Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
knowing is half the battle
Does anyone else remember the Punky Brewster episode where Punky hid in an abandoned refrigerator? Is this hiding spot a disease plaguing Hide N' Seek players or something?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
this greatest day
I woke up this morning just in the nick of time- my alarm was accidentally on silent. I woke up at 8:34 and saw all the important stuff. I don't think I've ever cried so soon after waking up- seeing all those people in DC was pretty amazing. I am SO GLAD I didn't have to be on set until 11.
4 years ago I was in Evanston. I have no idea what exactly I was doing, whether I was in class or at the Cage or at the Childcare Center. Chances are that I was doing some sort of prep for Eldritch, and that in the afternoon I'd be at the Cage checking out gear to people. But wherever I was, I certainly wasn't watching TV, I certainly wasn't crying, and I know I was pretty fucking depressed.
Today I'm not doing anything fun. I have to work at 11 on a set in a storage facility, where I get painfully claustrophobic every single day- but it doesn't matter, because this is pretty much the greatest day I've ever lived through. I can't quite decide if it's better than Election Day, but I know this: there's a lot less stress than there was on Election Day.
On CNN they just said that Obama was walking Bush to the helicopter that would take him "into retirement in Texas." HALLELUJAH! And that's pretty damn respectful, if you ask me- it's hardly a requirement to to escort the dude who handed him such a difficult job to his helicopter. Classy, Obama.
Obama's speech was good- I don't think it was his most stirring or inspirational, but that was to be expected. He has to start out in the middle, govern in the middle- and even though I want him to be the lovely liberal that I knew him to be in the campaign, I know he has to make some concessions. To quote The West Wing in some fashion, he's not just President to the people who voted for him, he's President to the whole country. It was the speech it needed to be.
I liked that he included "non-believers" in his list of the religious faiths in this country- I doubt that's ever happened before. He called to "cast aside childish things," and repeatedly mentioned the environment. I know the economic crisis is huge and all, but I think the environmental crisis is a much bigger deal, and I'm glad he hasn't lost site of it under all the pressure from the economy.
Ha, CNN: "John Roberts had one thing to do today, and he kind of screwed up." Obama nearly laughed at him.
OH GOD MUSIC TO MY EARS: "Former President George W. Bush." !!!!
Good luck, Obama. We know you can do it. We know WE can do it. Yes we can.
4 years ago I was in Evanston. I have no idea what exactly I was doing, whether I was in class or at the Cage or at the Childcare Center. Chances are that I was doing some sort of prep for Eldritch, and that in the afternoon I'd be at the Cage checking out gear to people. But wherever I was, I certainly wasn't watching TV, I certainly wasn't crying, and I know I was pretty fucking depressed.
Today I'm not doing anything fun. I have to work at 11 on a set in a storage facility, where I get painfully claustrophobic every single day- but it doesn't matter, because this is pretty much the greatest day I've ever lived through. I can't quite decide if it's better than Election Day, but I know this: there's a lot less stress than there was on Election Day.
On CNN they just said that Obama was walking Bush to the helicopter that would take him "into retirement in Texas." HALLELUJAH! And that's pretty damn respectful, if you ask me- it's hardly a requirement to to escort the dude who handed him such a difficult job to his helicopter. Classy, Obama.
Obama's speech was good- I don't think it was his most stirring or inspirational, but that was to be expected. He has to start out in the middle, govern in the middle- and even though I want him to be the lovely liberal that I knew him to be in the campaign, I know he has to make some concessions. To quote The West Wing in some fashion, he's not just President to the people who voted for him, he's President to the whole country. It was the speech it needed to be.
I liked that he included "non-believers" in his list of the religious faiths in this country- I doubt that's ever happened before. He called to "cast aside childish things," and repeatedly mentioned the environment. I know the economic crisis is huge and all, but I think the environmental crisis is a much bigger deal, and I'm glad he hasn't lost site of it under all the pressure from the economy.
Ha, CNN: "John Roberts had one thing to do today, and he kind of screwed up." Obama nearly laughed at him.
OH GOD MUSIC TO MY EARS: "Former President George W. Bush." !!!!
Good luck, Obama. We know you can do it. We know WE can do it. Yes we can.
Friday, January 02, 2009
every year
I really dislike it when, every single New Year's Eve and Day and really in the entire week leading up to New Year's, online newspapers print stupid articles about what MIGHT happen in the coming year. Right now there is an article on cnn.com entitled "2009 Political Predictions: What will be the big story?"
Isn't the whole point of the future the fact that NO ONE KNOWS what's going to happen? These articles make very pedestrian predictions about how "the biggest story will be the continued violence in the Middle East." a) No, I bet you anything there will be some stupid scandal that the news media will enjoy far more than anything Middle East-related. b) since when has the Middle East actually constituted a "big" story? Yes, it absolutely OUGHT to be a big story- a HUGE story. But it never seems to get much attention- I mean, god forbid we read about death and destruction and violence before we read about Bristol Palin's baby.
