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December 05, 2008
Continuing On...
...with this Euro nonsense, it seems the man is an extremely long-range thinker. With Christmas at his ancestral home still a few weeks away, he's already asked if I might be available next spring to attend a wedding with him in a very nice Alpine locale. Not only that, but why not make the most of my visit by wandering Europe together for a couple of weeks? We can travel like backpackers, but he would like to end the tour at some lavish hotel where I can be spoiled to his liking.
I'm not against the idea, of course. I just find him...ruthlessly efficient when it comes to courtship. Hard to describe, but all of his plans are carefully crafted to accommodate my prickly sensibilities. Certainly I would refuse an all expenses paid vacation, but not a few days of decadence...
Anyway, not much else to report. Thought you might enjoy a small update.
Posted by eerie at 12:53 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
November 17, 2008
The Domestic Euro
As mentioned in a previous entry, the Euro flew down to visit me for a long weekend. Thinking he might enjoy a glamorous night out, I surprised him with box seats to the opera. He enjoyed this immensely, but afterwards began to express a curious preference for "domestic" activities. Shopping for groceries with me, cooking breakfast for me, reading the newspaper to me in the morning while I lay in bed half-asleep (bloody exhausted, actually). And so on.
To be honest, I found his urge to do mundane things a bit confusing.
Continue reading "The Domestic Euro"
Posted by eerie at 01:48 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack
October 17, 2008
Owls, Euros and The Dark Knight
Will skip past the usual whining about long workdays and dive right into mundane updates. I took a management fundamentals course this week, which consisted of some vaguely interesting theories about large organizations and then some (mostly hokey) quizzes to determine my temperament, communication style, etc. According to these various (no doubt highly scientific) tests, I'm an Owl, an INTJ and have above-average skills when compared to a large sample of North American managers.
Which is fine, except that don't really like being a manager in the strictest sense. Too much talking, too many meetings, too many long-winded voicemails.
Continue reading "Owls, Euros and The Dark Knight"
Posted by eerie at 11:32 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
September 30, 2008
Italy
Briefly, as I rarely have any time to write these days (or even read about global market meltdowns), a summary of my trip to Italy:
My favorite city was Florence, followed closely by Venice. Yes, I realize that Venice is sinking and a bit decrepit, but I found it exquisitely charming. Florence I loved for its galleries and museums, David was magnificent close up, nearly brought me to tears. Worst city by far was Pisa. Not only was the leaning tower entirely underwhelming, but it was surrounded by hundreds of idiot tourists pretending to hold it up, or flick it, or lean against it in photographs.
I also enjoyed hiking cinque terre, except that I forgot my bathing suit and had to buy a blingy Italian string bikini from a local swim shop. Brown crochet material with orange sequins all over, just hideous. All photos of it have been destroyed.
Posted by eerie at 11:23 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
June 01, 2008
Where is my throne of skulls?
As mentioned in an earlier note, I was offered a promotion in January, the day I returned from India. New office, new mandate, not fully staffed up.
On Friday, they asked me if I wanted to run the office. In promotion terms, this isn't a step as much as a flying leap. According to a friend, it also means I get a throne of skulls and a cadre of assassins (he is joking, mostly).
So I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, but I'm quite sure I can do the job once I figure out all the details.
Posted by eerie at 12:03 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
February 07, 2008
Whirlwinds
As I mentioned somewhere already, I've been promoted to another sector within my organization. The offer arrived at 9am sharp the day I returned from India and was approved almost immediately by my management (mainly because the request came from on high, and refusing was not really an option). A week later, I was in a new office where security was so tight that forgetting my ID at home meant I couldn't enter the building, a level of paranoia that extended to the computer network and its absurdly strong password rules.
Posted by eerie at 11:13 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 26, 2007
Travel
I'm catching a flight to India shortly, but I'll be bringing a (paper) journal with me to record thoughts along the way. Back in three weeks, happy new year and all that.
