a broken maraca and a soggy pillow

Baked potatoes for breakfast

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:59:45 GMT

Things have slowed down considerably in the past week. Class is over. I had my last day of clinical at the nursing home yesterday. I got As in all my classes and I start my week at the hospital tomorrow. It's been gray and colder out and I've been guzzling down cups of coffee. I need to start thinking about looking for a part time job soon, at least before school starts next month and I can have an excuse not to work.

Having idle time makes me listless and for some reason also makes me fixated on boys and although it is a frustrating and pretty useless preoccupation, its pretty harmless as preoccupations go. I never really go out anymore and when I do it's usually with a bunch of straight couples. They are good company but it's hard to not always feel like a third wheel in such settings. It's hardly a mystery then why I never date anymore.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:26:42 GMT

yesterday was my last final! I have two weeks left of the clinical portion of the nursing assistant class and a month until fall term starts. Tomorrow after i'm done at the nursing home I'm heading out to the coast to go camping. I'm really looking forward to getting out of the city and spending some time where it's always grey and cool (it's going to be 100+ today).

Working in the nursing home has been good. It's been assuring to enjoy the work and has made my doubts subside. I had my first patient die a couple of days ago. She was the first patient me and my partner worked with and we were both really nervous and she was always so sweet. For the past two weeks we have always made it a point to check in with her and say hello. She always remembered us despite being 90 and being in tremendous pain. She even told us things like, "it's nice to have friends around here" and joked around about getting us into trouble. My partner saw her leave for the hospital a couple of days ago. Before she left she told my partner that she was 90 and she was tired. I'm sure she was glad to go.

In other news it's already so hot and stuffy in my house and I have an entire lazy, sweaty day ahead of me.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:01:23 GMT

There is a definite prejudice towards men who use femininity as part of their palate; their emotional palate, their physical palate. Is that changing? It’s changing in ways that don’t advance the cause of femininity. I’m not talking frilly-laced pink things or Hello Kitty stuff. I’m talking about goddess energy, intuition and feelings. That is still under attack, and it has gotten worse.

-- Rupaul

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:10:39 GMT

I've decided that I'm going to give my two week notice to my job on the first. I do not have any definite plans for what I am going to do for money after I quit, but I've decided not to worry. I applied for an internship yesterday, I also decided to sign up for at least one class this summer. I got into the certificate program for the Fall. I spoke to my old professors about possibly coming back for an M.S.. So I guess at the very least I might have some student loans to fall back on. I'm glad to be making some decisions even though I have a way of second guessing them. I've decided that for the immediate future sticking in town is a priority. People have been telling me that I just need to be patient and somethings will come up.

I need to start going through my things and seeing what is in those boxes that I haven't touched since January. Yesterday I went to the Ross looking for a new pair of shoes and found nothing, but ended up getting a pair of hair clippers for eight dollars. I had my friend buzz my hair on the porch and at one point we took off the guard to oil the blades and she forgot to put them back on before she started to cut my hair again. I have a little patch of skin showing on the back of my head now, which isn't a big deal considering how short it is but part of me is going to get annoyed at having to explain it repeatedly.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:46:35 GMT

Yesterday was really hot and my roomate put on the air conditioning. I slept with blankets piled on top of me and now at a quarter to three I am freezing and about to go to work. Yesterday I got sunblock past security. It's funny how people I work with constantly brag about what they get past security (yogurt, lotion, make up, large amounts of gravy).

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:18:24 GMT

The kitten is in heat again and scurrying around the house caterwalling. I had sunday/monday off this past week and it was the most relaxing weekend I've had in quite some time. It probably is partially due to the weather, because it is easy to not feel like shit when it's beautiful outside. It is supposed to be warm all week and I have switched from sleeping in a solid time block to taking two naps. I usually take one when I get home and another after it gets dark and so far it agrees with me.

Yesterday I applied for a temp job in town. I have been thinking it might be a good idea to start looking into temp work. I'm attracted to the unsteady hours and general lack of responsibility. I've been being pretty good with money and I think I might be ready for the switch.

