Do you remember the thing that happened at Rutgers where two students were arrested for using a webcam to spy on a gay roommate hooking up? And then that roommate jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death? Well, here's a long New Yorker article about it, "The Story of a Suicide." I haven't been so bothered by something I've read in awhile. Mainly because I can't place what I think about it all.
Some (mostly chronological) thoughts: This Dharun guy is the douchiest idiot ever. Tyler really needed better Internet practices. In theory, I could follow the Google trail Dharun followed to investigate his future roommate. This is what I tend to do with new people I meet; Google the crap out of them. No, I'd rather not in this case. I will Google what Dharun, Molly, and Tyler look like though. Are these chat transcipts just teenagers being teenagers? People being people? This other Tyler sounds like a douchebag too, of the highest order. "I wish the gay community wasn't so angry -- so angry. I'm all about forgive but don't forget."
Oh I would have judged someone too for having a Yahoo email address. While reading the article I keep trying to imagine how I would have reacted from any of these perspectives. Which role is more foreign to me? Which one the most likely? Tyler's parents don't seem to know him at all. Neither do Dharun's come to think of it. Tyler sounds awfully lonely. Dharun is a dick, it's true, even his friends say so. ("He's so much of a jerk that it may seem like he's a homophobe but he's not.")
Okay, Tyler doesn't exactly sound like an enlightened human either. Great, he's just as -ist as Dharun ("My roomates name is Dharun / I got an azn!"). Who is the person writing this article? How is he piecing this all altogether? Oh this line bothers me: "...is Hannah Yang, a younger friend from his high-school orchestra, who is Asian." Really Ian Parker? "Yang" is Asian? Thank you. You don't want to specify more there? I wonder if that was put in by the editor. It seems odd to point this fact out. To show us that Tyler had at least one yellow friend?
This is the rare article where Asian names are everywhere. In a way, this is stereotype breaking across the board. Asians who bully others, Asians who suck at school, Asians who think they're cool! You could replace all the names here with non-minorities and it would still read exactly the same. A rarity.
I kind of admire Dharun's tech skills, I mean, I'd want a speaking computer program based on Iron Man. He's actually starting to sound like a semi-okay guy this Dharun, barely. Okay I've turned, Tyler sounds like the insensitive one. I mean, sort of. Shit this is confusing. This whole thing is starting to sound like normal college shenanigans. Gossip, excitement over hookups, pranks, etc. I can see myself getting excited over that kind of stuff. Participating? Hum.
This is a good definition of bullying: "A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself."
Who is advising Tyler on these message boards? How do the authorities get all these text/phone/Twitter transcripts? This is a big reminder that anything online is well, online. What? He jumped? What did we miss? Dharun is lying out of his ass. I can't decide how much blame Molly should get here. Accessory? No, she could have tried to stop it. Maybe.
The entire legal maneuvering at the end of the article, I don't understand it. I mean, I understand it, but I don't get it. I can't decide if I think Dharun should go to jail or not. Yes, of course he should! No, he's just a stupid kid. This reminds me of the last bit from A Few Good Men, when the Marine has to explain to his friend that although they are legally innocent, they certainly did something wrong.
Wow, these parents are so clueless. But I can see how they were blind. I am never having children.
I don't know if you read the article like I did. Starting from a place of thinking how wrong this all was, knowing who the obvious villains were, but then switching sides. And back again. Or at least maybe sort of understanding how this could happen, or questioning Dharun's culpability. Because this story probably repeats itself all over. But I guess that's the point. Is this a chance to examine morality? Or just a cautionary tale? Or effective writing?
Related but not really, I was reminded of the Sinedu Tadesse case I blogged about last year. And I thought about the Dorothy Surrenders' blog posts about the episode where Finn outs Santana. "Out of This World" and "Out Out Damn Spot." Where's the line?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Collide
I don't even like American Idol but the other night I found myself cruising through YouTubes of a lot of the auditions from previous seasons. I don't know if you can tell if someone has star power right away but Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Carrie Underwood had ridiculous voices. They didn't all win of course, but they were the ones who went on to the biggest careers. Talent trumps all!
