Saturday Morning

So the holiday weekend is upon us and I don't know what to make of it already.
I know I've over eaten everyday except today (but who doesn't this weekend).

Thanksgiving itself was odd. My mom had an eye operation a couple of weeks ago and didn't feel up to making the family meal this year. My sisters were luke warm about throwing the festivities at thier digs thus year too. So for Thursday I made a lunch time italian feast for the family of Angelhair carbonara. I didn't use prescuto though so I think it was bland to my tastes, but the rest of the family did gobble it up. For dinner I went by Anthon's place, which I've done for years. The odd thing though as it seemed to be couples night. I think Matt was the only other single other then me. Oddly I din't feel my out of place like I do when I'm the only single amung too many couples. Part of it is that I don't spend a lot of time amung these folks like I did when I first moved to Portland. I did miss a couple of faces I wouldn't have minded seeing though.

This morning I went for a hike to downtown portland. Mostly because I needed the exersize, but also because I needed to get out my apartment for a couple of reasons. One, I spent too much time here yesturday and second, the electical blew out half of the apartment. I am currently typing on batteries. I got a little bit of a sprinkle on the walk, but no rain. I would have liked the rain as I brought along light rain jacket. I hit the open market found under Burnside too. Lot's of hippy gear and crafts from what I can tell. A mostly thoughly middle class clientelle too. I was tempted to get another scarf or two, but just didn't find anything that had to bought. The fun side was running into a very big Newfie. he good and friendly, but not in a I'll jump on you type way. I simply put my hand out and licked it. That's a good dog in my book. The owner said he was rescue and was still underwieght. Poor guy looked liked he hadn't been fed too well. His hair was stillpretty matted too. Not too much drool either.

After the market I hit two camera stores. I've gotten some early birthday money I really want to upgrade my 70-200 4l to a 70-200 2.8l. Both places were over priced, which really sucks because I'd much rather buy locally then on the internet. Especially when it comes to high end electroncs and stuff. I don't want to have to call and mail stuff if their any problems with it. But both palces wanted more then a $100 more then any online retail place I've seen. After leaving the second place I ran into a Swiss Mountain Dog, who was also very lovely and well behaved (Swissie's tend to have a long adolecence from what I've read). Good and friendly bit not overly friendly. Honestly I was surprised to even ever run into one. The bread was only exported out of Europe in the 70's and I've never seen any on the rescue board for Oregon before. Wow ran into two dogs that I've been pining to get in the course of 2 hours! So, I'm now back to Newfie or Swissie. Eitherway, I can't really have either, at least for a while.

OK, powers still dead in half the apartment and I can't tell what apartment is mine from the circut breakers downstairs either. Plus the building owner is out. Fuck.

Music

I haven't spent a dime on music in oh so many months. Part of the reason for it, is that I've been trying not spend money, and part of it is because I can't find what I want locally at a price I'm willing to pay, or simply can't find. That's one of the very few things I miss about LA. I had two very good used places for my CD buying needs. But in Portland, the used is easy to find, but selection can be hit or miss for me. Anyway, I'm not quite a poor as I wnated to be as I got some pre-birthday money recently and as such, I hit amazon. The prices look good, but the $3 shipping makes everything nearly retail as far as used prices are concerned.

My music listing has been up and down as recent too. For much of the last year, it's been a heavy rotation of 60's and 79's era ska, rocksteady and some reggae and more modern stuff like the X, Pixies, Pogues or Wilco. On the older stuff, the emphasis on licks of Toots and Maytals, Derrek Morgan, Tommy McCormick, and similar stuff. Right now, most of that is off my playlist as I've had a big hankering for the Stax sound, some classic soul or Billy Bragg material. So I did hit the EM Music and found some stuff too.

Local Selection:
Otis Redding - Live in London and Paris
Sam Cooke - Rythem and the Blues

My Amazon selection:

Clash - Live a Shea Stadium
Billy Bragg - Brewing up with Billy Bragg (extended version)
Billy Bragg - Life's a Riot with Billy Bragg (Extended version)
Erma Franklin - Golden Classics
Sam Cooke - Live in Harlem.

Though I wished Ihad added some Toru Takmitsu too.

