"A Clean, Well-Lighted Lunchplace" written by Twisted on estrip.org

12/06/04 05:59 - ID#36467

A Clean, Well-Lighted Lunchplace

Seems like everybody's moving, changing jobs or both. I just got back from an interview at PeopleSoft. I did some contract web production work for them about a year and a half ago. It would be so awesome if they hired me for more ongoing contract work. They say they'll decide by Wednesday and have the new person in for training by the end of the week.

My friend Brenda works there, which is how I heard about the job. She says the only reason I want to work there is because I'm so excited about their lunchroom. That is only partially true. Mostly I'm excited about the paycheck. But the lunchroom is a close second. There are many things I've become jaded about, but food is not one of them.

The place is freakin' huge. This is just one of their buildings.

The "Diablo Cafe" salad, sandwich, sushi and soup bars

Main entree du jour and pasta stations

Individual-size pizzas from the brick oven (glowing in the background)

I decided to go for the "Road to Romain" salad with balsamic chicken, carmelized walnuts, blue cheese and mandarine oranges blue plate special.

Going back to work fulll-time in a corporate environment would be shock to my system, but I think the Diablo Cafe could get me through it.

Update 12/08 19:45

PeopleSoft just called. I got the job! Yay!

Permalink: A_Clean_Well_Lighted_Lunchplace.html
Words: 237
Location: San Francisco, CA

12/06/04 01:32 - ID#36466

Sis time

I had a great time with my sister the past 4 days. I can't believe she left her husband, three kids and home business behind to come out and see me. It would have been a helluva lot easier for me to go there.

My sister arriving at San Francisco airport, looking very happy to be kid-free.

We had to pick up a shipment of wine for Dad. It would have been rude not to buy a few bottles for ourselves, and accept the gracious offer of a free reserve wine tasting while we were there.

It was so funny to go shopping with my sister. We tried out a bunch of toys for her kids and she cracked up at every one, which made me crack up. She bought this puzzle for her youngest kid that makes the animal's sound when you put the right piece in. It kept going off in the back of the car. We took all the puzzle pieces out of it, but it still went off whenever I banked hard to the left. (Many of my passengers have complained of feeling like crash test dummies.) Mostly we ignored it, but every once in a while it seemed to punctuate the conversation at a particularly apt time.

Permalink: Sis_time.html
Words: 215
Location: San Francisco, CA

Category: music

12/05/04 10:15 - ID#36465

Stream of consciousness

I've been thinking about this lately, and I guess I don't need an excuse to work it into the conversation, since this is my journal and I can write whatever I want whenever I want. How liberating is that?

So my ex-ex-ex? roommate and I decided to take that trip to France[inlink]twisted,90[/inlink] inspired soley on seeing the movie Betty Blue

. No shit. (Or I should say, pas de merde.) Did you ever see a movie that inspired you to move beyond the imagined confines of your perceived world? Ok, that sounded way more pretentious than I meant it. Anyway, crazy as it might sound, we walked out of the movie theatre vowing to go to France, and we did.

Which gives me the opportunity (even though I don't really need it -- my journal and all) to say I'm sorry I didn't chime in, (e:Soyeon), when you first brought up Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I thought that was a great movie too, and based on what I know of you, I thought you'd want to see it. I'm glad you liked it.

Back to my ex-ex-ex? roommate, Emily, and her boyfriend, Rob, who made the Skinny Puppy tape. When we lived together, Emily and I were into The Cure and Rob was into The Smiths. For some reason at that time, we all felt the two were mutually exclusive. I was trying to explain this to my new music bud Aaron (Morrissey no-show concert and Meat Is Murder dance club night) and he just couldn't believe it. I almost can't believe it now either, but at the time Emily and I thought The Smiths were too pop/mainstream for Cure fans like us. I guess distinctions like that don't always stand the test of time. Or maybe I'm not explaining it right. But that's the best I can do right now. It's weird.

Permalink: Stream_of_consciousness.html
Words: 321
Location: San Francisco, CA

Category: music

12/05/04 03:48 - ID#36464

Throw your arms around me

When an old roommate and I went to France, her then-boyfriend (now husband) made her two tapes to get us through the two weeks traveling. One was Skinny Puppy [inlink]drchlorine,66[/inlink] (I'm guessing it was "Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse" - the tape had no cover art except the hand-written instructions 'PLAY LOUD!!!'), and the other was Hunters & Collectors, "Human Frailty/Living Daylight." Unfortunately the Peugeot Jr. we rented did not have a tape player, so we had to take turns taking hits off her walkman. That was fun though.

For me Skinny Puppy falls into the category of music I think I must have, but I actually don't (except some MP3s I scavanged from a shared music volume at work). Kind of like all the other music ex-roommates, ex-boyfriends, and ex-roommate's boyfriends had that was communal at the time. Keep thinking I should make a music DB so I know what I really do have, what I only have on vinyl, etc. I've bought two PDA software packages for that purpose alone (one for the Newton and one for the Palm), but I haven't done it yet. I keep hoping it will just become an extension of my iTunes library, which it probably already is if I just bothered to find a way to export it.

