1.31.2005

I am nerdier than 96% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!

1.28.2005

that's my voice rising

location . the district
temp . 27
humidity . 26%
conditions . finally a sunny day


stand right, walk left. it's the rule; everyone knows it, right? personally, i give people a break, especially since i can't walk up or down escalators right now. but i've never been rude about it anyway. if i come upon someone standing on the wrong side, i usually just move to the RIGHT and wait. unless it's the dupont escalator. i simply can't wait that long, escalators are boring.

anyway, i witnessed a lady today with nothing else on her agenda besides TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEY WERE WRONG. this particular metro station had two escalators to reach the surface. there were two guys blocking the way - obviously not "from around here (or any city with a metro system)." this lady, it was so funny, was going REALLY fast up the first escalator, glaring at the guys ahead, but didn't quite catch up to them. i watched as she slowed down dramatically while we were all walking to the next excalator; she stayed behind them the whole way. when we reached the next escalator, she immediately started saying "excuse me, EXCUSE ME, MOVE TO THE RIGHT!" and when she passed him she was muttering loudly "stand left, walk right, doesn't anyone know blah blah blah." she could have EASILY passed the guy while we were walking to the next escalator, but i think she actually took pleasure in telling this guy to move. there's no justice like a poor, black woman telling a suit that he's WRONG. sweet justice. that'll tell'em

bright eyes . method acting

1.25.2005

this is the church that should believe

location . home
temp . 33
humidity . 66%
conditions . everything is wet

it's the escalator. the one. the one that hurt me so bad. and the camera is sitting in the same place i sat when i was waiting for the ambulance. i still cringe when i see it, and i want to scream at people when i see them running down it.

i started physical therapy last week and had my second appointment tonight. the therapist and my doctor both seem impressed at where i am now, which is good, but of course i want to be much farther along than i am. like, i'd really like to not limp. limping isn't fun. and i'd like to be able to walk down stairs. still can't do that either. but i guess things get better slowly. tonight we did some electrotherapy on my ankle after i'd done all the exercises. it's really tight and uncomfortable right now, so i think i'm going to crash out on the couch and watch a movie for my birthday entertainment.

thanks everyone for the birthday wishes today.

broken social scene . cause=time

1.24.2005

hard to leave when it’s picturesque

location . home
temp . 27
feels like . 19
conditions . sweet! it's warm!

when you check the weather online and discover that it's 24 degrees and it FEELS LIKE 24 degrees outside, and you get all excited because your walk home might be comfortable, like comfortable enough to walk to the metro instead of taking a bus, it might, just might, BE TIME TO MOVE TO A WARMER PLACE. but i guess that really isn't an option right now.

"today it's up to you to created the peacefulness you long for" from my fortune cookie at dinner tonight. what? why do they let people write fortunes (that, by the way is NOT A FORTUNE) who can't speak english? it's like all the signs in chinatown that say things like "come with fried rice." i don't have any fried rice, that's why i'm coming to you.

my song tonight is a little personal indulgence, and that's ok, because my birthday is in less than 4 hours. this cd ended up being about the only thing i could listen to in italy (until michael saved me by bringing my cds), so it reminds me of rome. the song "venice queen" does especially, and today i really wanted to be in italy, so everyone join with me in listening to the song and dreaming of rome. or venice. or florence. or ravenna. or cinque terre.

red hot chili peppers . venice queen

1.23.2005

he takes all his words from the books that you don't read anyway

location . apt
temp . 20
feels like . 3
conditions . snow isn't as big of a deal in dc as it is in arkansas

it's been less than 24 hours since the snow stopped falling, and the streets are pretty much clean. i think we got a total of close to five inches, which sucks when you consider we were forcasted for up to a foot. i imagine some schools will be closed tomorrow, but the federal government certainly won't be, and that's the criteria we use in our office to determine if we close for inclement weather. not that it would matter anyway, i have a meeting all day tomorrow which will happen regardless of weather (well, assuming people are able to actually fly into the city today). i don't mind going to work, i actually like it, i just miss the days of guaranteed snow breaks and the general excitement of the first major snowfall of the year.

forget all of this. i obviously don't know what i'm talking about. when i lived in el dorado we RARELY got snow, and when i lived in fayetteville, even if school was officially closed, i'd still be chugging along on my studio project with the rest of my classmates. where did i come up with this snow fantasy?

