Sunday, May 28, 2006

Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that Landon at least is okay. Not sure why I thought he was in East Timor, either.

I'm all moved into my Chicago place. Call me if you need to reach me before Saturday, though, as I won't have internet until then. Probably even after then, actually, as I'll need to get a router. Suggestions on routers?
posted by weiss @ 5:21 PM 0 comments

East Timor update
Hi, sorry to leave folks hanging, but I haven't checked internet for a couple of days. As Sasha indicated, I am not yet in East Timor and wasn't scheduled to leave until the beginning of July. I spoke with Peace Corps on Thursday and found out that they evacuated staff two weeks ago and were hoping to start the training at the end of September if things calmed down. That was before the UN evacuated staff and two UN workers were killed. I have my doubts that PC will reconstitute any time soon.

So my options are to wait it out and see if I can go in September. I don't think I will do that, mainly because the situation does not look like it will improve substantially before then and I would then have to find another assignment at that point. One possible re-placement for me is the Caribbean. I have to decline my Timor invite and then would be invited somewhere else, the Caribbean was mentioned in a phone call. I'm going to try to make a decision soonish and will keep you updated.

Here's the latest BBC article
posted by Landon @ 3:38 PM 0 comments

cool.
Glad to hear my concern was unwarranted. Not sure why Weiss thought Landon was already in East Timor.

Goes to show we should keep in better touch with each other! I for one, am still stateside, and other than the horrible construction noises in my neighborhood know of no immediate threats to my life.
posted by celestial @ 4:31 PM 0 comments

Landon was totally en route to Colorado Last time I heard from him (may 22). Totally not in East Timor.
posted by meg @ 3:18 PM 0 comments

Re: Landon
Last I heard from Landon was a week ago. He called on my Skype from a Portland coffee shop and I told him to do 25 squats for his birthday. I hear he was also spotted at his sister's graduation, but reports are still sketchy.

I hope he's okay!
posted by sasha @ 2:27 PM 0 comments

Landon
Does anyone have any news from Landon? I just read about the missing World Vision aid worker. It looks like the Peace Corps evacuated volunteers weeks ago.
posted by celestial @ 12:44 PM 0 comments

posted by weiss @ 11:00 PM 0 comments

Stupid Things People Have Written to Me in Response to My Craigslist Post:

• "does it have a shock" - I'm asking for $5! Why do you care?
• "where you at" - My post says Columbia Heights. What, do you need my street address? You're not sure that you even want the bike because you need one with "a shock."
• "what kind of bike is it?" - What does this even mean? I wrote that it was a mountain bike.
• "Is this still available?" - So if I say yes, does that mean that you're interested? If not, why are you writing? If so, tell me when you can pick it up. Make communication meaningful!

Stupid people and their sense of entitlement, asking me questions about a bike I am asking $5 for. But bless you Bo Parker, for simply writing "I can pick it up this afternoon." Though ultimately none of you will get the bike because I ran into a friend on her way to work who knows someone who needs a bike and promised to pick it up for him on Saturday.
posted by weiss @ 2:38 PM 0 comments

and then i said "cunt" to a secret service agent
So yesterday I called off work early. I hd checked in at 830, at 1030 I got my first job, and by 2 I had done like 5, as the dispatcher said "its a good afternoon to do it" so I was hanging out in farragut, with the crowd of other messengers with out work when a guy shows up with some, er, "untaxed" merchandice. So I buy me and moon 2 jerseys for 20 and he throws in a pair of gloves. So i slip on the gloves and head home. As I'm turning left from conn on to H (one way the right way) this oldish fatish couple steps off the curb into me and I clip the woman's shoulder. I see she's going down, and I'm not moving too fast, so I'm able to stop there before she even hits the pavement, at which point, she is already cursing. I try to ask if she's alright, but the man she's with starts in too. These happen to be rather large people and particularly ugly too. So they"re screaming "You cunt, you bitch, you cunt, fuck, you cunt" quite loudly, which also means they're brits. So I leave, rather slowly too, becuase, you know, it really hurts to have someone yelling cunt at you so loudly, but they clearly didn't want me around, so I left.
With in half a block this gray sedan starts nugging me over, trying to cut me off, she's got her window down, so I stop, still a little freaked about hitting someone, follewed by all the yelling. So this woman int he car stops and tells me I need to go back, and I tell her I had stopped, but they were yelling at me and calling me a bitch and a cunt and I was scared. So then she's like, "ma'am, I'm an off duty secret service agent, did you hit that woman" so I told her, no, its more like she hit me. And this
other woman walking down the sidewalk stops and adds that that woman was crossing against the light. So the secret agent lady mumbles around with some more words, and I nod etc. and then I went to ben & jerry's and got a strawberry lemonade shake, which was fantastic.

