The Fiery Ox* is my best friend from where I grew up. He's in the Peace Corps in Lesotho, a tiny mountain country landlocked by South Africa. We've been writing each other, but really not enough. I'm fascinated by what he's doing: I get the impression that the Peace Corps is much less about young Americans helping poor countries, than it is about poor countries helping young Americans. He was never given an outlined plan or schedule. Instead, he's just been planting vegetable gardens and teaching a bit at the primary school, interacting with locals along the way. His letters make it sound almost normal, but other sources I've read indicate that Lesotho is extremely poor, with all the motivated people moving to the South African cities, and everyone who remains living simply on subsistence farming. This summer he finishes his tour of duty, and I think we might go traveling about Africa together.
And now, my life: a highlight from CBMN at nonstop's house last night: nopey (to the only girl present): So when are you going to introduce me to your hot friends? loompa: Well, let's see... there's [this one]-- oh no, wait, she's off the market. Yeah, her father just passed away... la grizzle: Sounds like she could use a new man in her life! (along with a chorus of similar responses around the room)
*Fiery Ox is actually the English translation of a Lenni Lenape name that I picked for him when I was his Vigil guide, way back in the day.
What I love about No Anchovies: I walk up to the bar, and they say "Brown?" I nod, and receive my very own Action Jackson mug, filled with Nimbus Nut Brown Ale. A couple times, when it hasn't been the usual bartender, they'll look at me and say "Action Jackson, right?" I'm usually too pleased to answer.
What I hate about No Anchovies: People being shot.
A few nights ago at Plush, I met a guy who is hoping to study alternative energy at Berkeley. We got into a long conversation about how Tucson is not a place like Berkeley/SF, in terms of fun stuff to do, political views, conservation, etc... The picture above is from my most recent visit to the bay area: that's me & the Sunshine Rider at the Japanese tea garden inside Golden Gate Park. I was on my way back home from China, and I originally planned the trip to visit with k-luv in SF. When she & I split up, Sunshine Rider was kind enough to step up and host me instead, only a few weeks in advance. He knew how to show an old friend a good time: (1) a long night of drunken comaraderie, including a botched pool break-in and will you make out with me if I take my top off?; (2) wandering around Golden Gate with massive hangovers, where the first ten people we walked past all offered us drugs; (3) an in-house bartender, who made me omelets and even made my Chinese liquor reasonably drinkable; and (4) cheese, which I was seriously craving after 2 weeks in China. Sunshine Rider was both my RA in college and the organizer of the party at which I first got drunk. His birthday was on Saturday, so... happy birthday! (four days late)
Anyway, I love the bay area. I think it would be awesome to do a postdoc at Berkeley. However, the place best for me academically is probably the Carnegie institute in Pasadena, since I'd be able to do a ton of observing in Chile. I'm a little nervous about living in LA for even 2 years... but really, I've only been there for a very short visit, so I'm not really giving it a chance. Perhaps I should see if Dr A can handle a visitor for a weekend...
*The title is in reference to the epic of Tyrillion written here.
The Hater* recently turned me on to last.fm. It is awesome: it figures out what you're listening to, then gives you all kinds of recommendations on new music and local concerts. It even plays a "recommended radio" for you, where it just plays full song after full song of stuff it thinks you will like, and you can skip songs you don't. I was craving a fix of new music, and last.fm has me fully satiated. I highly recommend it. (And if you do it, feel free to make friends with "slaminaaction" to see what I listen to.) Rock!
I still remember when my first college roommate and I would sit around coming up with lists of potential punk covers over games of techmo bowl. Needless to say, we've grown a lot in our musical tastes since then, as he reminded me at his wedding last June.
*Note that despite the Hater's nickname, he has transcendant musical taste. He's only made one slip-up: denying that Live: Throwing Copper defined a generation. Hating on Live will get you that sort of blog-persona-nickname.
(First off, I've been bad about taking photos... this movie comes from Nopey @ booyakashah. But in all fairness, I did buy him his ticket for the show...)
I saw Calexico last night. I think it's impossible to live in Tucson for any length of time and not love seeing Calexico perform. They were awesome, with a couple extra performers they use for their big Tucson shows: a hardcore Mariachi trumpet player and another guy who has this huge, booming, operatic voice. I first saw Calexico with k-luv (also known as nunchucks), and I loved it... but seeing as it was also a very good 2nd date, I've always been not quite sure if it was just a mediocre band made incredible by a fantastic evening. Well, now I know... they really are that awesome. I was also very proud to be the k-luv of the group, pulling in several other friends to check out the gospel of musical goodness that is Calexico in Tucson.
Plus... I got to spend much of the evening hanging out with new, fun people. And it all culminated in a late-night Grill stop. The only thing better than the late-night diner run is the late-night diner run with Bodington's on tap.
It turns out that the Surly Barnacle was featured in a Weekly article that hit the newstands the same day as his birthday. Here, his wife, the Roller Derby Queen, shows the cover of the issue (she was also featured in it). They're both very educated on religion, and have strong well-formed opinions... so I'm glad they got to share them, even if the article did sensationalize a bit. For further education on religion, I recommend the "Religionklok" episode of "Metalocalypse" on youtube. (Thanks to the Sunshine Rider for turning me on to this hilarious show.)
The other guy in the photo is helping me pretend that I'm Turkish. See, on several occasions traveling outside the US, I've had people tell me that I look Turkish. I think I should run with it. So far, he's taught me two words. I'm hoping I can get by mostly with syllabic sounds. My tutor: yeah, Turkish is sort of a mix of French and German, with a touch of Arabic. I challenge you to find any other description of a thing as a "mix of French and German."
Let's say you're at the supermarket. On your shopping list are breadcrumbs, cheese, sour cream, and a, ahem, delicate item from the pharmacy. Also, let's say, for instance... you are a single heterosexual male. On the pharmacy side of the store, you notice a very attractive young woman. She is carrying an excellent satchel-bag, excellent enough that even if she wasn't gorgeous, you'd still want to compliment her on it. But this girl is gorgeous, and you're hoping that telling her about the bag will lead to laughter, mutual attraction, and perhaps even, a long way down the road, an act which requires said delicate item. Do you:
a) Buy the delicate item and talk to the girl anyway, hoping she won't notice or won't care. b) Talk to the girl, but not purchase the delicate item for fear of embarrassment, which at worst may include being laughed at in derision / a kick to the nuts. c) Walk away, brain paralyzed, too nervous to either buy what you came for or talk to the girl (who has certainly noticed you looking at her by now).
Once upon a time, a girl on a first date asked me, "So, what do you like to do?" It took me some time to answer, but eventually I said, "well, as much as I can, as often as possible." And of course, I meant that in a Boy Scout / Dead Poet Society way, as only a polite, mild hedonist. But in truth, I'm still stuck on (c). I'd like to stand up on that desk with sweaty-toothed Uncle Walt... but I'm still working up to it.
