Things the Grandchildren Should Know

Last night I started reading Things the Grandchildren Should Know, Mark Oliver Everett's autobiography. I finished it this afternoon. Enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoy his music. Well played, sir!

panic subsides

From Alice at the Beach

Today I was kicked out of a large gravel parking lot. I was playing with my STI, practicing racing starts, doing donuts, and trying to burn up the clutch, tires, and brakes. Pushing the limits of the car was very educational. I intentionally spun out, finally developing a mental model of the effects of turning the wheel in the direction of the skid. I produced mighty clouds of dust, leaving wide dual arcs in the gravel, and attracting the odd glance from distant passers-by. After 20 minutes, a Mountain View park services worker drove toward me in his pickup truck. I rolled down my dust-caked window and greeted him. He politely informed me that the lot wasn't big enough for this sort of activity, and that I had to stop. (In my defense, the lot was enormous.) When I suggested that I was merely learning how to drive, he gave me the most incredulous look. I quickly corrected myself, stating that I was trying to learn "sport driving." Nonplussed, he informed me that the lot was private property. I asked if he knew any better places to practice. Sadly, he didn't. I thanked him, careful to call him "sir," then drove home.

Afterward, it occurred to me that I was not in the least bit nervous, panicked or scared. Not when my car was careening wildly out of control, and not when the figure of authority approached the scene of my transgression.

I think the medication is working.

painful no longer

While cleaning out my closet today, I opened a box labeled "painful memories." It contained memories from high school that hurt to remember, but were too important to forget. Their lesson: "Never again." Looking through the box, while contemplating a temporary relocation to the fireplace, I found that the pain wasn't what it once was. I emptied both the "painful memories" box and the "memories" box, and with a brief game of real-life tetris placed the combined contents into their new wooden home. I shut the lid securely, then nestled the new posh box deep into my closet.

Painful memories no longer--just memories.

The Crisis of Credit

Full Moon Craft Night

A Hedwig Valentine

View Larger Map

Celebrated Valentine's Day with Kemi by going to a screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Victoria theater. The show was hosted by John Cameron Mitchell, who wrote the screenplay and starred as Hedwig. He told funny stories and sang a few songs from the show. The audience adored him. (Not surprising--the man is beautiful, and his work is incredibly touching.) I may have been the only straight person in the whole theater. On the bright side, I was pleased to discover that gay men don't pee on toilet seats.


View Larger Map

After some difficulty extracting my car from the parking garage, we visited Mel's Drive-in for a snack on the way home. I love diners and their comfort-food. My current favorites are grilled cheese with tomato and avacado, and eggs benedict for breakfast. Sadly, diners are rare in the bay area.


View Larger Map

Lots of driving. My car is at nearly 9500 miles, four months after buying it. I see my car's mileage as a proxy metric for measuring how much "living" I'm doing. Each mile represents a date, a dinner, a vacation, a walk on the beach, a photo session, a party, or some other activity that gives meaning to my life. From 2003 to 2008, I put 30,000 miles on my Elantra, averaging less than 7000 miles each year (much less than the national average). I was sick, both physically and mentally, and as a result, I didn't "live" much. Last year, my health any my life improved substantially. At the rate I'm going, I'll have nearly 30,000 miles on the new car by the end of the first year of ownership. By this metric, I'm "living" about four times as much / as fast / better than I did between 2003 and 2008. Worth the carbon emissions, I think.

Kemi's Graduation

full and rewarding day

A morning date in Santa Cruz. Breakfast at the Saturn Cafe, followed by hottubs, sauna, and massage at Kiva.

An evening dinner in Yountville with Kemi, to celebrate her imminent graduation. (In the bay, adding "PhD" to your name doubles your sex-appeal.) We ate at Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc. It feels so wrong to get a same-day reservation for a Keller restaurant. The fixed menu is perfect for my unrefined palette, and the casual dress is just my speed. First course was empanadas, second was wagyu beef with potatoes and cauliflower, then a cheese course with MouCo Colorouge and marinated olives, and finally a dessert of lemon bars and biscotti. And a bottle blanc de blanc, since Kemi wanted something bubbly.


View Larger Map

I made it back home, one energy drink later, at 12:30AM, feeling totally and utterly spent. To explain my fatigue, I plugged my route into Google Maps. I drove 280 miles today, with an estimated 6 hours on the road. If I had been driving in one direction, I could have made it all the way to Los Angeles. At my STI's 20 miles/gallon, that's a full tank of gas. (I burn the gas your Prius saves.) I justify my environmental impact (poorly) by remembering being sick, and driving less than 7000 miles/year for 5 years. I lost so many years to illness, but I make up for it by living more and better today. If miles driven is any indication, I'm "living" about four times as much as I did in any previous year. Four times as many trips, dinners, vacations, parties, dates, and walks on the beach. Four times as much life. Worth the carbon, I think.


View Larger Map