Isn't the whole point of the future the fact that NO ONE KNOWS what's going to happen? These articles make very pedestrian predictions about how "the biggest story will be the continued violence in the Middle East." a) No, I bet you anything there will be some stupid scandal that the news media will enjoy far more than anything Middle East-related. b) since when has the Middle East actually constituted a "big" story? Yes, it absolutely OUGHT to be a big story- a HUGE story. But it never seems to get much attention- I mean, god forbid we read about death and destruction and violence before we read about Bristol Palin's baby.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Happy New Year
Further proof that I have been a nerd/geek all my life and was beyond saving even at a young age...
Exhibit C: STAR WARS
This one should be fairly self-explanatory- it was for a book report I did in 4th grade. Yes, on a Star Wars novel. A JUNIOR Star Wars novel- as in, not even the kind that had decent plots. My favorite part is the C3PO made out of a crayon... but it might also be the R2D2 made out of a candle.
Exhibit C: STAR WARS
This one should be fairly self-explanatory- it was for a book report I did in 4th grade. Yes, on a Star Wars novel. A JUNIOR Star Wars novel- as in, not even the kind that had decent plots. My favorite part is the C3PO made out of a crayon... but it might also be the R2D2 made out of a candle.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
self deprication
Since I've been home, I have been scanning and scanning and scanning our old family pictures. The intent was to create a Patterson Family Flickr site to which the whole family has access and can upload family-related pictures. I figured scanning old pictures would be the best way to get them to see the value of the site, which Taylor and I bought everyone for Christmas. The success of it has been dubious, thus far, but I have high hopes.
Anyway, it's kind of humbling to remind yourself of what a frickin' nerd you were as a kid. Let us examine the many ways in which I was/am a nerd (as though you all needed proof).
Exhibit A: FANNY PACK
Can we please discuss the phase when I wore a fanny pack, like, all the time? It was in 2nd and 3rd grade, and my best friend Amie wore one most of the time too. What exactly did I carry in it? Oh, ok, fine I legitimately did have to carry my inhaler around with me all the time. But other than that, what did I have? If I had money, it was negligible, although I do remember Amie and I filling our fanny packs (which we called "pouches" as though we were kangaroos or something) with change and marching off BY OURSELVES to the corner store in her neighborhood to buy candy. So I guess it was marginally useful. Still though... not even Hulk Hogan can pull off the fanny pack thing.
Exhibit B: INVENTOR
I had high aspirations as a child to be an inventor. The inventor stage was sort of ongoing, much like the novelist stage- in contrast to the detective, gymnast, ice skater, etc. stages. In the picture above, my brother is confused by the "hockey stick" I had "invented" for him for his birthday. Ignoring the fact that it is little more than a stick with a box taped to the end and lots of rubber bands, there is the problem of my skewed perception of what "inventing" really was. Creating a hockey stick by yourself does not mean you invented it. Perhaps I was more of a tinkerer. However, there is some evidence that I was way ahead of my time- I also once invented an Automatic Toothbrusher, and another time spent an entire afternoon trying to make an unhooked phone work hooked up only to batteries. A regular Jules Verne, was I.
There will be more exhibits as I get through more photos, but right now I'm beat and pseudodrunk from spending the evening looking for cute Irish boys in bars with Danielle. All evidence points to Irish boys being very not good for either of us, but we look anyway. What would I do without my fellow masochist?
Anyway, it's kind of humbling to remind yourself of what a frickin' nerd you were as a kid. Let us examine the many ways in which I was/am a nerd (as though you all needed proof).
Exhibit A: FANNY PACK
Can we please discuss the phase when I wore a fanny pack, like, all the time? It was in 2nd and 3rd grade, and my best friend Amie wore one most of the time too. What exactly did I carry in it? Oh, ok, fine I legitimately did have to carry my inhaler around with me all the time. But other than that, what did I have? If I had money, it was negligible, although I do remember Amie and I filling our fanny packs (which we called "pouches" as though we were kangaroos or something) with change and marching off BY OURSELVES to the corner store in her neighborhood to buy candy. So I guess it was marginally useful. Still though... not even Hulk Hogan can pull off the fanny pack thing.
Exhibit B: INVENTOR
I had high aspirations as a child to be an inventor. The inventor stage was sort of ongoing, much like the novelist stage- in contrast to the detective, gymnast, ice skater, etc. stages. In the picture above, my brother is confused by the "hockey stick" I had "invented" for him for his birthday. Ignoring the fact that it is little more than a stick with a box taped to the end and lots of rubber bands, there is the problem of my skewed perception of what "inventing" really was. Creating a hockey stick by yourself does not mean you invented it. Perhaps I was more of a tinkerer. However, there is some evidence that I was way ahead of my time- I also once invented an Automatic Toothbrusher, and another time spent an entire afternoon trying to make an unhooked phone work hooked up only to batteries. A regular Jules Verne, was I.
There will be more exhibits as I get through more photos, but right now I'm beat and pseudodrunk from spending the evening looking for cute Irish boys in bars with Danielle. All evidence points to Irish boys being very not good for either of us, but we look anyway. What would I do without my fellow masochist?
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