Somehow I then got sucked into X-Factor clips and learned that Leona Lewis is the British Mariah Carey. It's crazy watching her sing because Lewis is so good but then right after a song, she shrinks back into her shy shell. The negative with her, according to the judges, was that she had no personality. That must be so hard to hear, even though you have the talent and the look. How do you work on growing a personality? Now that I realize Lewis isn't just another manufactured pop starlet, I'm all the way in and since the best part of No Strings Attached was how they used "Bleeding Heart," I'll be putting it on repeat also.
It's most interesting listening to Simon as he's always calculating if a contestant has star potential and if they're good enough for the big leagues. He doesn't fall prey to the gimmicks as much as the other judges and he's usually pretty spot on, especially in hindsight. I'm always impressed by folks who can tell top ranked amateurs from professionals. To most people, anyone with a good voice -- or any mildly impressive talent -- is instantly given a few "you're good enough to go pro" encouragements. Usually, that's not the case.
There may be minute differences between what separates very good from excellent but it's a wide enough chasm to clear out the riff raff. People always think someone they know is better than somebody already doing it. Statistically that's pretty unlikely though, right? I wish I knew enough about certain things to be able to pick out why a person is spectacular. Sure it's mighty subjective but I'd like to snottily say, "He sounds good but technically he's horrible. Ugh."
The other thing that stands out about watching all these auditions is how convinced everyone is that they're good enough. Parts of me envy that assuredness. The "nobody believed in me" factor. Sure it's kind of delusional but it's a great trait to have, especially as the world keeps telling you that you don't measure up. It must feel brilliant to make it and show all the haters they were wrong.
The only season of Idol I watched a lot of was Season Five, the one where Katharine McPhee got robbed. (I still don't understand how McPhee didn't become a much bigger star. Did she just stop wanting it?) I lived with a girlfriend who was such a die hard Idol fan, and we grinded through each week and each showing. Maybe we even went to the summer tour concert. The things you'll do in a relationship! Now when I see McPhee, or anyone else from that season, I'm instantly transported back to 2007. Back to our one bedroom apartment in Fremont, hanging out and doing things always together, barreling down the path to breakup.
Also, while watching Jessie J's subway performance, all I can think about is how much I want her pants. The Internet isn't revealing any answers so I need someone to look at them and tell me what brand/cut they are. Help.
Somehow I then got sucked into X-Factor clips and learned that Leona Lewis is the British Mariah Carey. It's crazy watching her sing because Lewis is so good but then right after a song, she shrinks back into her shy shell. The negative with her, according to the judges, was that she had no personality. That must be so hard to hear, even though you have the talent and the look. How do you work on growing a personality? Now that I realize Lewis isn't just another manufactured pop starlet, I'm all the way in and since the best part of No Strings Attached was how they used "Bleeding Heart," I'll be putting it on repeat also.
It's most interesting listening to Simon as he's always calculating if a contestant has star potential and if they're good enough for the big leagues. He doesn't fall prey to the gimmicks as much as the other judges and he's usually pretty spot on, especially in hindsight. I'm always impressed by folks who can tell top ranked amateurs from professionals. To most people, anyone with a good voice -- or any mildly impressive talent -- is instantly given a few "you're good enough to go pro" encouragements. Usually, that's not the case.
There may be minute differences between what separates very good from excellent but it's a wide enough chasm to clear out the riff raff. People always think someone they know is better than somebody already doing it. Statistically that's pretty unlikely though, right? I wish I knew enough about certain things to be able to pick out why a person is spectacular. Sure it's mighty subjective but I'd like to snottily say, "He sounds good but technically he's horrible. Ugh."
The other thing that stands out about watching all these auditions is how convinced everyone is that they're good enough. Parts of me envy that assuredness. The "nobody believed in me" factor. Sure it's kind of delusional but it's a great trait to have, especially as the world keeps telling you that you don't measure up. It must feel brilliant to make it and show all the haters they were wrong.
