Another Hundred People

Its amazing how much time can fly. Even more so I suppose when you are having fun. Sorry about the Blog neglect. I'm thinking about changing the name of my Blog by the way. While I do like it, I feel it needs to evolve. Just like so many things in my life I think its time. So I am putting up a poll that can be voted on. It should be up in a day or so. You can vote for a new one or if you really like it vote to keep the original.

So as referenced above, I have been having fun. I have even taken some time off. Work is work though and it will forever be busy, it just depends on what kind of busy it is. Right now I am in interviewing season. But that's not fun to talk about and fairly illegal I think so we'll skip to other topics.

Valentine's Day was a success, and I must give some props to the Elephant Walk for having our table available right at 7 when we walked in the door. It was definitely a full house and they are just the kind of place that does it right. So it was a good dinner, of course the company wasn't half bad either :P .

That weekend I was able to throw my first party in years. Needless to say I was a little stressed. But once the time came round it was good time. All hubris aside I think I put on a damn good party. My concern was more for the mix of people. I blended a good number of people from various circles and it seemed to work. Not everyone could attend and I understand that. They were missed and will just have to make it to the sequel. Those who could attend though got to meet Rob. The new man in my life. :) Also the reason why I have not been updating this thing as much as I would like.

So what else has been going on? Last week was a little slow but it was busy at work, but I got a nice little break on Friday. Due to the snowstorm my company let us out early. I took full advantage of this by getting a decent parking space that I could dig out from and then proceeded to go downtown for the afternoon. As I knew the rest of the city would be fleeing. I went and watched a movie Vantage Point which was better than most people say it is. Of course I couldn't have gotten through the movie without being visited my Mrs. Obvious.

It seems lately that every time I got to a show or theater I get stuck in front or behind someone who feels the need to talk through the entire show with inane conversation. Well Mrs. Obvious just repeated what was going on. Oh look the president just got shot. "Oh Harold did you see that the president just got shot." Of course Harold say it. The whole damn theater saw it!! But they didn't HEAR what happened next because you kept flapping your yap. Then as we got deeper into the movie she decided to share with us her theories on who did it. UGH!!! I gave all the signs. First there was the throat clearing. No luck. Then there was the casual glance over the shoulder. Nothing. Finally there was the turn around and stare directly at her. That didn't work either. I swear to God had I bought a concession she would have been covered in it because even the SHHHHH didn't help. I wasn't the only one doing it either.

I think theaters should set up a hotline. Something that you could call and let them know that this stuff is going on. I can deal with a little talking but when its blatantly distracting its a problem. Maybe if it was even a text message. Of course people should just learn to be a little more considerate. I think a little bit of consideration is alot to ask these days. I find myself wanting to dish out the five finger etiquette lesson on occasion. Certainly could have helped on the T ride home later.

After the movie I went out and walked around in the common in the snow. I probably looked like a crazy homeless person to most people, but I miss walking around in the snow. So I had the time and I did it. Let me tell you Greenpeace is a committed bunch since they were trying to sign people up in the height of the snow. I don't think they had to many takers though. Well after a once around the park I left for Coolidge Corner to my favorite Book Store. The Booksmith. I perused a couple of things but settled on a classic that I would try out. I hadn't read "The Fountainhead". I am familiar with Ann Raynd and her work and I needed to read something with a little more substance.

I spoiled myself at dinner with a little French Onion soup and Fish and Chips. I know totally not diet food, but it was a night to spoil myself. I headed home on the T again but there were problems on the D line so we had to pick some passengers for a stop. So all of a sudden our empty train went from empty to full. Of course by that time it was standing room only and this older woman came over stared at me to try and get me to move. Normally I would do such a thing but this woman was just so demanding. "can you move" she says. No. Which visibly pissed her off because what she failed to notice was the woman she pushed out of the way with the 4 bags of groceries and five year old. I said "I think she needs the seat a little more than you do and since its mine right now I'm giving it to her." Pointed and asked her to take a seat with her kid.

I've had to be transferred from train to train before and I know in the snow with a child and groceries and the prospect of more shuffling around at the end of the line earned her a little bit more than sympathy than crotchety middle aged woman. Of course the incident did not sit all that well with me at first because of the cranky bitch, but by the time we got to the stop the guy next to me offered to carry her groceries so she could make sure her child got across the street and it completely reaffirmed my faith in people. It just illustrates that most people are good its just the bad ones that leave an impression.

Walking back from Cleveland Circle to my apartment I came across a number of people out and about having fun on a Friday night in the snow. I even ran into one woman talking about Medway, Millis, and Medfield. No one in Boston knows those towns. I was impressed. LOL I hate to say it but we should have more storms it seems like people bond more at these times, when if this was a random summer night no one would have cared less. Instead a hundred random people getting off the train there were a hundred mutual soles trying to get home, and one bitch :) .

Yes title of the blog was inspired by Company. I watched it on channel 2 the other night. It was the revival directed by John Doyle. I have to tell you I am not a fan of the gimmick he's employing where the ensemble cast also plays the instruments. I just think you either get a good actor who plays the violin ok, or vice versa. He did this with Sweeney Todd too but it was not as well done as it was with Company. Anyways check it out if you can.

