ago, i wasn't as excited as i thought i should've been. which worried me a little considering its what ive been talking about ever since i left. thats changed. im excited. hopefully by tomorrow, things with the apartment i applied for should be locked in and i will be lease-signing on the weekend.

next up... packing and moving. blech.

Murphy's Law of Blogging:

If you were holding off announcing something on your blog, the minute you finally do, things will change and you will have to eat your words.

Fuck You Murphy.

where have i been?

2005-04-13T17:59:00.000-04:00

around. the blog has totally been neglected. my stats tell me that people still stop by once in a while. i apologize for the disappointment.

so i was in miami almost two weeks ago. Will Smith sang a song about miami. I forget what its called. its all true though. never paid that much for three nights of partying or drank so much vodka in my life. i partied like a rap-star. and i partied with rap-stars. Jay-Z and Beyonce were on the dance floor at Mansion, surrounded by bodyguards while everyone around them went crazy and took lots of pictures. i didnt take any. i aint no starf*cker.

i loved the beach though. i hadnt been to the beach in years! i mean i've been to the beach but its been eons since i actually laid out on the sand or swam in the ocean. ive decided that i must make one beach trip a year. you should come too.

i returned from miami, my wallet and liver bruised, without my luggage which had been lost en route to DC, and after almost a day of sleeping, all the drinks, lack of sleep, lack of substantial food, and kissing of random women finally caught up to me and i got sick. hmmm i thought alcohol killed germs. being sick sucks. being sick when when its 80 degrees, but you're stuck at work without a lot of work sucks even more.

i got over it, with a little help from my dear friend, azithromycin. thanks buddy!

drunken sprints

2005-03-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

Vish and me were walking up 16th after seeing Los Amigos Invisibles. There was a guy walking about 20 ft ahead of us. All of a sudden he breaks into a run and takes off. About 30 seconds later, I paused in the middle of our conversation and said to Vish, "did that guy just start sprinting?". Vish had noticed it too and we both could immediatley relate to it. It's late, you're wasted and stumbling home, exhausted and all you can think of is how desperately you want to get there and to the comfortable drunken slumber that awaits you. but you're drunk and it feels like its taking foooorrreeeeevvvveeeeer to get home, so you do the only thing you can to speed it up... you run like the drunk fool you are.

We brought up the story the next night and what was even funnier wasnt just that we all confessed that it's something we've done, but how similar our experiences of it were. The burst of adrenaline making you very aware but the drunkenness still slowing everything down making you almost feel like you're in slow-motion. The sensation of the ground under you as you take those very heavy strides. Not having to worry about using your every last ounce of energy because you know you're not going to need it.

Im pretty sure this is only something guys do, but if im wrong, ladies, please let me know.

Birfday

2005-03-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

pictures from my birthday party are up

2005-03-14T23:50:00.000-05:00

The bus rides back are always quiet and somewhat lonely. it seems like an appropriate contrast to the hectic, extremely social weekend that has just passed. almost like a necessity, to allow for things to balance out.

I was a little excited when the movie started. I found it sort of amusing that it has just been delivered to my mailbox a few days before and was waiting for me to watch it at home. After less than a minute into it, i decided that this was not how i wanted to watch it. so i turned the volume up on the ipod and tried my hardest to ignore the screen for the duration of the movie. i looked around, watched the sunset as we got out of the lincoln tunnel and as we cruised down the NJ turnpike. i played silly games to make myself laugh, like if Ray was a cheezy horror movie this would be the point in the movie where id want to shout "No Ray! Dont go in there, its a trap!". i sat there with a smirk on my face as I watched the two japanese guys sitting in front of me, fast asleep in their seats both leaning very extremely and uncomfortably to the right, falling further and further with every jerk of the bus. i planned different looks for myself based on variations of head and facial hair. i tapped my feet listening to the playlist i had made before i left, wishing i was in my car instead so i could sing along.

