November 25, 1998

I I did the work of three men today.

I need a nap.

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November 19, 1998

I got OS 8.5 on my Mac at work yesterday. It's pretty nice -- my computer now makes noise whenever I use the mouse for anything administrative, which I will probably find amusing until lunchtime tomorrow.

The new OS also seems to open files quicker, both on and off the network. Plus that nifty Sherlock thing had no problem finding my name with its search-the-Web-from-the-Finder feature.

Next stop: the home computer. Friend of mine wants to switch the hard drive formatting to the new HFS format, which uses much less space on the drive than the old format, but that requires backing up all my data, wiping it off the hard drive, and putting it all back again. That seems a bit much.

Either way, Apple still has me believing, even if Web pages do display faster on a 400 mHz Pentium II Windows machine. At least the Mac displays at 72 dpi like it's supposed to.

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November 16, 1998

The only thing good about a Monday is that I get to listen to Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight as I go to bed Sunday night.

P.S. on the Saturday thing: I had fun. Brought a friend who thinks my gal is "totally hot." Can't argue with that.

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November 12, 1998

The sports section of the newspaper today contained two pages full of baseball news.

The day is just a little bit sunnier now.

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November 11, 1998

P.S. on yesterday: I lost the battle. She pouted, kept pouting, and I gave in. I'm going to her party, and I'm bringing people, so all is well, I think.

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November 10, 1998

The initial plan for this Saturday was to go to a party about 40 miles away being thrown by a woman I'm seeing, along with our mutual friends. Good enough.

The wrench hit last night: the mutual friends aren't going. Which destroys me. I greatly dislike working a room full of people I don't know. Moreover, I'd be staying the night, which means I can't "make an appearance"; I'd have to tough it out till who knows when.

Meanwhile, the object of my current affection wants me to attend, wants me to meet to her friends, would be crushed if I didn't come. What to do?

I went the selfish route, and canceled. I figure I'd be so grumpy (and sober) come 2 a.m. that she's better off not having me there. This philosophy, of course, is entirely impossible to explain to her.

She didn't talk much on the phone last night and has neglected my e-mail this morning. Not what I had hoped. But this is what happens when you're between a rock and a hard place and you choose the rock.

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November 8, 1998

Freelancing is nifty, but man, it's pretty intense. Everything feels so personal.

And I have an issue with creative freedom, e.g. I do better with less. Letting the imagination run wild is great when it's my stuff. But when I'm on assignment? I'm happiest knowing exactly what my client wants, so I don't misfire. Tell me more, tell me more (did you get very far?).

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November 7, 1998

I think I have created a new personality type: the slacker perfectionist. I want things to be the best they can be, but with the absolute least amount of fuss. I'm like a TV dinner with an attitude.

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November 2, 1998

So I have a cell phone these days. Nice Nokia phone set up with AT&T's digital network. I got all the doo-dads: voice mail, text messaging, caller ID, instant redial.

What I don't have is clarity. Tried making a call last night sitting at my desk -- not all that far from a window, five stories up in a six-story building -- and got so much breakup that I had to hang up. I often get calls that won't go through on the first dial, and almost every person I call tells me I sound like I'm in an echo chamber.

For this I pay $29.95 a month? This is the future of telecommunications?

I think I may return my phone and get an analog one. Less doo-dads, but at least I'll be able to make a call.

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November 1, 1998

Welcome aboard. I've been meaning to do something like this for ages and never got around to it. Thanks to Jason for spurring me to action. (I even stole his font choices. How derivative of me.)

I do not yet know what will pop up here -- social commentary, personal observation, rants, raves, all the rest. I probably won't talk politics much. But I bet you'll hear about my new shoes sometime.

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