7 for 2007
Dalai Lama
Who needs anger management classes if you got the DL? Not me! Yen: Compassionately-enabled since October 2007.
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." -- Dalai Lama
Technology
A new laptop and a cellphone has brought me closer to current societal standards. Aggregating RSS feeds and relearning the finer points of XSL transformations for work - fun, but it's still work.
France
I was just reminiscing about this trip the other day... and sorely missing the Chinese food from a takeout counter in Nice. Yes, inappropriate, but I get to try again this year. This first trip to the mother country was everything I hoped it would be and more: friendly, frenchy, beautiful. Wait, are we talking about the country or the women? Har har. It was less, too: chaotic, crazy, inaccessible. Sitting at the park on top of the gorge in Gourdon was one of my best moments of the year.
Maladies
A radar head and some kidney damage in the boys and a bout of bronchitis in and a hospital visit for me makes this the year of the sick.
Novel
I originally wrote my time jumping meth meets Pony Express story three years ago and I finally rewrote half of it for Nanowrimo in November. I'm actually proud of it which is difficult to admit because I find my writing extremely tedious <-- like that.
Isabelle
First the woman releases my new favorite album of ever and all time in April - De retour de la source. Then she smiles and winks and talks to me during her concerts in Quebec. How, I ask, how can I not be insane in the membrane over her? I do have my limits, though. Obsess over her? Yes. Create a painting and selling it online for 15,000 euros?
Maybe.
Sandwiches
Po' boys, banh mis, croque monsieurs, cubans...bring it. I love you all so much I don't know how quite to express it.
I think I'll end the year on that note. See ya, 2007.
Labels: Cats, Food, France, Isabelle, Music, Trips, Yen
« December 31, 2007 12:25 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Master Splinter
This is a slow month. How slow? You really want to know?
If I could be a Turtle (the teenage mutant kind), I'd be Michaelangelo because he's the fun-time guy or Leonardo because he's the leader. Donatello would be alright, too, because he's so loyal. But, I'd probably end up as Raphael, the moody one who pouts all the time because he can't be in charge. It's because you're moody, man!
Whichever Turtle I'd be, I'd get to eat pizza (and nothing else), crack witty jokes (you know you laugh) and possess better fighting skills than any freakishly large reptile should have. Fortunately, I don't have to be a Turtle to have my own Master Splinter. One difference: Theirs is a rat. Mine is piece of wood stuck in my finger.
I've been living and learning from it for a week now. I've come to accept it and become one with it. No, for real, I can't get the damn thing out. My finger hasn't fallen out yet, but wait, there's more positive news! It hasn't turned blue or any other non-skin color. It doesn't hurt and it may actually accentuate the strange double jointed-ness I was born with. Thanks, Mom! Or Dad!
No, my mom. I blame my mom.
Labels: Yen
« December 27, 2007 6:28 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Accomplishing an accomplishment
I'd like to think that I'm a winner in most things I do, but once a year, I get to hear it from someone else. Thank you, Nanowrimo!
For those not in the know, the goal of National Novel Writing Month is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. If you do it, you're a winner. If you're don't, you're a loser!
For this year's story, I completely rewrote my Great American Novel that I had initially written for the 2004 Nano. I changed much of the plot, the viewpoint from 3rd to 1st and increased the dialogue parts from blah blah to blah blah blah blah.
As a bookend (har har) to the month, I watched Stranger Than Fiction last night and it frightened the bejeezus outta me. If one of my characters that I had created ever came to my door and asked me to not to do what I did to her, I would, in this order: 1. Hide under the bed; 2. Invite her in for tea so that I could talk to her (I love my hero Mal); 3. Check myself into a mental ward.
In Georgia, that would be Central State in Milledgeville. This used to be the largest mental hospital in the U.S. All the crazies were sent there from all over the country. Native Atlantans tell me that a common parental threat when they behaved badly as children was, "If you don't shape up, we're sending you to Milledgeville."
« November 30, 2007 11:25 PM | Post a Comment | 1 comments »
Oh yeah
I almost forgot I had this site. I've been in a busy place, which technically is in Kentucky. See my mappy proof? And not that I have much room to make fun since I come from a county that has Intercourse, Bird-in-Hand, and Blue Ball as town names, but I think I can dig deep and come up with some ability to mock the town names in this part of the bluegrass state.
