01.03.09
Posted in Writing, Life, Stories at 22:03 pm by Josh
My New Year’s Eve plans were pleasantly and unexpectedly foiled. A friend from my small group who was stuck at work was debating a solo ski trip for the following day, but was having difficulty justifying her decision as she’d started the week in California and was planning to end it in DC. Of course I, being the best person to come to when you need to be convinced of doing something you’re not sure about, strongly encouraged her to throw concern to the wind, pick up her ski boots, and head to Hunter Mountain, even if it meant getting up at 4:30am on New Year’s. As it turned out, my encouragement won me an invitation. Despite not sleeping until 2:00am thanks to some new neighbors who like to wear shoes until the wee hours of the morn, I rose and rushed to a bus which we both almost missed. Two sleepy hours later, we were someplace entirely not New York City, racing down a very cold, but otherwise well-conditioned mountain. I think it was the nicest New Year’s I’ve had in a very long time.
The Q has left the country. My oldest friend will be among the beasts of the Costa Rican rain forests for the next three months. She’s crazy, so I’m fairly certain she’ll survive, but prayers are most welcome, just in case.
I have two writing projects in the works this year, one of which I hope to complete tomorrow, the other I hope will be done before the end of February. The first is a collaboration: a comic book based on a building that is alive, unbeknownst to those who occupy it. I’m taking my leads mostly from House of Leaves while the artist has a number of other inspirations, of which I’m familiar with none. Still, it promises to be much fun and now that the script is almost done, I’m very much looking forward to seeing the pictures to go with it. This will be nothing like the way I imagine it, and I think that’s the most exciting part of all.
The second is a project I’ve been working on since August. I’ve completed one draft of it by hand and am now completing the second on computer. The working title is The Human Condition of Imperfect Love. It is my first attempt at apologetics, and since I can’t do anything on a small scale, I’ve gone ahead and addressed the issue of human love as it relates to God Love, how the former was intended to be more like the latter and that because it is not, we face the majority of the problems we do today. It’s not coming out quite the way I’d hoped, but then again, I suppose these things never do. I had some volunteers for reading, but as best as I can tell, they haven’t done so or at least haven’t given me any feedback on the material I’ve sent. If you are interested in giving me honest, critical feedback, let me know and maybe I can send you a chapter or…who knows, seven?
I’ve been drinking too much espresso lately. And I still need to move to Brooklyn. And I’m talking to myself more than I used to. Maybe that’s why I’m back on the blog. We’ll see.
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12.31.08
Posted in Today, Reflections, Church, Life at 11:57 am by Josh
I can’t remember the last time it was December 31 and I said to myself, “Gee, I’m really going to miss this past year.” Realistically, such a sentiment is moronic at best given that a year is really only a unit of measurement, but then it does take an awful lot more to say, “I’m really going to miss all of the things that have happened in my life over the course of this past year.” Whether fortunate or unfortunate depends on how you look at it, but I, for one, still do not have to worry about using either statement to express my feelings.
But let me not be a complete downer; this year saw better things for me than many to preceed it. I spent most of it working at Eyeblaster, a company I grew to love and will miss dearly as it is not a part of my entry into 2009. During that time I think I learned more about life, people, and who I am as a person than I did about online advertising and global human resources, but with the latter throw in, it was a robust experience, to say the least. Losing this job is one of the hardest things I’ve been trying to come to terms with.
I found a woman who really, truly seemed to like me. Someone who I clicked with immediately, went on dates with, cuddled on the couch with, had songs and pictures to share with. I never thought that would happen again. It didn’t last, and that saddens me more than the loss of Eyeblaster. But as my dear friend says to me still, at least it happened, no matter what struggles have come out of it.
I changed churches. I still don’t know how I feel about everything, except that I feel right about leaving my first church. I also feel like I’m supposed to be at the church I’m at now, though I wish I was more a part of the community. Yes, we all live in the New York City area, but believe it or not, it takes me an hour to get there on the subway. Still, I’ve finally connected with some lovely people who I feel like I can call friends.
I could go on to the bittersweetness of small groups, vacations, old friends, holidays, writing, and hope for the future, but the point of it all is that it is bittersweet. There is nothing I can look back on from 2008 without shedding a tear while stretching a smile. This is definitely better than not being able to smile at all, and I’m thankful that I’ve received blessings enough to bring tears to my eyes. Still, I can’t — really, I won’t — stop hoping that one of these 31 days of December, I will reflect on my year, sit down at my blog entry page and say, “I sure am going to miss this past year.”
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12.29.08
Posted in Weather, Writing, Life at 20:11 pm by Josh
I’ve got something that makes only my throat sick. What annoys me is that I’d really like to have a glass of wine or maybe some of this fine Irish whiskey I collected over the holiday, but I feel like that will only make things worse. It’s not the burn I fear; indeed, that’s what I like. It’s the fact that I can almost guarantee one slug of the stuff and I’ll end up with a full-blown chest cold, and I just had one of those last week. I blame this on the fluctuating temperatures (not on global warming).