But my mind was so distracted by thoughts of the weekend. there was drama. and looking back i can recognize that it was mostly drama fueled by alcohol. things that didnt need to be escalated had been, purely as a by-product of the inebriation. i started examining relationships that i have with friends - the ones that are no longer in my life, the ones i have, the ones i wanted - like i was being visited by the ghosts of friendships past, present and future. i started thinking of the effort i put in with certain people that isnt reciprocated and the ones that i feel i can do better with. i thought of the people i have known for a while, but feel like i dont really know at all, and how great the few meaningful interactions with them have been, giving me a glimpse into their personalities that were previously so under-appreciated. i thought about the ones that i am proud of and the ones that are proud of me, the ones whose new ventures i am extremely excited about and the ones that dont know how down i get when they are down.

This past week has made me very aware of the amazing people i have in my life that i have the privilege of calling my friends and i spent the rest of the bus ride feeling lucky and grateful and happy to be me.

4-day week

2005-03-10T10:34:00.000-05:00

Quick poll, if you could work a 4-day week, which would you rather have as your off-day, mondays or fridays?

2005-03-07T00:46:00.000-05:00

I was sitting at the bar at Topaz waiting for my friends to show up. They were late and I was passing the time with a delicious glass of Tiger beer. There was a couple sitting next to me talking to the bartender. I later found out that the girl and the bartender have been friends for a while. I overheard two lines from the coversation:

"The one that was on at 9, it was a re-run?"
"Yeah it was the same as last week. Y'know, the whole spiderman thing."

I couldnt stop myself from smiling, embarrassed that I immediately knew what they were talking about. The bartender caught me smiling and when I explained the grin on my face, she immediately went into the defensive saying things like "Oh, I dont really watch the show". I joked and said "Oh yeah me neither, I tune in purely for the spotlight on the latest hip indie bands". So we started talking about TV shows, I admitted that I've never seen an episode of Melrose Place, almost proudly.

My friends eventually showed up and after a few more Tigers we headed over to the Black Cat. We only caught a couple of songs before VHS or Beta went off stage, which I was slightly bummed about. I did manage to catch up with neverecho (in the same city) which was fun.

The last few weekends have been a lot of fun in DC. It's a bit of a shame that it took so long to happen, but im really glad. But im sad that mRage is leaving DC and heading back to chicago. It's been so rockin having her in the same city again. Send out your good vibes and let's hope she gets that residency in NY.

DC cabs suck

2005-02-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

I got reprimanded by the cab driver for rolling down my window and shouting, "Im Rick James, bitch!!" at my friends who were also looking for their own cab. It was 5:30 in the morning and I was taking the cab from the bar we were at to where I had parked my car many hours earlier. I really didnt feel like walking the 15+ blocks to get there.

Even before I could get to the "tch" part of bitch, he scolded me. "Don't be doing that!!"

In possibly one of the dumbest comebacks ever, I replied, "What, so Im not allowed to talk?"

"You can talk, but dont be hollering profanities out of the window!".

That pretty much shut me up for the rest of the cab ride. I sat there in silent protest, depriving him of my usual 5-in-the-morning cabbie banter that has brightened the lives of so many other cabbies before him.

happy valentine's day

2005-02-14T15:54:00.000-05:00

um..i..um..like..kinda..y'know..love you... and stuff.

2005-02-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

its been a relatively quiet month chez moi - some of it by choice and some of it not. but nevertheless, ive spent a lot of hours at home over the past few weeks. its been mostly good, but the downside of spending too much time with yourself is that you start over-analyzing every aspect of your self. like everything - even things that were totally fine and you had no business messing with. im generally pretty deconstructive when it comes to self-analysis thing and let me tell you, after a month in the ol' noggin, im a little sick of me. im also tired of looking at the stupid haiku.

ive managed to create a crisis around me. what kind of crisis? well its a mix of pretty much all the usual ones: career, relationships, future. actually i dont really like that word.. crisis. it makes things sound more dramatic then they need to me. it was more of a confusion stemming from a general lack of satisfaction.

so i was pretty glad when mRage called me yesterday and told me about this party on the south east side. so after dinner, we headed over to the eastern market stop. mRage has been hanging with this guy that she met sort of randomly who is a US marine, recently returned from Iraq and heading back very soon. I really didnt know what to expect from this guy, but i trust mRage's judge of character, so he couldnt have been bad, or she wouldnt be hanging out with him.

