True Story:
A guy calls here. I answer the phone with the normal greeting of the company name and he says "Hi, Mrs. Pinsky." I tell him, "No, my name is Joel." He then asks if Mrs. Pinsky is there. I inform him that there is no one by that name who works here. He explains that the operator somewhere else gave him this number (it's actually one the number of an empty cubicle in the back) and told him to call "(first three numbers withheld)-33370." I tell him that there are only 7, not 8 digits in a phone number. He argues that this is the number he was given so it should work. I start to get a bit frustrated and tell him that no, it can't possibly be the right number. He insists it is. I tell him it's wrong and he needs to call back the person who gave it to him because this isn't going to get him anywhere.

This sort of thing happens far too often.

Hey, thanks to those who have given me song ideas so far, I appreciate it!
If you've not read in a few days (or ever), read the entry below this one about my upcoming travel mix cd and give me ideas.

I'll have to check that song out, thanks Becky! Jeremy: that is an essential travel cd in and of itself...i may have to incorporate a couple elements here and there, though.

Kelly asked:
where are you going? how long will you be gone? will you get yr smooch on?
taking any summer classes?

1. I am going to where I grew up and lived until I moved to Omaha (Michigan and Indiana, for those who don't know).
2. I'll be gone from this coming Saturday through the following Sunday.
3. You know me, Kelly, I'm not very organized, I don't plan very well, I'm not very good at coordinating events and that sort of thing.
4. Yes ma'am, i'll be all up in the summer classes. I'm taking one in each summer session plus an online "Intro to Astronomy" course to satisfy my science requirement.

For some reason this morning, the parking garage smelled like meat loaf. Things like that always set off my imagination and it made me wonder if, perhaps, someone hadn't found a way to make meat loaf in the parking garage overnight.

Brief note that may interest some: Jack Osbourne checks into rehab. I think it's great he's facing a problem head on. That's very admirable and I hope he does well.

All right, well, be sure to throw more travel song suggestions my way! As always, I crave your comments in general. Thanks...

Don't you know about the bird? Everybody knows that the bird is a word.

In a few days, I will be raising up and getting my travel on.
I just had a fun idea...rather than just post this on the vagrant board where i'd have 13 kids telling me to put Creed songs on, I'll post this here first:
I'd like to make a traveling mix cd with song suggestions from those who read my blog. So...use that comment feature and help me make this cd!

my day:

12am First mass of Easter. Amazing. Simply Amazing service. Potluck afterward.

2am I'm driving home, singing along with Nirvana's "Lithium" hoarsely.

i got home around 2:10am from Easter Mass. My roommate was parking his car at the same time as I was so we walked in together. We share about our days, etc. I read an email from my special someone, send her some mush in return, and went to bed around 3am.

8:30am I wake up, take a few minutes to figure out it's not 9am yet and go back to sleep. I have a dream that I don't remember now but involves me carrying around my phone knowing my girlfriend will be calling soon.

9am Special Someone calls and we talked for about an hour and a half.

10:30am Intending to work on my final project paper, I get on the computer and promptly write a long response to one of my good friends. I also eat a pancake made by my roommate and a couple donuts.

11:30am I decide it's time to go to the grocery store and grab the sunday paper and maybe some food. there's no church this morning because of the midnight mass and it feels weird not to have left the house yet, so i really need to do this. i do so.

12:30pm (approximately) I return and get on the computer. Special someone has returned home from church and is on IM. we talk on IM and then the phone for a while.

2:30pm She has to go to work so I watch the Cubs game, eat some lunch, talk to my roommate, try to work on my project, respond to some emails, etc.

5-7pm I decide it's time for a walk. I wander down and walk around in the park for a while. I get back to the house, think about my paper a bit more, just generally piddle around.

7-8pm Watch American Dreams. I do some other stuff on the computer while watching it.

8pm I stop by an ATM and go to the Sunday Painter's (something) at Sullivan's. For some odd reason (that odd reason being that it was advertised as such) I thought that Azure Ray was playing around 8 but they won't play until after another band that starts at 9:30, as it turns out. I look at the art and spend about 45 minutes at the bar, nursing a martini and watching the overhead television (old Harold Lloyd silent comedies on TCM) and listening to the conversation by the cool kids. At one point one of the lesbians sitting a couple seats down proclaims (about the actor's granddaughter who is hosting the set on tv), " dude, she's got some bomb ass tits." After a while, I check out the art being displayed and go home.

9:15-9:45 talk on the phone with Special Someone while she's at work.

