Time Warp

About two and a half weeks ago, I ran into a guy I haven't seen in eight years. We went to grad school together, on the East Coast, and very randomly ran into each other at a Catholic Conference in SF. The siting itself was strange; I found myself staring at this guy, knowing I knew him, and knowing that seeing him there was completely out of context from wherever it was that I originally knew him. We finally caught each other's glance, started laughing, and then walked towards each other. Really unreal, a kind of Kermit and Miss Piggy moment. (Yeah, I'd be Piggy. But that's also because I'd want to be in the 'Pigs in Space' skit later in the show.)

We finally met up tonight for drinks. First off, we had a great time. Plain and simple, we laughed really hard, and we got along really well. Secondly, we had a lot of fun catching up, and hanging out with him brought back memories of people and things I haven't thought about since I graduated from the program. (We both got Master of Arts degrees in Religion from Yale Divinity School.)

A couple of things strike me about this meeting. One, its almost like there are two versions of this guy. One from eight years ago, when we were silly grad school students both in a city we didn't know, and in an academic setting that was very "old school" in its thinking and methods. For heavens sake, we lived in the same dorm together, so we used to see each other a lot. Back then, he was quiet, a smoker, the kind of guy who was at the periphery of a lot of groups, but obviously smart and funny. Now, there is this guy who has a lot of the same musical tastes I do, who has a similar outlook on Christianity as I do, and who is a person with a real job and an apartment.

I guess why that's a trip for me is because until now, I had no local ties to that grad school experience at all. It all lived in my head, in memories, in a few pictures. In a diploma on the wall. But none of my friends from that era live near me; and the one friendship I kept up from that time has grown and changed, and now she and I are friends ... not friends from Yale or former room mates, but just real friends. So, this guy is an intriguing tie to a world I feel rather distant to, both physically and mentally.

I must say that it was comforting to have time to talk to him about our experiences. I feel grounded and tied to part of my own history that had begun to disappear into the mist of the past. It reminded me of why I loved that period of my life, and reminds me of how very far I've come in 10 years. It makes me feel connected again to something I didn't even know I was missing.

Tag! You're It

I've been thinking about some of the great advertising taglines that use the word "It." Often, the brand uses the word "it" in a clever way, and you get a nice subtext of "it" being the brand itself, and an allusion to "it" being whatever you want in life. Sooo my really nice list:

1. Is it in you? (Gatorade, 2006)
2. You can get it on Ebay. (Ebay, 2005)
3. Make it Real (Coca-Cola, 2004)
4. I'm lovin' it (McDonald's, 2002)
5. Just do it. (Nike, 1988)
6. It's everywhere you want to be (Visa, 1985)
7. Coke is it! (Coca-Cola, 1982)
8. It's the Real Thing (Coca-Cola, 1942, 1970)

You got more? Send 'em in :)

Rear Window

Troll Family
Originally uploaded by neomi_blog.

More frightening than even a Hitchcock movie is the trend of putting furry critters, trolls, stuffed animals or dolls in the rear window of one's automobile. This display is one of the most "impressive" I've seen.

We have a varitable family of wee trolls setting up a humble home in the back of a C Class Mercedes. Imagine the fun they have! Waving at passers by. Trying to work the radio when the owner has parked the car and left so they can sing along to Chumba Wumba's "I get knocked down." Pressing their butts against the window in parking garages. Taking the car for a joy ride to McDonald's for a Happy Meal. Having a romp on the leather interior. Fighting for space with little Fido, Jr for a space in the sun when they're on their way to the groomer. Ahh. The good life.

In this photo, one seems to have located the brakes and stopped the car at a red light. Those trolls! They're so ingenious!

No, I don't get to Monterrey often

So, going along with the dating site ... it does seem that there are a few "trolls" on the site. People who are probably assuming, if they just run the odds, and send out enough emails, they will "get lucky" and find someone to hang out with them.

I've run in to at least one of these. We've sending notes within the dating site itself (no personal email addresses are exchanged, the site stores all the mail). Most of his emails are very brief, no capitalization, no punctuation, just lots of ... and another thought. I do the three periods myself, so I certainly can't complain about it. But, in each of these emails I've gotten, the guy asks if I get to Monterrey often, since that is where he lives. The first time I told him, no, but my friend used to live there and I like the area. The second time I told him no, I don't, but I like it there. Now, I just don't want to write him back. He clearly doesn't take the time to read old emails or retain info about the people he's communicating with. I can't say that makes me confident that he'd be an attentive boyfriend. or friend.