Posted by eerie at 09:46 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
November 23, 2007
A short note
Once again, I've fallen into the habit of silently haunting Aqoul rather than participating. The last few months have been rather grueling for me on a personal level. However, I have emerged happy and very conscious of the improbably high concentration of blessings in my life. Rather like returning home after a difficult journey and being stunned by the glittering wonders of one's own kingdom.
Also, I received a bit of fan mail and some interesting questions...probably worthwhile to post my answers here shortly.
Posted by eerie at 04:53 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
September 19, 2007
Not Dead
Many things going on. Two of my home PCs had hardware failures. Annoyingly, both were Windows boxes and both were used for maintaining Aqoul (one as a backup for the other). So, apologies for the delay in setting up Ibn Kafka's new home, should happen shortly.
Otherwise, work continues to infringe on my personal life but I'm hoping to finish off that Infidel review tonight.
Posted by eerie at 01:43 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
July 28, 2007
Turkey
I'm off to Turkey for two weeks, with intermittent access.
Posted by eerie at 12:46 AM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
July 08, 2007
Upcoming Travels
After weeks of annoying back and forth, scheduling difficulties and last-minute location changes, my vacation with Kitten is finally booked. We are touring Turkey for a couple of weeks, with stops in Istanbul, Cappadocia, the southern Mediterranean coast and Ephesus.
Turkey is more than a little beyond Kitten's comfort zone (North America, Western Europe) but she's a good sport and feels safe going with me. Of course, I'd just as soon go by myself, but she seemed quite insistent about the two of us vacationing together. She was somewhat concerned about appropriate clothing in a predominantly Muslim country, until I told her that Mavi (makers of impressively low-rise, ass-flattering jeans) is based in Turkey. I'm also pretty sure the beach resort in Antalya will be full of topless German grannies in thong bikinis, so Kitten really has nothing to worry about.
Posted by eerie at 01:54 PM | Comments (24) | TrackBack
May 21, 2007
Haunting the House
I suppose that last entry announcing my return was somewhat inaccurate, given that real life issues continue to keep me away from my beloved little internet home. Still, I am lurking about in a ghostly fashion, housekeeping and so forth.
Work is my main time sink right now, and there isn't anything terribly entertaining to report on that front. Last week I had a few 11-hour workdays, which mostly involved attending emergency meetings with people I disliked, followed by 5-6 hour war room sessions with another analyst (thankfully, one of my dearest friends). On Thursday, we went to a pub after work and got completely sloshed after only two drinks. On Friday, management rewarded us with a few rounds at an office party and we got sloshed again. On Saturday, I went to a friend's place for a dinner party and got sloshed on Vespers.
Nasty little habit I'm developing.
Anyway, more later. I'm reading a number of interesting books (see sidebar) and still have to write some promised entries.
Posted by eerie at 06:44 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
February 19, 2007
Creature of Habit
Real lifers may be aware of my tendency to frequent certain places downtown for takeout food, coffee and so on. One Starbucks in particular is a favorite haunt for studying and quiet time. On Sundays, I go there to catch up on FT/Economist/New Yorker, stare off into space and think about egghead stuff that would undoubtedly bore Kitten (bless her heart, but she mostly talks about fashion and celebrities, and has expressed strong aversion to conversations about politics/economics/foreign policy).
Now there are a number of regulars who hang out at the same Starbucks to take advantage of the good hours and free wireless. Since I have a compulsion to be polite, I'm on friendly terms with all of them (with the side benefit of always being able to find a seat). None are captivating enough for me to pursue as friends outside of Starbucks, but they are useful on those rare occasions where I actually feel like talking to others.
Continue reading "Creature of Habit"
Posted by eerie at 05:25 PM | Comments (21) | TrackBack
January 24, 2007
Catching Up
Apologies for the silence, have been busy as a bee with work, school and various forms of entertainment.