10pm on....Sip on my rum & Big K diet cola, play on the computer, actually work on my paper (*gasp*), email, and watch the Boston Red Sox and Anaheim Angels go into extra innings (as I type this, the Sox just launched back to back homers into the seats in the top of the 14th. the camera pans to Ben Affleck cheering like a madman in the front row while his date J-Lo tries to look happy for him. i am NOT making this up).

it's just after 11pm now and around 11:30, my special someone will get home, we'll talk on IM and then the phone until sleepytime.

Thanks for the comments, Jeremy...I appreciate it!

Here's a helpful hint for everyone...if you're on the phone with someone, especially someone you don't know, please, for the love of God, do not whistle into the receiver. Maybe it's just a general irritability issue with me today, but that just really got under my skin.

Right now I'm listening to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. Amazing album.

The Cubs have lost two of their last three; actually, three of their last four. It's just a temporary slide, however, and they'll be fine starting this weekend, I bet.

I really need a break at this point. It would be really nice to have an evening where I don't have to work on something (even if I don't always) or go to class. Luckily this semester is almost over...in 10 days, I'm going to be having one of the best times of my life, I know.

The Orthodox Pascha/Easter is Sunday. Today is our Maundy Thursday. I have class, of course, and will miss that service, but will work only half a day tomorrow and then go to our Good Friday liturgy. It starts at noon and runs 3 hours. After that, we practice for the Paschal services. The Easter Vigil starts at 10:30 on Saturday night, the mass at Midnight. It will be incredible. This Great Lent has been interesting. It's been hard, honestly. But...I suppose it is supposed to be...I am learning much about myself.

Here's a great quote that is incredibly appropriate in regards to the past few sentences:
"How can we overcome the sinfulness that is already firmly established within
us? We must use force. A man labors and struggles, and so by the use of force
he escapes from destruction, always striving to raise his thoughts to
holiness. We are not forbidden to resist force with force. If in any ascetic
task we exert force, however slight, then, 'remaining in Jerusalem', we can
wait for the 'power from on high' which will come down upon us (cf. Luke
24:49). In other words, if we persevere in unceasing prayer and the other
virtues, there will come upon us a mighty force, infinitely stronger than any
we can exert. This force cannot be described in human language; in its great
strength it overcomes our worst faults of character and the malice of the
demons, conquering both the sinful inclinations of our soul and the
disordered impulses of our body. 'There came a sound from heaven as of a
rushing violent wind' (Acts 2:2); and this force from heaven drives out the
evil that is always forcing us into sin."

St. John of Karpathos.

Thanks for the comment, Kate.
I'd have to say, then, that I PMS more than most women.
There, the truth is out.

Right now I'm listening to Horton's "virtual mix tape" on the Echelon Productions site. It's very good.

These days I'm busy with final projects for school. I just completed a character analysis of Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman using Keirsey Temperament theory. My paper is officially 50% longer than the minimum, but I'd rather feel fairly complete about something than just fulfill a minimum standard. Next up we're examining the rhetoric of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. I actually have a more specific direction with the paper than that but can't think of it off the top of my head right now. Plenty of fun classes coming this summer, as well...In the first summer semester (mid-May through the end of June), I'll be taking Modern Familiar Essay; the second semester (July through mid-August, which is when the fall semester starts) I will be engrossed in the History of Mass Communication (I think that's the official name of it). In the midst of all this, from sometime in June through early August, I will be taking an online Astronomy course through the University, as well. Next fall's classes include: Women Writers of the West, Special Topics in English: Beats & Hippies, and Composition Theory and Practice. This will all leave me needing 2 classes plus a 1 credit "Astronomy Lab" in the spring (I've been assured that the Astronomy Lab is incredibly easy) and then I will be able to graduate unless they come up with a new way to keep me around.

Films recently watched:
Blood Simple: The first film by the Coen Bros., it trudges a bit in the beginning with forgettable dialogue and characters one has to work hard to care about. About halfway through the film, things pick up a bit and we start to at least stay awake. I ended up really enjoying it by the end. If blood-related violence bothers you, then you may not want to watch this one.
The Last Temptation of Christ: I have to say that I don't understand why people were so up in arms and offended over this. I mean, I do, but if one has any concept of an artistic exploration of themes, fictional possibilities, and character construct then they'll get it. For those who didn't: this film is NOT saying that Christ was this or that or anything else -- it is merely a "what if?" fictional story that, while exaggerating Christ's humanity (and there's a disclaimer at the beginning admitting all of this) it very much helps lend a bit of insight into what He sufferered and some of the temptations we may not necessarily think about. I know that I have not been called into celibate monasticism, even...but I've thought quite a lot about it and been very open to that possibility -- one of the major struggles in going through that thought process did bring to mind the temptations Christ must have gone through...and in finally saying "Thy will be done" to the issue I found an immense amount of peace and freedom, even in not knowing what the future might have been holding. Anyway, it is a great film (little eyes may want to avert from some nudity, however) and if you are into non-literal, more abstract thought, I recommend it as something to engage your mind in spiritual contemplation.