Do You Believe in Magic?

You know when I was growing up I used to love watching the David Copperfield specials and thought it would be cool to be a magician. Then I got older and realised that its not magic, its all tricks.

20 years ago the only way we would be having this conversation would have been on the phone. There were no Laptops or PC's and if I were to describe to you what we are doing now it would seem beyond belief, but it wouldn't make it any less real today.

So do I believe in Magic? Yes just not the poison apples and love potions. Magic is wonderous. Its the thing that makes a dog walk half way across the country to its owner. Its the connection to a loved one that you feel despite how far away you are. Its our own ability to heal and forgive from the gravest of wounds.

Please forgive me for being so esoteric this evening. You see I can't help it. I haven't mentioned anything on here lately but I think its about time. You see I've met some one, completely unexpectedly. Which is I guess what they say will happen. To be honest I wasn't quite sure how he felt about me until today.

As my co-workers know I go to lunch at Fresh City and today was no different despite the driving rain. What can I say, Nora and I are creatures of habit. Well we made our way back in and around the corner to my desk and I immediately see two balloons over my cube. The balloons were connected to a nice little vase of purple flowers being hugged by a Teddy Bear. I barely got out the words "oh my" which let everyone know I was back and suddenly every woman who wasn't gone was at my desk as they had seen it being brought in. Yes I did turn red, I was not embarassed as much as I was taken back. OK maybe a little embarassed too. Of course the cat was out of the bag at that point so they all got the story, and while I still believe that Valentine's Day was created by Hallmark to make an extra buck after the holidays, I can't help but be giddy.

You know I once thought that "romance was dead". Now I'm not so certain. I think I may have just found the man to renew that faith I once had. I know I am breaking one of my cardinal rules about blogging about my dates but in this instance I feel justified.

Of Stones and Onions

Ok so I was thinking last night of a way to describe the brain in my book and I though I would share with you my thoughts. Naturally and I think more common is to describe it like an onion. Its multi layered and you pull back layer after layer. Thats so boring though! After all each layer is almost exactly like the previous. Where does that leave you on the road to self discovery. It leads to a pretty dull person.

After all was it not Buddha who said "What you are is what you have been, and what you will be is what you do now." I don't know to many boring people. Everyone has there own story and sometime that story is not pretty. I don't think many people really understand how things that have happened years ago can affect you today. So to that point I have decided the brain is like a stone in the woods. Sometimes smooth, often bumpy, and the bigger they are the more interesting it makes them. You want to know whats beneath the surface? Move the rock. EEWWWWW I am sure you all have turned over large rocks in your lifetime. What's there? Bugs and stuff. They scurry around and avoid the light. Thats your brain. On the surface its normal and otherwise common, but the second you see whats beneath the surface you find the real story. What little pieces of your psyche are scurrying around in there avoiding the light?

I'll tell you what one of mine is. While having an otherwise normal childhood I was always socially just outside the mainstream. Not that I wanted to be the cool kid. I was just being me. Apparently being yourself doesn't score to many friends in school. While I did have good friends I can't remember being accepted by large group of peers. Egad! How sad you say. Its no big deal, after all what good is acceptance if it comes at the cost of your identity. However being 31 now, I apparently still let this factor into my daily routine. It has less to do with some strive for acceptance and everything to do with why I have the friends I do.

I have been holding myself to some archaic double standard. Why do I have the friends I do? Well I try to surround myself with genuine good poeple. That doesn't mean they are saints, but it does mean they are honest and interesting people. I very much believe you can learn something from everyone by just knowing them. Some lessons are harder learned though. The thing is I love my friends for who they are, not what they "bring to the table". A fact that I somehow forget about when I think about why people like me. Often times I find myself needing to justify my presence or needing to provide a reason why someone would want to hang out with me; other than just accepting the fact that they like me for who I am. Its something that I am working on and I think its key to rebuilding a little bit of my confidence. Of course blogging about it is my way of getting it out there into the open. Lifting that proverbial stone so to speak and seeing whats there.

Subdued Exhuberance

Thats a mouthful isn't it. Well its kind of how I feel at the moment. Its February which means that our year closed at work. While I won't know for sure whether we made all our goals until Monday I can at least be happy that we did everything that we could to meet them. It really is a cause of celebration. However I ran myself ragged that I have come down with another cold. Which sucks because literally I feel like dancing but I have to take it easy out of fear that I get worse. Oh well its Sunday now and I feel a whole lot better so I'm going to say I am on the mend. I was able to have a little treat though Friday. I had originally planned to have a quiet Friday night after maybe a drink or two with some colleagues. However I found myself invited out to dinner and it was a great way to end the week if not the month.

The rest of the weekend though has been spent re cooperating. Not that I mind the time to myself but I really was looking forward to being more active this weekend. On the plus side I was able to both spend some time on my book and on my tattoo design. So soon I will be able to get my tattoo I know I have been thinking about it for awhile now, and its evolved over time but I finally have it at the point I want it. Its a little bigger than I anticipated but considering its been over a year that I have been working on the design it will be worth it.

Tonight I'm heading out to the bar to watch the game. I bought a couple of squares in a pool so here's hoping I win. Wish me luck.