Apparently a LONG time...
For whatever reason, I have been appointed the designated toilet paper purchaser in my household. No big deal, I work for a retailer anyway.
A couple of weeks ago, I purchased a total of 8 rolls of TP for the house. A week later, it was gone. No joke. I consider myself to be pretty conservative with the stuff and I live with only one other guy, so I have to assume he is the guilty party. And as the guilty party, I thought it should be his turn to make this oh-so-important purchase.
So I waited...
And waited...
And waited some more...
In the meantime, I had a roll for my own "personal" use hidden away. I just wanted to see how long he would go without some Angel Soft or Charmin. A social experiment, if you will.
Finally today, I gave in... a week later. Even Milgram had to put an end to his experiment when it got out of hand, and a week without TP is out of hand. I purchased another 8 rolls, which I anticipate will be gone by next week. Don't get me wrong: I love my roommate and will miss him when I move out this month. I mean, we've been living together for 5 years now. But a week without? Damn, that's gross.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Other Purchase...
I also purchased a humidor today (in addition to the Pete Yorn ticket), though it's hard for me to say what exactly I need a humidor for. I did manage to pick it up for the great price of $.99 off Ebay, though it was another $30 for shipping. Maybe I'll become a bit of a cigar aficionado now, like my good friend, Nick. Any recommendations for a good cigar?
Pete Yorn in Portland
I just bought the last ticket to Pete Yorn's upcoming show at the Doug Fir Lounge. That's right, ticket #300 out of 300. Wicked awesome! I unfortunately could not purchase another ticket to bring a date, but at least I'll get the chance to see one of my favorite singer/songwriters and the man responsible for one of my Top 5 desert island discs, "musicforthemorningafter" (actually, I'll see him twice that day, as he is doing a free in-store performance at Music Millenium before the concert).
Monday, May 29, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
RIP 200SX
Was in a pretty bad car wreck a couple of weeks ago. Completely totaled my car. From the picture, I'm sure you can guess it wasn't my fault. Had some wicked whiplash to boot.
I'm doing much better now. Ended up with a sweet new ride, which I will post pics of shortly. And I certainly feel better. But I thought I should share the damage with you all...
I'm doing much better now. Ended up with a sweet new ride, which I will post pics of shortly. And I certainly feel better. But I thought I should share the damage with you all...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Quit Yer Sniveling
I am really tired of hearing the individuals associated with the movie Brokeback Mountain complain of how they were robbed of the Best Picture Award at the Oscars last month. These people make ridiculous claims: the Academy members are close-minded, Hollywood is playing it safe, the Academy is out of touch with the rest of the country, etc.
And now the author of Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx, is joining in. Here’s a thought: maybe your movie wasn’t the best one that was released last year. To be fair, I have not seen Brokeback Mountain, nor the movie that actually won the Best Picture Award, Crash, however I did hear that both are excellent films. But it seems to me that Brokeback… offers little more than a love story, albeit one between two men (cowboys, nevertheless; didn’t South Park lampoon this idea years ago, claiming that independent films were just about gay cowboys eating pudding?).
Brokeback Mountain received a lot of attention because of it’s subject matter, and that seems to be the card that the makers of the film want to exploit (by claiming they didn’t win because the Academy voters are close-minded). However, there have been plenty of films dealing with the subject of homosexuality before, and there are sure to be plenty more afterwards. Should To Wong Foo… have won an Oscar because the movie features drag queens as the main characters?
While I don’t agree with every award given by the Academy, it seems to me that Crash was simply the better film. And since when is Hollywood concerned about stirring up controversy?
And now the author of Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx, is joining in. Here’s a thought: maybe your movie wasn’t the best one that was released last year. To be fair, I have not seen Brokeback Mountain, nor the movie that actually won the Best Picture Award, Crash, however I did hear that both are excellent films. But it seems to me that Brokeback… offers little more than a love story, albeit one between two men (cowboys, nevertheless; didn’t South Park lampoon this idea years ago, claiming that independent films were just about gay cowboys eating pudding?).
Brokeback Mountain received a lot of attention because of it’s subject matter, and that seems to be the card that the makers of the film want to exploit (by claiming they didn’t win because the Academy voters are close-minded). However, there have been plenty of films dealing with the subject of homosexuality before, and there are sure to be plenty more afterwards. Should To Wong Foo… have won an Oscar because the movie features drag queens as the main characters?