The other troll -- I can't decide if he's an official manipulator, or just not tech savvy. So, we're also sending messages to each other through the site. This person doesn't have a photo posted. In his profile, he says he'll share a photo if asked. OK, well, I have my own photo posted, so he knows what I look like. After a couple of messages, I figure I'd like to know what he looks like. So I ask for a picture. His response is that he can't attach a photo to the site email, so if I'll give him my real email address, he will send some photos as an attachment. So ... *dude*. There are sites that host pictures for free. Like Photobucket. You post a photo, and you send the nice girl a link. You don't ask for my email, which gives you my real name, under the pretense that sending an attachment is the only way to share your photo. I was not born under a rock. So, that makes me not want to respond to him either.

It's funny to me, that these simple things make me distrustful of the person. But, really, I do think guy #1 is a scammer. Guy #2? Might just not understand the internets all that well. But I think I need to know someone is a little resourceful and can figure things out on his own.

It's a Wrap

My 10 week acting class ended tonight. I really enjoyed taking it, and I think I'll sign up for the next session, which starts in September. What was cool was that my scene partner and I ended up doing really well in our final scene together. We'd practiced so much, and it showed. We did a scene from "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea" by Shanley. It's not an easy one because there is very little action, most of the intensity comes from the dialogue, and from the two very emotional and focused characters. In the end, it seems they both really want the same thing. But its how they arrive at that, and how connected the actors have to be, that makes it hard.

It's interesting learning a little about technique in the class. This is so very different from High School drama, where you're lucky if you know where to stand and if everyone has memorized lines. Once you understand the depth of the "5 Questions" (as my professor calls them), you can really start to get in to the character. The way we are learning is about motivation, and what the character wants, both in a scene and throughout a play.

Funny, too, how the last night of class, one man brough "graduation gifts" for everyone -- truffles in pretty boxes. We all hugged and cheered, and then all got in the elevator together, like it was the last day of summer school or something. It's nice to find that community and genuine enjoyment from hanging out with a group of people. Nice that all these people just wanted to take a class out of passion and interest in a topic. And, pretty cool that a lot of them will be back for the next session.

Reasonably Fashionable

Recently, I've been attempting to update my wardrobe. It's funny, at my new office, lots of people seem to be sporting something from the G-Star line. Very edgy, very urban. And everyone seems to have a very unique, cool T-shirt. I like it, but I'm a little more preppy than that. The previously Talbots & Anne Taylor LOFT dominated look needs a bit of upgrading to really fit in with my new hipster office.

Here's one of the problems ... I'm short. Most people reading know this, but seriously, at 4'10" I have to wear petites. I used to shop at Gap, Old Navy, and other mainstream places, but then I realized that lots of that stuff just doesn't fit, since most size models probably come in around 5'6" or taller for "regular" women's sizes.

One of the truly baffling things to me is the new "high end denim" like Citizens of Humanity, Diesel, Paige, Joe's, Jag, Juicy, Lucky, True Religion, Miss Sixty... I'm aware that they are fashionable, but totally confused by them. The fad reminds me of Guess in the 80s, only Guess was around $50-$80, when this new wave of jeans is hovering around $200. I've also seen Jag, True Religion and Miss Sixty at Loehmann's, but have no idea if these are "cool" or if the styles are recent. The prices at Loehmann's are closer to $70, so the price is good, but I'd fear I'd end up being the girl that bought a brand that is decidedly "not cool," and just a knock off. For some reason I think Joe's and Citizens of Humanity are the "cool" brands. But, like I said, no clue.

If anyone has advice on what is cool and what is not, and what might fit a short girl ... please ... I welcome the comments :)

I Go to Extremes

Last weekend, I partied with a real live rockstar and hung out with a monk. I went on a date with a man who is affectionate, a gentleman, and IMs me at work, but says he doesn't want a relationship. I hung out with my closest friends and realized I don't ever spend time at home anymore.

I'm not complaining by any means, but at the moment it seems like things in my life are changing so fast, sometimes I don't recognize myself. I love my acting class, and I love that I'm taking more photographs than ever before. My new job is good and the people are fun, both in and out of work. All that's a bit staggering.

So tonight, I just came home. I'm not gonna go out, and I'm not planning on talking to anyone. I have laundry to do, and a bunch of paperwork to read from the health insurance and stuff. Oh, and I'll post a few photos.