I went to the library the other day and picked up some books, one of which is a fairly thick history of coffee. It's dry for the most part but the heart of it is full of redeemable stories and factoids like how there's a reference to the Folger's in Moby Dick because they were a prominent New England whaling family and how in the late 19th century they died beans bright colors using lead based dyes, causing the New York Times to run a headline something along the lines of "Coffee is Poison!". There was also a huge laundry list of items that had been used as fillers or replacements for coffee when it first became available in a preground and packaged form- there was everything from dirty linens to wood to asparagus stems.

It's been two weeks since I stopped and for the most part I don't miss it. Or maybe I do but the joy i get from denying myself things eclipses the former joy I had for coffee. It's kind of amazing that I can still function on this schedule though. I also enjoy telling customers I don't drink coffee when they ask me questions about what they should order. It's also nice not to feel like I need it to function when there is no way to get liquid past security and they make me pay for it at work.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:20:57 GMT

The other day I got two rejection letters in one day. it was sort of discouraging seeing as they seemed like decent jobs that I might actually want to keep on to and also ones where I made it past the first round of interviews. Work has been really busy because of all of the people traveling for mother's day and tips have gone up too.

I am still two thousand dollars in the hole with my bank. At my current spending habits I might break even by the end of summer. When and if I do see that I might feel more at liberty to take chances and quit one job without another lined up. I am so tired of starbucks at the airport. Old people blurt out their anal retentive degree specific drink orders as if each one were a small personal challenge, "you got a pen? you're gonna need it!".

Really its not that bad. An acquaintance from my grad program called me for the first time in months yesterday and she asked me how things were going. I told her that I was tired from getting up at two and about the pointless job. She sounded disappointed. "Yeah I know" was the only response I could think of. I would write more to make this entry less of a pity party but I am going to be late for my bike ride to the airport. I work with the same person I was promised I would no longer have to. This is expected.

Things are fine. I have a batch of banana bread in the oven and i just got an email for a cartography job in northern Wisconsin.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:14:12 GMT

Yesterday afternoon I got a voice message from my mom apologizing for her and my father's "intolerance" when it came to the gay issue. I was going to call them back but I decided that I wanted a day or two to think about it. I slept really well and had a strange dream involving my parents.

We were in the house I grew up in and I was sleeping on the floor (this part is completely normal). I wake up and I am shocked to see that the floor has caved in in such a way that there is a graduated seven foot drop from where I am lying to the wall. Both of my parents don't seem too worried. I said something about it probably being caused by water damage. My dad goes off into what could only be described as a basement only there wasn't one in this house. He raises the floor while I am distracted by something on the other side of the room. I look back and the floor seems to only slope now instead of curving into what seems like an abyss. My dad reappears in the living room. He explains that he pushed the floor up to the point of the electrical outlets. He explains that the plug to the television is holding up the floor. I look over to the wall and I notice the floor to rest higher than it was before, right above the electrical outlet the television was plugged into. The floor starts to sink down again and my dad rushes out of the room to fix it again.

Nothing happens after that. Freudian analysis?

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:06:41 GMT

Even at a quarter to three, I can't help but feel a little optimistic this week. I have an interview for an entry level GIS job tomorrow. The job wouldn't necessarily pay anymore than I am making right now, but it is a lot more relaxed, a regular schedule and it will get me experience doing something a little more interesting than serving up lattes at the airport. I also got a care package in the mail from my dearest friends down in California that contained encouraging notes, a mix CD, and various other treats. This week has been amazing!

Yesterday I worked a five hour shift and was able to take a nap despite a crazy hailstorm rattling the windows. I ended up staying out until after ten last night but I feel no significantly worse for wear because of it. Today I get to work at a tiny Starbucks sandwiched between two opposite running escalators next to the baggage carousels. Kids throw stuff off the sides, adults yell random things like "coffee!" for no particular reason, both of these things are annoying on their own but I am willing to accept them as a trade off for not having to go through security.