I won't even draw your attention to the town names of Hardburly or Hazard (as in "Dukes of") because the awesomeness of Fisty and Typo are more than enough. Then this state, which couldn't decide if it was really North or South during the War of Northern Aggression, gets all hoity-toity with the town of Toulouse. Très bien.
Part of me going all Kentucky on y'all was setting up my new cellphone. There's so much to customize on these things that I only got around to figuring out how to make a call yesterday after having it for half a week. And success! Today, I learned how to answer a call. I know, it's hard to get anything by me.
The ringtones are actually what kept me confused for a few days. But I persevered in spite of the manual and now an Isabelle song plays when the phone "rings".
Okay, you can stop rolling your eyes now. You won't be able to focus on the far-out Isabelle wallpaper on the phone.
« August 25, 2007 9:57 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Flashback!
The internet is full of crap and it's my fault. I know you need no proof (well, no further proof) but this following site will show without a doubt that I have wasted so much space and time, mine and yours.
The Internet Archive has been capturing the embarrassing state of the web since 1996 and you can see all of it with their Wayback Machine. They're assembling an Internet Library, but I don't think half of the sites out there are worth remembering - and I'm just talking about my own. Imagine what I think about everyone else's.
No, don't do that.
At my peak (or valley) of crappiness, I delusioned myself into thinking I had a taxi company. But don't fret too much for me. I never thought it was a profitable company, much less an operational one.
Labels: Yen
« July 19, 2007 3:10 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Wha' happened?
Is there something off about...? Does anything seem a little different...?
Nevermind, it's probably just me. I'm hopped up on three types of medicine (including one not FDA-approved - awesome) and endless cocktails of hot tea and cough drops. Yum. Yes, it IS as delicious as it sounds. So, anyways, I'm probably just seeing things.
Actually, has anyone seen my shoes? Or my cat? I wish I was seeing Isabelle. She's playing the closing set tonight at Quebec's annual summer festival, a huge musical celebration that would be cool (lit-trally!) to attend if it weren't snowing and sleeting at the moment. And hail, mustn't forget the hail.
What? No, I'm not bitter. Not at all.
« July 15, 2007 6:59 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Yen, Age 8
Monchhichis, Monchhichis, all sold separately...
And it's still true today.
Labels: Yen
« May 24, 2007 10:21 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
An...ticipation
Oh sweet transvestite, I know how you feel...
« March 03, 2007 8:57 AM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Bizarre, yet boring
While I was going down the escalators yesterday, a man got on the up escalator with his two kids behind him. His young boy didn't get on, though, because his shoelaces were untied and his sister wouldn't help. I had this overwhelming urge to tie his shoes for him when I reached the bottom, but I ran through these thoughts in succession:
- Don't smile at other people's kids (unless they want you to smile at them, like small, small babies).
- Don't touch other people's kids...ever. Ever.
- Don't touch other people's shoes...cause that's gross.
- Don't touch other people's kid's shoes...for your own sake cause who knows what kids do to themselves and their shoes.
That makes sense, right?
What doesn't make sense is:
- me giving tech support... (Okay, not that uncommon for me.)
- in French... (Why not? Just translate all the words literally, like mouse = souris.)
- to someone in France... (There are ID10T users all over the world, right?)
- for free. (WHAT?)
The nerve of some people... No, just kidding. It was bizarre, though, because I kept having to say "right-click" in the special French way and I can't get the phrase "make a click right" out of my head.
Maybe I should just make an exit left stage now.
« February 20, 2007 6:03 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
To my peoples
For all my family all over the world, and especially my parents in China...time to welcome the pig.
« February 18, 2007 1:58 AM | Post a Comment | 1 comments »
The color brown
- Socks that are brown at 6:30 AM can suddenly change into purple at noon. I'm not kidding. My socks were brown when I left for work this morning. They aren't anymore.
- I started writing my November novel yesterday and that's why I'm blogging right now. No, of course, I'm not stalling. I have a good start, but I really need to do the laundry. And the cats could use a good washing.
- I've begun my descent? ascent? into the world of goth: I got a Cruxshadows CD and I'm not immediately put off by it! In fact, I like one of the songs a whole lot and I've only listened to it twice through. Maybe if got some black clothes on, I would rock out on it even more.