(e:Drchlorine) - have you checked out any of the Rough Trade collections? I picked up their 25 year boxed set

just before my music budget got slashed due to being laid off. Been wanting to pick up some of their other collections ever since. My 'seek list' for used record stores keeps growing. Oh well, you appreciate it more when you work harder for it.

Sounds like a fun time at Allen Street Hardware last night. I hear the sausage was mighty tasty.

Permalink: Throw_your_arms_around_me.html
Words: 310
Location: San Francisco, CA
Last Modified: 11/11/15 08:09

12/05/04 03:24 - ID#36463

Outage on the Island

Power just went out for an hour, at least on my part of the island. Luckily I have my trusty non-electronic Lego phone for just such an emergency. I love my Lego phone.

It even has a handy drawer for pen and pad, or spare Legos.

Yeah, I guess I could have just used my cell phone to call Alameda Power & Telecom. That would have been boring.

Update 12/11/04 - turns out a squirrel was the culprit.

Permalink: Outage_on_the_Island.html
Words: 95
Location: San Francisco, CA

Category: holiday

12/04/04 11:40 - ID#36462

Lighted Yacht Parade

Sometimes it's fun living on an island.

Permalink: Lighted_Yacht_Parade.html
Words: 9
Location: San Francisco, CA

Category: music

12/02/04 11:42 - ID#36461

Don't let's start

Come to think of it, my brother saw TMBG[inlink]paul,2467[/inlink]in Atlanta many years later and said the show kinda sucked (harsh words for my brother). Who knows, maybe it worked out for the best for him. But the thing I regret is letting a stupid reason keep me from going. I'd rather regret his first 18+ show sucking[inlink]twisted,86[/inlink]than not having done it. I guess it's all about me, after all.

More to say, but I seem to be stuck in this estrip time warp. Which reminds me -

Oh my gosh! I have to see that. Christopher Guest=genius also. (Non-sequitor, I know. So sue me.)

p.s. - the would-be 18+ show would have been in 1996. I saw them totally by accident around 1989 (a friend's band was opening for them, I had no idea who they were at the time). As soon as they start playing I turned to my friend and said "these are the guys who play 'Don't Let's Start,' which of course they were. That was a great show by TMBG. I think it's the only one I ever saw, though.

p.p.s. - I don't expect anybody to give a shit about this. Maybe it's time I hit the donation button in payment for the group therapy.

Permalink: Don_t_let_s_start.html
Words: 213
Location: San Francisco, CA

Category: family

12/01/04 02:01 - ID#36460

Depravity

Hmmm. There could be something to that.[inlink]drchlorine,63[/inlink] Can't comment further at the moment - have to pick up my sister[inlink]twisted,56[/inlink] in 10 minutes. ;-)

I wish I could be there though. I would be if I could. Have fun.

So my friend Kathy offered me two tickets to Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker tonight (she won them on the radio but can't go). This reference in the BBC review

was enough to convince me I wanted to go:

The boys in their tight white pants with braces reminded me of Freddie Mercury! Bourne takes his inspiration from many sources and loves creating roles for male dancers - so is this a homage to iconic Freddie?

I thought I had given up worrying what other people might think/feel/want (ok, not entirely), but now I'm wondering if my sister would be into this or not. Oh what the heck.

For some reason this reminds me of my brother's 18th birthday - my parents gave him a flight to Boston to stay with me for the weekend. We did the midnight Rocky Horror, Spike & Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation festival

, and saw the movie

Leaving Las Vegas. I wasn't trying to find the most depraved events going on that weekend, it just worked out that way. In fact, the main thing I wanted to take him to would have been his first 18+ show - They Might Be Giants. Not going is my biggest concert regret ever. It's not every lifetime you get to let down your brother on his 18th birthday.

Permalink: Depravity.html
Words: 278
Location: San Francisco, CA

Category: holiday

11/29/04 10:24 - ID#36459

Family Christmas Portrait

Ok - I can finally make this public. Kathy sent it to me to sharpen up, but I coudn't post it at the time because I would have "scooped" their Christmas card. Is that a great pic or what?
'
p.s. - I made Maggie''s scarf. They're snowflakes.

Permalink: Family_Christmas_Portrait.html
Words: 51
Location: San Francisco, CA

11/28/04 02:48 - ID#36458

Holy Toast!

(I can't take credit for the title, I stole it from this article about the lack of gay sex in movies. Grilled cheese reference is at the bottom.

)

Apparently that Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese[inlink]paul,2435[/inlink] sold for $28k.

Just as I'm giving up on buffed Greek gods, I find this. Remember that 10-year-old grilled-cheese sandwich found in Florida? The one embossed with an image of the Virgin Mary? No? It was up for auction on EBay. Still no? You people aren't reading the right news sites. Anyway. I've just read that the Holy Toast finally sold for $28,000. The Virgin's suffering face is still discernible and remarkably mold-free, considering its age. Stop shaking your heads, o ye of little faith! Google the words "Mary cheese sandwich" for a slew of reports.

Full Story on CNN

Permalink: Holy_Toast_.html
Words: 154
Location: San Francisco, CA