the party was what I would describe as a good party in terms of turnout, but we pretty much stuck to ourselves. I spent most of the night just talking to mRage and E, the marine. it was all pretty entertaining. he kept trying to recruit me. Occasionally, he'd say, "G, we need more guys like you in the marines". Id usually just laugh and makes excuses like "I wouldnt be able to do the push-ups" or "There's that minor issue of my citizenship". But overall he was a pretty decent guy. Id ask him questions about how he got where he was and he would tell me stories about training and how tough it could be (I later told him he needed to work on his sales pitch if he was trying to recruit me). I pretty much avoided getting into anything really heavy. Occasionally he would switch from being regular-guy and he'd let out the marine in him, but who can blame him, he is a marine after all.

i guess what i got from the interaction is a sense of how hard it must be. I mean yes, it is a choice that they made, and regardless of whatever opinions you have about the military or the war, i have a lot of respect because im not sure that is something that i'd be able to do.

my first haiku

2005-01-26T23:42:00.000-05:00

im scared of failure
thats what stops me from writing
will you hold my hand?

..and I know what it means!

2005-01-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

The counter at two boots video has a couple of magazine racks. the one on the left has copies of the latest Timeout NY. the one on the right has issues of some independant publication called "The Shadow" where the A in the shadow is the symbol for anarchy. The the front of the paper has a picture of George W. giving the finger and the headline, Bush to US, 'Up Yours'.

I dont know how often new issues of The Shadow get printed, maybe it was a one time thing for the elections, but this pile has been sitting in the rack on the counter for several months now. Maybe it's still up because people consider the headline to still be relevant.

I was standing on the far right side of the counter watching my friends desperately try to deal with the rush of movie renters on this snowy day. I was behind the stack of magazines, and even though I couldnt see them, I knew they were there. If you know me, you know Ive spent a lot of time in the store.

A mother was checking out movies while her four kids hovered around the counter. They were all bundled up in their snow-gear. The daughter must have been around nine or ten and the two younger boys were probably around seven or eight. The fourth kid was younger and didnt really have much of a role in my story.

One of the boys saw the picture of Bush and said to the other boy:
"It's Bush! Don't look at him."

Both boys turned their backs to the picture. The girl then read the headline out loud:

Girl: "Bush to US, Up Yours"
Girl: *gasp*

The boys turned around to take a closer look at the picture.

Boy1: He's holding up his middle finger!
Girl: Hey! That's not nice! Curses to you Bush!

Drea was behind the counter and by this time we were both trying hard not to laugh.

One of the boys sees me laughing and turns to me and says:

Boy1: He's holding up his middle finger, like this!" and he holds up his hand. But he's wearing a mitten that's attached to his jacket.

Me: I can't see which finger you're holding up!"

Boy1: Oh but then ill have to take off my jacket and mitten"

Me: Ok Ok, you dont have to do that, I know which finger you're holding up. I can see it through your mitten. Yeah that's not very cool that he's holding up the middle finger."

Boy1: Yeah. and I know what it means! It means the F-word."

We probably could have spent the rest of the afternoon talking about politics but by then the kids' mother had completed her transaction at the counter. She smiled at me on the way out and then shuffled her 4 kids out of the store.

Finally...

2005-01-10T23:01:00.000-05:00

For those of you who started to doubt that I ever went to Argentina, here are my pics. If you have dialup, im really sorry, it might take a while to get through them all. Ill try to put together a "best of" series soon...
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

A case of the s'pose'das

2005-01-06T11:18:00.000-05:00

There's this guy that I work with. I’ve been working with him for about 6 months or so, not on an everyday basis, but he's one of the business engineer's I work with.

A few weeks ago, I went to ask him a question about one of the requirements for the project and he mentioned that he was leaving for vacation the next day. He's from India, so I assumed he was going back there for the holidays.

"Where in India are you going?"
"Mumbai"
"Oh cool, I’m from Mumbai too, what part of the city are you from?"
"Chembur"
"Really? I grew up in Chembur, where in Chembur?"
"Basant Park. Now you're going to say that’s where you are from, right?"
"Right! No seriously, I used to live there!"