The only season of Idol I watched a lot of was Season Five, the one where Katharine McPhee got robbed. (I still don't understand how McPhee didn't become a much bigger star. Did she just stop wanting it?) I lived with a girlfriend who was such a die hard Idol fan, and we grinded through each week and each showing. Maybe we even went to the summer tour concert. The things you'll do in a relationship! Now when I see McPhee, or anyone else from that season, I'm instantly transported back to 2007. Back to our one bedroom apartment in Fremont, hanging out and doing things always together, barreling down the path to breakup.
Also, while watching Jessie J's subway performance, all I can think about is how much I want her pants. The Internet isn't revealing any answers so I need someone to look at them and tell me what brand/cut they are. Help.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Rainbow Connection
Going to a second Clippers game, sitting just a few rows up, was entirely different than the first. Last year, thinking this was my only chance to ever sit this close to a NBA court, I tried to document the entire experience. Photos, videos, mental images. I concentrated hard on everything, trying to soak in every detail. This time around, I didn't even pack my camera. Free from the burden of capturing things for posterity, I just sat in my seat and let my attention go where it naturally wandered.
Most of the first quarter was spent looking across the court at the Kardashians. Kim sat next to her mother while Khloe crossed her legs and leaned into Kim, barely paying attention to the game. The L.A. crowd was vicious and every time Lamar Odom touched the ball, they booed mercilessly. They were even worse when the Kardashians were shown on the Jumbotron. Hearing the jeers rain down live, I can understand how that might get to you, night after night. After all, these people are still human right? No wonder Lebron got sick of being the villain.
By the time intermission rolled around, I had no idea what the score was, who had been playing well, and had spent most of my time trying to figure out when we showed up on TV. When Kevin threw up his Northface jacket hood, we resembled crab fisherman, bright yellow among a crowd of red, white, black, and blue. Many friends texted with a variation of this message: "You guys are just sitting there! Do a dance, jump up and scream, do something, you're so boring!" I can't tell you how much peer pressure and not wanting to be an asshole keeps you in your seat. Unless everyone rises to their feet, the fans who are screaming and jumping around are mostly idiots and you just want them to shut up. We couldn't sacrifice our dignity just to get on-screen.
In March we're returning for a Celtics game. I hope the Big Four is still intact by then. There are rumblings that Danny Ainge has been given the go ahead to move anyone on the roster. From what I can tell, the Celtics run is over, as we're incapable of beating anyone but the worst teams. It's so painful watching them, as they struggle in every facet of the game. At the very least I hope they hang onto Paul Pierce, as watching him play in another uniform would just be devastating.
Most of the first quarter was spent looking across the court at the Kardashians. Kim sat next to her mother while Khloe crossed her legs and leaned into Kim, barely paying attention to the game. The L.A. crowd was vicious and every time Lamar Odom touched the ball, they booed mercilessly. They were even worse when the Kardashians were shown on the Jumbotron. Hearing the jeers rain down live, I can understand how that might get to you, night after night. After all, these people are still human right? No wonder Lebron got sick of being the villain.
By the time intermission rolled around, I had no idea what the score was, who had been playing well, and had spent most of my time trying to figure out when we showed up on TV. When Kevin threw up his Northface jacket hood, we resembled crab fisherman, bright yellow among a crowd of red, white, black, and blue. Many friends texted with a variation of this message: "You guys are just sitting there! Do a dance, jump up and scream, do something, you're so boring!" I can't tell you how much peer pressure and not wanting to be an asshole keeps you in your seat. Unless everyone rises to their feet, the fans who are screaming and jumping around are mostly idiots and you just want them to shut up. We couldn't sacrifice our dignity just to get on-screen.
In March we're returning for a Celtics game. I hope the Big Four is still intact by then. There are rumblings that Danny Ainge has been given the go ahead to move anyone on the roster. From what I can tell, the Celtics run is over, as we're incapable of beating anyone but the worst teams. It's so painful watching them, as they struggle in every facet of the game. At the very least I hope they hang onto Paul Pierce, as watching him play in another uniform would just be devastating.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Further Out
As annoying as Facebook can be, and how everyone despises it, it's undebatable how useful it's been for reconnecting people. Of course many of them are people you probably lost connections with for good reason, but it's still fun to see who finds you out of the blue. So far January has been a banner month for blasts from the past.