- My taste in fashion is probably as circumspect as my taste in music, but I bought new shoes all by myself the other day. They're a little too big and make me feel like I'm clogging around Holland, but they go real well with my wardrobe that I constantly have to re-think.
- I hate socks.
- I still am crushing on the crush who has even more charming powers that I initially thought. Cylinda (addled-brain that she is now with law school) encourages me to talk to the crush more. Who am I to disagree?
« November 02, 2006 5:09 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Nanowrimo
I wasn't sure if I was going to participate in this neurotic funfest for another year, but I just signed up and my name's on the author list and I can't back out now because anything less than 50,000 words in my profile by November 30 would be a complete failure and an embarassment to my family name (well, one of them).
And, also, I don't know how to unregister.
My story plot this year is inspired by the combination of Maine (the state), wondering how to scam the poor kids in very poor countries who try to scam tourists (strike first, I say) and the incredibly real town of St.-Louis-du-ha-ha in Quebec, Canada. And now I'm listening to Celine sing a love song to a très très gay boy named Ziggy.
This story is going to write itself.
And not to toot my own horn, but... oh hell, why not? Toot Toot. I've done Nanowrimo since 2003 and have won every year, including last year when I got my story printed for free. All winners can get a free copy from a vanity press without buying advances so it's extra incentive to be a winner. I'm a winner. That's what Cylinda tells me (sometimes).
Labels: Yen
« October 16, 2006 7:25 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Giddy
Does that woman look giddy to you? That's the first image I found online when I looked up "giddy" and I have my doubts about her state of being. I'd say she was "tap dancing" or "killing a bug" or even "poorly dressed," but not "giddy".
You wanna see "giddy"? I'll show you "giddy". <fist shaking!> WAHOO! WAHOO! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! I AM GIDDY GIDDY GIDDY!
The preceding giddiness was brought to you by my obsessive love of the French language, a bunch of French women and... Cylinda.
Really?
Yes, I'm just as surprised as you.
Labels: Yen
« October 11, 2006 9:04 PM | Post a Comment | 2 comments »
Merchandising
I have no shame.
Yen the magazine (I'm Australian!)
Yen the General or Yen the bad movie actor (I'm versatile!)
Yen the doll (I fit in your pocket!)
I just found out that my name means "round object" (in several languages!). While I wait for your mocking and laughter to die down, I'll go have a cup of that bitter tea for the General in me.
Labels: Yen
« August 24, 2006 4:48 PM | Post a Comment | 1 comments »
Inmate Number 55170-054
HOLY MOLEY I thought I was overreacting when I thought prisoners in white jumpsuits crowded onto an elevator with me a few weeks ago at my office. But now I know. In Georgia, prisoners wear beige jumpsuits and have the words DEPT OF CORRECTIONS stitched on their backs. How do I know this? I've never been caught, petty criminal that I am.
I know because they've surrounded my cubicle right now. I mean, RIGHT NOW. One peered around the corner at me a little while ago. Twice. Another just strolled through looking out my windows at the fantastic view. (It's really fantastic.) And the lone security officer who's supposed to be keeping watch made some small talk with me. But now he's nowhere to be found.
This may be my last post for a while. I'm not sure if they have the internet in jails. I'm quite nervous they're going to round me up with the other guilty guilty convicts because my eyes, they will not stop shifting.
Goodbye, free world.
Labels: Yen
« July 27, 2006 2:01 PM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
Elevator luck
I hate riding elevators for many reasons:
- I have a fear of the cable snapping and me free-falling to my death. (Although, I really enjoy free-fall rides at amusement parks. They're great.)
- If the cable doesn't snap, I have a feeling the car will get stuck between floors and it'll be dark and I won't be able to see what button to push to call for help. So I memorize the location of the alarm button and try to stand near it always because...
- Other people will not have the level-head that I possess on my shoulders (the preceding was an outright lie) and will start jamming all the buttons since they haven't taken the time to memorize the layout of the buttons. People also make for...
- Awkward moments. They make me uncomfortable and nothing's more awkward than standing with strangers in a small space and trying not to acknowledge each other.
- Also, I get motion sickness when the car starts and stops. I'm not kidding.
