I've been walking around my neighborhood more often, exploring the small Tucson-downtown area. This photo is from a sci/tech magnet school near my house. Despite the dead lawn, it's really pretty, as is most of the local architecture. Today I also wandered upon a jazz band playing to a barbeque at one of the local parks. These are the reasons I live where I do.
Song of the Day: Ladyhawk - Dugout
What's that you say? Am I naked? Oh well, deal with it: I'm calling it art.
I've been living alone for 7-8 months now. I'll be honest: living without roommates is far more lonely. I think that's mostly a quality of the white noise, that material construct of a powerful but effortless connection to other human beings. But there are three parts of living alone that I especially enjoy: (1) walking around naked, (2) drinking beverages out of the carton, (3) only having to clean up my own messes. But the biggest reason I moved out of my last house is because I had an uncomfortable 40-year-old roommate who called himself Bunga.
I've taken a blogging break for a few days because as I was distracted my posts were getting a bit more personal than I wanted, not really in the spirit of why I thought I'd start a blog (those reasons were 1: to write more, 2: to take more fun pictures, and 3: in case friends were curious what I was up to). And recently too, I returned to doing more writing on my own. I make no promises on the promptness of near-future posts.
Song of the Day: The Hold Steady - You Can Make Him Like You
I mentioned in an earlier post that my college friends created a video of our big get-together last June at the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey. The video ends with a scene of the ridiculously-frightening Cap'n Bones bursting forth from his treasure chest of doom. Cap'n Bones' Gold is a board game I bought one year for our White Elephant gift exchange, and it ended up in the hands of bag (aka RotS). It's pretty fun, but the skeletal plastic form of Cap'n Bones bursting without warning from his treasure chest is far more eerie than any children's game ought to be.
In further display of all our geekiness, this short comic was made about the last time several of us were together, just before new years: http://ton.diplomacyaction.com/comic/
My phone randomly takes pictures while it's in my pocket. With the phone closed, I honestly have no idea which buttons to press if I actually intend to take a picture, but somehow the phone manages to get jostled in such a way that I end up with a couple of blank pictures a week. Here is the latest, along with the last two pictures I previously saved: me with a mustache, and a shot of my kitchen shortly after I moved in.
I went to the gym twice today, and left both times because the lines were so bad. Damn undergrads... what are they up to, clogging up the gym at my university? Oh well, the gym will empty out after spring break anyway.
Song of the Day: R.E.M. - Me in Honey
I kinda sorta witnessed an armed robbery last night. I was at Target, to finally get my dad his birthday card... and I was distracted enough to miss the whole thing. Some time while I was browsing the cards, someone pulled a gun and robbed one of the front registers. Nobody was hurt, but the employees were pretty shaken up. (I took this photo right after I left... I'd like to tell you that the shaky camera work was intentional.) On my way home, two cars of cops had already pulled their suspect over: they had some guy in a little red coupe with his hands out the driver side window.
When I told nopey about it:
me: yeah, it was really weird. I'm kinda freaked out about it.
nopey: dude, what are you worried about? go home and polish your guns, and you'll feel safer.
me: oh yeah, I always forget that I own guns.
I grew up hunting, and while I've only hunted once since I've moved to Tucson, I do own a flintlock rifle, a shotgun, a .22 rifle, and a 30-06 rifle. I keep them locked in a gun safe in the back of my house. I will never own a handgun. The difference between my hunting guns and handguns? My rifles and shotgun are designed for killing animals. Handguns are designed for killing people.
I went out for coffee with a girl last night. She wanted it to be a date. I didn't. I guess I just liked the idea of talking to someone I usually don't. And sure, it was flattering... especially when she told me that she liked my shoes. The song of the day is Johnny Cash - I Still Miss Someone, and I suppose that best explains how I felt last night as this intrepid girl spat her best game and I remained unmoved.
I have to start learning to send people their birthday cards before their birthdays. My dad is not Martin Luther King Jr., but his birthday was yesterday, and every year I forget to send a card until the day after.
I spent most of today frolicking in the snow with friends on Mt Lemmon, north of town. It was a beautiful day. This photo will definitely be soon making an appearance as a decoration on my wall.
Yesterday while walking to the library, I heard music nearby. I walked a few blocks and stumbled upon a big festival happening behind the courthouse and city hall. There were all sorts of musicians, dancing troupes, food stalls, and handicraft booths.
This town has a lot more to offer than I give it credit for.
