writ. dodging classification

So I figured the title of the post would be able to set you up for just exactly what I was gonna write about today. I saw i [heart] huckabees last night. Its one of the few movies I have ever seen where upon leaving the theater I really felt genuinely good about the universe and everything around me. I can’t really explain why this happened. I really can’t explain anything about the movie that gave me that feeling. The convergence of all of the events in the movie just snuck up on me, and when the credits rolled, i felt damn good. The movie itself was just really deep. It has a lot of stuff to think about, and just a whole lot going on in it, that I know I haven’t caught, and I’ll be thinking about for days. Overall, the acting in the movie was excellent.

I do know one thing about seeing that movie. I saw exactly the reason why i kept on having people tell me specifically that I should see this movie. I can’t really express how well done and thought provoking the movie was. On a second level it almost seems a little simple to me, with the philosophy it presents. In the end, yes it is a philosophical type movie. It makes you think about existence (but then again you should know this if you read something about the movie and it talks about a group of existential detectives). I say simple because alot of the things it brings forward are things that I think I’ve thought about and wrestled with for a very long time in my search through these sorts of philosophical issues. I’m no philosopher, by any stretch of the means, but I do from time to time delve into my own thoughts and others on what the heck everything means in that sorta sense.

I think watching that movie was well timed with events in my life lately. Sometimes you need that thing that makes you realize nothing really ever happens out perfectly but it does happen for a reason, and in the end something better can come out of it. Maybe. Sometimes you gotta put some time into things at a different level than you really were thinking, and sometimes it really makes much more sense to do it that way after having it made apparent. You just gotta know what you want. I think i do, and sometimes thats a scary thing.

So this weekend started off a slight bit early, so that I could get home and then head on my way driving up to that state called Massachusetts, of which my good friend Dan is currently a resident. Worcester (woostah) Mass was my destination, and I had the late afternoon and evening to get there in. Overall I made pretty good time getting to Worcester by 10:30 pm. Dan and I then proceeded to hang out and talk about many a things into the early morning when his lady, Melissa (the one on the friends links to the side here) , returned home with her friend Lara (wait is that how i spell it?). They are the 2 people left in the cast of characters for the next days events. Those events would be some things relating to Dan and Melissa’s wedding photographer interview, as well as dress fabric shopping for the girls, and Dan and me going around and checking out a gaming place. The destination was Manhattan. I’d never really been in New York as an adult I don’t believe. Manhattan seemed to be a pretty cool place. Oh wait I’m skipping ahead. We all went off to sleep and woke up early enough to get on the road by about 9:30am to head down to NYC. After a little driving confusion through the trip, we finally get to NYC, with a driver change some where in the middle. Since it was a little later than we were planning to get there, we slagged lunch till after Dan and Melissa met with the photographer they were checking out. Lara, and I were along for the ride. The photo guy seemed pretty interesting. He seemed quite “arty”. he talked alot at first about he likes using available light for his photo’s primarily, though he does vary his shots between flashes and available light. Yadda Yadda. As the guy started to talk about his rates, he just became exceedingly confusing. He definitely is a communicator by trade.

Well with meeting the photo guy done, we were off to get some lunch. There was talk of a few things, and we had seen some sort of quizno’s down the street or some other place. Or even some burger/pub type place. As we walked further from the fashion district Melissa and Lara were worrying about the fact that we were getting further away from their destination but closer to Dan and my destination.. possibly giving an influx of walking for them compared to us ;). Well finally we saw a place that was a brewhouse and restaurant and it was decided to go in there. This was also prompted by the fact rain was about to start. This place happened of course to be right at the base of the Empire State Building (though the site says coming soon for the ESB location, i assure you its open). I think that was pretty cool. From the size of the place, you can tell they gotta make a lot of money, cause the street level corner space on the Empire State Building must cost a fortune!!!.

Well after lunch came time for the boys to split from the girls for a while. They went off and did girl things, we (dan and I) hiked a considerable distance through Manhattan to our final destination on 11th Street between 3rd and 4th avenue. We started out at the Empire State Building, which is at 5th avenue and like 34th street about. The girls only had to go a few avenues over to get to their fabric shopping (and they were worried about getting to far away lol). It was good walk and Dan and I were keeping a pretty good gate to our steps. We hit the gaming place, and that was cool. Then next door to that was a little record shop that we went into. It gave me the distinct feel of that vinyl, record shop that John Cusak runs in High Fidelity. It was that sorta vibe. My first cue to my realization that I didn’t really need anything in this place, was seeing an Elvis Costello record that I own. I walk up to it, and think to myself “Hey i paid 2 bucks for this at Plastic Fantastic, when they were going out of business” I look down at the price they have on it, and its 15 bucks. Every record was pretty much 15 bucks at least in there, if it was in good condition. Oh well… I’d much rather hit record shows myself. The shop even had its token punk fan, with the guy wearing his concert worn Ramones jacket/almost rain slicker I guess. It was just a funny scene. It reminded me I was in Manhattan. Overall it was a really good trip. We all met back up and met up with some other people, that Melissa and Dan knows, and then back to Worcester.