While I don’t agree with every award given by the Academy, it seems to me that Crash was simply the better film. And since when is Hollywood concerned about stirring up controversy?
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Update on "The Legend of Hatoon"
I received this comment from an old acquaintance of Hatoon's. It tells quite a different story than the ones that have been reported before. Based on the information I had at the time, I had made the assumption that it was her children that had neglected her. However, it seems that quite the opposite was true. I appreciate receiving this other perspective and thank the author for sharing this information with me:
Hello,My name is ----------, and I knew Hatoon very well back in the 70's. This letter is a year late, but I just returned to Eugene for the first time in decades. Because you mentioned her children, I thought I could possibly fill you in on a bit about that. I ran the Women's Center here in Eugene in the early and mid 70's, and at that time, Hatoon, who was then known as an alcoholic, stayed there frequently. I spent months talking to her, and often went to her apartment to stay with her in the evenings. She also came to my home frequently. Hatoon was a heavy drinker then, but it was clear she was intelligent, and could be interesting. She had attached herself to the women's community, and spent much of her time interfering with activities and parties given by individuals and groups. People tried very hard to be kind to her, but she always managed to thwart their efforts by reacting in a cruel and belligerant manner. In the center, she created problem after problem, mostly by endless manipulation, with the goal of dividing women from each other. At that time she already had many of the habits described in the articles from after her death, but in a less smooth form. She developed her habit of walking up to people and complimenting their looks because she had an angry relationship to the lesbians in town. She would go up to them and offer them lipstick, feminine clothing etc in an angry manner. Her compliments were a means to make people nervous. When she saw that I was making a difference at the Women's Center, she began to attack me personally in front of new women. She verbally attacked a dozen people a week though, so I did not take it personally. She did a lot of screaming and yelling around town in general. Ironically, I actually made a big impression on Hatoon, who admired my college background. She began to read, and learned the tactic of acting crazy, but then 'coming to' when people patronized her, so as to make them look and feel stupid. She began to dress, and speak more consciously, and made a point of copying me.She was particularly cruel to her children. Her daughter, whom she spoke of rarely, did not live in Eugene, but her son did, and feared her greatly. She was frightening, because she was essentially such a heartless person, who was utterly unfazed by the pain of others. Instead of enjoyment or warmth toward people, she was able to feel only jealously. Her take on life was -- people better notice me, or else. She always had an apartment when I knew her, but she preferred for people to see her as homeless. I don't know what her situation was when she died, but I'd be willing to bet there were individuals somewhere who knew a lot more about how she survived than the general public. Or maybe her methods had changed by her last years.If you Google Hatoon, you can find a blog from 'Bob', a friend of her son's, attached along with many others to the article on her death, who tells it like it really was -- how inhuman she was to her son. She threatened him, screamed at him, and made life unlivable for him. All she wanted from either child was attention, but even that had to be utter enslavement, and giving it did not stop her from her sarcastic cruelty toward him. She gave no money, physical care, clothing or food to either of them by the time I knew her, but I had heard she was marginally better when they were very young. I see that Eugene seems to be a place that applaudes and even deifies mental illness. Coming up here from Berkeley has been a real shock. Recently a toothless man who urinates in his yard was asked to move from a cabin in my ally because he was living in squalor, throwing his trash in the ally, and constantly sponging off everyone who attempted to walk there. When they heard he was leaving, several neighbors wrote letters to the owner of his house pleading with him to let this man stay, and calling him 'an asset to the neighborhood.' After he left, I found there were no more beer bottles thrown up and down the ally, nor trash littered everywhere, especially around my back parking in the ally. I am a single woman, and he specially picked me out for all kinds of harrassment. This is a man who was considered 'colorful and interesting,' just like Hatoon. In Berkeley people like this are given real help, and places to live. They are not allowed to live on the street, where they satisfy their narcissism by becoming public figures. I believe Hatoon was not schizophrenic, but probably manic-depressive and somewhat paranoid. I think she learned to exaggerate many of her tendencies in order to mask her essentially cruel personality. I'm sure she suffered terribly from the pangs of conscience she must have had, and I'm sorry she is considered a 'legend,' rather than someone whose behavior was at best benign, and at worst psychopathic.