So it turns out this guy used to live in my apartment complex and his cousins lived in my building. Which means we probably played cricket or something when we were growing up. and here we are some 14 years later working, not just in the same company, but on the same team! Tiny world huh?

So a few days later, I called my parents and told them about this coincidence. We don’t live in that apartment complex anymore, but we're not far and we still have the apartment there, which my parents are currently getting, work done on. So a few says later they were at the apartment and happened to knock on our neighbor’s door and meet the guy.

I called my folks last night to ask my mom a dentist question. After we were done chatting about my teeth, my parents mentioned that the guy is getting married in a couple of weeks.

I’ve seen this happen with at least 4 other people while I’ve been working here. Guys go back to India for a month and come back married. and the truth is that some of them do not leave for their vacations knowing that they are going to get hitched when they are home. It boggles my mind. I mean I know that arranged marriages are still extremely common in India, but I just think that a month to meet and be married is a bit hasty.

Then my mom says, "You should come here so we can get you married too". Now, let me just say that my parents have been pretty cool about not putting any pressure on my brother or me to get married. They have made it very clear that the option is available and all I have to do is give the word, but they are letting us take things at our own pace (for now).

We talked about it for a bit, and I finally just said that I’m just not ready for it right now. My dad then replied,

"Ok fine, then at least try to find a girl for your brother."
"Ok! Ill be on the look out"

Whew! Saved once again by the big-brother-buffer.

I’m just at a point in my life where I’m really not sure if I ever want to be married and generally annoyed by the notion that its something that one is supposed to do when one gets to be around a certain age. and that’s not just from the arranged marriage cultures, its pretty much all around.

Happy New Year!

2005-01-03T13:41:00.000-05:00

The end of the year is always a stressful time for me - with all the reflection on the year gone by and plans and goals for the new year. So im glad its all over - im done reflecting. The side effect to the season being done is that everyone is now back at work - which means finding parking in the work lot is a pain and the cafeteria lines are long again.

Its now after lunch on Monday and its the first time in the last 24 hours that I havent groaned.."ooohhh.. so hurting!" which means im slowly getting back to my original non-aching self.

So after three nights and two very long days filled with lots of drink and very little comfortable sleep, it was Sunday the 2nd. I bade farewel to the three road-tripping chicagoans and the broadway-bound doctor and then cleaned up the apartment we were staying in, leaving everything as we had left it except for the clock in the living room which refused to start working.

I left, heading towards the F train still unsure of the days events. I could make come calls, meet some people for brunch, do some shopping, or just head home. After walking less than half a block to the train station and getting on the train, the screams of "NEED SLEEP!" coming from my body were un-ignorable and I rode the train straight to Port Authority and got on the next greyhound back to the district.

But please dont let all this talk of aching and holiday woe-ing give you the impression that I didnt have one of the most rockingest new year's weekend of my life. because I did.

Here are the pictures...

Update: I've split them up to make them easier to browse through:
new year's eve day
new year's eve night
new year's day

2004-12-15T23:34:00.000-05:00

When I was stuck in Buenos Aires, for an additional day, two of the people who were in the same predicament was this couple, Jenny & Bill. On our free day in BA, we ended up at the same part of town. I was sitting outside a cafe, enjoying a cold beer in the sun when they walked by. I invited them to join me and we got to know each other. They were in their early thirties and lived in DC and were both very cool.

When we were back at the airport to get on the flight, the group stuck together. We all looked out for each other to make sure that none of us got left behind. If one of us got special treatment, we made sure that the whole group got it. It felt really good to be part of a group and we all finally made it on the plane.

After we landed, it took me longer to get through immigration and customs, but when I got out of the gates, Jenny & Bill were waiting for me. We said our goodbyes and Jenny handed me her card and told me that they were having a holiday party a couple of weeks later and that they would love it if I came.

So last saturday, I went to Jenny & Bill's holiday party.

