The Misspent Life

Soon Now

The last time I posted I was looking at my last night in my apartment.  Since then the movers came, late, and after some dreadful confusion (about which, more later) left.  I saw some wedding pictures and had a rather brief night's sleep, and then jetted off to the lovely city of Richmond, VA after an absence of a month.  First, the move.

Last Time

Today was the last day at my church before I move.  I am sad to leave it, as it is a great place.  The services are traditional and the building, tool--with carved altar and stained glass windows (with corresponding German texts).  The churches I have to choose from in Virginia are all monstrous 60's and 70's brick and concrete sins against sensibility, but I pray that I can find a home there. 

I was very pleased with the last service because we sang two of my favorite hymns, How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace.  I admit that these are rather cliché, but sometimes there is a reason things are cliché. In this case the cliché matches nicely with my own tastes so I have no reason to sneer.

So tonight I spend my last night in my apartment.  It is 103 degrees according to the bank sign down the street.  It was only 82 when I walked to church at 8:30 this morning and quite pleasant with a nice breeze.  Now you break into a sweat immediately upon walking out of doors, but at least the breeze is still strong.  I must admit that if you stay out of the sun it isn't half bad if you like to feel toasty.  I am not enjoying dragging stuff out to the dumpster, so I'm going to stop until dinner time.  All my radios are packed so I'm listening to the cable music stations.  Even for someone of my questionable music tastes the pickings are slim.  I'm currently struggling through Air Supply.  Jesus, give me strength.

The next time you hear from me I will be a Virginian, although not necessarily in my new home as I've got to go to work during the week in the capitol of the Confederacy (I still have a month of work ahead of me).  Ugh, Diana Ross.  At least it isn't a song from The Wiz.  I actually like Upside Down, not to mention my fondness for Mahogany, of which you are no doubt familiar.  On the whole, though, I'm not a diva fan.  Perhaps if I were a bit more homosexual?  But then that'd mean I'd be Catholic already, too. (JOKE! I'm joking...sort of.)  ZZ Top.  Can't say I'm a fan.  This song always make me think of cheap pantyhose commercials. I'll leave it at that.  Man am I fading.  Maybe I shouldn't blog with heat stroke.  Oh!  Howard Jones!!  No One Is To Blame--one of the classics of cheese ballads.  I love it.  That syncopation just gets you right here, man.

I'd like to put together a Chicago photo montage for you, so keep checking in this week.  If I can find a way to link it up with cheesy music, ah! that would be so Lileksian.

Coin

I tredged over to a nearby supermarket to cash in all of my loose change that I have collected over the past four years.  They were running a special where they wave the counting fee if you put your money on a gift card instead of getting cash.  One of the options was Starbucks so I thought it worth the extra distance.  Knowing that Starbucks is expensive and that I won't have money for it, I figured that if I can use the loose change to charge up a card that I can use sparingly throughout the school year.  After all, loose change really is like found money, isn't it?  You look in your wallet or in your bank to see how much money you have, not your jar of coins.

Well, I had a lot of jars and I poured them all into a backpack.  When I got to the store and began to feed the maching my coins, it broke.  Twice.  In the end, I left with a little over $230.  Since I broke the machine it wouldn't let me put the coins I fed before it broke onto the card, so I only have $110 to spend on lattes at school.  That's only about 28 cups of coffee, which is ridiculous when you think about it.  I've probably spent about $1000/year on coffee these last few years.  And it is so unnecessary since it doesn't wake me up.  Even at night it just stops me from going to sleep easily and doesn't give me any more energy or help keep my eyes open.  Stupid coffee.  What a waste.

Subscriptions

So one of the things that I need to review as I prepare to enter graduate school and leave the high flying world of management consulting is my magazine subscriptions. Not only will my free time be more occupied with reading materials for coursework, but my budget will no longer allow the broad range of periodicals that I currently receive. Here is a list of my current subscriptions and some thoughts about their future. Feel free to give me advice.

They Have a Website

Thanks to Mr. Derbyshire at NRO's The Corner, we discover that The Literary Review now has a website.  I might just have to subscribe now, budget be damned.

Don't Tell My Heart

There was a woman working in the office near me today that was rocking an absolutely spectacular mullet complete with over use of hair spray and orange hair dye if my eyes do not deceive me.  And my eyes do not deceive me, otherwise their nose would grow and they'd never be able to become a real boy.  They did rescue me from the belly of a whale though.  If it turns out they were deceiving me, I'd be the first to damn them.  But I tell you, this woman should be damned for that crime against God that sits atop her head perched waiting for the next example of good taste to walk by so it can swoop down and smite it from the earth.

Song In My Head

I went to Subway for lunch today (I'm not a big fan, but you can get a sandwich there for only $2.75 with tax, so it helps the pocket) and the Bee Gee's "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" was playing.  Now I can't that out of my head and I'm walking around the office singing the lyrics in my falsetto Barry Gibbs voice.  Thank the Lord that you don't work near me.

Strange Dream

It isn't often that I remember my dreams, but a dream from a few days ago has remained with me and I want to share it with you in the hope that it will change your life as thoroughly as it has changed mine.

It starts off in a large room, a conference facility/auditorium.  It is clear that the audience is comprised of corporate power players.  After looking around the room for a few minutes my eye is drawn to the stage where a small-ish woman is taking the podium.  "We are here today," she declares in sharp execu-tones, "to discuss the merger."  With the last two words the crowd, which had been listening attentively, recoils, shrinks back, and begins to squirm.  "Today," she continues, "we join together two of the most powerful corporations in the world!" [Neither of the companies is  identifiable, but it seems to be a merger between a food manufacturer and electronics/computer manufacturer.]

"But why are you merging?" screams a disheveled man who can be seen standing towards the back of the crowd, "what is the point?"  The woman on stage looks at the back of the stage and nods.  A few seconds later two security guards burst into the room and shoot the disheveled man and drag his body out of the room.  The woman continues, "That is a good question.  Who in this room can answer that question.  [It is not obvious why a food company would want to merge with a technology company.] You, [pointing at me] answer it."

Eat It

Number 2 on Google for lutefisk jokes.

Whoa

I don't have anything new to say to you today except for some random observations.

1. It probably isn't a good idea to have a big pork fajita burrito at Chipotle if you don't want to feel like napping all day long.
2. It is an even worse idea to follow the lunch with a Sprite and Twix upon your return to the office
3. When one of your life-missions is to collect as much junk as possible you end up making it very difficult for you to pack when you move.  A whole box full of Beanie Babies!?  A box full of bears dressed up in various holiday outfits!?  Preposterous.
4. Be aware of the state of your shirt buttons.  It is not fun to have your middle button pop off of your three-button polo shirt.  You have go around all day with either your top and bottom buttons done up creaing a strange peek-a-bo effect, or just with your shirt undone like you are Italian.  Of course, when you are lily-white and hairless that could be difficult.