inspiration strikes - a break from the monotony

Friday, November 01, 2002

Post Weekend Travels

I just found out that I'll be traveling to Philadelphia for business on Monday, flying out on Sunday night. Would it kill someone to give me a bit more notice? Anyway, happy weekend to all.

mattchun 11/01/2002 05:55:00 PM [+] ::
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Fri-day

Are there two sweeter-sounding syllables in the English language?

mattchun 11/01/2002 02:36:00 PM [+] ::
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Lucky's

Tonight, I'm venturing out with some coworkers to a bar/lounge in the Fort Point Channel part of town. The place is called Lucky's, and I have been there once before. Just last weekend, in fact.

Lucky's is organized into two large rooms. On one side of the establishment, there is a long bar that flanks a number of booths for eating and drinking. On the other side, there is another long bar, a smaller number of booths, and a small stage. Last Friday evening, the stage hosted an excellent cover band, fronted by a guy named McDougal. Those guys could flat out play. Equally comfortable busting out a pop tune or a soulful ballad, they brought the house down.

Amazingly (perhaps because of its location), the drinks are reasonably priced. A lot of the other places I've been with this type of scene will gouge you for a dozen greenbacks for a watered down gin and tonic. I think I got a decent drink for six bucks here.

The best part about the place, though, is the music. The band is adept at working the crowd, knowing when to get it going and when to slow it down. They opened with a great cover of Van Morrison's Into the Mystic and then rolled on into some Sinatra, followed by Al Green, Steely Dan, and Van Halen, if you can believe it. They ran the gamut, expertly addressing different styles, tempos and moods. I'll be happy to return.

mattchun 10/31/2002 07:05:00 PM [+] ::
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Centennial Celebration

This weekend, my college fraternity chapter celebrates its centennial. To commemorate the event, the alumni board of directors (of which I am an illustrious member) has organized a grand weekend of activity. Various distinguished alumni and honored guests - as well as a whole slew of college friends - will descend upon Boston for the celebration. The weekend kicks off Friday night at a local watering hole, and continues through Sunday. The festivities include a number of tours of Boston for those who are returning, access to a local museum, an alumni softball game, and a grand banquet, on Saturday night.

One hundred years. 36,500 days. Four times the number of years I've been on this planet. People were still getting around via horse and buggy around the time when the original crew was kickin' it old school. It feels good to have that personal connection to history and tradition.

I am looking forward to seeing old friends who I haven't seen in months (in some cases, years), and reminiscing about the good old days (that really weren't that long ago). My college friends have taken a fairly diverse set of paths since graduation, and I will enjoy seeing those paths come together once again.

I think that when most people think of fraternities, they tend to conjure up images of Animal House and exclusivity, with chaotic episodes of binge drinking and shenanigans. Yes, we indulged in our fair share of pranks, wild parties, and heavy drinking - but on the same token, we were a diverse group of hard-working and intelligent individuals (and still are).

A few of those fine upstanding individuals will be crashing at my apartment over the weekend, and I'm happy to host them. I'm sure it'll be like old times once again. We'll all have old memories new stories to share.

mattchun 10/31/2002 06:37:00 PM [+] ::
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Happy Halloween!

In honor of Halloween, I've compiled a short list of some of the worst Halloween riddles I've ever heard. They are truly scary. Here they are:

1Q. How do monsters tell their future?
1A. They read their horrorscope...

2Q. Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?
2A. No, they eat the fingers separately...

3Q. What do you call someone who puts poison in a person's corn flakes?
3A. A cereal killer...

4Q. What do you call a dead chicken that likes to scare people?
4A. A Poultrygeist...

5Q. What do skeletons say before eating?
5A. Bone Appétit...