As is generally the case at parties where not everyone knows everyone, I was asked how I know the hosts. Most people were surprised when they heard, "Oh we were stuck in Buenos Aires for a day, we got to know each other and they ended up inviting me to their party". Id then tell the complete story and we would talk about how people bond in times of crisis. A few people said things like "Thats totally something Jenny would do!" or the shortened "Oh that's SO Jenny!".

After the second time I heard it, I started responding with, "Yes, apparently it IS so Jenny!" or "I really dont know, Ive only known her for 24 hours."

During one such conversation someone said "Wow, and you made it! Thats so great!" to which I responded, "Yes! That's SO me!"

Press Pass / Mighty Mos

2004-12-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

I felt a tap on my shoulder, I turned around.

"Do you have a pass for that?"
"Um.. no, I guess I dont"
"I'm going to have to confiscate it"
"How will I get it back?"
"Give me your driver's license"
"My driver's license? Why?"
"I'll write your name on it and you can pick it up at the entrance at the end of the show"

So I handed him my camera and driver's license. He turned and left, and then it hit me...Fuck!! I had just given my camera and driver's license to a total stranger at a crowded concert. I didnt even check to see if he works there.

I stood there frozen, trying to enjoy the show, but silently freaking out.

He returned a few minutes later with my license. I sighed with relief and then noticed his badge and radio (I admit, a bit pointless to do after I blindly handed my things to him).

I was still a bit nervous, but I had to trust that I would get my camera back.

It turned out to be a good thing. Ive always found that in my efforts to document things or capture experiences, I sometimes forget to actually experience them.

Back when I was in school I wrote movie reviews for the paper. I very often found myself writing the review in my head as I was watching the movie - which prevented me from actually watching the movie for the movie. I was watching it with the purpose of writing the review.

I love taking pictures of bands. Its much more fun with smaller bands that are just happy that someone wants to take their picture. Not so much fun when you need a pass and dont have one.

I dont take my camera to shows very often. A few years ago I took my SLR to a Rufus Wainwright show in New York. When the security guy checked my bag and saw the camera, he said "You're not going to take any pictures, right?", "Oh no, definitely not", I answered. I then walked in and thought Sucker!. The pics came out shit so I guess I got mine.

I probably would have gotten away with taking a few pictures at the show last night, but the few pictures I took were crap and I couldnt get any closer. So I decided to take movie clips. After all, pictures from a concert can only go so far to describing the experience. Needless to say, it wasnt hard for the security folks to spot the tall guy holding the camera over his head for 3 minute intervals.

But I guess my point is that when im at an event, trying to "document" it, I very often get too consumed in the documenting process.

Ive often thought that I would really love to be a concert photographer - It would probably be one of my top 5 dream jobs. I think if you ask anyone, they would say that they would love to be able to make their passion into their career. But Im always a little weary. When something you love becomes your work, does it lose the je ne sais quoi that makes you passionate about it in the first place? But then, if you ask the people that have managed to do that, they still probably wouldnt trade it for the world.

So there I was, camera-less and all, feeling a bit stupid. But it didnt take me long to forget about it and get completely swept up in the show.

Mos Def is truly an amazing performer.

He's probably one of the few artists that can bring such a racially and culturally diverse crowd together. and it wasnt just a show, it was a performance. Mixing hip-hop with poetry with blues with rock and being able to sound great doing it live. Ive always said the mood of the performer on stage always determines the mood of the audience. and Mos was having a great time. He sang, talked to the audience, told jokes -- he even did a dance number with one of his DJs!

So it turned out that I enjoyed the show way more with my camera confiscated than I did when I had it with me. and at the end of the show, i picked it out of a box filled with all the other removed cameras and left.

One of my favorite moments was during "Blue Black Jack" when Mos paused and everyone in the crowd sang back "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" in unison. His face lit up and he said, "Man I love it when that happens!".

Me too Mos. Me too.

2004-11-29T17:09:00.000-05:00

The guy I sit next to at work just told me the bags under my eyes make me look like a panda... im getting out of here...

Don't Cry For Me...

2004-11-29T16:48:00.000-05:00

ARGENTIIINAA!!!