As a side note I would like to mention that today is my fourth day without any aid of caffeine. I had planned on easing back into it during my slough of days getting up at two in the morning but I have persevered! This was all egged on by a few days in a row where I "forgot" to drink water but somehow remembered to have my three daily cups of coffee. It feels good to give it a rest.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:08:00 GMT

I was reading old livejournal entries from six years ago. I really can't believe some of the crap I wrote. It's hilarious.

mise en bouteille, et cettera.

[Mar. 6th, 2002|08:40 pm]

I went for a walk with aid of a scooter to the park, it was raining. I tried to write at the park...like i used to, but i couldn't...it was labored.
I decided to go down to 7-11 to get a money order for a payment on my student loan, while i was there i got a pack of cigarettes for megan, (shh, i want to suprise her when she's out and really wants one.) i got a big bottle of perrier and i was tempted to pick up a maxim, it looked very interesting, but it gave me a creepy feeling that, like it's full of horrible softcore articles, no thank you, although the girl on the cover was nice, and not too skanky i might add.
i came back home and passed the elementary school there were lots of people but it was dark outside, it appears they had a talent show tonight, i caught part of america the beautiful being sung, it made me hasten my pace, and so goes the wal-martification of america.

Maxim?! Very convincing. I tried harder than I remembered and always steering clear of scantily clad women - the kind that get you into trouble.

I also remember feeling like a yuppie by taking the three hour walk to the 7-11 to buy a bottle of Perrier. Funny or sad? Both?

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:11:39 GMT

So... I took some time and did some reading on the subject of commodity speculation and where it might fit in with the food inflation and I found a huge article here. Here are a few paragraphs:

-----------------

Grünewald says he wants to "remain broadly invested" in water and agricultural commodities, in particular, and "to expand those investments if possible." He has already placed his bets on oranges, sugar and corn on the futures exchanges. His bet on wheat alone has produced a handsome profit of 93 percent to date.

Grünewald has already planned his next step. "Rice is another interesting topic that could complement our portfolio very effectively," he says. Scruples are in short supply in Grünewald's investment club.

"Most of our members tend to be passive and profit-oriented," he admits. At MIC's national events, few people bring up the social consequences of his investment tips. Riots because of exploding rice prices? Aid organizations in a state of high alert? None of this matters much to the preferred suppliers and apostles of profit in the small investor community. The finance industry regularly introduces new investment "products" for every sexy sector, no matter how questionable.

Financial giant ABN Amro has been especially adept at turning a profit in the current market. As a provider of commodities-investment products for private investors, ABN Amro last March became the first bank to offer certificates allowing small investors to place bets on rising rice prices on the Chicago Futures Exchange.

--------------------

It makes me fucking sick, but it's not surprising that the "buzz" generated around rising food prices and riots and hunger in the developing world could be easily converted into an investment opportunity for lazy conniving parasitic opportunistic rich people. Forgive me for being a realist but I know now that it will only be a matter of time before CNBC, and middle class people with 401-Ks get in on the act. It's awful and it sends a clear message about our culture's priorities. I was uncertain of it before but now it seems much more clear that it is not simply supply and demand economics fueling price increases. The new agricultural investment firms want us to believe that their activity has no implications for what they refer to as "street prices"; The price we pay globally for common food staples at the market. I don't think anyone really believes this. The idea that the commodity market's wild fluctuations do not propagate down to consumers is preposterous and insulting to the publics intelligence.

Yet another reason to hate rich people who don't work for a living.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:23:13 GMT

I think I almost slept through my alarm this morning. I'm not really sure, I think I may have just been lying there for ten minutes. I will be fine I'm sure.

Tomorrow I work at a different location. The location that was so horrible last week. The one with the manager who tries for a "boot camp" mentality (their words, not mine). It's all pretty fucking ridiculous and if what happens last week happens again I am going to launch a formal complaint. This would involve going to one of the other locations after my shift and getting the proper form. Good news is that it is a problem people seem to be aware of. I find the whole thing simultaneously exhausting and stressful.