A friend from fourth grade messaged a few weeks ago and I had no idea who he was. He was very specific though, talking about our times spent playing Nintendo together and him remembering George's fondness for Curious George. It took a bit to jog my memory -- and truthfully I'm still fuzzy on exactly who he is -- but I think I do remember him. Or maybe I guessed wrong, since he hasn't answered me back.
All those names that stick in your head, from childhood to college, and some of them you just completely forget, even the ones that were important to you at one time. They say that eyewitness accounts are unreliable; studies prove this is true, over and over. Never trust your memories, as I've now convinced myself that I knew his name all along.
Then grabbing lunch at the Roberto's by the beach, I was roughly certain that the guy in front of me was my best friend from middle school. People don't believe me when I say that I had no friends then, but I really didn't have many. It was just one friend, Justin, who was such an instrumental part of my growing up.
A friend from fourth grade messaged a few weeks ago and I had no idea who he was. He was very specific though, talking about our times spent playing Nintendo together and him remembering George's fondness for Curious George. It took a bit to jog my memory -- and truthfully I'm still fuzzy on exactly who he is -- but I think I do remember him. Or maybe I guessed wrong, since he hasn't answered me back.
All those names that stick in your head, from childhood to college, and some of them you just completely forget, even the ones that were important to you at one time. They say that eyewitness accounts are unreliable; studies prove this is true, over and over. Never trust your memories, as I've now convinced myself that I knew his name all along.
Then grabbing lunch at the Roberto's by the beach, I was roughly certain that the guy in front of me was my best friend from middle school. People don't believe me when I say that I had no friends then, but I really didn't have many. It was just one friend, Justin, who was such an instrumental part of my growing up.
He turned me onto music, movies, trampolines, all things geek, white people families, video games, crushes on girls, all sorts of stuff. If you had to trace back my younger obsessions with role playing games, Yanni, and musicals, it would all go back to Justin. He was one of those effortlessly natural smart kids, and outperformed me academically with virtually no signs of studying. It was mind boggling to see that, especially because all my other (Asian) friends were hammered with homework and restrictions all the time.
I've done Google searches for Justin, turning up old forum messages but nothing else. It's weird when the Internet and Facebook fail like this. You wonder if the person is like, alive. Well, that afternoon, he was possibly standing right in front of me and the only thought I had going through my head was if he would recognize me. I had on sunglasses, and never took them off, unsure if I wanted to say hello. I did lean over and try to see his credit card signature, but that didn't quite pan out. Now I think it was stupid, to not try to see if that was him. Maybe I was just surprised that he was in San Diego, as I imagined that he'd be somewhere far far away. Maybe I just didn't want that reconnection, even for ten minutes.
I've done Google searches for Justin, turning up old forum messages but nothing else. It's weird when the Internet and Facebook fail like this. You wonder if the person is like, alive. Well, that afternoon, he was possibly standing right in front of me and the only thought I had going through my head was if he would recognize me. I had on sunglasses, and never took them off, unsure if I wanted to say hello. I did lean over and try to see his credit card signature, but that didn't quite pan out. Now I think it was stupid, to not try to see if that was him. Maybe I was just surprised that he was in San Diego, as I imagined that he'd be somewhere far far away. Maybe I just didn't want that reconnection, even for ten minutes.
No, I should have said something.
Two days ago, another long lost friend popped up courtesy of the Zuck. This one I would have never found because she's since married and changed her last name. I was delighted that this sort of thing was so commonplace it wasn't even worth mentioning to anyone. (Nothing is more boring than hearing other people's "omg it's been so long" reunion stories.) Ten years ago we would vaulted for joy in the cosmic coincidence of re-finding each other, now it's like "Oh there you are, let's friend each other and we can look at pictures!" So not a big deal, even when it is a big deal.
Shit, now I'm cruising and looking up people from elementary school. I better stop. There are better things I should be doing.