two other things: 1) if the link to the music doesn't work TELL ME. 2) my photography isn't as nice as i'd like to be right now. please stick with me while i get unrusty and learn my new camera. and, yes, sam had the idea for a picture of the day before me.

wilco . poor places

1.22.2005

architecture students are like virgins with an itch they cannot scratch

location . the district
temp . 22
humidity . 81%
conditions . not as much snow as "they" predicted

today i'm launching a sort of "daily photo" portion of my blog. of course, this will not be a "daily photo," as i have a habit of not updating my blog daily. i'll do the best i can. you can see the full photo by clicking on the thumbnail image above and to your right (unless your html is really screwed up, and then that's not my problem).

pavement . the hexx

1.21.2005

we were young, not so young, and in love with our lives

location . warm under covers
temp . 19
feels like . 7
conditions . lots of snow tomorrow

i had the BEST birthday dinner tonight! yes, i'm perfectly aware it isn't my birthday yet. funny how that hasn't stopped me from getting my birthday present and birthday dinner. first things first:
as you've probably read on my blog, i've been asking for a digital camera for my birthday. now, i know that i already *have* a digital camera, but it doesn't work all of the time. most of the time, in fact, i turn it on, it warms up, looks around, and decides it doesn't want to work. not to mention that it's only 2.1 megapixels. on the upside, it has fully manual controls, burns to a cd (instead of a memory card), a flash hot shoe, and the best color saturation i've ever seen on a digital camera (except my dad's Nikon D70, but that's in a whole different league).
but... the NEW camera is even better. i've spent the last several weeks pouring over the different options for a digital camera. my only two qualifications: it had to be TINY and it had to have fully manual controls. not easy to find on a digital camera. i finally decided on a Kodak DX7630. it TOTALLY rocks. like really. i has all the manual controls, but it also has 17 "scene settings." how great is that? in addition, my laptop has a built in card reader for sd memory, so i don't even have to hook the camera up to my laptop. SWEETNESS.
as for dinner tonight, we ate at my #2 favorite place in dc,
zola. it's my number 2 place because jaleo is my #1 place, and i really don't like the food that much at zola; i only like the flourless chocolate cake, but OH MY GOD it's so great, it's totally worth a whole dinner there and a bottle of wine.

ben lee . grammercy park hotel

1.20.2005

hail to the chief

hail to the chief
he's the chief, and he needs hailing
he is the chief, so everybody hail like crazy.

1.15.2005

how many nights of talking in hotel rooms can you take?

location . michael will be home in about an hour!
temp . 32
humidity . 52%
conditions . michael will be home in about an hour!

for the second time in a few weeks, el dorado (my home town) has made national news. the first time, of course, was when
a waste plant exploded and forced my mom to evacuate for days. the second happened just a few days ago, when freak january tornados killed a few people.
the last time el dorado got so much press, it was because
police found a dead deer in the bathroom at mc donalds, and a few weeks later arrested two people when they got drunk and rode horses through the produce section of wal-mart.

belle and sebastian . piazza, new york catcher

and though i don't know who you are

location . home
temp . 36
humidity . 39%
conditions . got to clean my apartment

well, i have to honestly say that every single one of you disappointed me this week. i asked for simple suggestions to the "mystery" that occurred in front of my apartment on jan 6 (see entry "you have seen some unbelievable things"), and the only response i got was "that makes my head hurt." thanks. thanks guys. you rule.
so just leave it up to me; i'll take care of it. due to recent events, i'm going to conclude that murrye's confidential suggestion was correct (it wasn't confidential, she just gave it to me on aim instead of the blog): they must have been a thespian troupe. the guy simply wasn't dead. he was acting, as were his friends in trying to save him. cute. really cute. thespians at 3am. so now you ask, "trinity, what are those recent events that led you to this conclusion?" quite simply, they're related to
this. a pedestrian was killed a few blocks from my apartment on the morning of jan 13, and let me tell you, their reaction to that wasn't even in the same league as the reaction to the thespian troupe at my apartment. part of h street was closed off for like 8 hours! 8 hours! h street is a pretty major thoroughfare, so several bus routes were detoured, businesses closed, and i was late to work.
the lesson here: don't cross the street in dc. i've been trying to follow that lesson, but i can never seem to get more than a block away from my apartment...