I would quit but then I would feel obliged to apply for any job I could find and take the first job offered to me. Although this is the same method that got me into the particular situation I am currently in, so it wouldn't exactly be unchartered territory. I am to attached the idea of finding something better while working somewhere worse to quit without something really heinous going on.

Hopefully I won't find my reason anytime soon.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:09:11 GMT

I've been chosen for further screening for a state job I applied for, the one inspecting underground gas tanks! It would be a temp job which is ideal for a job like that.

Yesterday I ended up working from 4AM to 3 something. I didn't know that I was scheduled to work after noon until about a half hour before I thought I was going to go home. I slept like a rock from 4PM until 10PM, when I got up to make lunch for the next day. I then slept another 3 hours. I feel alright.

Yesterday I sent off an application to a job with the parks service that entails using GIS to map cave routes. The position asked for some caving knowledge which I have very little, but I figured that I may as well give it a shot. That job is also a temp job, but I'd get to live in the woods for a few months. I was thinking that initially I could camp and not pay rent for the summer.

I just read on the NWS page that there is a 90% chance of thunderstorms today. Yesterday something took out the power to the airport and the generators had to kick on. When I came home the power was out at my house as well, which is not too surprising considering I do not live that far away from the airport.

When I was a kid the power was always out in my house and not because my parents neglected to pay the bill either. I was always told it had something to do with the quality of the underground wiring that was built along with the ranch style stucco track homes in the early seventies. Also something about a copper shortage that occurred at the same time which led to the wiring being comprised of all aluminum-nickel. I am not sure if this would even be possible, but its the only theory I heard of.

The power would usually be out once or twice a year for three to five days at a time, with other minor outages for a few hours or so. We had a trucker neighbor who did a lot of refrigerated work, so he'd always come by and give us slabs of dry ice. It was a normal occurrence. We would call the power company's automated line every few hours to hear the automated response time to restored service. No matter when you called it, it would always say "power will be restored in 3 to 5 hours".

If when the power came back on there was any dry ice left we ended up playing with it, exploding empty soda bottles which left craters in the front lawn.

It's funny how power outages make me nostalgic.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:51:19 GMT

I roasted coffee on really high heat in my house and it has made the house smell like smoke and ashes hours later. I came downstairs and it caught the back of my throat. The smoke is gone but the smell isn't, I just hope its gone by the afternoon.

Four a.m. shift today.

The coffee is alright, it's a really dark roast again, except this time it doesn't taste charred. Success.

I can't stop reading stories from the English language version of this site, especially the science/nature columns.

Seriously. I wish there were more people organized against biofuels subsidies in this country. I think the concept of something being green is taking after the concept of something being healthy.

Example: Tab is healthy for you because it's not the same as pepsi. Never mind cancer in laboratory animals.
Biofuels are green because it isn't petrolium. Never mind the vast amounts of valuable ag land reserved just for biofuel productions.

The constant barrage of contradictory news stories regarding both topics are also relevant. Hmmm.....

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:26:34 GMT

I am baking a batch of pecan-maple buns for a brunch potluck I'm going to. For years I used to make the recipe from "Vegan Vittles" twice a year. It was one of the first vegan cookbooks I purchased when I was 14. Early this morning when I went to look for it I realized it was one of the many things I ended up giving away when I moved from Portland to L.A. or possibly when I moved back. I ended up making my own recipe which seems to have turned out well. Although I usually don't do this sort of thing I've decided to include the recipe here.