then, today, someone asked me if i'd hit any fat ladys today, and then told me the incident was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. and so now i feel a little better. he said she wasn't even hurt.
posted by kate @ 8:57 AM 0 comments

Nice one, C&J!
posted by sasha @ 1:27 AM 0 comments

Celeste had this brilliant idea where we go running first thing in the morning and catch the panda family right when the doors open at 8. So we head down to the zoo, but everything is blocked off. We get the time from a watch-wearing guy, who says we have ten minutes 'til 8 so we look at the Maned Wolf and emu. We head back to the panda exhibit but the "not open"-type sign is still blocking the path. But we can see other people on the observation deck, so we walk past the signs and the friendly orange-hatted construction workers. No one bothers us and we get to enjoy extreme panda cuteness!!! Tai Shan spends our entire visit napping 30 feet up a tree, while his mother and father eat bamboo, moving between stalks, never finishing one. What have we learned, kids? Don't obey signs.
posted by weiss @ 9:49 AM 0 comments

"What can we say about Celeste other than Quality & Genius"
In an argument with my favorite lawyer about the efficacy of not using one's name in a blog, we googled "celeste" and came up with lots of porn, the toilet paper company, and -- most interestingly -- a hot new London band.
posted by celestial @ 11:48 PM 0 comments

CONGRATS C AND J!!!
i heart you! woot woot!
posted by Sara @ 11:01 PM 0 comments

IMDb
Yay! I finally have a listing on IMDb.com!

Boo! They spelled my last name wrong!
posted by D-Bo @ 1:43 PM 0 comments

other news


Though I'm incredibly proud of my graduate, George Washington graduation was substantially less interesting than graduations I've been to before. It wasn't that the speaker was bad, in fact, it was one of the better graduation addresses I've heard. (Though still not as good as Dorothy Nickel Friesen; Unlike most GC grad speakers, because she was Mennonite she didn't waste 15 min. telling us what she likes about Mennonites.)

Or that the hoods weren't super cool; I assure you, they were.

I figured out why: I knew a total of four people graduating, and none of the professors. It is a lot easier to sit through people's names being called when you like the majority of them and are at least somewhat happy for them in their accomplishment.

In other news, since you all don't seem to be coming to D.C. in droves so that we can tell you in person, we headed on down to the National Arboretum's azalea collection a few weeks ago and got engaged.
posted by celestial @ 9:39 AM 0 comments

Juris Doctor
That's right.
posted by weiss @ 9:42 PM 0 comments

Good morning, Joel
And now a little something for the Fathster:



Interesting photos of interesting lifestyles. Thought you might enjoy both.

It is still raining in Montreal! Our eighth consecutive day. In honour of the weather, and the haircut that Misha gave me yesterday, here's Kid Stormy Weather with The Short Hair Blues.
posted by sasha @ 1:27 PM 0 comments

Hey Chicago Kids!
I'm going to be in Chicago on Monday and I need a place to crash next monday (29th?) night. Any chance someone could hook me up with a couch? Or if anyone knows someone that doesn't read the blog that lives in chicago, please pass this message on. Thanks!!
-meg
posted by meg @ 11:43 PM 0 comments

Today I went down to school to clean out my locker and pick up my grad regalia. I came home and put it on. Major complaints are the purpleness of the tassel because blue or red would be much cooler, the confusingness of the academic-hood type thing (or maybe the vagueness of the instructions for wearing it, maybe Celeste can help me figure things out), and the fact that my little year charm on my tassle says 90 instead of 06. Oh wait, I just have it upside down. Wow, that's an embarassing mistake. At least it can jiggle my head around and make the tassle swing around. The tassle is cool when it brushes my face.

On the bus ride home the forty-two bus stopped in traffic on Columbia Road. After two minutes people started getting out, but I was too into product reviews in Wired which were making me think that I should get an iMac instead of a television when I move to Chicago, an idea which upon reflection probably seems like the kind of thing that I could afford to do but probably eschew in order to save money. And then after a while there were people saying things on a megaphone like "Cuba Si! Bloquada No!" (Yes I know that I probably misspelled the Spanish word.) So I got off the bus too and looked for people I knew. I saw Dour Communist Sarah, who was at the front of the march. I walked in the street between the march and the bike police in the opposite direction of the march which confused everyone. There were about 300 marchers, several dozen of which were yellow-vested "security." Why do they need their own cops, or at least so many of them? It implies that the organizers don't trust their own constituency.