Having more time on the couch makes writing easier, but having only a Moleskine and a desktop computer does not. If you would like to donate a laptop which has Word, internet capabilities, and at least one USB slot, please let me know.
Okay, back to what I’m supposed to be writing…
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12.23.08
Posted in Life at 20:22 pm by Josh
If I were any sort of writer at all, I’d owe all of you an apology for woe-is-me rantings followed by months of silence, seasoned only with the scraps of the spice rack. The only thing I can apologize for now, though, is that you’re not going to get an apology. Such is the way with weblogs. But enough foreplay; let’s get on to the update.
Most recent is that I am once again among the ranks of the gainfully unemployed. I say ‘gainfully’ because I didn’t make out too badly in the whole ordeal and while I’m looking for work, I’m also kind of not. This recession business is making me feel that “we’re in this together” vibe, especially as many of my friends (and some of their parents) have been laid off. Good thing they made absinthe legal in the US. Let’s kick it 1930’s style. Bring Bohemia back to New York.
I’m roughly halfway through the second draft of a book about the imperfections of human love. It sounds a downer, I know, but trust that it’s not. At least, I don’t think so. None of the people who’ve pestered me to read it have responded to the first chapter (except Mike) so I don’t have a hell of a lot more to go on but my own opinion, but since I’m typically not pleased with the material I write, I think this is a good sign.
I support our President-elect. I bring this up because at first, I did not, but as times got tougher and it became more apparent that John McCain was just fattening up hungry children for the sake of throwing us in the fire, Obama simultaneously started talking more like a leader and less like someone who wanted us to believe he could be a leader. I especially support his most recent offer to pick up a beer tab for reporters. The hypocrites of Our Great Nation can criticize him all they like; I think you all are just pissed he didn’t buy any beer for you. Maybe if you were nicer to him, he would.
Wouldn’t that be a presidency? We’re in a recession, so everybody have a drink on me? Impossible, maybe. But a man can always dream. It would certainly be American. At least New York-ian (?).
I started a comic book project with another buddy of mine. Very interesting, as I’d never really considered writing comics before. It sounds really ignorant, I know, but I’d never even thought about the fact that comics have to be written. I suppose I just thought they miracled themselves out of universes far beyond the reaches of our own, where superheroes and abnormal phenomena are daily occurrences and it’s only the surprised looks on civilian faces and disbelief in the existence of anything but what we can prove that keep them sending copies our way. That wasn’t a slur on Stan Lee. He’s brilliant. A genius, really. And I don’t think he’s an alien. Maybe a superhero, though.
And then there was the music. I had to take a major digger for some of this stuff and I’m not going to say the music is so good that it was worth it, but I’m pretty happy with the new tunes. I’d post them here, but I just realized that I only recorded half of the, so you’ll just have to wait until after Christmas when my voice has returned and I’m the only person chilling out in New York City until the New Year.
I think that’s enough for now. Who knows when we’ll see each other again. At least once more, since I promised you music. Hopefully more often than that. Time will tell. In the interim, have a Merry Christmas. Drink some egg nog.
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12.12.08
Posted in Work, Life at 03:10 am by Josh
Work is overrated, anyway.
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12.02.08
Posted in Rants at 14:31 pm by Josh
I think the law should require that companies selling teabags which do not have strings attached need to put clear warnings on the box. Honestly, I don’t care so much for any one specific brand of bagged tea to not switch based solely on the fact that there is no string and I now must fetch my teabag with a spoon or a fork or something of that nature. For example, from this day forward, I shall never again purchase products from Celestial Seasonings. Not only is their flavor much weaker than I’d like it to be, but as you have probably already assumed, they do not have strings on the teabags. I understand we need to think of the environment, but this really qualifies as either a half-hearted or overly-enthusiastic effort. Everything in moderation, people.
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12.01.08
Posted in Funnies at 10:49 am by Josh
So Starbucks is very generously (?!) donating five cents to an AIDS charity every time you buy one of their special, super-priced drinks. ($10 goes to advertising and the last 30 cents goes to bathroom upkeep; they actually spend nothing on coffee.) Not surprisingly, this is being met with some serious backlash given the extremely small amount of the donation per drink. I saw this response this morning from a charming young lady in Missouri:
fuck you starbucks. that 5 cents is real generous when you’re charging $4 for some bullshit drink. maybe i’ll donate $1 to a charity every time i go to a local coffee shop.
Can you feel the holiday love in the air?
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10.27.08
Posted in Insomnia, Food at 03:43 am by Josh
I swear I can smell marijuana in my minestrone.
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10.25.08
Posted in Life at 10:54 am by Josh
I have officially used Starbucks coffee shops as rest stops and discussion hubs more often than I’ve patronized their services. So glad there’s one on every corner in Manhattan. And let’s not forget their bathroom services. Maybe I’ll write a song about it all.
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10.22.08
Posted in Music, Announcements at 15:26 pm by Josh
Friday, November 14, 2008 @ 9pm, no cover/no drink minimum. One hour of mostly new material. Come check it out, should be a good time.
766 Grand Street - Take Brooklyn-bound L to Grand St (4th Stop). Stain is about 1 block west of the subway station.
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