----------------------------------------------------

Pecan sticky buns
(makes 12)

Preheat oven to 350 bakes ~25 minutes

Dough:
2 Packets active dry yeast
1 1/2 C. Soy Milk
6 C. Flour (I used half whole wheat pastry and half unbleached white)
2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 C. Sugar
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
10 Tbsp. Applesauce

Filling:
8 Tbsp Sugar (More if you're feeling it)
2 Tbsp Margarine (I used Smart Balance light because it is vegan was on sale at Albertsons and has flax and olive oils in it.)
6 Tbsp (or more, I just emptied the jar) Applesauce

Topping (lines the bottom of the baking pan):
2/3 C. Maple Syrup
2/3 C. Chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. Margarine

Preheat oven to 350. Heat Soymilk under medium heat in a saucepan until warm but not hot. Dissolve two packets of yeast (empty into soy milk and let sit ... I just turned off the burner and left the pan).

In a separate bowl mix 4 C. Flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the 10 Tbsp of applesauce to the mixed dry ingredients and stir until crumbly. Take the yeasty soymilk (stir if the yeast has not fully dissolved), and slowly mix in the soymilk to the dry ingredients. The result will be a sticky dough.

Add flour to the dough one half cup at a time until you get a dough that seems workable (kneedable). Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed until smooth (I spent about five minutes).

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into 12x6" rectangles.

Mix together the filling ingredients in a bowl, (I put it in the microwave for half a minute). Equally distribute the filling among the two dough rectangles, avoiding getting filling on the edges of the rectangles.

Roll up the rectangles, but not too tight because you will lose filling to oozing.

Mix together the topping ingredients (I used the microwave again), and pour onto the bottom of a baking pan (I used one of those aluminum roasting pan because they're are big and have nice high sides).

Cut each log into 6 equally sized pieces. Be careful to avoid oozing but unless you have a very sharp knife a little oozing (and minor squishing/deforming) is pretty unavoidable. Place slices on top of topping and place in the oven.

Bake ~25 minutes @350 degrees Fareinheit , (until medium golden brown, more brown less golden).

When cool, turn over buns on the serving plate. They will look gorgeous. Now I can make them, no book required.

--------------------------

I probably already made mention of this but the weather in Portland is taking another unexpected turn. There is a chance of snow again this weekend. Although my plants are probably pretty rootbound and crowded at this point, and some of them could probably take the cold, I can't help but feel a little redeemed for my indolence starting the garden. I heard on the news yesterday that the fruit growers on the gorge might be losing a substantial amount of their crop to bud death. Hopefully it won't freeze hard enough to do too much damage. It would be just another strain on the food supply. Everywhere I look I hear something seemingly related to food issues; pest infestations, droughts, mysterious plagues affecting bee colonies, unpredictable weather in general (and please do not think that I am taking this as an argument for more permanent climatic shifts. It is a comment of the current state of the climate).

I finally got around to watching the BBC clips I linked to last week. I am impressed with all the coverage I've seen but would still like to see more stories from other news outlets. This stuff seems a lot more important to everyone's daily life than Obama v. Hillary yet I don't hear nearly enough conversations centered around it.

In countries where people spend a more significant portion of their income on food, the issue holds more importance. Food riots continue to occur regularly, most recently in Egypt, Africa, Afghanistan and Haiti where frustrated citizens uprooted a corrupt leader. I guess my point is that its regrettable that those with means can fret about differences in politicians and political parties so trivial that it resembles a sort of brand loyalty while issues of food aid, and security are largely reserved for ineffective UN subcommittees.

I really don't know what kind of solution may be out there but it seems doing a couple things immediately could help. We definitely need to increase international food aid, and stop subsidizing farmers to make the shift from growing food to growing fuel. We can find ways to cut down on fuel use, but food demand is pretty inelastic. These are all pretty feasible changes, that could be easily made. If I were to indulge my more idealistic side, I would have to say the total abolishment of the public commodities trade would be a good move. I don't even know that much about it yet, but I plan to take a closer look into it soon.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:28:57 GMT

I got my bike fixed and it cost me a little more than I had been told would be reasonable ($26). I am willing to accept it because of the convenience and quick turn-around. I walked the 2 miles to the bike shop yesterday and I stopped off a closer local shop along the way. The shop is new, tiny and seemingly locally owned, but the owner was a chiefy (think male bravado meets dignified smugness) bastard who couldn't be bothered.