Im sort of sleep deprived and have a million things going on in my mind, so this will be a bunch of rambling... so here goes..

First of all: Buenos Aires fucking rocks!!

Everyone, some time in the near future do the following things:

1) Learn Spanish.
2) Go to Argentina.

I highly recommend learning spanish first. I tried to do it without properly completing step 1 and my inability to communicate with people was the thing that prevented a really great trip from being an amazing trip.

I got back this morning. I was originally supposed to be back yesterday morning, but as we all know, it sucks to fly on Thanksgiving weekend. The flight was oversold. After standing in line for check-in, immigration, airport tax and security, I was very bluntly informed that there was no space on the flight, and that I would not be flying.

Man, people were pissed!.. and rightfully so. We were all getting fucked.
There was screaming and hollering and threats were being made. Most of the people who were in my situation were given the choice of taking a $600 voucher and a free hotel stay for giving up their seat. I was a little pissed because they never asked me. I probably would have taken it.
Ultimately, I didnt really have a choice. So I was shuttled back downtown with 7 other people who became my best friends for the next 24 hours.

We tried to figure out if there was any kind of pattern to understand why we were the ones getting screwed. We couldnt come up with anything. It had nothing to do with how or when we bought our tickets or what time we checked in. We also considered what would have happened if we were the ones making all the noise at the ticket counter since most of the loud people seemed to have found a way to get on the plane. It was seemed pretty random.

But really not terribly bad when you think of everything that could possibly go wrong. I mean, at the end of it I was getting another night in Argentina, in a 5 star hotel, with dinner, breakfast, lunch, a ride to the airport and a $600 travel voucher. It was just the uncertainty part that I wasnt thrilled about. We all knew for a fact that the next day's flight was oversold as well. but they pretty much guaranteed that we would be seated on that flight - they were just going to fuck-over 8 other poor bastards.

Im sort of happy to be back. Firstly, just happy that I got onto the flight back. and while I dont consider this city or state to be my home, I do consider my apartment to be, so in that aspect it was nice to come home.

But on the other hand coming back to the same ol' shit has been a little depressing. My apartment is a disaster from my last minute packing and not cleaning up. and while watching the sunrise over Dulles airport while the plane taxied to the gate was quite pleasant, the suburbs remain extremely bland and uninspiring.

I have a ton of pictures to sift through and tell stories about so the pictures may take a little while before they get posted.

2004-11-12T17:02:00.000-05:00

rainy days always remind me that some day, i should buy an umbrella...

2004-11-09T13:47:00.000-05:00

i took a couple of hours off work this morning to go to the Argentine consulate in DC to drop off my application for a tourist visa. i dont know if you need a visa if you have an american passport, but you do if you have an indian one.

i parked at the vienna metro and took the train in to the city. i didnt realize how much i miss riding the train in the morning (or even in general). ive gotten so used to the humdrum routine of getting in my car and driving to work and everywhere else. so it was such a refreshing change to sit back and look out of the window and at the people getting on and off the train and leave the driving to someone else.

i just wish the metro stayed open later. i know i would ride it a whole lot more if it did.

Decisions...

2004-11-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

so after all that anticipation, the decision has finally been made. and im kind of glad that its all over and done with:

we finalized a date and venue for our end-of-the-year office party!

oh right, and then there's the election. to quote pico, "really, i think we will persevere".

while there may not be any future wardrobe malfunctions, fear-not, there will still be a Super Bowl. the Donald and the whatever-the-fuck-that-is on his head will still be firing arrogant bastards. and we're still going to celebrate family dysfunction and the sanctity of tv-marriages every way we can. tv will continue to uneducate people.

and if you needed an even brighter side, the daily show has 4 more years of good material coming it's way.

Happy Halloween!

2004-10-31T19:37:00.000-05:00

Ho ho ho!

it's all about spirits and spirits.

2004-10-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

so this week has involved a little bit of running around trying to figure out if i can make a costume idea work that initially sounded a bit ridiculous, but slowly started to seem do-able. here's a few highlights from the last couple of days:

unitard - i actually considered getting one of these. A few calls to ballet and dance company supply stores and several online searches later, i learned that with unitards, they either dont come in the color that I want and when they do, they dont come in a size that will fit me (or wont arrive in time for halloween). at one place, when the woman didnt have what i was looking for, she recommended i check out Party-City cos they have lots of costumes. im sure they get called for all kinds of weird stuff during halloween season.

