on being midtown

Last night my friend was talking about his ex-girlfriend (again). Seems she met a hipster at one of the local dance palaces and is now pretending to be a hipster herself, even though she's out of the loop and oddly nerdy and works as a social worker. Not to be judgemental; this is coming from my friend. From what I know about her and the definition of hipster, I said there was no way she could be a hipster. I then mentioned the Hipster Handbook, an amusing glimpse into hipsterdom with all the information you could possibly need to know about this strange animal.

After I got home I pulled it off my shelf to re-read it. I've got to say... It's still hilarious. In reference to the ex-girlfriend, the social work aspect is really one of the big things going against her. Her hair is also all wrong and her taste in music is suspect.

But I did learn that I'm a little more hipster than I care to admit, just from my occupation alone. Classifiable, even. If I read more acceptable books, shopped more frequently at vintage shops and drank absinthe I would have scored better on the test. As it is, I just rank as a poseur. I'm OK with this. Being deck is so 2003.

I'm finding it remarkably easy to survive despite being a bit midtown about stuff. I could never really get behind the '80s clothing (seriously, do I need to relive that horror?) and not drinking coffee on Commercial/Main hasn't caused any major problems for me. But I am envious of the hipsters' social skills. They know people.

Also, I love Rose Melberg more than is healthy. How I long for more Softies albums to make me cry and hold hands with someone to.

Currently reading :
The Hipster Handbook
By Robert Lanham
Release date: 04 February, 2003

snood

The last year I worked at the newspaper we upgraded our computers. Our Editor-In-Chief declared that we would be fired if we loaded Snood onto our computers, as most people wasted hours and hours shooting those little... things. Of course, no one listened to him and all computers promptly had Snood. The next rule was we could only play Snood when our section was done. I was the only one who actually followed that rule, which is why I finished my section around 6pm while everyone else worked on stuff until midnight.

Why does this matter? Because I just remembered why we weren't allowed to play Snood at work. So addictive. I need to take it off my computer again. I'm losing large portions of my life to it.

Currently reading :
Take the Cannoli : Stories From the New World
By Sarah Vowell
Release date: 03 April, 2001

cue in the "chariots of fire" theme

Today is a good day. I got a letter from the grad studies department informing me that I was accepted into grad school for September. Whew... Finally!

I started my application last February and have been waiting, waiting, waiting to find anything out. I tried to stop thinking about it because it was stressing me out so much. That didn't work, of course, especially when I got correspondence telling me my grades (though above the requirement) weren't good enough, the program was oversubscribed, my application had expired... It shouldn't be so easy to talk my way into a program, and I guess in retrospect it wasn't, but it's a good life lesson: don't take no for an answer. Or else cry if you don't get what you want. (I didn't have to cry, though. Not this time, at least.)

So now I have to figure out how to finance this degree without going into debt again. Ideas? I mean, aside from setting up a sex line or home-based live porn feed. Something quick and easy would be best.

Currently listening :
Robot Trouble
By Barcelona
Release date: 04 July, 2000

eyes, ears, mouth and nose

Are your ears somehow connected to your hair follicles? My cold has made my hair itchy, or the tickle in my ears is directly related to the itchiness of my hair. It's driving me nuts.

I hate being sick. It hits me fast and then sort of lingers. This time I actually stayed home from work the first two days to get rid of it, but it's still here. I would have stayed home from work again today, but I really wanted to keep my plans for tonight, though I suppose blowing my nose all evening isn't the best meeting. Sorry about that.

It's time to hit the hard stuff. What does cinnamon schnapps do to colds? Probably less than tea, huh? I think it's time for the cold cocktail: Neo Citran, Tylenol Cold for Nighttime, a shot of cinnamon schnapps, and a hot chocolate chaser. If that doesn't knock me out, I don't know what will.

Currently listening :
Yeti
By Caribou
Release date: 22 March, 2005

young fantasies

I asked my co-worker about his other job as a teaching assistant at one of the universities, if he's ever dated any of his students. I'm not sure why I wanted to know this, but it was on my mind from a bunch of tv shows I've recently watched, all that had female students dating their professors and then winding up dead. Not to say my co-worker looks the type to date then kill young co-eds, but...

So, anyway, he said he has never dated, past or present, any of his students and this made me think about whether or not I would have dated any of my teachers/professors/teaching assistants. I either had female instructors or unattractive male ones. But I know of friends, especially in university, that had attractive TAs and/or profs and that these instructors were often the objects of desire by the ladies in the class.

I'm sure guys have the same sort of thing, the Van Halen approach to female teachers, but I've known more guys with librarian fantasies than teacher fantasies. So is that the divide between the sexes? Women fantasize about male teachers, men fantasize about librarians? Sure, it's not so black and white, but this makes me want to take an informal survey to see what sort of samples I get for it.

The link between the sexes: being smart and some sort of authority figure may be sexy. But only if they're a super-vixen hidden behind glasses, bad hair-dos, and ill-chosen wardrobes.

Ah, the mysteries of life revealed.

Currently listening :
Oh You're So Silent Jens
By Jens Lekman
Release date: 22 November, 2005

holy crap!

Today my counter tells me that my blog has been viewed 1000 times. Which leads me to wonder...

Who the heck is reading my blog?

Currently reading :
Where the Truth Lies : A Novel
By Rupert Holmes
Release date: 24 June, 2003

late to bed, early to rise

I'm finding it difficult to sleep in. It's a bit distressing because it's more about the time my body forces me awake rather than the length of time I require sleep to function. Daily at 6:47, or minutes surrounding it, I'm awoken by something. Not sure what it is, but it's very subtle. I used to think it was the train that runs along the ravine below my house. Or the enormous truck that idles somewhere in my neighbourhood, rattling the windows. No, it's something else. I can't even blame the light because there really isn't that much at that time. All I know is that it's making me a bit mental.

I know what you're thinking. Why don't you just go to bed earlier? you ask. I've tried. It doesn't work. Then I wake up at 4:44 (seriously, the same time every time). If I were of Asian descent this would freak me out, the "shi" of 4 being unlucky and, you know, death.

I did sleep until 8:45am last weekend, but it's because I didn't go to sleep until 4:30. I don't think that's going to work during weekdays. I need to figure something out. I guess I should love sleep more. There's just too much to do that requires alertness, or at least movement outside the bed area.

Also, the soft, attractively-coloured cashmere sweater I got a few weeks ago seems to make me want to rake my eyes out. Just a little. I'm allergic to my sweater, to the point that I actually have to take allergy medicine just to be near it. I don't like this new development at all. I will endeavor to overcome this problem.

Currently listening :
Friend I Once Had
By Club 8
Release date: 09 December, 2003