test?

test post from the Galapagos....

wow... is this thing still active?

please see my new blog, er, rather, my livejournal, at:

setting in the (mid)west

i can't believe this thing is still up.

Adventures at Dunkin Donuts (Part One)

Taking my usual 9am coffee break this morning, my cohorts and I decided to stop, as we often do, at a Dunkin Donuts. We love D&D. We have it at least 2-4 times a week, I'd estimate. We've never had any serious problems or troubles there. Until today, at least.

I ordered a medium ice coffee, a breakfast sandwich, and a donut. The total came to $4.90. I gave the woman a ten dollar bill ($10). She rang it up as $5.00, placed the bill in the $10 slot, and repaid me a dime. Here's our interaction (more or less):

Me: Oh, that was a ten.
Woman: *opens drawer with key, looks in $5 canal, sees only fives* No, that must have been a five.
Me: No, I'm sure of it. It was a ten.
Woman: You watched me put it in the five spot.
Me: You put it in the ten spot.
Manager: *noticing the conversation, comes over, asks what's going on, offers to count the drawer*

now, if the drawer is over by $5, they owe me $5. Plain and simple. I just wish they had counted it in front of me. Instead, they both brought the drawer to the back room and (allegedly) counted it there. They came out, first the cashier woman, then the manager woman.

Woman: *carrying the drawer back to return it to the register* You gave me a five. I know you did.
Me: Look. The ten dollar bill I gave you had the number 130 written on it.
Woman: *Looking in the drawer for a 10 with a '130' written on it, finds it, looks at it, shakes her head* Impossible. Your friends were just in here. You gave me a five.
Me: Do you think I could see that writing from the drawer? That money was in the drawer. How else would I know about the number on it if it wasn't my bill?
Manager: The drawer came out even. If it was $5 over, we'd give you the money back. But, since it's even, there's nothing we can do.
Me: But how else would I know about the writing if it wasn't my bill?
Manager: There's nothing we can do.
Me: *sigh* Fine... thank you.

and I walked out with my stuff. I paid ten dollars for a breakfast sandwich, a medium coffee, and a jelly donut. Ten dollars.

If I had more time, I'd elaborate, but it looks like this is a 2-post story. Suffice it to say, To Be Continued....

"You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment unless you trust enough."--Frank Crane

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff.

Due to popular, rampant, and unwavering demand, I have an obligation to the public and my enormous readership to "update this mofo." I suppose it's past time...

Quick updates: I'm working again (both jobs), I'm playing baseball again (wrist's fine, legs are sooooore), I have a rekindled appreciation for national print media (getting the New York Times on my doorstep weekdays again), and I'm very happy to be home. I'm spending time with my lovely girlfriend and hanging out with my friends as often as I can, and it's awesome. It's gonna be a great summer!

Todays thought: I can't stand this 2-party system. I think Kerry and Bush have strongly opposing viewpoints on some stuff, but for the most part, I think there will be major problems in the White House no matter which one wins the election. Everyone (even many Republicans) knows that Bush can't handle the job. He's not a people's president, he's an upper-tax-bracket president, one who's tried to paint himself as a regular Joe, a cowboy, but who has absolutely no idea how a working family lives. John Kerry has been a senator for years. He (like Bush) attended Yale University. He fought in Vietnam, then protested the war later. His wife is a bigwig down at Heinz Ketchup/Catsup. He has a ridiculous amount of money, and, while that certainly doesn't make him an automatically bad person, I still feel that he's lost touch with his public. Personally, I think Dennis Kucinich is the best candidate (he's still running, you know). He has the best, most practical ideas to get America back on the right track. He's willing to promote American interests without stomping on the interests of other nations. He's willing to bring America back into the world community, rather than focus on controlling that community. Compare Dennis Kucinich to Ralph Nader. They both have excellent ideas. Bush and Kerry could learn from them.

Speaking of which, check out www.ontheissues.org. It shows all kinds of stances that politicians and office-holders take on various issues. All the presidential candidates are up there, and all the senators/representatives, I think all the governors... it's a great site. be informed!

Oh, and please take a moment of silence today to reflect on the atrocities that occured 15 years ago in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Peaceful protesters were massacred by the state army in the town square. Learn more about it, and maybe reflect on some lessons we need to learn from occurances like this one.

Alright, sorry so long. I'll be back tomorrow with another post (no promises, though!)

p.s. i have a new secondary email address. it's mostly for mailing-list stuff (i.e. spinsanity, FAIR, the onion, Amnesty International, ACLU, etc.), but if you want to send me forwards or impersonal stuff, that's probably the best place to go. it's satyagraha@gmail.com (if you're unfamiliar with the concept of satyagraha, check out Gandhi). Alright I'm gone.