Soooo...here's my story. Yes, I have one. I work on the 32nd floor of a 41-story building. There are 4 elevator bays that go to different sets of floors, although all go to the first and second floor. Mine goes from 29-41.
When I leave for the day, I wish very much to board an empty car and ride it all the way down to the first floor without anyone else (see #4). Most days my wish is granted. So when I got on an empty car yesterday afternoon and the elevator sped down past 31, 30, and 29, I thought, "Success! Again!" Not really. No one talks like that.
BUT, the damn car stopped at the second floor. I panicked a little when I heard a lot of voices on the other side of the doors before they opened. And I was right to be afraid. There were a dozens of men all in white jumpsuits with badges. They started piling in and I moved quickly to the corner, close to my alarm button (see #2).
Then I noticed there was a blue suited officer type guy who was ordering the guys into the elevator. But he wasn't getting on! There was no room for the officer! I was alone with the prisoners. For real, I scooted over even more and tried to catch his eye to try to tell him that there's always room for an officer. But the doors closed and the guys all turned and looked at me.
All of them were the same height and build except one very tall man in the middle of the pack. He was the only one who spoke, too. "Howsa goin', ma'am?"
It was the longest elevator ride in my life, from the second floor to the first.
I usually leave work highly annoyed. Yesterday, I left in fear.
Labels: Yen
« July 06, 2006 7:40 PM | Post a Comment | 2 comments »
Being Yen
Yen the happiest when drinking milk AND Celine Dion. Gross? Yes, absolutely.
« June 30, 2006 4:26 PM | Post a Comment | 2 comments »
A public thanks
To all who wished me a happy birthday yesterday and to those who meant to if they knew my birthday, I'd like to say thanks for thinking of me. It was right nice.
I don't mean to single any one person out, but...no, hell of course I do. I appreciate everyone's thoughts, but to get birthday wishes from...Celine Dion, well, that just touches my heart in ways no one wants to know about.
I know what you must be thinking. Yen's lying...again. Or Yen's dabbling in more-than-just-gateway-drugs this time, haha. But I'm not! Not this month. See:
Labels: Yen
« May 25, 2006 7:33 AM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
From me to you
Courtesy of the Angry Little Asian Girl...
That is all.
Labels: Yen
« May 24, 2006 10:07 AM | Post a Comment | 0 comments »
A short interview
EvilBlogWorldWhichHasSuckedMeIn (EBWWHSMI): Thanks for joining us today, Yen.
YMT: Avec plaisir!
EBWWHSMI: Excuse me?
YMT: Sorry, I didn't mean to speak in a foreign tongue.
EBWWHSMI: Yes, well, this is America and it's only right to speak the our national language. In fact, it should be THE LAW to speak American!
YMT: I totally agree. Right on, brutha'.
EBWWHSMI: I'm more woman than man, actually... wait, let's see your green card.
YMT: I don't have one.
EBWWHSMI: Aha! I demand to hear the American alphabet...in order.
YMT: Okay, but I am a citizen. And I've always gotten my Ks and Ls mixed up.
EBWWHSMI: OH, me too! You know, that whole middle section... HEY, your foreign national tricks aren't going to work on me.
YMT: Sorry. Here's my naturalization paper.
EBWWHSMI: That's you?
YMT: Yeah, why?
EBWWHSMI: What's that on top of your head?
YMT: My hair.
(Silence.)
YMT: Come on, I was 14.
EBWWHSMI: It's so... high. I'm sorry, I can't look at it anymore.
YMT: Weren't you going to ask me some questions?
EBWWHSMI: Was I?
YMT: Don't you want to know anything about me?
EBWWHSMI: Not... really... anymore.
YMT: Oh.
(hoo hoo)
EBWWHSMI: Uh, don't do that. Don't cry. Please.
YMT: It's just that...
EBWWHSMI: HEY look, I DO have a question.
YMT: Excellente! I mean, excellent.
EBWWHSMI: Do you think man and machine will ever mate?
YMT: Hmmm... I have to say, "yes". I don't know how and I don't know when, but I'm all for it if the name of this machine starts with I and rhymes with tripod. Oh yes.
EBWWHSMI: Okgreatthanksbye.
Labels: Yen
« May 21, 2006 1:57 PM | Post a Comment | 2 comments »
