A few little observations today.

While driving from work to the orthopedist’s office today, I was stuck at a traffic light for about 10 minutes while a police officer directed traffic (why he’s never there during rush hour is beyond me; 3:00 in the afternoon, though, he’s out there CAUSING a jam-up rather than easing one later. Ugh.)

I was scrolling through songs on my iPod and settled one the Prodigy’s “Firestarter”. At first, I noticed the police officer’s frantic “keep it moving” motions - with his arms in front of him at a 90 degree angle to his body and his forearms pivoting back and forth from there, so his shoulders never moved, but his forearms and elbow were like little machine parts.

A few seconds later, I started smiling in the car when I realized that his arm motions were perfectly in sync with the beats of “Firestarter.” And everytime the song completed a measure (yes, they exist in this music, too) the police officer turned to face a different direction of traffic at this four-way intersection. It couldn’t have been better if I’d planned it… just priceless and I wish I wasn’t afraid of getting a ticket for even picking up my cellphone while in the car or else I would’ve recorded a little video.

Additional fun points: the office was dressed in black from head-to-toe, including Doc Martens and a balaclava on his head with only his eyes visible since it was so damn cold and windy this afternoon.

Other observations: some actors just have really good speaking voices… some have really sexy voices and that’s even harder to elucidate, but good to note all the same. For example, Christian Bale. You know, the new Batman? Well… he did some voice work for “Howl’s Moving Castle,” the Miyazaki animated film. It’s a kids’ movie, but MAN, does he sound melty-schmoove as Howl, a mysterious and moody wizard.

Tonight, I watched “The Illusionist” which arrived from Netflix today (though my account will be enabled with web-viewing by June… exciting newness from Netflix which some people are already getting). Edward Norton is another one. His voice isn’t as overtly melty-schmoove, but there were bits in this movie where (despite the attempt at an Austrian accent of some sort) he sounded delightfully sexy.

In the world of music, two voices come to mind at the moment: David Gahan of Depeche Mode (see: growly desperation in “I Feel You” and “Condemnation”) and poor dead Michael Hutchence of INXS (see: “I Need You Tonight” and “Disappear”).

And now, I’m going to pop onto iTunes and buy me some more INXS tunes since I only have songs from Welcome to Wherever You Are and Kick on my iPod. That will never do.

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I’m feeling totally frustrated and annoyed at everything and everyone.

Maybe it’s because it’s sort of chilly and overcast, but not actually raining.
Maybe it’s because everyone’s been home and feeling argumentative all day.
Maybe it’s because I can’t find the little beckoning cat (maneki neko) for the dashboard of my car ANYWHERE, including on eBay.
Maybe it’s because I’m feeling a little under-the-weather myself and have a bad stomach cramp.

Perhaps today’s one of those days where it’s better to just curl up in bed under warm blankets with a good book and the TV remote.

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Saw it. Liked it. Some parts were difficult to watch, but I could see this movie again, now that I know when I should look away for a moment.

Yay, three-day weekend. I can get some work done tomorrow and Monday.

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I often wonder if the Great State of New Jersey is still one of the states that uses prisoners of the state penitentiaries to make its license plates. Just curious, really.

I would like to see a little sticker on the back of the license plates that proclaims, “Made with pride by inmate #2758438” or something (maybe with more personality? “No more murder for me. Sincerely, Inmate #51947546“). Just to make it a little more personal. You get the number of the inspector when you buy a pack of athletic socks, and license plates are far more important.

Anyway, I picked up my plates from the dealer today. I also used Google Maps to figure out how many miles I drove today (for work) since I was a moron and totally forgot to set my trip meter and didn’t take note of my beginning mileage this morning. Thankfully, a new feature on Google Maps is the ability to add multiple destinations (their sample pages shows three locations in San Francisco). It provides directions between all sequential points and individual distances between, but also gives you a summary of the miles driven and driving time. My estimate from Google Maps was 98 miles, 2 and a half hours of driving. I sent a link to work so I can put those numbers on my T&E for reimbursement. At least I’m being responsible and not just making up a number or tacking on extra miles for shits and giggles.

Since today was pretty intense, I think I might complete one of my easier missions for 2007 tomorrow: seeing a movie solo.