First, I've signed up for some courses because I'm perverse and easily bored. One is a seminar about the persistence of authoritarian Mideast governments and their economic/social policies (with at least one class entirely dedicated to rentier states, whee). Great material, but the instructor is rather green, has zero pedagogical skills and is obviously insecure in non-lecture settings. The other course plays to my persistent fascination with 17th-19th century European gentlemen-scientist fogeys (aka "natural philosophers"). History of science stuff.
Continue reading "Catching Up"
Posted by eerie at 03:07 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
January 14, 2007
Reflections on Caramel
So, I finally booked an appointment to see Kitten's colorist. Poor bastard spent about 2.5 hours inserting fine caramel highlights amidst the jet black, to avoid doing an all-over bleaching. My hair is now a golden-brown shade, not unlike the color I had as a toddler.
Overall, I'd say it makes me look less "sharp" and probably a bit friendlier. Certainly gets more attention than jet black.
Continue reading "Reflections on Caramel"
Posted by eerie at 10:33 AM | Comments (22) | TrackBack
December 22, 2006
Away
Family things for the next few days, won't be around much (Muslim or not, one can still take advantage of statutory holidays). Also, my internet seems to be fucked, making simple things like Aqoul housekeeping terribly frustrating. I'm largely restricted to the physical universe until things are fixed. Boo.
Actually, IM appears to be working fine, in case someone has an urgent problem (and thinks I might care).
Posted by eerie at 03:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 04, 2006
Saturday Night Reading
I'm supposed to go to another girly gathering tonight but I just can't bring myself to brave the cold weather. As well, I'm reading two very interesting books at the moment. The first one is Imperial Life in the Emerald City, a detailed account of life in the Green Zone after the Iraq invasion. I've mentioned it before, if only to complain about the media hype, but the book itself is fascinating. As expected, the author spends a lot of time describing poor decisionmaking by hilariously incompetent political appointees, but he also notes that the CPA wasn't entirely staffed by green 20-something Republicans. Unfortunately, the experienced post-conflict veterans were often stymied by bureaucracy, inter-agency squabbling, lack of resources and overly optimistic commitments made by Bremer and the White House.
None of the anecdotes are terribly surprising (most were reported in the news), but it's enlightening to see the events arranged as part of a larger narrative that includes US domestic politics, foreign policy, public perception (Iraq and American), etc. Ties everything together rather nicely.
Continue reading "Saturday Night Reading"
Posted by eerie at 06:51 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 28, 2006
On Chivalry
Last night, I had a cliche Sex and the City get-together with the Kitten Club (essentially a bunch of beautiful, successful girls who have recently exited long-term relationships, live in fab downtown apartments, etc). Downside is that there is far too much yapping about men, which I generally find boring because it has little to do with politics or foreign policy. Men are far less complicated than women make them out to be.
Anyway, we spent a few hours lounging around one girl's penthouse apartment, comforting the newest member of the Kitten Club (who had tearfully and unceremoniously tossed her cheating boyfriend out a week before) and getting slightly drunk on red wine. At some point one of them suggested going to a club, so we piled into a cab and headed down to the party district. I vaguely remembered the place in question from my school days, and seemed to recall it having a "meat market" atmosphere, but decided to keep an open mind. Clubs change and rebrand constantly, after all.
Sadly I was right, although it was amusing seeing the bouncers dressed as superheroes for Hallowe'en (Thor, Captain America, Spiderman, etc).
Continue reading "On Chivalry"
Posted by eerie at 05:30 PM | Comments (27) | TrackBack
October 24, 2006
Curious
I've been invited to a "Pimps and Hos" Hallowe'en party this weekend.
Is that like the Tarts and Vicars party in Bridget Jones?
It sounds a bit too debauched for my tastes.
Posted by eerie at 11:09 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
October 17, 2006
Contempt for Lawyers
The more I get dragged out to these incestuous little lawyer parties by Kitten (and more recently, her effervescent and well-connected friend, Miss Xu), the more contemptuous I become.