I wish I was more mechanically apt so that I could have just gone to the shop and purchased the parts. I want to learn and I think I am able. It's really frustrating knowing just enough to be aware of when a mechanic is being patronizing.

Me: So, I broke a spoke and my wheel is out of true.
Mechanic: Yeah, you know the spokes keep the wheel in true.
Me: I know that, but can I get it fixed?

My first step will be getting a multi-tool. I am going to wait on this one until I quit my job because there is no sense in having a compact multi-tool unless you can carry it in your bag and I cannot carry it in my bag if I am going through security every day to get to work. They would probably let me through with it, but all it takes is one chiefy (see above) TSA agent and it would be money down the drain.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:35:25 GMT

Today has been deja vu all over. I made chocolate-wheaty pancakes with my roomate which were not very sweet so they just ended up tasting oddly like buckwheat. Today was also my day off but I had to go to a work meeting at the airport anyway. It was a meeting about blood borne pathogens followed by another meeting entitled, "five star service". The blood borne pathogen cd rom they had us watch was horribly dated and contained lines such as, "many people have even lived in the same house as a person with AIDS without contracting the virus". I guess I got paid for the two hours which makes the experience somewhat redeemable. I took the MAX home because I was feeling tired and I noticed an advertisement for an online university on the train car's ceiling... "Nouveau Riche University". I am not kidding. Then for some reason, I decided to get off at the Cascades stop to look for discount athletic shoes and a mattress.

The whole strip mall complex feels completely placeless. It actually kind of felt like I was in the Valley, (note capitalization). It gave me an eerie feeling and also reminded me that there are a lot of places in the U.S. where this sort of thing dominates.

I applied for a job in Portland this morning and I can't help to get my hopes up. I have been told by a friend that the best thing to do after applying for a job is to put it completely out of your mind. This is probably good advice.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:08:46 GMT

(Today most of this information has been put aside and Fort Worth is mainly known for its meat industry and fine arts.)

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:46:58 GMT

i have the day off, I've started by sleeping in until well into the morning. I've been fairly productive.

Over the past 16 hours I think I have applied for every entry level government cartography and hydrology position. I need to find a place to scan my transcripts so I can send them to these people.

*crossing fingers*

I need to leave starbucks soon. If anything it's motivating me to get things done I wouldn't otherwise do

When the night falls down in the city

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:08:35 GMT

I am drinking the first cup of the new batch of coffee I roasted. It is much darker than the last one I roasted.
I have woken up with giant cowlicks for the second day in a row. No one cares at work but I guess that is where taking pride in my appearance is supposed to factor in. Speaking of hair ... last time my friend cut mine she left the back of my neck so as to give me a ducktale. It is growing out. I feel as if I am going to wake up one day and it is going to have grown into a fully grown Kentucky Waterfall. I have already found myself playing with it when my hands are idle.

I placed the remainder of the plant starts that were in my room in the greenhouse last night. I figure that since it is going to be so warm this weekend my roomates will probably want to do some gardening.

I have another single day off tomorrow, so I guess today is like a Friday. I will hopefully spend some of tomorrow applying for jobs, that is if I can find any which I am qualified and sound the least bit worthwhile.

I am still planning on sticking to my plan, (that is, leave town in July if I don't find something by June 1st), although now I am not so sure where that would be. Theoretically it should be somewhere where the economy is better off and there are a lot of entry level GIS and environmental resource jobs, hopefully it won't come to that because I'd really like to make Portland work.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:12:40 GMT

Good morning. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to work up this late for work. I don't even have to use my lights to get to the airport. This morning my alarm clock greeted me with "Thunder" by Fleetwood Mac. It seems like I hear that song once a week, I'm assuming everyone does. It is omnipresent.

So, I was done with my taxes and it felt good for a while then I get multiple emails about my EIN being all screwed up which stated that if I was sure the EIN was correct I should paper file. Why the heck did I pay money if I was going to paper file anyway?