Happy Halloween!

mattchun 10/31/2002 08:48:00 AM [+] ::
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My Job

Sometimes I like my job. On very rare occasions, I may go as far as to say I like my job a lot. Sometimes I find my job somewhat annoying. Today, I absolutely HATE my job. This has been a frustrating day, and if I have too many more days like this, I'll be out of here before too long. Is it Friday yet?

mattchun 10/30/2002 06:24:00 PM [+] ::
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Drinks with Irene

Yesterday, I had drinks with my friend Irene, who was in town, visting from San Francisco. I hadn't seen the wacky Ms. Irene since January, so it was one of those catching-up-on-lost-time visits. We used to email or call each other on nearly a daily basis, but in recent days, weeks and months, with our busy schedules and her move to the left coast, we had fallen out of touch. It was great to reconnect -- she's one of the most random, free-spirited people I know, and always good for a laugh.

Irene used to think -- was convinced, in fact -- that she was psychic. One of our first meetings was at the party of a former co-worker. She was able to ascertain my undergraduate course of study without any prior knowledge, by "channeling my psychic energies and aura," or something like that. I think there were other things that she was able to derive that had me allowing the possibility of her having telepathic powers, but she has since admitted that her extra-sensory abilities are marginal at best.

Among other things, we discussed the utility of an electric-powered scooter for winter transportation, the meaning of idiomatic expressions such as "here's mud in your eye," the redundancy of terms such as "status update," and problems with cellphone coverage. In other words, over a couple of drinks, we talked about everything and nothing and points in between.

She'll be moving back to the Boston area come February. Hopefully, at that point, our schedules will be a little more compatible. She's a good friend, and I hope we keep in touch.

mattchun 10/30/2002 04:09:00 PM [+] ::
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Mr Bling

Too funny not to warrant a post. Mr Bling can get you down with the bling-bling. You know what I'm sayin'?

mattchun 10/29/2002 07:35:00 PM [+] ::
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Sore

Yesterday, I played basketball for the first time in roughly two months, give or take. The unfortunate consequences of this otherwise enjoyable activity are muscle soreness and blistering of the the feet. When I walk upstairs, there is the sensation akin to someone injecting piping hot molasses into my quads and rubbing my toes with a cheese grater.

The facility in which I engaged in this athletic pursuit is a bit surreal. It's appelation, "basketball city," is a misnomer. The three full courts more resemble the inside of a circus tent hybridized with a lunar warehouse, rather than any city -- basketball or otherwise -- that I've ventured into. This lunar circus warehouse sits atop a non-descript parking garage in downtown Boston. The only clue that belies its whereabouts is a sign slapped on the side of the garage, almost as an afterthought.

mattchun 10/29/2002 10:13:00 AM [+] ::
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Corduroy

I am wearing the corduroy slacks that I purchased in the maelstrom of wind and rain this past weekend. I like them due to the fact that if I'm walking quickly, the fabric makes a delightful zzziiipppp-zzziiiipp snowpants sound. In turn this evokes visions of snowy winters and sledding. Give me a little hot chocolate and some woolen mittens and I'm 5 years old again, gliding headlong down the cold, white hills behind my childhood home.

mattchun 10/28/2002 02:12:00 PM [+] ::
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New Books

This weekend, I braved the pouring rain to take care of a couple of errands and do some shopping. The items purchased included the following: an umbrella (with which to shield myself from the relenting torrential downpour), shaving cream, deodorant/antiperspirant, a pair of corduroy pants, three pairs of socks, and two books.

The two books are Naked, by David Sedaris and Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. I've decided that I should alternate reading something "contemporary" with a "classic" that I intended to read in my high school days.

Thus far, I've read 60 pages of Sedaris' work, and it's hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. The memoir chronicles the author's childhood, with vivid descriptions of the sometimes affectionate, sometimes inscrutable, and always off-beat interactions between David and his family, friends and other assorted characters. The work most frequently -- and most poignantly -- describes the author's relationship with his mother, the sharp-witted matron of the bustling Sedaris household. David Sedaris is often featured on NPR's This American Life, and has been described as one of the "freshest" voices in modern American literature. No disagreements here thus far.

mattchun 10/28/2002 08:54:00 AM [+] ::
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