Recently, we attended an AIDS fundraiser held in a grand-looking opera house/concert hall. Live band, decent music but unfortunately crammed with lawyers. Apparently all the big firms buy blocks of tickets and hand them out to employees for free, which explains why I see the same goddamned idiots at every party.
Actually, the suits are rather nice, but that hardly compensates for the obnoxious alpha-male lawyer who thinks your panties will fall off at the mere mention of his salary.
Continue reading "Contempt for Lawyers"
Posted by eerie at 05:48 PM | Comments (23) | TrackBack
September 24, 2006
Brunch and Books
In accordance with tradition, Kitten and I usually have brunch together every Sunday (well, perhaps a meal at 2pm shouldn't be called brunch, but that's what we call it). Today was somewhat different as her ex was in town for a week and she invited him along. Ostensible reason was to see me (I was friends with him long before knowing her), but I imagine she was looking forward to it as well. Since her ex and mine are also friends, I asked him to join us for an "ex double date".
All in all, we spent an enjoyable afternoon catching up on things while deftly avoiding certain topics. A bit weird, given the fact that we had all gone on real double dates before, but the boys were charming and helped us carry groceries home afterward.
Continue reading "Brunch and Books"
Posted by eerie at 09:11 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
September 05, 2006
The Unlucky Shirt
On Saturday, I bought a lovely jacquard button-down shirt for work. Ice blue, tailored (well, just enough to distinguish me from the boys) and very soft to the touch. A bit on the expensive side, but I thought it was a good investment.
This morning, I wore my pretty blue shirt with a pair of fitted black pinstripe pants and black heels. Unfortunately, my subway train had a leaky ceiling panel and I didn't notice until a few brownish-black drops had splattered all over my right sleeve. After some frantic blotting in the bathroom, the spots dried to an unpleasant yellow-brown blob extending from wrist to elbow.
Continue reading "The Unlucky Shirt"
Posted by eerie at 05:04 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
August 12, 2006
Saturday Afternoon
The war continues to gnaw at me, in spite of the UN deal. I am more restive than usual, and have taken to sniping at dear friends for no reason. Polls in Lebanon and Israel both fascinate and horrify me as they continue to reinforce the vile predictability of human nature.
Not to mention bad decisionmaking at the highest levels.
Condi bet on Israel's ability to wipe the floor with Hezbollah, Olmert bet on a "quick win" using airstrikes, and Hezbollah bet on Nasrallah's ability to cast anything that wasn't a complete rout as a complete victory (i.e. punching above its weight and standing up to mighty Israel even as Arab leaders cowered behind craven rhetoric). Obviously Hezbollah won, if one can truthfully stare at the smoldering heap that is Lebanon and call it victory.
Continue reading "Saturday Afternoon"
Posted by eerie at 06:08 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
August 01, 2006
Trip Photos & Commentary
I'm sick of Lebanon. There is no point in following it obsessively hour by hour because I'm not learning anything new beyond confirming my existing belief that rampant demagoguery and short-term gratification (political or emotional) has driven everyone in the region insane (oh I'm sure the war has its own internally consistent logic that allows for children to get blown up in service of some greater good but let's get a grip here).
So once again, a trivial and self-indulgent distraction: photos and commentary on my trip to the Dominican Republic.
Continue reading "Trip Photos & Commentary"
Posted by eerie at 08:56 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
July 31, 2006
There and back again
Dominican Republic was quite a lot of fun, but I've already been jolted out of vacation mode by work idiocy. There seems to be an odd Diplomacy game happening where various parties intercept me before and after meetings to discuss (sell) their points of view. Needless to say, the extra handling of high-maintenance types is irritating and tedious.
Ah well, at least they were impressed by my tan.
Otherwise, I am currently reading Possession, by A. S. Byatt. Not really a fan of fiction in general, but I am struck by this book. Then again, I've only read a third of it. May yet lose interest.
