Faceless

Digital cameras are great.

I never was much of one for taking photos of friends, family, or of having my own photo taken. I don't know if this stems from my mom and dad not taking very many photos of me growing up. I seem to remember it was always a really big deal to bring a camera along anywhere. Most of the time when I have a camera I don't take any photos with it. To give you an idea: the last roll of film I developed had photos from various events spanning over a year. That's how long it took me to take 24 exposures.

Now that I dished out the clams for a shiny new digital version, I'm bound and determined to take more photos when-ever-y-where. Which brings me to something I hate:

People who cover their faces when you try to take their photo. The camera cannot capture your soul, so please don't irritate me by depriving me of a non-flawed image (upper left may look like he's taking an innocent drink from his cup, but this was merely a prop).

You Cannot Eat Soup With Chopsticks

Last weekend I helped my friend Shannon move into her new duplex. I managed to take a lovely picture of the moving truck instead of the house. I especially love her yards, both back and front. When you live in apartments for a long time you rationalize that yards are a lot of work, they're not really that important, etc. When you have a yard (not just a patio) with some shrubbery and trees and dirt, the possibilities are limitless. I find a certain calm and sense of accomplishment when working in my yard even though its very small and currently very ugly. I can physically affect a more asthetic view just by moving some dirt and plants around. I can help things grow. Its a very empowering activity.

PS, I fell out of the moving truck and landed on my bottom. Just stepped right out of it backwards and missed the ground with my foot. No serious injuries were obtained.

Last night I went to the Longbranch, an east Austin dive bar, and checked out my pal Carolyn Merriman's band the Baby Girls. I had two.5 too many beers and felt all achy and gross today. I remember thinking the band was really good, but since I don't go for live music that much (too loud) its hard to tell.

I've been looking at random people's blogs and I especially love the ones where the blogger is very nearly illiterate and runs all their words together and spells almost every other word using acronyms and emoticons. It reminds me of the notes we would pass in middles school. Then you look at the person's profile and they're like, 32. Is typing really so difficult that you can't manage to spell a complete word?

There is something supremely satisfying in the semi-voyeuristic nature of reading other people's blogs. If you're reading mine you should be warned now that I am prone to being pretentious. I also don't allow anonymous comments, because if you can say (type) it you can own up to it and if you can't own up to it keep it to yourself. Remember the proverbial If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all?

OMFG!! its liek 8pm n i gotta go lev work cuz i got 2 mcuh to do and get ppl some bday gifts :-p noone is 2 perfect 2 make mistakes and dat includes u so dont be a hater - out-T

Justice is Blind

And additionally, it seems, deaf. I have received my first summons for Jury Duty, and despite my best efforts to appeal the assignment, I will be required to show up sometime during the 2nd week of December, which is coincidentally a very important, can't-really-miss-it week at work. I felt that I explained myself very well, but the folks down at the court house just could not quite wrap their brains around the fact that I do not hold a conventional job and cannot "take a few days off". My work does not wait, and if I am absent my work must continue without me so that deadlines may be met. I would not have a job to go back to not because I had been fired but because the job itself was over and done.

What to do...

According to my very wise boyfriend, I should relax and not allow myself to be stressed about it. He tells me having panic attacks (to which I sometimes succumb) get me nowhere and only compound the problems. So I exhale and follow the instructions I already knew but sometimes just need to hear.

Today I am trying a new dish, Chicken Korma. I have never been a huge fan of Indian cuisine. In high school I had an Indian friend whose mother would always prepare foods fiery and incompatible with my tender palate.
Since then I have avoided it, but the rest of the people in my office like Indian food, so I have been forced to give it another try. I have made an excellent choice in this curry and am enjoying it very much. So go to the Clay Pit in Austin and try it yourself.

Ha Ha now I have a blog too!

I enter this with an open mind. We'll see how it goes.