So later, I went to the mall, where I had a very nice conversation with the lady at the hosiery department at Hecht's where she explained the difference between tights and thigh-highs. I thought they were the same thing. so where does panty-hose fit into the picture? It's the same as tights right? I also asked her the question on everyone's mind, "if tights are marked 'one size fits all' how long are they really?"

Later that day i discovered that tights that are marked "one size fits all" should also say "not for tall people".

Last night I realized that I dont know a whole lot about clothing assembly and was so glad to be able to leave all of that in the hands of my friend, Miraj. She worked her seamstress magic while I just stood there and played the role of mannequin.

Ive mentioned the costume idea to a few people, and the response has been pretty much the same from most people, "wow, you really get into it don't you?". I usually just nod and say "yeah, i do".

Im excited that the whole thing is coming together nicely, but I also know that the payoff is so not going to be worth the effort and trouble that has gone into this silly costume. But the one thing I have gotten from all of this is a ton of self-amusement.

Stay tuned for the spectacle.

eben reloaded!

2004-10-29T11:14:00.000-04:00

check out alex's brand spanking new site! the boy sure does know his woodgrain. and his drawings aren't so bad either.

Man, I wish I had kids...

2004-10-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

2004's Scariest Halloween Costumes [via]

Everybody loves a parade

2004-10-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

so today is the Vienna Halloween Parade. So that means getting home after work will be even more of a bitch because good ol Maple Ave is gonna be blocked off for 4 hours and even the back roads are gonna be packed. woohoo!

I didnt really think the parade was that big a deal, but apparently its huge! This morning as I was driving to work, I saw the sidewalks lined with blankets (and a few lawn chairs)- a full 9 hours before the event! talk about a sad life. like that's really gonna save you a spot. (oh wait, this isnt new york).

I was planning on going to a movie right after work to avoid having to get anywhere near the parade traffic until it's over, but if im not completely frustrated by the time I get home, I might have to check this out.

I almost forgot...

2004-10-26T21:44:00.000-04:00

today marks one year since i left beloved NYC and moved to glorious Vienna, VA. wow.. its been a whole year. and the truth is, i want to move back just as badly as i did when i left. which in a way is a relief. one of those "some things never change" things that lets you know you havent been changed.

2004-10-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

So im going to Argentina!

a few people have asked "why Argentina?" and well the first reason is, why the hell not? and the second reason is, well, I know someone there, specifically one of the first of many people I shared the apartment with at good ol 3rd n' A, Grant. He's been there for a few years, most recently setting up whatsupbuenosaires.com.

Grant recommended I learn as much spanish as I can before i get there. So first I went out and bought this. Then I changed the language on the iPod to Español. I havent started reading the book, but I already know that Browse is Examinar, Playlists is Listas reproducción and Song 1 of 1000 is Cancione 1 de 1000. I think I'm gonna be just fine...

2004-10-19T23:38:00.000-04:00

This may be "so yesterday's news" already, but I just saw Jon Stewart's appearance on CNN's Crossfire last Friday. You can read the full transcript here. Here are a few of my favorite moments:

STEWART: Now, this is theater. It's obvious. How old are you?

CARLSON: Thirty-five.

STEWART: And you wear a bow tie.

...

CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.

STEWART: You need to go to one.

...

CARLSON: I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion.

STEWART: You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show.

I agree with Jon Stewart that the media's responsibility should be to the people as opposed to the politicians and corporations. But I also think part of the problem is with the people who buy into all the BS that is thrown at them by the media.

The media has the responsibility to focus on issues that are of real relevance and the people have the responsibility to demand that of the media. That doesnt seem to be happening enough on either side.

Here are some follow-up articles about Jon's appearance on the show: [via]

Jon Stewart Bitchslaps CNN's 'Crossfire' Show

Crossfire's Response

2004-10-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

So the Faint/TV On The Radio show on sunday was awesome.