Posted by eerie at 09:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 23, 2006
Blah blah blah
Having fun, but it's an empty sort of amusement that will likely wear off before the week is over. Luckily I packed some cerebral books and picked up The Economist and Foreign Policy just in case the fashion mags got boring.
And they have. In my considered opinion, Cosmo and (British) Glamour have to be the most vapid publications on earth, followed closely by Allure. Elle is not bad, a couple of vaguely interesting articles on feminism/gender roles, but mixed in with the usual drivel about relationships (really, what is so fucking hard about not being a clingy whiny bitch with one's boyfriend?). Vogue is fairly "intelligent" as fashion commentary goes, and worthy of some respect for setting boundaries and not claiming to be more than a couture lifestyle mag.
In closing, thank god for amusingly gallant tattooed American bouncer types.
Posted by eerie at 05:26 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 21, 2006
Officially on vacation
Arrived in DR a few hours ago. Sadly 'Aqoul housekeeping has taken up most of my internet allowance, so can't say much. There are peacocks walking around the hotel. Food is mediocre, grounds are nice. Room is decent.
Pool and ocean are fantastic.
More later.
Continue reading "Officially on vacation"
Posted by eerie at 08:23 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
July 19, 2006
Some trivial thoughts as I pack for the Dominican
First, it seems that I will have to do a bit of writing while in DR, but thankfully it has nothing to do with work. I'm taking a course this summer to raise my GPA and have to submit a short paper for next Wednesday. It's a science course, but one that deals with the emergence of certain schools of thought and key developments in biology between the 17th-19th century (and subsequent impacts on society, politics, etc). This year, the lectures focus mainly on the development of modern genetics and cytology, with offshoot discussions relating to eugenics, racism and social Darwinism.
Continue reading "Some trivial thoughts as I pack for the Dominican"
Posted by eerie at 09:52 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
July 15, 2006
Various Unrelated Notes
First, had dinner with Shaheen yesterday, lots of fun. More authors need to visit me.
Second, I will have plenty of time on my hands in the Dominican, so I invite the peanut gallery to offer reading recommendations. So far, my booklist includes White Man's Burden, The Far Enemy and Shalimar the Clown (all half-finished).
Continue reading "Various Unrelated Notes"
Posted by eerie at 10:10 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack
July 10, 2006
Vacation, etc
I'm flying to the Dominican Republic next Friday. Perfect timing, really. Am burning out and would like to execute some of my coworkers in fine medieval fashion.
Posted by eerie at 09:26 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
July 08, 2006
What not to bring to a salon
Today, after many months of neglect, I finally managed to make time for a cut, colour and some much-needed relaxation at my salon. Unfortunately, I was rudely surprised in the foyer, where clients normally put on robes and sit on a long cushy bench until their appointments. A woman and her two screeching children were monopolizing the entire area, leaving me with nowhere to sit. She had a baby-carrying-thing at one end, stupid baby accessories laid out in the middle, and her hyperactive 3-year-old eating a Happy Meal at the other end, occasionally throwing his ketchup-covered fries across the cushions.
Continue reading "What not to bring to a salon"
Posted by eerie at 03:49 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
June 30, 2006
Singletons
I don't have a lot girlfriends because I tend to get along better with men. One of my few female friends is an adorable little blonde Mena Suvari lookalike, I'll call her K. She is bubbly, giggly and loves wearing fluffy pink sweaters and kitten heels. Physically, we are almost complete opposites (I am something of a dark, brooding Amazon compared to her) and we don't have many common interests. In fact, people seem rather mystified at how well we get along, particularly in light of my somewhat misanthropic tendencies.
And yet I feel something that could be described as "platonic infatuation" for her. She is a genuinely good person, not to mention so staggeringly beautiful that I could admire her for hours. I am so very rarely captivated by people.