Today's lunch special is ramen noodles and vegetable egg rolls. Dig in.

"With regard to patience the Lord says, 'You will gain possession of your
souls through your patient endurance' (Luke 21:19). He did not say 'through
your fasting' or 'through your vigils'. I refer to the patience bestowed by
God, which is the queen of virtues, the foundation of courageous actions. It
is patience that is peace amid strife, serenity amid distress, and a
steadfast base for those who acquire it. Once you have attained it with the
help of Christ Jesus, no swords and spears, no attacking armies, not even the
ranks of demons, the dark phalanx of hostile powers, will be able to do you
any harm."

St Gregory of Sinai.

I am really craving junk food right now.
However, I am going home and finishing up my vegetables and fried rice. I just really wish i had some crab rangoon.

Nicole commented: Not to shatter your dreams, but graduating and getting that degree may not make you feel much better. Of course, I work for a public university in TX, so maybe I am a little cynical. There are people here with no degree that make more than me, but such is life. I'm sure you know all this anyway. Good luck with school!


Good point.
I don't really see the degree being an end in and of itself. I honestly don't really pay attention to degrees and such. I know people with doctorates who are absolute idiots and I would never hire. I know or know of people without degrees who are brilliant. And yes...getting a degree isn't necessarily job insurance. For me, it's really just a first step. I don't know what the next step will be, but sometimes a degree is needed just to get a foot in the interview door, so to speak. I am also interested in graduate school someday. We'll see. I suppose you could say I am cautiously optimistic.

By the way, thank you to those who comment. You have no idea how much I love comments. I'm not sure what my deal is, but I do, so thank you!

Lately I've been digging quite a bit on some of the rock bands from the 1960's, mostly British. A few of the folks I'm enjoying are The Zombies, The Animals, The Association, those sorts of bands. I'm mixing a good bit of other of that sort of thing in, too -- dashes of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Yardbirds...nothing too obscure but great stuff nonetheless.

True Work Story:
The other day I was in the break room with one of our grad assistants. He was looking at our university's job listings sheet. He made a sarcastic comment to the effect of "wow, these are some great jobs" and said something about how lousy the pay was or something. Having just looked at the job listings a few minutes before, I informed him that half of them pay more than mine and the other ones were just below where I was (well, after having received my yearly raise last summer). He got a very shocked look on his face and said something like "wow...that's not very good...i'm sorry...that's all you get for everything you do?" I actually laughed about it and told him that's why I tend to mumble to myself a lot at my desk.
This is why I'm busting my ass to finish college. I don't really care how much money I earn, but it would be nice to be either more fairly compensated for the shit I put up with and take care of or else at least be in a position where I would be doing the world some good through it. Sure, for right now I'm not necessarily getting the time or opportunity to do some of the things I'd like to do, but if all goes well I'll be graduating in just over a year and this craziness will have been worth it. Also then I can call out my haters.

I just had a period where I felt like writing but nothing really ever came.

I suppose I should give a sort of clue as to the strange little numbers that appear sometimes at the end of posts lately. Well, in a matter of days (19 today) I will be meeting up with a very wonderful, intelligent, beautiful young woman for whom I care deeply. You would be right to say that I like her like *that*. Anyway, I'll keep my mush in phone calls and emails for the most part, but I think part of the reason I couldn't write at all is because if I wrote anything, I wanted the first thing to be about her. So there you have it.

It's very warm in the building here today. Supposedly the maintenance crew is having the fan system worked on this week so none of the ventilation or anything of that sort is working in the building. Yesterday the temperatures were in the 90's (yes, a week after the snow storm -- Kelly and Depeche Mode are right, God's sense of humor seems fairly sick at times, hehe). Today should be cooler and supposedly temps will get cooler as the week goes along, so hopefully by tomorrow I won't feel so suffocated. The office being this warmed combined with my being a bit tired results in a bit less work coming out of me, I'm guessing.

April 7 and it's been snowing since last night. This is insane. Good thing it will be gone by the end of the week.

I had a really great weekend but am pretty run down now. I'm actually not feeling too well and the odds are against me being able to be at work tomorrow if this continues. I could force myself, of course, but that would only postpone my having to take a sick day and would probably make things worse. This isn't about me being tired from partying, it's about having a cold coming on and needing to give my immune system a break.