I'm still wearing the regalia. I'm going to keep wearing it until I feel more comfortable in it, a feeling which I can sense coming on already.
posted by weiss @ 1:17 PM 0 comments

Good morning, Rob
Collection of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart covers. +Mp3s!

Also, remember when you made dandelion wine? And you gave me a bottle? And I carried it all over and then forgot it in my cupboard for three years? And then finally opened it at a party last night and polished the whole thing off with my friend Leah, because it really wasn't that bad at all?

Well, I do. Thanks again!
posted by sasha @ 11:27 AM 0 comments

MC Frontalot - I Heart Fags

Also: Broken heart? So sorry to hear, Katie!

And: Happy Birthday, Lando!

posted by sasha @ 7:27 PM 0 comments

Noam Chomsky's Shout Out to Christian Peacemaker Teams
Turns out that even Chomsky has hope for humanity:

?It?s unprecedented in history. Is there any hope? Of course there is. Just look at history, even over our lifetime. There were a lot of improvements ? they weren?t a gift. You never get a gift from the powerful. As much as we?re in a better position than before to carry this forward, it?s mostly a problem of will, not of options."
posted by Unknown @ 5:51 AM 0 comments

not to worry mom, it's totally safe (minus the random electrical arc)

I tied-in!! Doing a tie-in is one of those rites-of-passage for a film electrician. For those who don't know, it's when you go into a building's breaker box and remove the cover and then connect to the hot busses (and the neutral bus, obviously). Then you don't have to contend with silly 15 or 20 amp breakers and you have all the power you need!! this lets us run large lights, like 4,000 watt units and bigger!! totally cool... or, say, if you're in a building that's being renovated and there is no power on the floor you're shooting on, then you find the box and pull up a bunch of feeder and create your own little distrobution. Anyway, it's kind of dangerous and illegal in california. But no worries, you always have somebody standing next to you with an apple box or a 2x4 to hit you away from the box in case you freeze up or something. (and you thought being a bike messenger was dangerous!)

Hello, Wisconsin!
I'm going to wisconsin tomorrow!! I'm so excited!!! and yes, I do realize the irony: used to live in midwest, excited about new york; living in new york, excited about mid west. It almost reminds me of that time I moved from DC to New York to work in film only to find myself back in DC a few months later working on a film after having moved to NY. funny that.

Also
So this film I was working on for a few days wrapped this morning. And there was this one actress in it that looked pretty familiar but I just couldn't place who it was. then finally, I figured it out. She was the girl who played Torch, in Girl, Interrupted. You know, the one who has burns over, like, 90% of her body. I just didn't recognize her because she wasn't all scarred. Anyway, I thought it was kind of funny. I mean, burns aren't funny... but this is, some how... um...
posted by meg @ 12:52 PM 0 comments

Just keep at it

posted by sasha @ 9:52 PM 0 comments

Am just back in DC, and already so many things to do! I need to make a list.

Sadly, I made a mistake and forgot to remove my knife when I moved my toiletries bag from by checked to carry-on luggage. The BA people were very nice about the situation, but insisted on taking my knife and putting it in a funny-looking box with a small door. On one hand, carrying that knife around has caused me no end of problems with security and it's probably best that I quit carrying it. But Dad, I am sorry that I lost the knife you gave me. And all those good times I had with that knife, slicing up fruit in the marketplace in Abidjan. They are all gone now.
posted by weiss @ 1:08 PM 0 comments

Jerry Falwell's Shout Out to Mennonites
In cased you missed it, last September, Reverend Jerry gave props to Mennonites during a sermon to his home congregation. I'm just so excited. I didn't even think he knew our name! Includes video.
posted by Unknown @ 2:51 PM 0 comments

NYC Jobs
For anybody thinking of joining Meg (seriously, aren't we all?), here are some choice cuts from Craigslist NYC:

• Are you in a Hindu-Jewish relationship? Write for us!
• Indie Record Label Intern Needed!!
• French babysitter to help our child learn French
• foot fetish/ foot worship
• Interpreters Needed All Languages
• Breakdancers Needed!

Happy hunting!
posted by sasha @ 12:27 AM 0 comments

Flat-mate needed! $550 a month, Soho Manhattan!!! June 1st!
One of my flat-mates is leaving till september next friday. If you, or anyone you know want to live in manhattan for a short stint, let me know. Plus, you'd get to live with me!!! Which is an even bigger plus. Ok, well, I'm late for work, got to run. (swishing sound of me flying out the door)
posted by meg @ 9:40 AM 0 comments

Here you go, Julia
Questions after reading the Boston Globe article 23-year old mayor pulls MySpace page after job shows up as 'malebigalow':

1. 23-year old mayor? Awesome! How can I do that?
2. How is "Male Bigalow" funny?
3. This is news? In Boston?