Posted by eerie at 12:22 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
June 15, 2006
Some Updates
First, scummy expat uncle heard about my proposed trip to North/West Africa and thought it was a fantastic idea. Now he wants to come with me and has a ton of Hilton points from business trips. He likes to wander around slums and small villages when travelling, so the rewards rarely get spent on his own vacations. On the other hand, "Little Miss Princess" loves perfumed toiletries and bathrobes, and why not help the poor scummy expat uncle get rid of his points? Of course, this assumes there are Hiltons in the area. I think there's one in Rabat...
Continue reading "Some Updates"
Posted by eerie at 09:42 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
June 06, 2006
Musing on Idiocy and Vanity
Work was boring and uneventful, so having that wanker show up on my Anger as Analysis entry was a blessing in disguise. Still can't get over how obsessed he was with my atheism - the word itself seemed to drive him insane. I suppose it was too difficult for him to grasp the idea of an atheist who has no issue with religious types. I certainly don't find belief in God to be misguided, merely something I can't do sincerely. As for why I insist on clarifying aspects of Islam to others, well, that has more to do with my intolerance for ignorant wanking (this really is Aqoul's pet word now, isn't it?) in general.
Continue reading "Musing on Idiocy and Vanity"
Posted by eerie at 07:57 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
May 25, 2006
Déjà Vu
While randomly surfing the internet last night, I came across a "blog" of sorts, written by someone who lived in my dorm during undergrad. Actually, it was more of a personal site since blogs were still in their infancy and web publishing required some knowledge of HTML (I had a personal site myself, but won't share the URL because its embarassing). The reason I found her diary so creepy was because it described an entire world of relationships that only existed on the periphery of my own little universe. Reading her account is strangely disorienting since I can clearly recall the same events and people, but from an entirely different perspective.
Posted by eerie at 08:02 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
May 23, 2006
Botox, Cosmetic Procedures, 1984
A stupid title, but rather fitting for the series of non-sequiturs I am about to jot down.
I am amused at how "normal" botulism injections have become. A few years back, magazines were pooh-poohing the idea...until the botox people started paying them big bucks. Collagen lips, acid peels, liposuction, all part of the "lifestyle" now. I even discovered an entire magazine dedicated to plastic surgery at my salon, complete with disgusting photos of mottled and bruised post-surgery faces.
Continue reading "Botox, Cosmetic Procedures, 1984"
Posted by eerie at 10:24 PM | Comments (36) | TrackBack
May 18, 2006
Vacation Plans
I don't take enough time off, so my vacation days tend to build up until I'm forced to use them. Yesterday, the HR lady told me I had five weeks banked and needed to use at least two before December 31. Since then, I've been contemplating a long, quiet trip somewhere far away, one that doesn't involve taking classes or doing touristy things.
I even considered a beach house in Goa until I realized I was ripping off The Bourne Supremacy. Not that it's a bad idea, but a beach house anywhere might work just as well. I simply lack the imagination to come up with more interesting options. That is, of course, where my blog peanut gallery comes in. Suggestions are welcome.
Posted by eerie at 10:08 PM | Comments (27) | TrackBack
May 08, 2006
I am brilliant, yet stupid
After 3 hours of coding and debugging (well, mostly debugging and cursing), I finally fixed the "Categories" flyout menu on the 'Aqoul main site. As Dubaiwalla pointed out earlier, the original flyout was longer than the screen and prevented users from clicking on the lowest menu options. This occured because the subcategories (e.g. Levant, Gulf, North Africa) were rendering as top-level categories. A known bug, but I was hell-bent on launching over the weekend and didn't feel like fixing it.
The imperfect flyout menu started annoying me this evening, so I decided to muck around with the code instead of reading about the Tea Sisterhood. It turned out to be far more complicated than I expected, in large part due to MovableType making things "easier" by consolidating multiple functions into a single tag. Unfortunately, the pre-packaged functions were totally wrong for my purposes and I had to write them out in long form using more cumbersome tags.