sebadoh . skull

1.12.2005

just another southern boy who dreams of nights in nyc

here's another gem of a lucero song. i'm feeling generous tonight.

lucero . tears don't matter much

she says i'll see you when you get home

location . apt
temp . 46
humidity . 100%
conditions . 100% humidity, what do you think?

i suppose this is a little late, but i got my cast off monday! my ankle is no longer the monstrous cankle that it was 5 weeks ago! i'll keep talking with exclamation points!

i can start walking without crutches in 1 week! i've got to do 6 weeks of physical therapy! my second surgery will be sometime in march! whenever i see the word "march" i automatically want to correct it to "M. Arch!"

lucero . mine tonight

1.08.2005

replay

for today's entry, i've decided to provide a recap of all the songs i've "featured" on my blog. if you haven't downloaded them already for your listening-and-deleting pleasure, please right click on the link and save it to your hd (this is faster and easier than clicking on the link directly). enjoy!

franz ferdinand . darts of pleasure
silver jews . people
guided by voices . cut-out witch
yo la tengo . stockholm syndrome
modest mouse . trailer trash
lucero . drink till we're gone
cat power . he war
bonnie 'prince' billy . madeleine-mary
built to spill . temporarily blind
sun kil moon . carry me ohio
pavement . zurich is stained
iron and wine . such great heights
the postal service . such great heights
belle and sebastian . don't leave the light on, baby
the shins . young pilgrims
the reindeer section . if everything fell quiet
interpol . leif erikson
neutral milk hotel . in the aeroplane over the sea
wilco . in a future age (alternate take)
the shins . new slang
beethoven . fur elise
franz ferdinand . michael
belle and sebastian . my wandering days are over
blonde redhead . this is not
interpol . slow hands
modest mouse . satin in a coffin
sun kil moon . glenn tipton
bright eyes . sunrise, sunset
elf power . simon (the bird with the candybar head)
iron and wine . on your wings
cat power . cross bones style

does anyone actually download these things? also, guys, come on, i was really looking for someone to solve the mystery in the "you have seen some unbelievable things" entry. step up to the plate!

1.07.2005

a not-so-subtle hint

i want a digital camera for my birthday.

to clarify: give me money so that i can buy a camera.

1.06.2005

you have seen some unbelievable things

location . the district
temp . 39
humidity . 60%
conditions . damp and foggy

i don't have much to say... except that i think i saw a guy get killed in front of my apartment last night. i don't mean "in front" like on the street; i mean "in front" like in the circle drive of our apartment. here's the story: about 3am i hear a loud crash, wake up and look out the window. see nothing unusual. about 30 seconds later i hear voices, look out the window again to see 6-7 guys running toward this guy who was limp on the pavement in our circle drive. a car was parked, shining lights on the guy. i naturally assumed this car hit the guy. one of the guys who ran up tried to do cpr on the guy who was on the ground, but he didn't try for long. all of the guys just sort of stood around for a few minutes, then i had to stop watching. i got freaked out and couldn't look again for awhile. no sirens, no more noise. 10-15 minutes later, i looked out to see guys getting in a paddy wagon and cops walking around. the "dead guy" was gone, but there was an ambulance leaving without sirens. then, i watch as the guy who was driving the parked car moved the car to the street and begin to walk around with the cops. they all moved toward a lightpole on the street that had been smashed pretty badly (well, the plastic decoration at the bottom had been ripped off and was strewn about). they sat there for probably 45 minutes tracing steps and pointing in various directions, seemingly trying to piece together what had happened. i was, too. was it a hit and run? the first time i looked out the window, i saw nothing. whatever hit the pole wasn't there anymore. was the "dead guy" with all of the guys who ran to help him? they were all dressed similarly (jeans, casual clothes. construction workers, maybe?). was the guy hit by the car that hit the pole and thrown to our drive? seems like a long way to be thrown, especially when you consider how the fences work around our building. and finally, the most burning question, was the guy dead? if he were unconscious or otherwise severely hurt, you would think people would be kneeling around him, somehow comforting him; but no, they were standing casually around what looked to be his dead body. and the most telling thing about the accident: it hasn't been on the news. normally hit and runs are covered by the news. i didn't dream it all - the lightpole is still messed up. maybe i dreamt part of it? i'm confused. and creeped out.

