Yup, the ugly artwork on my right arm is on death row. I made an appointment for tattoo removal on July 24 — almost exactly a year after I went for the initial consultation. I’ll be going to the same place. To recap, the place uses this special saline solution to draw the ink from the skin, administering it via a regular tattoo gun. Fun, right?
But it’ll be worth it. I can’t even convey what a pain in the neck it has been to be unable to wear sleeveless tops and dresses, as well as tops with short-short sleeves. It’s even more frustrating during the heat of the Las Vegas summer. And overall, I just HATE hiding my body. It’s also a hindrance as far as the issue of intimacy with partners who would prefer not to see such a marking.
I admit it: I can be quite shallow and picky when it comes to Web design aesthetics. But in my defense, Goodreads is very poorly organized, and let’s face it — it’s kinda ugly, too.
The site is done in drab tannish shades, and what really frustrates me is that it’s designed in a way that makes it difficult to distinguish all the different sections of users’ pages. It does have strong points, however, particularly the social Web integration and the ability to connect with other users.
But I’m a sucker for visually pleasing, uncluttered Web design. So, I’ve been cheating on Goodreads with Bookwormr. But it hasn’t been a very satisfying affair. The site is relatively well organized, but it’s a bit too rudimentary, with no social Web features (a major drawback, as far as I’m concerned) and limited functionality for interacting with other users. The sad thing is Bookwormr is the best I could find on the Web at the moment — preferable, for example, to the likes of Connect Via Books, Revish, Library Thing and Shelfari.
I currently have high hopes for BookRabbit, which is gearing up to relaunch. The blog is downright pretty, and today there was a post giving a sneak peek at the site’s re-design. It looks promising enough for me to up and leave Goodreads. Heck, even BookRabbit’s Twitter page looks lovely.
This guy sent me a message earlier today on OKStupid, I mean OKCupid, saying he was thinking of writing a book about “men living as women” and wanted to interview me. Man? Where? I don’t see any.
To make matters worse, he sent me several messages over the past week or two insinuating he was interested in me romantically, but he admitted in today’s message that he was just trying to trick me into talking with him. Nice. Real nice.
Are there no limits to the dorkdom on OKCupid?
So, I spoke to the woman downstairs yesterday about my plan to buy a drum set. Guess what? She said she wouldn’t mind if I practiced in my apartment. Only thing is, she’s planning to move out in July.
I made up my mind that I am going to be buying an acoustic drum set, versus an electronic one, regardless of the fact that I live in an apartment. If I am going to be spending a large sum of money, I want something that I am going to be truly happy with. Deep down inside, I long for an acoustic set. It’s just superior in so many ways. It also possesses a certain mystique — one that electronic drums just don’t have. And heck, I want to play rock music, and I wanna hit hard.
It’s interesting how my perspective and feelings as a drummer have evolved since I last played years ago. I was never a hard hitter. But I feel so much more open and expressive now and have so much more confidence in myself, and that has impacted the way I feel about myself as a drummer. My instinct is now to rock.
As far as the noise issue during practice, I actually saw these really cool drum and cymbal mutes that do a pretty good job of muffling the sound of the entire kit. I’m also going to speak with my neighbors about it and ask them if there is a specific time I could practice without bothering them too much. I’ll also ask my downstairs neighbor what the best room might be for my drum set. Worse comes to worse, I’ll rent rehearsal space on the weekends whenever I could spare the money.
Basically, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’m living proof of that, after all.
I am now the proud new owner of a boom stand, my first piece of drum hardware in like a decade. Normally, it’s for cymbals, but it’s also compatible with my drum pad. It sure beats putting it atop a couch pillow, and then placing those on a kitchen chair.
Since I now have two pads, I also have the option of using one as a hi-hat and one as a snare. When I do that, I’ll just use the boom stand for the hi-hat setup. I’m going to be buying a bass drum pad soon, too, along with a secondhand bass drum pedal from this guy I know. Then I’ll have pads for the three most important parts of a drum set. Pretty cool.
Oh, yeah. I also bought a metronome.
I am half entertained, half weirded out by this guy at work who so fully embraces the stereotypical male image. He’s a tallish, very confident-seeming middle-aged dude in the editorial department who’s always walking around all proper and serious and never seems to have a light moment. And stuff he says sounds so scripted. For instance, today he said loudly, while reeking of insincerity: “It goes really good” when someone asked him how it was going.
But what I’m referring to in specific is the guy’s cubicle. Arrayed inside of it, he’s got a collection of objects that denote cliché masculinity, like little waving flags that say to everyone in the company, “Look, I’m a guy! I’m a guy!”
The objects include:
- A medium-sized globe with an antique finish.
- A Dallas Cowboys coffee mug.
- A Dallas Cowboys football, perched erect atop its own football stand.
- A large steering wheel with a clock embedded in its center.
- A brass reproduction of an old locomotive.
- A model of a red sports car; I think it’s a Porsche.
- The remote control for one of the newsroom TVs.
I mean, am I right? I wonder, is this identity insecurity or total brainwashing? Dunno. All I’m saying is usually only young boys surround themselves with such a high number of gender-themed objects, and that’s usually because it’s forced on them. This guy’s middle-aged and he’s doing it voluntarily.
I do admit that I have a small amount of traditionally girly stuff on my desk, and I really like it. It’s for my own personal pleasure. Atop my Mac cabinet, I have a small pot of faux flowers, as well as a small pink heart that I got from a cupcake that I ate. And then I have this sole white faux flower inside a makeshift vase. That’s it. Nothing too elaborate. But the guy’s collection seems over the top. It’s just something that struck me as curious. I’ve never seen anyone his age with that sort of a display. Just sayin’. It just seems like his cubicle — and the guy himself — came straight out of a catalog.
I wonder what’s on his wish list for Father’s Day. Perhaps a tie decorated with little golf clubs and golf balls?
Just finished reading about how Gloria Steinem helped bring women’s issues to the forefront of the national political stage in the early 1970s — particularly women’s right to reproductive freedom — after laying the groundwork in the late 1960s. Groundwork meaning, making her way into high-power political circles and finally mustering the courage to open her mouth and hold some sway.
The chapter is called Campaigning in the book Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. Just can’t help but be in awe of Steinem for this amazing feat, despite my lingering disagreements with some of her opinions. It’s yet another example of how one person — or a relative few — can have a massive impact by speaking out against prejudice and discrimination. Of course, it always helps when the political/social climate is ripe.
From the way it was presented in the chapter, it sounds like Steinem actually may have even coined the term “reproductive freedom,” political platform language that provided for the right to have an abortion.
*sigh* If only.
Click pic for full effect. It’s from this guy’s collection. He has just too many and should give one to me.
