04/23/03

Turning 30 didn't feel half as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it feels kind of empowering in a strange kind of way, like the start of something positive: a new and interesting period of my life where I'm just that little bit older, wiser, and perhaps a bit more mature. 29 definitely felt worse, like it was the end of an era, but 30 instead feels like the start of something good.

04/22/03

04/20/03

Well, I got to see A Mighty Wind yesterday evening, and enjoyed it very much. For sure, it's no Waiting for Guffman (which was simply brilliant), but it certainly had its moments, and best of all, it was great to see the triumvirate of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer jamming and rehearsing together with the same kind of magnificent interplay, talent, and humor they showed in This is Spinal Tap.

04/17/03

I swear, life at my workplace gets more and more like a fucking Dilbert cartoon every day. I wish I could go into details, but to protect the innocent and save both your sanity, dear reader, and mine, I better not. Suffice to say, we argued about fucking windows... and I don't mean the computer operating system variety either. Today, I also got charged $101.80 just to get my UK passport renewed. They sent me a blank passport and told me I have to still carry my old one anyway til the visa expires in that one. So, $101.80 just to send me a blank passport. What? That's like $60 shipping. Fucking bureaucracy. At the end of the day, we found out there's going to be an anti-war rally at Lockheed, right opposite our campus on Tuesday 22nd - my goddamn 30th birthday! Get with it people, war is over! Live peacefully and be happy! So, I can't take my regular route to work, and may have trouble just getting out to enjoy a birthday lunch... what a bunch of wankers. The email that came around said to expect a day of "peaceful civil disobedience" - now there's an oxymoron if ever I heard one. On my way out of the parking garage this evening, I was stuck behind some guy who was driving at like 5 mph all the way out the parking lot in his big-ass new Camry... that's one nice thing about a noisy exhaust - when you're feeling pissed it's great to step on it and try and sweep away the dregs of a perfectly bizarre day. OK, I really needed to vent. Thank you for indulging me, reader.

04/16/03

More proof that some of the U.S. population is genuinely stupid. Last year, the Nigerian Scam managed to squeeze $54 million (up from the previous year) out of 'unsuspecting' idiots. Read the report here.

04/15/03

So, London is considering another huge skyscraper to be built above London Bridge in Southwark, and this one looks mighty impressive, over 1000 feet high, and it would be Europe's tallest structure. What with that, and the already under-construction 'Erotic Gherkin', London really could be kicking ass architecturally early this century.

04/12/03

The SF Bay Area Lomo crew is soliciting ideas for spring-time Lomo Crawls. There's a low-traffic email list for general chatter and planning San Francisco-specific get-togethers which can be joined by sending an email to lomo-sf-subscribe@kataan.org.

04/10/03

Tonight I saw Patton Oswalt, Will Durst, Greg Behrendt, Blaine Capatch, and the Sklar Brothers in a San Francisco club. I haven't laughed so hard and so much for the longest time, I practically ached. It felt good too.

04/06/03

Last night I dreamed that I was slicing giant purple and blue bees in two with a very large knife. No, I can't explain it either.

04/04/03

I don't think I'm the only one who thinks that the current pledge drive by KQED (the Bay Area's National Public Radio station) is a little inappropriate considering the country is currently at war with Iraq. The fact that they have the audacity to use that as an excuse for listeners to send them money just plain stinks to me. As residents and citizens of the USA, we have the right to hear what's going on in the Middle East right now, and don't need to be made to feel guilty that without sending KQED $100 we wouldn't be able to keep up to date with what's happening. Well, I heard that Public Radio's reporting of the war doesn't cost the local networks anything anyway, and frankly, all this war stuff "does my 'ead in" and I don't think I'd be missing much if I didn't tune in.

04/02/03

So once again this year I missed the opportunity to do some kind of hilarious April Fool's Day gag on my web site, like saying I'd been eaten by a snake, or fired from my job, or got addicted to crack. Sorry if I disappointed you, my loyal reader. Instead, I'll just have to point you towards the Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time, as they make for very entertaining reading.