The reason I am brilliant is because the code is now "blog-agnostic" and will automatically render the correct flyout menu for each sub-blog, without any extra work. For example, if you run a search from my blog and hover over the Categories flyout on the search results page, it will show my categories, not Aqoul's.
Well I think it's brilliant. Especially after all that goddamn work.
However, the book deadline is fast approaching and I'm not even half done. Ergo, I am stupid for wasting so much time on the flyout menu.
Posted by eerie at 11:03 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
The Girls Club
As explained in a previous entry, I'm attending a "book club" dinner very soon. It's part of my colleague's ongoing project to make me more social, as she is completely baffled by my lack of interest in socializing, despite my obvious charm, intelligence, assertiveness, blah blah.
By her logic, if people like me and find me interesting, I should in turn enjoy spending time with them. Or perhaps only ugly, boring misfits spend time reading non-fiction and mucking about on the internet. Misanthropy has apparently never crossed her mind, but she has clued into the fact that I relate better to males. Thus, the only solution is to coerce me into joining an all-female book club full of women I've never met.
A night out with "the girls" could end up being fun, who knows. However, there is one small problem: I can't finish the assigned book, no matter how hard I try.
Continue reading "The Girls Club"
Posted by eerie at 12:59 AM | Comments (18) | TrackBack
April 22, 2006
Accidental Lounsburyisms
Inadvertently used a Lounsburyism at work today.
Colleague: "We've got approval to proceed with X. Didn't someone say they had a contact number for that?"
Me: "Yeah, I've got it in my email. A manager in Y Division has been pimping X as a solution for months now"
Colleague: "Huh?"
(Holy fuck, what did I just say?!)
Me: "I said, I've got it in my email. A manager in Y Division has been promoting X as a solution for months now."
Colleague: "Oh, okay. Great!"
Posted by eerie at 12:37 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 16, 2006
My Colourful Legs
My right leg has a smallish bruise just below the knee. My left leg, which leads, has a quarter-sized purple bruise on the kneecap, a 4-inch red bruise on the shin and a 6-inch green bruise immediately adjacent to it. The latter is a deeper injury, I think, because it hurts to walk and hasn't healed much after a week of rest.
My shoulders, thighs and calves reek of menthol and spices. Tiger Balm is my new signature scent.
It occurs to me that savate may not be the ideal sport for someone who wants to bare her legs in summertime. In fact, I am not looking forward to my manicure/pedicure appointments next week (gift certificates from Christmas, expiring in May) as there will undoubtedly be many annoying questions.
Posted by eerie at 07:08 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
April 04, 2006
Hereditary Wanderlust
My family, particularly my mother's side, has always been afflicted by wanderlust. My mother spent her early twenties as a flight attendant hopping all over Asia, Europe and Africa. That's how she met my father, a flight engineer, who was doing exactly the same thing. After they divorced, I flew across one ocean and two continents to visit my father every summer. As a result, I am largely unconcerned about travelling alone or being in strange places, and I have a near-constant itch to visit far-off countries.
Tonight I had a chat with my mother, who had just returned from a Latin American country where my semi-retired 40-something scummy expat uncle had taken up residence. He's spent the last few years hanging out on a student visa, perfecting his Spanish, learning to play the guitar and enjoying the companionship of a beautiful 20-year-old woman (recently broken up because he had an attack of conscience). Since my uncle and I have curiously similar temperaments, my mother is concerned that I will turn out exactly like him. Even worse, his old firm is wooing him with a new assignment in North Africa (not the nice part, the part where you need armed convoys). Obviously I'd want to visit him if he moved there, even if the country is a bit dodgy. My mother isn't crazy about the idea, mostly due to the location but also because being around my uncle for extended periods reduces the probability that I will settle down and give her a pile of adorable grandchildren.
Ah well. Wonder when he's leaving?
Posted by eerie at 08:36 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