Also, here's a great song for this time of year: Sun.mp3 Get it while it's hot!

Oh, and happy National Nursing Week! This year is the 400th anniversary of Jeanne Mance, first nurse in the New World and co-founder of the city of Montréal. I live on the street named after her.
posted by sasha @ 1:27 PM 0 comments

Post, People! Post!
I mean, some of us are writing papers here! You all should have the common decency to respect those of us without May Term whose semesters end at normal times. There is a reason that blog traffic and posting rates skyrocket during finals week: us poor students who check the blog 20+ times a day need to live vicariously through the people that actually have lives. Sheesh! Be a little bit more considerate next time, eh?

P.S. FOAS with living blogs featured in Shoup Friendly Links, you may also want to take this time to be especially witty.
posted by julia @ 9:12 PM 0 comments

Fox News makes a difference
Fox News Helped Elect Bush, Study Contends

Fox News Channel significantly boosted the Republican Party's share of the popular vote in 2000 and delivered the presidency to George W. Bush, according to a study by Stefano DellaVigna of the University of California at Berkeley and Ethan Kaplan of Stockholm University, reported in today's (Friday) Washington Post. The study concluded that in Florida alone, which Bush carried by fewer than 600 votes, the influence of Fox produced more than 10,000 additional votes for him.

Sweet!
posted by D-Bo @ 2:04 PM 0 comments

Pussycat Pussycat Where Have You Been?
I hear we just missed Tasara. Sorry, Tasara! Today it rained. We saw some stuff, like the National Portrait Museum which was awesome.
posted by weiss @ 1:23 PM 0 comments

DUMB DINOSAUR


ALSO: Saturday is Free Comic Book Day!
posted by sasha @ 2:27 AM 0 comments

Happy International Respect for Chickens Day!
posted by sasha @ 7:27 PM 0 comments

owwwww... my face hurts
last night I ran dead-smack into a pillar in the middle of the night. I fugged up my glasses, my eye is puffy, and I have a big scratch on the right left side of my face. The worst part is, I was completely sober... just in a rush to get to the bathroom.

Also, had a nice little conversation with John Guillermin on the street and wrapped principle photography on the first feature film where I was the gaffer. sweet beans!
posted by meg @ 2:05 PM 0 comments

hey hey
my scene star roommate showed me this web site yesterday http://www.pancakemountain.com/tv_06_open.html

then, julia called and told me to check out http://www.zumbakamera.com/menu.html which is way impressive too.

and i followed a link and found some happy movies about the sun at check out "contes celestes"
posted by kate @ 7:41 AM 0 comments

Women of letters
For all you female (and other) English majors out there:
Women writers discuss their favourite images of women reading

Author: Kathryn Hughes
Image: Dreams, 1896, by Vittorio Matteo Corcos

The young woman has worked her way through three volumes published by Garnier, which shows she's both a sticker and probably quite a speedy reader too. It also suggests that she's been absorbing the kind of avant-garde literature not easily available to a well-to-do young bourgeoise. Hence her look. It's not "dreamy", as the title of the painting suggests, but rather acutely aware that she has eaten of the tree of knowledge and there really is no way back.

Read more. The Marilyn Monroe one is excellent.
posted by sasha @ 11:43 PM 0 comments

starched collars
Schrocks: this seems like something your brother would get a kick out of: Dude skateboards... without use of his legs!

Wenger: That's some quality dressing right there. The only thing hipper than that shot is how, through the magic of Photoshop, you can't tell that we're actually in the same chair with the same pipe.. My latest quality find -- for only $10 -- was this over-the-top banker's shirt. Check out that collar! Sharp. I'll think of you every time I wear it.

In other news, I started a new semester today. Awesome! Stroke and psychiatric nursing, one month each. Then hopefully DC to relive the bad decisions and great times of summer 2005. I'm tired and happy just thinking about it.

And to finish, those of you who know my mother might be interested to hear that she bought a new house. With her fiancé! They'll move in the fall, after they both (hopefully) sell their current homes. Also, my brother is doing well, thanks for asking. 21 last month, graduating soon and applying to physiotherapy programs for the fall.
posted by sasha @ 9:27 PM 0 comments

grammar
Weiss, what are you, German or somesing?

"I got yesterday approved"
posted by celestial @ 9:46 AM 0 comments