The next day was pretty much hanging around and gaming. Not too much excitement, but it was good in general to be hanging with Dan and the people up there in Mass.

Thats all i gots for now. latas.

Yeah. So today I’ve taken off of work. Why? you ask. Its because I don’t have transportation. Its kinda a funny story actually. I seem to be having bad luck with the whole automobile department in the past couple of months. So last week i put my car in the shop to fix the dent that I got a while ago. Here’s the crazy thing. So i really didn’t need a car for a little bit, and then when I got back to work I could use my roommates truck. It worked fine on friday. Monday comes along, and when i get into work i noticed i’m burning off something. Well later in the day I go out with a co-worker, and we figure out something happened with the cooling system. So the solution in the short term is put a gallon of water into the radiator and get it home. I did, got it home. The last few miles of the drive didn’t seem all that great but I got home. So come this morning. It really wasn’t lookin like the truck would be drivable, so without any other transportation, I pretty much had to call out of work and hope that my car really does get done today. I just talked to the people at the shop and the guy seemed pretty confidant that it should be done today, but not till late afternoon. So here I sit, with not much to do in my apartment, wondering why i’m not more excited about having the day off lol.

I think its cause .. this really is the first day I have ever called out of work. I mean I’ve taken days off before, but thats all for coordinated, giving notice that I’d be out and such. I’ve never ever even taken a sick day. So i guess the streak ends. In a wierd way I’m a work a holic. Not the long hours type of work-a-holic. But the type that just never takes a day off for most any reason. I really only take off when I have to because of some sort of plans or something, or vacation. I mean I know a lot of people who take off days here and there just because they can. I don’t do that. I mean it seems like a great idea, but i guess I just like acrueing saved days off, just to have them.

Ok officially I am getting weary from traveling every two weaks. It really isn’t that bad. I’m just tired from a long straight through flight from Dallas to BWI, and the fact i had a long day on tuesday in Texas for the meeting, and my flight on monday didn’t get me into my hotel till about 11:30. So pretty much I’m glad I have off on thursday so I can recooperate (sp?).

One really cool thing though. While I was out in Texas the company I was visiting also has a contract with NASA to build their SOFIA, airborne Infrared Telescope. Basically the idea is this thing goes up about 45,000 feet and gets above about 95% of the atmosphere. It opens the hatch and the telescope looks out with a virtually clear view rivalling the space telescopes. Also, while its been a long time building it apparantly will be wildly cheaper and more versatile for repairs than something like Hubble. Not as much of a urgent need to have everything exactly right and unchangable from the beggining. I guess sometime next year this thing will be up and taking pictures. It’ll be so cool. I look forward to looking at cool space pictures from it, off the NASA website eventually.

I wrote this today when I was at work and feeling a little scatter brained. It took me about two minutes. I hardly could keep up with my brain spitting out words to type.

my head is racing i’ve got a clash of brains
running into each other and i don’t know
i don’t know where you’re going
you keep telling me but i keep forgetting
i’m sorry i’m sorry for my mind running pushing
phasing crazing jumping leaping stopping and reversing
you called out to me that day and you told me you wanted something
and i can’t remember I can’t hold on
but i want to and i think
but there i go i’ve lost it
i can’t stay with it i’ve got my own ryhthym
and its stopping and it starting its going through the motions
its planting the seads its crazing the house
its going off and mowing other peoples lawns
while my head is just right here spinning inside my skull
jumping forward where my body can’t go and where I can’t let it go
taking that leap and jumping years ahead something comforting and perfect
as I see it and I know thats not reality
its not the place you’ll see but its safe
its controlled
its not life but
it makes me feel better
it makes feel
it makes me read
it makes me fantasize
it makes me move
it makes me go out and I don’t know
I’ve lost it I can’t seem to focus.
The focus on the bearing I’m dodging myself
and i’m dodging you and i’m dodging the ball
the point
the places
the cold crass coalesce of a piece of metal
splitting the skin as it rips through you

but where was I
its not quite clear
its not quite focused
its a little off
but perfect.

Yeah whats in my CD player today.

1. Cake – Pressure Chief (You rock mat! … and so does the US Post Office for speedy mailing)

2. William Shatner – Has Been (yeah its shatner. I had to buy it. Its good I swear!!!!!!!!!)

Let see whats else has been going on. I totally just cut outa work a little early today. The boss was out sick and the rest of the office is off in other states for things I’m not involved in. So pretty much I didn’t have anything more I wanted to start on by 3pm.. so I said screw it I’m outa here.

MMMmmmm I’m enjoying a rice krispie treat right now.