Two days ago, another long lost friend popped up courtesy of the Zuck. This one I would have never found because she's since married and changed her last name. I was delighted that this sort of thing was so commonplace it wasn't even worth mentioning to anyone. (Nothing is more boring than hearing other people's "omg it's been so long" reunion stories.) Ten years ago we would vaulted for joy in the cosmic coincidence of re-finding each other, now it's like "Oh there you are, let's friend each other and we can look at pictures!" So not a big deal, even when it is a big deal.
Shit, now I'm cruising and looking up people from elementary school. I better stop. There are better things I should be doing.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Diamond Status
The only way to do Vegas is VIP. I don't know how real VIPs travel but really, if you don't get the massive suite with the living room, if you don't valet, if you don't snag all the free drinks and chocolate covered strawberries from the special area, I don't know how you live. Vegas is tiring enough without having all of these conveniences.
Ten years ago we'd cram twelve people in one room and walk everywhere but no more! We're older now and deserve only the best. I refuse to go to Vegas without my high gambling friend, who gets hookups for everything. You stay at Circus Circus, I'm chilling in the Palazzo with my Snuggie -- aka backwards bathrobe.
Overall CES was a shitshow. So many people, so many booths (most of them selling iPhone related products), and lines for everything. Lilly joked that there would be a wait for the men's restroom. She turned out to be totally right. The CES crowd is like a gathering of (99% male) nerds but without the craziness or entertainment of Comic Con. These are just digital nerds, who are not really that interesting or friendly. Everyone looked defeated and tired, everywhere you went. I tried to project myself into one of these sad sacks but couldn't do it. It was just too much.
Ten years ago we'd cram twelve people in one room and walk everywhere but no more! We're older now and deserve only the best. I refuse to go to Vegas without my high gambling friend, who gets hookups for everything. You stay at Circus Circus, I'm chilling in the Palazzo with my Snuggie -- aka backwards bathrobe.
Overall CES was a shitshow. So many people, so many booths (most of them selling iPhone related products), and lines for everything. Lilly joked that there would be a wait for the men's restroom. She turned out to be totally right. The CES crowd is like a gathering of (99% male) nerds but without the craziness or entertainment of Comic Con. These are just digital nerds, who are not really that interesting or friendly. Everyone looked defeated and tired, everywhere you went. I tried to project myself into one of these sad sacks but couldn't do it. It was just too much.
I'm sure there are lots of reasons to go to CES -- especially if you're industry and need to make connects -- but for the average consumer, I'd say avoid. I remember we had a chance to go to CES when I was at Rockstar, but now I'm delighted I didn't go. Working conference booths has to be the absolute worst. Seeing the same people circle over and over while they avoid your marketing smooze. And all that fake enthusiasm you have to muster. I think I need to add conferences to my ever increasing list of things to avoid, along with concerts, theme parks, Irish bars, and oh so much more.
You should have seen the party we went to. A room full of guys who don't party standing around staring at each other. I was there to meet Eliza Dushku, advertised as CES' entertainment ambassador. Really what that meant was she came to the party, was cordoned off, and avoided interacting with the sea of dorks. We didn't even see her (except via Twitter). I mean, if I were her I would have done the same thing. That club had the worst ratio and atmosphere ever. Even with the DJ cranking out good music.
You should have seen the party we went to. A room full of guys who don't party standing around staring at each other. I was there to meet Eliza Dushku, advertised as CES' entertainment ambassador. Really what that meant was she came to the party, was cordoned off, and avoided interacting with the sea of dorks. We didn't even see her (except via Twitter). I mean, if I were her I would have done the same thing. That club had the worst ratio and atmosphere ever. Even with the DJ cranking out good music.
I have never been so close to meeting one of my Top Ten. Oh well, dare to dream.
In other celebrity news, Lilly and Hong were in the same room as Justin Bieber. Yes, the Biebs was at CES doing some product launch, even if nobody could see him in the crowd. The only reason I wasn't chasing after him was because I was catching up with some friends back in the main hall. My friend's friend's booth was located in the back of the convention, in an alleyway where all the international companies formed up. A quarter of the CES crowd had to be Chinese, which makes sense when you consider where all these electronics are being made.