I also think I’m going to go the extra step and see TWO movies by myself. It’s going to be a combination of 2 of the following 3 movies: Pan’s Labyrinth, Perfume or Notes on a Scandal. Pan’s Labyrinth makes the cut no matter what. No debate there. But the other two? I guess it will depend on my mood. It’s not like any of them are going to win the feel-good award, so trying to mix it up won’t happen. Two of them are really dark fantasy tales (one more so than the other) and the other is a “torn from the headlines” story of scandal and betrayal and blackmail and teachers gettin’ freaky wit da students (in England, for a change).

And that’s the idea for tomorrow.

Is it sad that I am really looking forward to doing my taxes this year?

I thought so.

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Since the text is up online already, I can cut and paste a passage right now. This is the first physical description we get of the title character. It’s hilarious (in my opinion, anyway…):

Zuleika was not strictly beautiful. Her eyes were a trifle large, and their lashes longer than they need have been. An anarchy of small curls was her chevelure, a dark upland of misrule, every hair asserting its rights over a not discreditable brow. For the rest, her features were not at all original. They seemed to have been derived rather from a gallimaufry of familiar models. From Madame la Marquise de Saint-Ouen came the shapely tilt of the nose. The mouth was a mere replica of Cupid’s bow, lacquered scarlet and strung with the littlest pearls. No apple-tree, no wall of peaches, had not been robbed, nor any Tyrian rose-garden, for the glory of Miss Dobson’s cheeks. Her neck was imitation-marble. Her hands and feet were of very mean proportions. She had no waist to speak of.

Gah! “…mouth was a mere replica of Cupid’s bow…” So dry. So ironic. Me likee. You can almost hear the author italicizing “mere replica” in the voice inside your head.

(Links to definitions provided in case the context clues weren’t doin’ it for ya.)

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It’s a bit late to be writing, but I can sleep in just a tad tomorrow since I am driving into the office. Besides, I’ve got some things on my mind and I probably need to grab a notebook and make a list of pros and cons for something I’m pondering.

LISTENING: Have you ever found yourself striking random gold via iPod? That is, do you set it on random songs from your entire “library” (mine is currently at almost 1500 songs - and that’s 1/3 full) and get 7 or 8 songs in a row that just flow perfectly and perfectly suit your mood at the time? I had that experience on the train home tonight. Yay, iPod. It was a nice mix of Beck, Goldfrapp, U2, Trentemøller, Thom Yorke, the Prodigy, Mos Def and a few others I can’t even remember now.

P.S. The Regina Spektor song “Fidelity” I wrote about yesterday? I counted. There are between 13 and 14 glottal stops in the words “heart” or “fall” when she sings them. It’s a bit tough to tell in some moments if one of those stops is broken in two, hence the 13/14 debate.

When I got to the train station, I felt my cell phone vibrating in my purse and answered it: the license plates for my car are in! But I had to drive over to occupational therapy so those will have to wait until tomorrow to actually get picked up. Therapy went well, though; I’ve got two new exercises, am able to lift heavier weights, and have gone from a 21 degree ROM to a 55 degree ROM since starting therapy about 5 weeks ago. Apparently, that’s pretty good. Not Mozart-child-prodigy-good, but good.

WATCHING: Tonight, I watched “The Promise” a Chinese film. I rented it from Netflix and actually took the time to send a “Movie Note” to my Netflix friends. It’s a super short review:

It’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” meets “Kung Fu Hustle” (seriously) but in a visually stunning way. Not the most original story, but fun to watch nonetheless.

Really, really lovely, though. I know I’m going to watch it again this weekend. Maybe on the computer so I can capture some screen shots as desktop wallpaper.

READING: Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm. Hilarity. Truly. I’ll post up a select passage or two. Note: available free online from Project Gutenberg.

And, to round things out tonight, a list of things I’m waiting for with great eagerness:
- my W-2 statement to become available so I can do my taxes (I made a spreadsheet of my itemized deductions since I have medical and education and job-related costs this year!)
- the first car payment!
- snow, dammit
- the chance to play Trivial Pursuit: Book Lover’s Edition
- getting my title and registration for the car so I can complete the insurance paperwork
- the weekend so I can sleep in properly
- a t-shirt I ordered to arrive
- winning lottery ticket
- the energy to get back into my exercise routine since these last few nights of working late just killed it; once I’m back on schedule, it will be easier to maintain
- the movie versions of “Stardust” and “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman to be released
- driving to work tomorrow!
- and now, sleep.