Fluster

I hate heavy sales tactics. In the past I've called this type of bull shit to managers and told them specifically why I wasn't making a purchase after dealing with a sales staff who used this type of tactics. So over the weekend I went and did some xmass shopping. The stored were fine, but it was the little stands out in the open that were maze of sales shit. Let's be honest here, retail work sucks, but mall retail has to be the worst. Anyway, every time I passed one of these in door cars one of the sale shits wanted to ask me a question. Shake my head and keep walking. But after coming out of one store I was literally corned by two little girls about what else, my nails. OK when was the last time two 19 year old girls even came close to me. One of them had the worst fake French accent too. They asked if I was doing Xmass shopping, to which I answered "no". So lots of fake flirting later from the two and they are now at their sales pitch about buying their wears as a xmass gift, to which I replied "Umm, I'm Jewish". This line works every time. Years ago I used to use it at Cal State LA when the very Christian Korean girls wouldn't leave me alone. And again, it worked it's charm, but girls jaws dropped at this point, especially when noted I wasn't here for Xmass shopping. The fake french one tried to pick it up with oh, you should buy this as Hanukkah, I walked away, giggling to myself. god I'm an ass some times.

Where It's At

So where am I now? I finally made some headway on my paper, I have a topic and I'm working on an outline. I'll need some library time this weekend to pull info together before I start to write. I'm not 100% sure my topic will work for this paper. At least it the main topic something I know a lot about.

My legs are itchy right now despite the rainy weather. Ugh.

My Nissan failed DEQ/smog today. I'll have to have it checked some time in the next week and see what is really the problem with it. I'll also need to find a decent mechanic if I can. Ugh.

PLans: Weekend should be about 70% to myself. That should be good, especially as I need to do some research on the paper above. I have some social shit to do Friday or Saturday night, but how much am I looking forward to them? Who the hell knows. After all, when I think of my current depression, I'm at about half full. I'm still making myself socilize at work and my eating is erratic. It started off fine today with yogert and no snacking. Lunch sucked, I hit bad fast food. Didn't snack this afternoon, but once I came home from the gym I ate, and I ate alot. Good spicy teriaki chicken and rice, two serving. Ugh. I know when I over eat it tends to mean I'm dealing with stress and depression. Not a good mix for me.

Some OF

The last two years:
http://www.coraline.com/
password = stopmotion

Anyway, these days I spend my mornings cataloging stills from the above, and shooting props from the above. Before that, I handled the immidiate post production needs on the film.

And my feet hurt.

Same, but different

OK, this is a bit rambly and disconnected.

I tend to think that the vast majority of folks are far more the same then we realize. I think we all have far more common then we really want to know either. But we hang onto our differences to create the illusion that we're so different. I also tend to believe what we hate in others is in fact what we hate in ourselves. Do most people recognize this? No idea. Do I always believe it? I'm not sure, But think that when I have time to really think about what I'm feeling about some one else, I tend find myself going back to the above statements. But I don't find myself thinking about it enough to say otherwise I guess.

Today started off kind of nice, I could wear shorts and such, but it's turning kind of gloomy with the cloud cover building up. We're slowly building back to "Oregon" weather. We actually had a very nice summer where I could wear shorts most everyday. But now, It's closer time to wear pants, especially if I have to spend anytime outside. It means it's almost means it is sweater time too. I like sweater time, we had so little of it in LA, that it always felt special. Much like when t actually rained in LA. I am wearing shorts today though, and will try till it get's simply too damn cold. This should be the last weekend I have totally to myself for the next couple of weeks. I'll choose a topic for my last paper of the semester today or tomorrow as well. Otherwise the weekends won't really be mine to do as I want or what not. Plus I turn 40 in a couple of weeks. Last night I was thinking about it and it looks like I'm alf way into my life. Does this mean that my life is nearly half full, or half empty?

My depressions these days have been pretty mild so far, I can guess it's because of the light or the fact that I don't feel completley disconected from people, but I still have to make myself go beyond the normal to connect or deal with them. last month I spent a bit of time making a number of prints of some of photography. I did it in part to sprouce up my apartment and to reconnect me to things I enjoy in my life. Be these photography, people, object, things and what not. I have a few more to hang and a few more to print, but those to print are for familyat this point as it seems that my sisters have lost all their childhood photos and I've been creating an archive of them from my family collection. I've some to flickr and facebook. I do have to say, I was really cute kid, my sisters were less so though. Especially once puberty hit. My eldest sister's hair was quite terrible and she looked like a boy from a bad 70's hair band. My middle sister I think tended to look like she had her shit together. I knew I went from cute to aquard once I started wearing glasses. I can't see without them, though I think I tried going glassless for most of my sophmore year of high school. Did try the 50's ear dork glasses before anyone else did. But went back to round ones soon afterwards.

But I'll never get rid of my glasses.



BTW- I love Urban dictionary at times. Look up "Ginger Minge" when you get a chance. It made me laugh a wee bit.

Changes

Ya, didn't like the last blog and wanted to be more personal I think.
So, this one is actually named after me.
I'll be refraining from work info for the most part.