Category: Geeky

They might be giants

After being in something of a mood, I opted for my semi-traditional Sunday night torta followed by a movie on Netflix. I’d had this one in my instant queue for a while, not knowing much about it, and I decided tonight would be a good night to give it a shot.

It was a good choice. Aside from being a really quite wonderful movie (which lent its name to a really quite wonderful band), it was full of those gritty New York in the 1970s location shots I’m such a sucker for, including Times Square and what I assumed to be the interior of the now-demolished Rialto Theatre. But I hit the jackpot with the final fifteen minutes, most of which were filmed inside a vintage Pathmark store:

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Suffice to say I’m in a better frame of mind as I go to bed.

Definitely an Order Muppet

Friday night. More than anything else I’m excited that I’ve finally determined how I will archive and organize all my digitized and born-digital home video and that I’m finally making some good progress with that project again after a long lull. Keep in mind that this is essentially the same thing I do as a large part of my day job.

Does that make me pathetic?

And do I care?

Not particularly. Putting the world in order is what I do. When I have the time and energy, that is.

Even if I can’t make sense out of my own life, I want it to be damned easy for someone else to write the finding aid after I die.

 

Order through chaos

It’s hard not to love a bookstore with a “history of technology” section.

More random stuff for a Saturday morning, all of which would probably be more appropriate to some closed-system social networking platform, but fuck that:

  • This might explain so may aspects of my life, from my career choice to why my marriage state-unsanctioned relationship failed.  And why I always crave cookies but often don’t find them satisfying. Or it might not. (Thanks, Dan C.)
  • Much true, this. And it’s somehow related to the fact that I find knowing lots of stupid Excel tricks has helped me more as a librarian than any other tech skills.
  • I don’t shop at Penney’s (I mean “JCP“) as much as I used to, but I could start again, especially if it would piss off these morons.

Trans-Aid and other tales for a Thursday night

I’m sorry, but every time I see one of these vans, I can’t help but think it’s full of people on their way to a giant benefit concert for people with gender identity issues who may also be suffering from famine or the loss of their farms.

More random thoughts for a Thursday “basement night” in Winston-Salem:

  • Some really great news at work and I hate that I really shouldn’t talk about it publicly until next week. I would be quite happy to brag privately to anyone who cares, though.
  • In case you were wondering, Trader Joe’s Punjab Eggplant over rice makes for a surprisingly satisfying dinner. This is part of my new meal strategy, which basically is “cook lots of rice on Sunday night and keep pouring different stuff over it all week.”
  • Have I mentioned yet how much happier I was back when my dad used to hate using the phone as much as I do?
  • I was reminded this morning (fortunately with ten days to prepare) that I have multiple speaking engagements this month. I’m not sure why anyone particularly wants to hear me do it, but I’m sure glad public speaking was never quite as frightening to me as it is to most people.
  • Three new used books from Amazon this week: histories of A&P, Loblaws, and Steinbergs. I sense a theme here. Maybe two.
  • I am really, really impressed by what the ex is doing this week. God knows I couldn’t do it. If you asked nicely, I imagine he would still accept donations. Just sayin’.

Back to Capitale Rock and writing my luncheon speech now.

Day 8: Toronto

Stats:

Odometer start: 13643

Meals:

  • Breakfast: McDonald’s at Spadina and Queen. Sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit combo with hash browns and Diet Coke. About $5.00.
  • Lunch: Wendy’s. Number 1 Single Cheeseburger combo with fries and Fresca. $7.22.
  • Dinner: PizzaIolo. Pepperoni slices. About $8.00.

Sleep: Grange Hotel, Toronto.

Notes:

My day for eating crappy food because it’s quick and cheap and easy, and for generally being geeky. Quick breakfast at the McDonald’s near my hotel–which is pretty much the only breakfast in the immediate vicinity. Drove downtown to the CBC Broadcast Centre and museum and picked up some stuff in the gift shop. The drove north on Spadina, west on Dupont, north on Weston to Jane, and east on Shepperd. Shot several stores for Groceteria.

Visited the library in North York for several hours to do Groceteria research. Quick lunch across the street at Wendy’s. Back at the library, had to use microfilm, which was really frustrating and gave me inconsistent results. I was only able to research 1950-1980 and even that was a bit spotty. The parking was unexpectedly expensive and it never really rained today as predicted. I kind of wish I’d done walking and transit and skipped the library.

Drove home via Yonge and College. Did some laundry and walked to a pizza place on Queen Street for takeout slices that I ate with my Loblaw’s diet grapefruit soda back at the hotel. Packed a bit. Off to Ottawa tomorrow.

Photos (flickr link):

Your basic nice Sunday…

Spent with a movie, followed by a few sublimely geeky hours tracing chain suprmarket history in Indianapolis and playing with video on the side, then a torta at Guadalajara, and now I’m reading my book (thanks, Sarah) and watching the big storm from the tiki room.

Sundays do not require excitement.