"In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant."--Charles de Gaulle

A Conversation I Had

Today I was walking back to my room from a Spanish study session, and as I walked, I was leaving a message for a friend of mine on my phone. From behind me I heard "On your left!" I turned to see a man riding a bike. His declaration had caused me to pause right in the middle of the message (so, Sam, sorry about the weird message. Most of it wasn't my fault... most). He apologized for "interrupting my telephone conversation" as he rode by, and he stopped at the light at the intersection. I passed him walking, and eventually he caught up with me, and we had a really unique conversation. This man had waht seemed to be burn marks on his face, he had crossed eyes and very thick glasses, and was incredibly friendly. We spoke about mexican-fried ice cream, about how this place downtown has some, and how it's so great (I told him I'd never had any, and he talked it up like it was the greatest thing in the world). We talked about spring break, college kids, college girls, when college kids leave... What a nice guy. A really unexpected, very nice conversation.

"The older I grow the more I listen to people who don't talk much."--Germain G. Glien

Grüvis Malt, The Mars Volta, and the Draft

Music: Recently I've been listening to a band I've heard about for months, but only lately have heard. They're called The Mars Volta, and they're amazing. If you're into well-written, hard rocking, head-nodding music with more breakdowns and bridges than a Beck album (no joke), give them a listen. I wouldn't call them heavy, but they certainly have their moments. I downloaded their only release, "De-Loused in the Comatorium," a concept album that defies description. Take this, from their site:

"Julio Venegas, an artist from El Paso, Texas, committed suicide in 1996. A free spirit and noted provocateur, 'He was definitely someone who lived life to the fullest,' remembers his friend, Cedric Bixler Zavala. 'Toward the end, he acquired a really bad limp from being in a coma. He had tons of scars all over his body and some of his closer friends used to call him Frankenstein. He had big cut marks on his throat, welts and bruises and bumps, and his arm had been shriveled up from shooting up rat poison. He acquired so many scars it was like a walking map.'

When Cedric sang for At The Drive-In, he wrote a lyric--‘Embroglio’ on 1996’s Acrobatic Tenement--about Venegas, who had killed himself while that band were rehearsing. 'I didn’t feel it really did him justice,' he continues, 'I felt like a whole record should be dedicated to him.'

That record is De-Loused In The Comatorium, the astonishing first album by The Mars Volta. De-Loused In The Comatorium is an iridescent, fearless, brain-busting hour of music, a fictionalized celebration of Julio Venegas’ life. Based on a story written by Cedric, it is a concept album in which the hero tries to commit suicide by overdosing on morphine. Instead of dying, he falls into a coma for a week, and experiences fantastic adventures in his dreams, elemental battles between the good and bad aspects of his conscience. At the end, he emerges from the coma, but chooses to die."

Holy crap, what a great album. If you appreciate good music, if you consider yourself a music fan, you have to give it a try. I recognize it's not for everyone, but I'm in love with it.


OK, that being said, one of my favorite bands, one which happens to be from my home state, Grüvis Malt, is putting forth a new album. "Simon" will be released on May 21st at their cd release party at the Green Room in Providence. It's $8. GO!! Support them! They deserve all the recognition and credit. They're an amazing band with tight ties to their fans and a fun, energetic live show. Talk about worth your money... pay the $8, and bring another $20 to spend on their albums alone. Seriously... I can't wait.


Politics: I've been told that a vote for Bush in November is essentially a vote for a draft by February. That sucks. Don't vote for Bush. Please don't vote for Bush. The draft is being considered because of the mess he's gotten this country into. Our troops are being stretched thin (a friend of mine, a resident on my floor, will be in "the big sandbox" some time in June) and they're hardly adequately protected. Don't let this administration get away with it. We can't try them for war crimes, and impeachment, however well-merited, is difficult and improbable (remember.... Congress is Republican). So, do not vote for him. Please. Or else I'll be forced to burn my draft card and move to Europe. As wonderful as that would be, I don't want to move to Europe. But I don't want to die in a Wall Street war, either.

"People have not been horrified by war to a sufficient extent ... War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige as the warrior does today."--John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Genius... sort of.

Today I shopped for some snacks for Finals Week (need to keep fueled). I bought a 12-pack of Vanilla Coke, among other things, but that's not the important part. The important part is how the Vanilla Coke was advertised. Right on the box is the likeness of a refrigerator, and on it written "Fridge Pack" and "Keep your cans COOL in the refrigerator!"

My goodness, what a concept.

So now Coke has resorted to the painfully obvious for advertising. I understand that the shape of the package is supposed to make it easy to store in the refrigerator. That's great. Why not print E-Z 2 Stor or something terrible like that? Keep your cans cool in the refrigerator? Why, I think I will!

This would be funnier if I weren't so tired.

"Advertising is 85% confusion and 15% commission."--Fred Allen