I received a voice mail from my mom saying that her and my dad are going on a month long road trip. They said something about seeing me before they left town (yes, they still seem to think I'm in L.A.). I think we've hit the half year mark since I cut all lines of communication except the greeting cards and voice mail I receive every so often. Apparently they also were convinced to purchase a cell phone, so I should watch out for the a new unknown 719 or 909 number.

My day off was pretty nice and pretty low key. I went grocery shopping, I had a picnic on top of Mount Tabor with Sharin. I watched a few episodes of Father Ted at my old house. I tried to do my taxes which I still need to mail. I have a split weekend this week so I'm off again on Friday.

I roasted a new batch of coffee last night and I blanketed the entire house in smoke. This batch is a lot darker than the one I did a couple of weeks ago, I will get around to trying it for tomorrow morning. I would never be able to use the stove-top method if it weren't for the fact that there isn't a single functioning smoke detector in the house.

According to the Portland branch of the National Weather Service, the high is supposedly going to reach 74 on Saturday. If this does actually occur I think the city will go on unofficial holiday with foolhardy bicyclists and pasty shirtless joggers clogging the streets. I'm looking forward to it.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:19:21 GMT

I have the day off and I tried as hard as I could to sleep in until after dawn. I woke up around seven and I made an experimental batch of beer bread with only barley flour. The dough seemed really wet which is probably totally due to the flour change. I think barley flour is less starchy than wheat? If it turns out I think I might make it with barley more often. (It came out a little like a giant yeasty tasting biscuit, would make really really good biscuits and gravy).

I took Sharin's advice and placed about half of the plants in the attached greenhouse. It's kind of weird how I can manage to forget that that huge room exists. My bean plants leaves look like they are wilting, a couple of them are turning yellow. Hopefully nothing fatal.

I did my federal taxes this morning and I am getting back a little less than 600 dollars. California doesn't e-file and I don't have a printer. I'll have to go to the library sometime soon. Does anyone know what's up with the "economic stimulus" package? I heard something about 600 dollar checks but I am assuming you have to either be middle class and or have a family.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:15:49 GMT

I received a letter in the mail that was forwarded from my old LA address. It was an Easter card from my dad. It said, "we miss you and were sorry if you're swamped or we pissed you off or something.". I'm so glad they're ready to address the issue, it's amazing really! Gah! Every small correspondence I get from them reaffirms my decision to stop talking to them.

I was on the bus yesterday and I overheard a conversation between a couple of teenagers about the recession. kid 1: "Did you know that recession is the first step towards a depression?"; kid 2: "Whoa...."; kid 3: "Yeah, I know. We should buy land or something."
That was a paraphrase. It floored me.

I already mentioned this elsewhere but the BBC has been giving some really good coverage to the current stresses on the global food market. In fact, they even started a series that can be found <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7289550.stm">h-e-r-e!</a> . I have not been able to watch any of these videos because the communal computer in my living room is an old Mac desktop and is missing tons of plug-ins.

It's currently 3:15 AM on a friday night and it's time for me to go to work. It's a fact.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:51:28 GMT

I'm up at two for work and besides feeling a little nostalgic for a depressing chapter of my own young adult life I am really no worse for wear. Yesterday at work I was placed at a different starbucks location than what I am used to. I worked with a lady who went on and on about the importance of being Christian, Eharmony.com, and how she would make the perfect military wife. "I mean... I don't mind being alone for a lot of the time and if they die I know where they're going to end up." ... seriously.

I woke up with the alarm clock playing "cheeseburgers in paradise". I am going to try not to take that for an omen for the rest of the day.

I found out yesterday that it can take about 20 minutes to get from the airport to the park and ride lot on the employee shuttle. I got to work in 19 minutes from my house yesterday. I gloated.

mark.imminent@gmail.com — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:58:37 GMT

I just found out that I am going to be working 10 days straight. This is due to the slough of people quitting lately. This gives me more pressure to find something half way palatable soon.