My big contribution to the weekend was meeting somebody in the restroom. An older gentleman with a comb over commented to me about the deplorable state of the restroom and the specific deficiences of this bathroom's sinks. I agreed wholeheartedly and we launched into a talk about German versus American sanitary standards. After taking our conversation outside, I introduced him to Hong and Lilly and we then chatted a bit about what we all did.
Soon after saying good bye, they told me this nice gentleman was trying to pick me up. I refute this version of events as he lavished Lilly with compliments about her Persian beauty. Apparently choosing to live in Miami and Scottsdale brands a man as whatever the gay equivalent of a cougar is. Grizzly? Polar bear?
In other celebrity news, Lilly and Hong were in the same room as Justin Bieber. Yes, the Biebs was at CES doing some product launch, even if nobody could see him in the crowd. The only reason I wasn't chasing after him was because I was catching up with some friends back in the main hall. My friend's friend's booth was located in the back of the convention, in an alleyway where all the international companies formed up. A quarter of the CES crowd had to be Chinese, which makes sense when you consider where all these electronics are being made.
My big contribution to the weekend was meeting somebody in the restroom. An older gentleman with a comb over commented to me about the deplorable state of the restroom and the specific deficiences of this bathroom's sinks. I agreed wholeheartedly and we launched into a talk about German versus American sanitary standards. After taking our conversation outside, I introduced him to Hong and Lilly and we then chatted a bit about what we all did.
Soon after saying good bye, they told me this nice gentleman was trying to pick me up. I refute this version of events as he lavished Lilly with compliments about her Persian beauty. Apparently choosing to live in Miami and Scottsdale brands a man as whatever the gay equivalent of a cougar is. Grizzly? Polar bear?
I've been picked up in Vegas before and this was no pick up. Thanks for listening.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Train to Pluto
Talking with a friend the other day, trying to explain how I stayed busy, she said it sounded like I was in on too many things and none of them were being done. That's true of course. I'm trying to do a few writing things, help out with some iPhone app stuff, crank out some sites/blogs, get some family business stuff together, and am trying to join up with some other people's projects.
I'm not busy at all but a lot of time is being used to do things that I probably shouldn't be doing. But then, where's the fun in doing all that you should be doing? I think you should do what you like, even if it doesn't necessarily translate into pay or advancement. My friend was right though, that if I've got only one one finger in ten different pots, I'd never actually finish anything. And the important things would never be given their proper attention.
What that means is I need to re-prioritize again and start ditching things I can't give at least a solid commitment to. I mean, for someone without a job, I'm sure not accomplishing much day to day. If the new year is for resolutions and starting fresh, I should try to take that to heart. Of course, I hate resolutions so I have to think up what my 2012 declarations are.
So far I've only got one: If you ask me for an opinion on something (mostly tech related), I'm just gonna tell you what I think should happen, not fight you and go over every single point. That's what I do when I go to someone. If I trust their opinion enough to ask them, I don't need them to give me every reason under the sun for why I should follow their advice. I need to come up with something pithy to call that rule. And then figure out two more.
The other night we had a sleepover so we could watch No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits back-to-back. Two movies with such similar premises released so closely together, we had to know which was better. Of the two, Friends with Benefits was definitely the superior movie, as the interplay between Justin and Mila was far better. Most of all, they were actually friends before they engaged in the benefits, whereas Ashton and Natalie were virtually strangers.
I'm not busy at all but a lot of time is being used to do things that I probably shouldn't be doing. But then, where's the fun in doing all that you should be doing? I think you should do what you like, even if it doesn't necessarily translate into pay or advancement. My friend was right though, that if I've got only one one finger in ten different pots, I'd never actually finish anything. And the important things would never be given their proper attention.
What that means is I need to re-prioritize again and start ditching things I can't give at least a solid commitment to. I mean, for someone without a job, I'm sure not accomplishing much day to day. If the new year is for resolutions and starting fresh, I should try to take that to heart. Of course, I hate resolutions so I have to think up what my 2012 declarations are.
So far I've only got one: If you ask me for an opinion on something (mostly tech related), I'm just gonna tell you what I think should happen, not fight you and go over every single point. That's what I do when I go to someone. If I trust their opinion enough to ask them, I don't need them to give me every reason under the sun for why I should follow their advice. I need to come up with something pithy to call that rule. And then figure out two more.