It's good to have Liz visiting. Last night we hung out at Caffeine Dreams, visited several record stores and lamented all the great stuff we can't quite afford, then went to my apartment and drank coffee and hung out with Ben. It was really great to have good conversations with her, tell her about how wonderful *C is and how beautiful our relationship is, and just kind of have the conversations Liz and I have about music, spirituality, scenes, friends, etc. All in all, she's pretty much another sister and it's good to catch up. And yes, you read correctly, I am in a very great relationship with an amazing woman named *C. I generally save my mush for more personal conversations with her, though I'm sure more will spill over into the blog as time goes on.

Right now I am listening to the Launch "Slowcore" station. Today they've played stuff by Labradford, Red House Painters, Luna, Sigur Ros, Damon & Naomi, Cat Power, Mellowdrone, Mark Eitzel and American Music Club. I may need to switch soon to something a bit more conducive to staying awake, however.

What else have I been into the last couple days?

• The Black Keys, thickfreakness
  
• Cursive, The Ugly Organ
  
• Ester Drang, Infinite Keys
  
• Spoon, Kill the Moonlight
  
• The Wondermints, Mind if We Make Love To You
  
• a split ep with Brett Daniels (Spoon) and Bright Eyes
  
  (27)

It's actually snowing here today. Earlier this week, temperatures were in the mid-80's. The Midwest is proof of God's sense of humor.

My department at work put on a conference today. We are located in a state office building; the first floor has a pretty good-sized conference area, so we rented that out this time around. Those attending the conference parked in the parking garage across the street. A couple of them came and complained that it was full, but people after them didn't say anything about it so we had it checked out. Turns out that the security (our building's security is also in charge of the garage) put up signs saying "Lot is Full" outside the exits so that people wouldn't drive into the exits. Obviously this was confusing to people who assume that "full" means "full," not "go to an entrace." The security here is dumb as a box of bricks. This is the same crew that thought I was unreasonable for bringing to their attention the fact that they regularly allow SUVs, pickup trucks and vans to occupy "compact vehicle only" spaces, thus blocking views around corners and such and that were someone to get into an accident as a result of this negligence, they would be held liable and would probably be sued (and jobs would be lost if it could be shown that they regularly allowed it to happen). I would tell more stories of their incompetence and laziness, but I'm really trying to be more positive. I can safely say that they make this building anything but "secure" (except from the homeless people they harass for just sitting in a common area) and that I am very sure a couple of them have some sort of legitimate (though slight) mental handicap.

Today's items of note:

1. I've been all about the white boy blues spinlist:
--The Animals, The Most of the Animals
--The White Stripes, Elephant
--The Black Keys, The Big Come Up

2. I received an email informing me of various random facts, the most disturbing of which is that a pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes. I refuse to publicly comment on this fact itself (though I'm sure some will ask me for private comments just to be smart), but what is astounding is that the person who sent me the email is someone who has "Christian Radio" going nonstop during the day and regularly uses terminology associated with it. I'm not trying to say "hypocrisy" because let's face it, sex is universal, but I just think it would be hilarious to hear this fact mentioned on a "Christian Morning Radio" program. Again, I'll refrain from creating scenarios of DeeJay Dialogue, but it would be very very funny.

3. 32.

4. I'm drinking Dasani bottled water today, got looking at the "ingredients," and realized Potassium Chloride is in it.

Sunday night I went out to get into my car and go see the Bright Eyes show. Lo and behold, stuck into my driver's side door handle was a prophylactic. Upon further investigation, someone had introduced the jimmy hat to my windshield, as well, smearing the lubricant off of the latex and onto a small area. I'm very sure it had not been "used" in the, well, usual way but it was still a rather strange thing to come out and see a condom stuck on my car. I'm still not quite sure what to make of the whole thing--was it a random act of someone just messing around? Was it supposed to be some sort of a message? Was it a threat? One of life's mysteries, I suppose. I have a strange feeling that further speculation would only warp my mind further.

Today's Magic Number is "33."

I am excited because...

• see magic number. no, you probably won't get it;
  
• the Brian Wilson DVD comes out today;
  
• the Cubs won 15-2 on opening day;
  
• the "Americana" channel on launch.com has a ton of alt.country;
  
• the "indie pop" channel on the above is quite nice, as well;
  
• Bandoppler is back;
  
• Liz is coming to visit;
  
• i've had too much diet coke this afternoon (i rarely drink soda and this has sent me over the edge).
  

Did you know to celebrate today?
I'm your fool.
But only yours if i see your star.