Hello,My name is ----------, and I knew Hatoon very well back in the 70's. This letter is a year late, but I just returned to Eugene for the first time in decades. Because you mentioned her children, I thought I could possibly fill you in on a bit about that. I ran the Women's Center here in Eugene in the early and mid 70's, and at that time, Hatoon, who was then known as an alcoholic, stayed there frequently. I spent months talking to her, and often went to her apartment to stay with her in the evenings. She also came to my home frequently. Hatoon was a heavy drinker then, but it was clear she was intelligent, and could be interesting. She had attached herself to the women's community, and spent much of her time interfering with activities and parties given by individuals and groups. People tried very hard to be kind to her, but she always managed to thwart their efforts by reacting in a cruel and belligerant manner. In the center, she created problem after problem, mostly by endless manipulation, with the goal of dividing women from each other. At that time she already had many of the habits described in the articles from after her death, but in a less smooth form. She developed her habit of walking up to people and complimenting their looks because she had an angry relationship to the lesbians in town. She would go up to them and offer them lipstick, feminine clothing etc in an angry manner. Her compliments were a means to make people nervous. When she saw that I was making a difference at the Women's Center, she began to attack me personally in front of new women. She verbally attacked a dozen people a week though, so I did not take it personally. She did a lot of screaming and yelling around town in general. Ironically, I actually made a big impression on Hatoon, who admired my college background. She began to read, and learned the tactic of acting crazy, but then 'coming to' when people patronized her, so as to make them look and feel stupid. She began to dress, and speak more consciously, and made a point of copying me.She was particularly cruel to her children. Her daughter, whom she spoke of rarely, did not live in Eugene, but her son did, and feared her greatly. She was frightening, because she was essentially such a heartless person, who was utterly unfazed by the pain of others. Instead of enjoyment or warmth toward people, she was able to feel only jealously. Her take on life was -- people better notice me, or else. She always had an apartment when I knew her, but she preferred for people to see her as homeless. I don't know what her situation was when she died, but I'd be willing to bet there were individuals somewhere who knew a lot more about how she survived than the general public. Or maybe her methods had changed by her last years.If you Google Hatoon, you can find a blog from 'Bob', a friend of her son's, attached along with many others to the article on her death, who tells it like it really was -- how inhuman she was to her son. She threatened him, screamed at him, and made life unlivable for him. All she wanted from either child was attention, but even that had to be utter enslavement, and giving it did not stop her from her sarcastic cruelty toward him. She gave no money, physical care, clothing or food to either of them by the time I knew her, but I had heard she was marginally better when they were very young. I see that Eugene seems to be a place that applaudes and even deifies mental illness. Coming up here from Berkeley has been a real shock. Recently a toothless man who urinates in his yard was asked to move from a cabin in my ally because he was living in squalor, throwing his trash in the ally, and constantly sponging off everyone who attempted to walk there. When they heard he was leaving, several neighbors wrote letters to the owner of his house pleading with him to let this man stay, and calling him 'an asset to the neighborhood.' After he left, I found there were no more beer bottles thrown up and down the ally, nor trash littered everywhere, especially around my back parking in the ally. I am a single woman, and he specially picked me out for all kinds of harrassment. This is a man who was considered 'colorful and interesting,' just like Hatoon. In Berkeley people like this are given real help, and places to live. They are not allowed to live on the street, where they satisfy their narcissism by becoming public figures. I believe Hatoon was not schizophrenic, but probably manic-depressive and somewhat paranoid. I think she learned to exaggerate many of her tendencies in order to mask her essentially cruel personality. I'm sure she suffered terribly from the pangs of conscience she must have had, and I'm sorry she is considered a 'legend,' rather than someone whose behavior was at best benign, and at worst psychopathic.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Another Birthday...
I've been requested to write about my birthday, which occured a little over a week ago. Quite honestly, I didn't want to think about it a whole lot; I was depressed about turning 27. B was quite sweet in helping me to deal with it, but it was pretty hopeless at the time, as I was so bummed.
B took me to dinner at West Bros. for some good ol' BBQ. She got me tickets to O in Vegas when we go next weekend, as well as sweet ass pair of shoes, that I love. She managed to cheer me up at that point, but I really had to push aside my feelings of inadequacy and failure in order to be in a better mood.