The opening band, Beep Beep sucked. and neverecho has since changed the name of her blog.

I missed seeing TVOTR when they were in town earlier this year, so I jumped at the opportunity to see them again. They did not disappoint and delivered a solid set. My only complaint would be that it could've been longer.

I really didnt know what to expect of The Faint, but I was blown away. It had all the elements of a great show: high energy, a not-too-full-of-themselves attitude, great beats, cool visuals, very responsive crowd and... strobe lights! It was probably one of the best performances I'd seen in a while.

While at the show, we got to talking about old shows that we'd been to. Im really glad Ive been fortunate to see some great bands before they broke up (like Soundgarden) and I started thinking about shows that I would have loved to have seen but will never have a chance to due to the bands' break-up/demise or due to the fact that I was not born at the time. Here are my top 5:

  - Jimi Hendrix
  - Queen
  - Joy Division
  - Nirvana
  - A Tribe Called Quest

A few runner-ups worth mentioning: The Beatles, Elvis, Milli Vanilli....

So if time and space was not a constraint, who do you wish you couldve seen perform live?

the prequel

2004-10-15T13:40:00.000-04:00

earlier in the evening, i was explaining my frustrations with watching the first season of smallville. for starters all the business of a new freak created by meteor fragments every episode was getting a little old, a little too x-filesy and i remembered why i stopped watching in the first place.

but the second part and the main source of my frustration was the constant, almost cheeky hints that they kept dropping - mainly about what destiny holds in store for young clark and lex. we all know where clark and lex end up. but when i think about it, the source of my frustrations really lie in my excitement to see the turning point when they realize their destiny and the fact that they are taking too long to get to it.

as silly as it sounds, i found myself using my opinions about smallville as an analogy to how i felt after we walked out of watching The Motorcycle Diaries. Let me first admit that i dont know a whole lot about Che and the point of this is not to get into a discussion about his life and the things he did. but i was intrigued by the concept of the movie and what it had to offer - some understanding as to how a normal twenty-something med student became one of the most popular revolutionary figures in history. though unlike smallville, i wasnt frustrated at the end of the film. it's always fascinating to see what is now part of history, in the making.

but maybe not all transformations happen in the form of life-changing events or epiphanies. i guess i just prefer my destiny-defining journeys to be delivered within 128 minutes.

so who's ready for episode III?

2004-09-24T13:23:00.000-04:00

We have this phrase at work called "Level of Effort". Since theres a lot of planning and coordination involved at this project, often management will ask you for the level of effort a particular task will require. and since we live in the world of high risk, fast pace and text messaging, "Level of Effort" gets called LOE.

FYI, BTW, WRT, RTFM, TPS Reports - there are so many abbreviations already used in day-to-day affairs, adding one more is no big deal really. Plus, I also have to deal with the swarm of technical abbreviations as well: J2EE, JSP, HTML, XML to name just a small fraction of them. But LOE was new to me. Not that managers hadn't asked for estimates on my other projects, they just used different terms for it.

So every so often I will hear someone say something along the lines of "Me and so-and-so met to discuss LOEs for this project" or "They had a meeting to talk about LOEs".
And the first thing that goes through my mind is:

"Who's Eloise?"

my phone's on vibrate for you

2004-09-21T14:01:00.000-04:00

My phone's always on vibrate and its always in the right front pocket of whichever pants im wearing. Im so used to feeling that buzzing sensation on the top right side of my thigh. Though sometimes, my muscles will spasm or tingle in a way that will make me think my phone is vibrating. I usually reach down and realize that I dont really have a call. Im not really concerned by it. Im sure its psychologically triggered. and its just a spasm, we all get those right?

But occasionally when Im at home, I'll feel the tingle on my leg and think "oh is that my phone vibrating in my pocket?" and then ill realize that it cant be because im not wearing pants.

bust or move

2004-09-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

Here's a tip...when you're in a bar/club and the music is a little loud, when you go tell the girl on the dance floor that she has nice moves, make sure you're loud enough and more importantly, make sure you articulate the M and the V.