TMBG and stuff

Yesterday was another black hole sort of day. In the long run there's nothing too awful about those, I guess... I don't spend money, and I do relax... but I should be at least exercising or something on my black hole days. Well, wait. I did finish reading "Ya Gotta Believe", Tug McGraw's autobiography. It was all funny, and at the same time, all sad. He was one of my favorite baseball players when I was a kid... because he was left-handed and really funny. Also he pitched the final out of the 1980 World Series, and well, that's just cool, because he's the only person in history to pitch the final out of a World Series that the Philles won. Yeah. Anyway, he died of brain cancer a year or so ago, and I just read the book, and it is all funny and happy and sad and everything. It is funny how to some he's Tim McGraw's dad, and to me Tim McGraw is still Tug McGraw's son.

Today was pretty good. I had a phone interview in the afternoon, it was just with a recruiter, but it was good to be interviewing and all. What I did realize is that I'd have to really brush up on my programming languages to actually pass a full-fledged tech interview right now. I just forget piddly little things that I'm used to just being able to look up. (Like the "final" keyword in Java, for example) Though I had my overall concepts stuff down pretty well. I think in general things went well, and this'll probly lead to at least a second phone interview.

Then in the evening, I went to Easy Street Records for the TMBG in-store. You know, I'm an idiot. I left the house at like 6:30 for the thing starting at 7. I got to Queen Anne at like 6:50... and then I circled around for a good ten minutes trying to find a parking space. I got into the store at about 7:05 and the show had already started. Worse, the store was PACKED. So I ended up standing pretty far back -- I couldn't even reeeeally see the stage, I could kinda see Flans and Linnell's heads over the crowd. They were playing Alphabet of Nations when I got there. Ah, heck, I wrote down the setlist as I heard 'em:

Alphabet of Nations
Istanbul
Flying V
Doctor Worm
Alphabet Lost And Found
Fake Believe
Robot Parade (kids version)
The Spine / Memo to Human Resources
Fingertips (introduced by Flans as "This song is for adults... with the attention span of children!")
Particle Man
Bed Bed Bed

There were a pretty astounding number of children at the concert overall, mostly sitting on their parents' shoulders so they could see the stage.

After their set they went to the front of the store to sign stuff. There was, of course, a huge mob wanting to get things signed, so I wandered around the store looking at CDs and whatnot for a while. Finally when the crowd thinned out some, I got in line, and eventually got to the front. I had brought my copy of the book Bed Bed Bed to get signed, and the CD single of The Guitar (which I bought like 13 years ago). I couldn't decide which one to ask to get signed, so I just asked Linnell if he'd sign both, and he said sure. I babbled something about how "this was like the third CD I ever bought" (which is true, The Guitar is one of the first CDs I ever bought) and I don't think he noticed what CD it was, since he replied "you must be very young!" and I was like "Haha, no... but you know, I have been listening to your music for over half my life."

(Can you believe it? I've wanted to meet TMBG for like 15 years, and now that I finally did, I babbled like a complete idiot and didn't even have a camera with me.)

I decided to scout out Sushi Land (a kaiten sushi place at 5th and Roy or so) for dinner after the concert. I have to admit... the ONLY redeeming factor of this place is that it's cheap. The sushi just wasn't GOOD at all, even if all their stuff is about a dollar cheaper per plate than it is at Blue C. The servers were pretty rude, too. So in general my opinion is "go here if you want lousy sushi cheap". Yeah. I think I'll be sticking to Blue C where the food is good and the people are nice.

The problem with Sushi Land also is that it is across the street from Tower Records. For some reason, since I was already in CD-buying mode, I decided to stop in there too. So, I mean... I bought 6 CDs today, all of which were on my to-get list; infact all of them were replacing things I used to have on tape a long time ago -- but still. CDs do add up when you are unemployed, and I am dumb.

And to top it off I stopped by Fred Meyer on my way home and I bought a buncha easter candy, all of which was on sale for like 60-70% off. Whee! I have candy! Oh man...

Ah well. For the rest of the evening I have been Powered by Pogues. And happy about it, even despite the vague shopping guilt.

That Sestina I wrote

They had a sestina contest on Puzzle Pirates. The topic was "what it takes to take care of a monkey". There were a bazillion rules about iambic pentameter and not changing your end-words and all this other stuff that never would have flown in CMU poetry workshops, but that's ok.

I was trying to be as non-boring as possible (you should see how dry a lot of the other entries are.)
For the first time in my life, I turned in a writing assignment two weeks early. If I hadn't, I probably would have done a bit better. Oh well. I'm still amused by it. Eris had requested people not share which one they wrote before the 28th, so that's why I didn't post it until now.

(and no, this didn't even warrant an honourable mention. The winner was the first one posted, but all of the runners-up and whatnot were ones sent in a day or two before the deadline.)



The Tale of a Scurvy Monkey
(or, Better Living Through Superior Firepower)

Avast! Adventure on the pirate seas!
The task? To find a cure for my poor pet--
While fortunate perhaps to be a monkey,
He was afflicted with a case of scurvy;
And so, one day, myself and Captain Spinn
Set out with hopes to forage citrus fruit.

We thought he would be cured by eating fruit;
Was there a better remedy at sea?
I charted us to Vernal; then told Spinn
To sail, and I would carpent with my pet.
Despite his awful sickness from the scurvy
He tried to eat the nails. Oh, silly monkey!

At last we were at speed, and my dear monkey
Seemed hungry for a taste of rum-- not fruit--
And scampered to the hold. Ignoring scurvy,
He drank up all the grog. What in the seven seas!
I wasn't sure how best to punish pets
And what on earth would I report to Spinn?

"There be no rum left on this vessel, Spinn!"
I grumbled, thinking "Damn that scupping monkey!"
And vowed to never take aboard a pet
When going out to sail and forage fruit.
I wondered what more from the hold he'd seize?
And whether it'd cure-- or worsen-- scurvy?

While sailing without rum, some scurvy
dogs approached our ship! They yelled to Spinn,
"Arr! We be the brigands of the seas!"
They fired shots at us; it was no monkey
business -- or was it? They were firing fruit!
An orange hit me, splashing on my pet.

It had a strange affect upon my pet
Who went and fired cannons at the scurvies.
His aim was true! He dodged the volleyed fruit,
While shooting down their ship, which swayed and spun
And withdrew from the fight! Beat by a monkey
Who taught us all a lesson on the sea.

So here's a pet care tip from me and Spinn--
Beware the effects of scurvy on a monkey.
And on the high seas? Don't forget the fruit.