The next day was the Super Bowl, which allowed me to play host to many of my friends. While the outcome of the game wasn't as we had hoped, I always enjoy having company. B upped the ante on sweetness by showing up on my doorstep with a lighted birthday ice cream cake and leading my friends in a chorus of happy birthday. While the effects of a six-pack prevented me from throwing my arms around her, it couldn't stop the smile on my face.
I can't really explain why I felt so depressed (and while I continue to feel so if I think about my age). Deep down, I still feel like a kid: irresponsible and immature. I haven't really accomplished the things I wanted to by 27. Not that I know what those things are, but I feel like I'm so behind in things that I should have already done. I should be smarter, more mature, richer, have more credentials and accomplishments, etc. I'm currently at where I feel that I should have been 5 years ago, and that bums the shit out of me because I have nothing to show for those 5 years.
In addition, the age 27 holds some weird feelings for me as the people I idolized as a kid: Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, all died at 27. Robert Johnson and Janis Joplin as well. Wikipedia states that "occasionally, this (27) is the ideal age to die." At one point in time, I bought into that. How messed up is that?
To those that sent cards and birthday wishes: thank you. They helped to cheer me up in what was, and still is, a speed bump in my life's journey.
B took me to dinner at West Bros. for some good ol' BBQ. She got me tickets to O in Vegas when we go next weekend, as well as sweet ass pair of shoes, that I love. She managed to cheer me up at that point, but I really had to push aside my feelings of inadequacy and failure in order to be in a better mood.
The next day was the Super Bowl, which allowed me to play host to many of my friends. While the outcome of the game wasn't as we had hoped, I always enjoy having company. B upped the ante on sweetness by showing up on my doorstep with a lighted birthday ice cream cake and leading my friends in a chorus of happy birthday. While the effects of a six-pack prevented me from throwing my arms around her, it couldn't stop the smile on my face.
I can't really explain why I felt so depressed (and while I continue to feel so if I think about my age). Deep down, I still feel like a kid: irresponsible and immature. I haven't really accomplished the things I wanted to by 27. Not that I know what those things are, but I feel like I'm so behind in things that I should have already done. I should be smarter, more mature, richer, have more credentials and accomplishments, etc. I'm currently at where I feel that I should have been 5 years ago, and that bums the shit out of me because I have nothing to show for those 5 years.
In addition, the age 27 holds some weird feelings for me as the people I idolized as a kid: Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, all died at 27. Robert Johnson and Janis Joplin as well. Wikipedia states that "occasionally, this (27) is the ideal age to die." At one point in time, I bought into that. How messed up is that?
To those that sent cards and birthday wishes: thank you. They helped to cheer me up in what was, and still is, a speed bump in my life's journey.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Sunriver
So I promised drunken updates from Sunriver and failed to deliver on that promise. So here is a brief summary of the weekend:
Got drunk on Crown and effed up on Absinthe, smoked a cigar, passed out, had Leslie draw tits on my face, was awaken at 5am by drunken brothers in the hot tub, talked to the police about the loud, drunken brothers in the hot tub, and received a $250 disturbing the peace citation as the person in charge because of the loud, drunken brothers in the hot tub.
Quite a weekend. And the Monday after, I received a call from the rental company "thanking" us for trashing the house and informing me there would be some additional cleaning charges.
So while I spent the weekend putting out fires, there was no time to post. My apologies and I hope this makes up for it.
Got drunk on Crown and effed up on Absinthe, smoked a cigar, passed out, had Leslie draw tits on my face, was awaken at 5am by drunken brothers in the hot tub, talked to the police about the loud, drunken brothers in the hot tub, and received a $250 disturbing the peace citation as the person in charge because of the loud, drunken brothers in the hot tub.
Quite a weekend. And the Monday after, I received a call from the rental company "thanking" us for trashing the house and informing me there would be some additional cleaning charges.
So while I spent the weekend putting out fires, there was no time to post. My apologies and I hope this makes up for it.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Challenger, Twenty Years Later
Wow, has it really been twenty years? I remember that day very vividly: sitting in a school gym in Las Vegas watching on a tiny television the launch and the following explosion. I'm sure I was too young to fully understand what had happened, but it is one of those memories that sticks with me, a moment that, in part, defines my generation.
The fact that it has been twenty years also makes me feel VERY old, especially with a birthday fast approaching...
The fact that it has been twenty years also makes me feel VERY old, especially with a birthday fast approaching...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)