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I was listening to a song in the car today called, “Don’t Mug Yourself” by The Streets and there’s a line where the main rapper/singer dude says, “oi oi oi oi!” in a highly amusing Cockney. And it’s now stuck in my head. (Well, that and the Regina Spektor song “Fidelity” - just that part… you know the one… “and it breaks my ha*a*a*a*a*a*a*rt” with each * representing a glottal stop which, somehow, works for her.)

I couldn’t blog last night since the web server that hosts my site was being repaired/replaced by my webhost. It’s OK, though. I worked late, got home at 8:45, at some soup and went to bed.

Annoying thing for today: I’m starting to get comment spam again. Which sucks. I guess the comment spammers found a way to work around things and until I complete the upgrade to the new Movable Type, I can’t install their fun new “anti-comment-spam” plugins.

Another annoying thing for today: getting a myspace invitation from a freak-ass weirdo I used to work with… uh… 7 years ago? If I’m NOT on myspace, it’s for a good reason. If I’m not in touch with someone with whom I was never friendly to begin with, it’s for an even better reason. Be gone. Off with ye. Good riddance.

Good thing for today: I received my fo’real insurance card and policy for the new car. I’ve got to make some photocopies and sign some stuff and send it back, but it’s a super nice thing. I’ll have to call the dealership tomorrow since they’re handling the title and registration stuff - and see WHEN I’ll be getting that. It would be nice to have real license plates instead of the temps. I’m not going for a vanity plate or anything… though I could have some fun with it since my name is so short.

Two other great finds from today… from Lifehacker, a great little program called WorkRave (links directly to download page) that prompts you to take breaks from your computer throughout the day at work and even provides exercises to keep your back and neck and wrists and hands in good working order.

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Before I get along to more pleasant matters, here are two things that bugged me a little yesterday.

1) SPACE HOGS (and I don’t mean the band… remember them, though?) My friends and I went to Barnes & Noble to look at some books and plan out their wedding ceremony (which I am officiating). We went over to the cafe, and ALL the large tables (that can fit 4 or 5 people) were occupied by single individuals with one book and no food. There were ample 1 or 2 people tables free, but they all decided to plant themselves down at the big tables leaving our party of three to hunker down over a 2 person table, and actually leaving my friend Kofi standing over us since there wasn’t even a free chair left (since lots of other people had to pull chairs over to little tables from big tables to accommodate more than 2 people at a small table)

Ridiculous. Whenever I go to a bookstore or cafe alone, I pick an armchair - where only one person can sit anyway, a seat at the bar (if they have one - most B&Ns do) or sit at a small 2-person table… BECAUSE I know that I don’t need that much room for little ‘ole me.

2) The use of “loud voice” in public.
We were at a tasty Thai restaurant last night and there was a group of 6 people one table away from us. They were there when we got there and were quite raucous and noisy the whole night - but in the way that you are when you don’t want everyone to hear you or listen. You’re having conversations with each other and get a little loud for two-foot voice, but you don’t project your voice across the room. Unless you’re this woman. She got the waitresses attention and asked where something (I couldn’t hear if it was sticky rice or coke with ice… whatever… irrelevant to the anecdote) was. The waitress said, “Oh - I’m sorry! I forgot. Would you like me to bring it out now?”

The woman replied - in a much louder voice now so that EVERYONE would hear - “Don’t bother. It was supposed to come with the meal and it didn’t and now the meal’s over so there’s no point. Nevermind.”

NOW - if you’re at a restaurant and ask for something to come with your meal, don’t you notice right away if that something is missing and then ask your server about it when they come by for the obligatory “is everything all right?” That’s also when you ask for chopsticks instead of forks or a refill on your Thai iced tea or mention that you asked for your Pad Preow Whan with pork and not chicken, etc. If it’s actually important and it actually bothers you, you ask RIGHT AWAY and don’t wait until well after the meal is done so you can embarrass the well-meaning restaurant employee who is human and is ALLOWED to forget things. If it was a couple eating, I could see getting a little peeved that they forgot… but this was a full restaurant on a Saturday night with the same waitress working the entire room and this was a table of 6 people.

I’ve never worked as a waitress or server or hostess, but COME ON. You don’t need to have walked a mile in someone’s shoes in this case. Common sense and common decency would dictate how to act. This woman clearly lacked both. And she looked pretty close to retirement in sunny Boca (if her tanned hide was any indication), so chances are that her ability to learn new tricks is not going to get any better.

