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Hi.
This is my old weblog archive and is no longer actively updated. Please visit this link for my current blog.
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Michael's Diary -- 2001-2003 Archive
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2.16.2002
Another relatively entry-less week has gone past. There are reasons for this.
Not very good ones, but reasons all the same.
The best reason is that it's just plain hard to remember to do it every day, especially -- ironically -- when you've had a busy, memorable day.
The worst reason is that nothing very interesting happened.
Well it's a mixed bag this week. It's funny how my weeks tend to be determined by my Mondays. Brisk, determined, early-to-rise Monday means a brisk, determined, early-to-rise week. Shagged our, knackered Monday equals, well, you figure it out. This week was in the latter category and not as much got done as I'd have liked. No negatives, just didn't feel as rested and ready after last week's fun & frolic.
G & I had a nice Valentine's Day. Generally we don't make much of a fuss about it. It's truly a Hallmark holiday and forced displays of affection, no matter how sincere at their root, don't mean anything to either of us. However, we had some cash flow for the first time in many months and so decided to celebrate. G got me two great DVDs, Fargo and Barry Lyndon. She in turn received blueberry-white chocolate truffles and the special edition of The Princess Bride.
Then we went out to dine at a restaurant called Zealous, which was a little disappointing -- the quality of service was lacking, sorely. Our server was a too-hip for his own good 20-ish year old kid (named Chad, no less) who did not communicate one sou of genuine interest in our dining experience. That's one thing when you're at a HoJos but quite another when you're at a place that has pretensions to greatness. The food showed some flashes of brilliance but my lobster in black bean sauce was very, very tough. I have had better-cooked lobster at Red Lobster. G's meal was nicer.
Overall the place seemed to have pretensions to a Trotter's level of an experience but the disrespectful and awkward service, crumbs (and an enormous rip) in the banquette we were seated on, and pedestrian food despite its pretentious presentations added up to poor value for the money. Maybe Trotter's turned us into a couple of snoots, I don't know, or maybe it's my obsession with service (more likely). But if I am going to fork out a couple of big bills for a meal, I expect to get my ass kissed, my hand held, and I want everything cooked just right. Lobster is not meant to be chewy -- it shoud almost melt in your mouth.
Anyhow, that was yesterday. Saw Black Hawk Down this evening, which took a brutal, costly, tragic embarassment for our armed forces and turned it into a video game. I really don't get the rave reviews this surprisingly uninvolving film has received. It veers from macho, Top Gun-style bullshit to brutal, hyperactive, gratuitously violent war footage and back without making us care about any of the characters on any level as real people. Bloody typical.
2:52 AM
2.12.2002
Whoo, just realized I've stayed up too late playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein. But at least I successfully stole the rocket-plane from those pesky Nazis.
Tough time getting up today after a longgg and funnn weekend. But I did it, albeit a little later than I would have preferred.. Got a great deal on some really nice trousers at a shop down in the loop, over the phone, and arranged for them to be hemmed; while the hemming process was going on, I added some contact information for work, then headed down to pick up the pants. Got 'em, and proceeded to my friends' to pick up some contact info on prospects for work, all very good stuff; made my way to a busy mini-mall in the Geekmobile and handed out a few cards including one to a guy who said "if [his friend who needs us] was here now, she'd call now." Stopped at the hardware store for... well, hardware, natch. Home again and leftover Uno's from last night for dinner; fixed a bothersome bathroom door handle (with stuff from the hardware store).
G got home early from school, having had a rough time on a midterm, so I went out and got her a hot dog and some cheese fries to cheer her up, and threw in some laundry. I've spent the last few hours playing Wolfenstein.
Had a phone call from the mother of a friend who died last week of a heroin overdose. This was a really close friend in high school, and there was a lot of troubled water under our particular bridge. He was very sick with the terrible disease of heroin addiction -- all the more terrible because so many who have no context in which to form an appreciation of the horror of it choose to judge and condemn, rather than be compassionate. Mind you, sometimes, with addicts, it's like a drowning person -- if you try to save them they will drag you down, too. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try -- or that you shouldn't feel upset with them when they fuck you over.
Anyway, it's too late to go into in any meaningful way, but the guy was a good friend, and I saw his addiction eat him alive and turn him into a monster with no control of himself. He tried to get out time and time again but the addiction was too strong for him. When he was lucid and clean he was still the funny and charming guy I always knew... but you could see it in there, like the mark of the werewolf, waiting for its chance to claim him again. He never got away from it, although he came mighty, mighty close. I grieve for him and especially for his mother and sister, who had such a difficult time dealing with what was happening to him. I called last week before the funeral to offer my condolences but his Mom wasn't there, or up to talking. So it was good to talk to her tonight, although I get the sense she is utterly, utterly shattered in a way I can't imagine, and hope never to even be able to.
If you're reading this let me ask you to judge not, lest ye be judged, especially when it comes to people who are dealing with the horrors of addiction, of any kind. I believe we all have our addictions, some worse than others. Perhaps it's endemic to the animal we inhabit -- sometimes I think addiction is evil manifested in a physical form, pulling at us to care only for our animal natures, forcing us to deny our higher selves. Maybe that's a load of crap, I don't know -- but the next time you feel like shitting on someone who's an addict, alcoholic, smoker, whatever, have some compassion. Consider him your brother or her your sister. Or better yet, consider him or her to be yourself.
Sometimes it seems you have a busy day and when you look back you don't feel like much happened. I don't want to have many days like that. We've too few of them as it is.
12:54 AM
2.10.2002
It has been a long time since my last post and I've just returned from a really fun and tiring weekend in Minneapolis -- so this one won't be too long either because I am pooped. Summing up last week, it was crazy-busy. I spread the Geek Squad word all around the town to appreciative potential customers and referrals. On Thursday night I bowled 5 strikes in a single game with the guys!
Then on Friday, we were off to Minneapolis for the weekend. The Geek Squad had its annual party this weekend so Genevieve and I were able to fly out there for it. We were put up in a nice hotel and best of all, got picked up at the airport in a motorcade of VW Geekmobiles and a vintage, 60's Lincoln Limousine. Talk about turning heads! My boss really knows how to play it cool.
It was sooo great to meet all the guys whom I have been getting to know over the phone for the last couple of weeks. A really bright and friendly group of guys. And they have Minneapolis sewn up tight. All the cool clubs -- if you're in the squad, you're in.... in the VIP lounge, etc., etc. Many quality hookups.
Friday night was spent at a murder mystery dinner theatre thing (our party proper) which had as one of its stars Michelle Hutchison, who plays Steve Buscemi's escort in Fargo! We were debating it all night until finally someone got the truth out of her.
Then we were off to a nightclub called the Lounge for some cocktails -- the main Geek Squad hangout. Way cool to be out with a big bunch of people like that. We didn't stay out too late as it had been a long day but we had fun.
On Saturday we visited the Mall of America. Gargantuan and somewhat horrifying. It has a freaking roller coaster in it! We were going to try to get rush tickets to Prairie Home Companion but decided against it, as it was raining and a large group of Lake Wobegon fans was in town for a special weekend. Instead we went bowling and then to a place called First Avenue, the big club/hip music venue in town. Apparently Prince filmed Purple Rain there. We stayed out wayyyyy late and both paid a heavy price today on our hungover but mercifully short flight home.
I didn't bring a camera, curse it, to take photos. Maybe next time -- we have plenty of new friends there now.
10:33 PM
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