The other night we had a sleepover so we could watch No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits back-to-back. Two movies with such similar premises released so closely together, we had to know which was better. Of the two, Friends with Benefits was definitely the superior movie, as the interplay between Justin and Mila was far better. Most of all, they were actually friends before they engaged in the benefits, whereas Ashton and Natalie were virtually strangers.
While these are romantic comedies so the endings were obvious, I was hoping for a tiny bit of insight into if friends with benefits ever worked out. My gut says "no" but it can't all be horrible. There has to be some movies that depict friends who don't fall in love or hate each other afterwards right? If not, I should get on writing that.
There was talk afterwards about which movie reflected our lives more. My friend had been accused of being the Natalie Portman character and we laughed five minutes in as the young version of her gave a perfunctory pat to little Ashton Kutcher as she tried to console him. "Look, I'm not really an affectionate person. People aren't meant to be together forever."
A long time ago a friend who didn't know me in person, but very well through emails and letters, told me that I reminded her of the main character from About a Boy. When I finally watched it, I couldn't see any similarities, but that was probably just denial.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Albondigas
Somehow I went to bed first during New Year's Eve festivities. And the night before that too. This is what happens when I try to be a before 4pm wake up person. I'm totally useless after 2am. When everyone was rallying for round two to ring in the new year, I crawled off to bed. That never happens. I'm never the first one to bed, never! My entire social standing will crumble if I'm not even around to be that guy who stays up late.
For NYE, we went to a party in our hotel, which was located conveniently downstairs and not too crowded as tickets were sold out way in advance. LMFAO flew in from New York to do the countdown and while I was more than ready to Party Rock -- really, more of a Party Bounce despite all my best efforts and practice -- I don't think I paid them more than three seconds of attention. I was hoping something scandalous would happen in Vegas, or at least I would keep my streak of inappropriate NYE hookups alive, but nothing happened except my friend's almost scuffle right after we got in.
Getting kicked out of a NYE party would have been a drag right? Wait, starting off 2012 happily in bed means I was a drag right? The good news is, I got to repurpose my suit, bow tie, and suspenders from previous weddings. Plus George and Ameer got us frameless glasses from Taiwan that are apparently all the rage over there. Here it's a fashion put-on and borderline offense but across the ocean it's a fashion necessity. Mainly I was just happy everyone was on board with the My Little Pony bubble stickers and toasted (half-heartedly) to "friendship is magic!"
The bad news is the camera I picked up off the ground and took most of our pictures with was given away. Never entrust electronics to drunk people. Even when they are not yours and technically stolen electronics. Now we have a big gap in our photos. Actually that's probably for the best. I mean, nobody knows you went to bed early if there isn't photographic evidence right?
For NYE, we went to a party in our hotel, which was located conveniently downstairs and not too crowded as tickets were sold out way in advance. LMFAO flew in from New York to do the countdown and while I was more than ready to Party Rock -- really, more of a Party Bounce despite all my best efforts and practice -- I don't think I paid them more than three seconds of attention. I was hoping something scandalous would happen in Vegas, or at least I would keep my streak of inappropriate NYE hookups alive, but nothing happened except my friend's almost scuffle right after we got in.
Getting kicked out of a NYE party would have been a drag right? Wait, starting off 2012 happily in bed means I was a drag right? The good news is, I got to repurpose my suit, bow tie, and suspenders from previous weddings. Plus George and Ameer got us frameless glasses from Taiwan that are apparently all the rage over there. Here it's a fashion put-on and borderline offense but across the ocean it's a fashion necessity. Mainly I was just happy everyone was on board with the My Little Pony bubble stickers and toasted (half-heartedly) to "friendship is magic!"
The bad news is the camera I picked up off the ground and took most of our pictures with was given away. Never entrust electronics to drunk people. Even when they are not yours and technically stolen electronics. Now we have a big gap in our photos. Actually that's probably for the best. I mean, nobody knows you went to bed early if there isn't photographic evidence right?
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