I’m done with those. Don’t be one of those people.

So… today I vacuumed out the old car in preparation for selling it. I went through 8 or 9 bags of old clothes with my mom to prepare them for a donation to the Red Cross. Then I went and caught a late afternoon matinee of “Children of Men” with Theresa and Kofi. It was alright; a little more violent than I envisioned, but not incredibly so. It could have used a little more exploration of the main plot device since it left things a little too open and “neatly unresolved.” Weird phrase, I know. But it was like it was tied up nicely with an invisible ribbon reading “and that’s how it was and just trust that things were OK.” Perhaps I’m misreading and the whole point was to imply that there was no utopian happy ending and that life was going to go on… but towards an increasingly dystopian vision. I dunno.

It’s raining. I’m gonna enjoy this since it’s a nice change from the 72 degree January weather yesterday. It’s not snow, but it’ll do.

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I will gladly confess that I am addicted to cuteoverload.comand today Meg posted this massive dose of cuteness that a reader found on youtube:

And a continuation of the Saturday Morning Info Snack - well, it’s Sunday now… get yourself off commercial email lists. Or a bunch of them, anyway.

Also… update from yesterday on mobile17.com:

I donated a few bucks via PayPal. A $5 donation gets you six credits - so six quick file deliveries to your phone. As of this morning, the wait time for the free version had gone from 16 minutes to 78+ minutes (the more people, the longer the wait and it seems to have been “discovered” by a bunch of peeps…)

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Not to be confused with fundamentalist. That’s different.

I’m reading “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon” by Daniel C. Dennett. I’m only on page 104 and have already inserted a great many scraps of paper to mark up bits that I find well-stated, informative or amusing. Here’s one such bit from the section on theories of religion where he proposes the extremes we could explore in an effort to complete a scientific evaluation/exploration of religion. This is from the symbiont theory segment:

When we look at religion from this perspective [as a species of cultural symbiont, doing its best to survive by inhabiting human hosts], the cui bono? questions changes dramatically. Now it is not our fitness (as reproducing members of the species Homo sapiens) that is presumed by be enhanced by religion, but its fitness (as a reproducing —self-replicating— member of the symbiont genus Cultus religiosus). It may thrive as a mutualist because it benefits its hosts quite directly, or it may thrive as a parasite even though it oppresses its hosts with a virulent affliction that leaves them worse off but too weak to combat its spread. And the main point to get clear about at the outset is that we can’t tell which of these is more likely to be true without doing careful, objective research. Your religion probably seems obviously benign to you, and other religions may well seem to you to be just as obviously toxic to those infected by them, but appearances can deceive. Perhaps their religion is providing them with benefits that you just don’t understand yet, and perhaps your religion is poisoning you in ways that you have never suspected. You really can’t tell from the inside. That’s how parasites work: quietly, unobtrusively, without disturbing their hosts any more than is absolutely necessary. If (some) religions are culturally evolved parasites, we can expect them to be insidiously well designed to conceal their true nature from their hosts, since this is an adaptation that would further their own spread.

Just more interesting stuff for me to read. It’s not quick “get lost in the story” reading, but it’s good nonetheless. I think I’ll get through the next chapter and then set it aside for a day or so, re-read some fiction in the interim (a recent favorite like “Lost in a Good Book“, “The Eyre Affair“, or “Neverwhere” or something).

Reading really is one of my greatest joys. I have a really hard time understanding how people can’t enjoy it - or people who say, “I’m not a reader” or “I don’t have time to read.” There’s always time - if you are willing to step away from the computer or TV for a few minutes, read while you’re eating breakfast or dinner, bring a book to the laundromat or on the train, or take a few minutes during your lunch break to read. But I guess it’s just not a priority for some people - and that’s fine. Exercise is not a priority for me (though it should be more so than it is) and I understand that it’s not always a matter of what floats your boat, but what floats it better.

Tomorrow, I will get to test the new car on her first longer distance drive to visit my friends in Central(ish) Jersey. I will take some time in the morning to place the NYU sticker on the rear windshield, and if time allows, I’ll drop by the Japanese mall to get a funky new dashboard ornament. That would be very nice indeed. Though my friend mentioned that there’s an Asian market near her home… I wonder if it carries any random non-food items… hrm. We shall see.

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