cat power . cross bones style

1.04.2005

there are guns growing out of our bones

location . hot springs, ar
temp . 66
humidity . 80%
conditions . dogs sleeping on the floor

it's no secret that i enjoy travel. most people who've taken as many flights as i have during the last year and a half would be sick of the monotony of airports and anonymous hotels, but not i. i enjoy the race against the clock for miles and status, and, yes, even the sterility of airports. i don't know what i'll do next year when my job doesn't require travel. it'll be an immense void.
but that's not what i want to talk about in this entry. no, what i want to talk about is the incredible injustice served to those have disabilities by those at airports. i'm still on crutches from my accident last month. since i cannot put any weight on my foot, i requested a wheelchair for my flights in december and january (there are several). as an elite level flyer on continental (my airline of choice), i've grown accustomed to a high level of service which includes prompt service at ticket counters, free first class upgrades, prompt baggage claim, and an overall feeling of a company being glad to have my business. even as an elite customer, the service i experienced while requiring a wheelchair was abysmal at best.
to begin, i arrived at bwi on the 19th more than an hour before my flight (i would normally never do that), only to find that the wheelchair service the airport offers doesn't begin until 7:00am (i arrived a little before 5). they took 15 minutes to find a wheelchair, and they couldn't find anyone to actually push me. in houston i was forced to walk and take a shuttle, only to not have a promised wheelchair waiting for me at the end. in little rock, there were no wheelchairs or gate agents to be found. in new orleans, i was forced to wait until every single passenger had gotten off the flight before the agent would push me (i was seated in first class, so this process took over 20 minutes). lets just say i've taken 6 flights since i broke my ankle, and none of them have went even close to something you might call "smoothly." i don't mind being mildly inconvenienced, but being treated like i don't exist or that i'm a nuisance is unacceptable. i can't believe people have to go through that every single time they fly. and this isn't even to begin talking about going through security in a wheelchair: it was by far the most intrusive thing i've ever experienced, and if it had come from anyone other than a tsa official, it would have been molestation.

iron and wine . on your wings

1.03.2005

they're always nibbling on your head

location . hot springs, ar
temp . 64%
humidity . 94%
conditions . light (acid) rain

my hometown is a toxic waste dump. literally. one of the largest chemical waste plants in the usa is located there, and they burn things everyday that no other plants in the nation will touch. the instances of neurological disorders and brain tumors are higher than the national average, and instances of lou gehrig's disease is 4 times the national average. myself, i have two friends from high school who've had cancer: one that survived a cancer which caused her foot to be amputated, and another who was not as fortunate after battling a brain tumor. el dorado sucks.

my point here is
this. a chemical plant in el dorado began exploding on Sunday, and they've yet to contain the fires in this town of around 25,000. my mom has been displaced, and at the current time has no idea when she'll be allowed back into her home. the chemical company is picking up the bill for the hotel (how kind of them), the first of many moves they'll be making to make amends with a community that has fought them for years. el dorado sucks.

elf power . simon (the bird with the candybar head)

1.02.2005

you're either coming or you just left, but you're always on the way

location . new orleans, la
temp . 64
humidity . 95%
conditions . foggy, moist new orleans night

it's my last night in new orleans, and i've been bad in not posting. we started our board meeting on the 28th, forum started on the 29th and ended yesterday. we wrapped up the board meeting this morning, and i'm leaving for little rock tomorrow morning. it all flies by.
i've only been serving in my position for 6 months, and i still have another 7 to go. it's a little disconcerting that we've already elected my successor, though i obviously understand the need for continuity. more than anything, i feel smothered; i feel as though i have very little time left to complete my goals for my term. my spring travel schedule seems to get another addition every day, and i'm not sure how to measure success in this office. in addition to that, forum, our largest event of the year, is over, and i'm going through mild withdrawals. the week was so energizing and enlightening - it's really the reason why i'm in the position i'm in now. on the other hand, helping to run a conference of 1000+ college students while on crutches was daunting. it was more than a little frustrating not being able to go out at night (i wasn't about to get drunk on crutches), but the days were exhausting enough that i enjoyed the extra hours to sleep.
as for the elections, i'm disappointed that the 05-06 aias board will consist of 10 white males. it's a considerable step back.

bright eyes . sunrise, sunset