Being...

Being...

the adventures of a youngish man whose principal interests are knowledge, beauty, and music
© 2005 by Andersen Silva (9-1-05)

Last updated 6-28-2022  


And I miss you when you're not around...
  I'm getting ready to leave the ground.
Oh, you look so beautiful tonight,
  In the city of blinding lights...

I am tired. Didn't sleep so well last night, and then I had a hell of a day at work today. Without blowing my own horn (and "Blow Your Own Horn" was the title of a Not An Exit instrumental, for our old fans), I'd have to say that I'm the backbone of the technical support department these days, and today we lifted without properly using our legs. Ugh. With the aid of 20 ounces of Pepsi and Metallica's Garage, Inc., I think I'll stay conscious long enough to write'cha...

I feel badly for the people of New Orleans, I really do. Any survivor of a natural disaster has my sympathy. But my gut instinct with regard to the looters and worse taking advantage of the situation is that they should be given one chance to back off, then they should be shot. And I'm not a violent person. Don't get me wrong, those who are trying to keep themselves and their loved ones alive and safe should be excused for taking certain measures, but some of what's going on in the Big Easy right now is the same sort of behavior that Americans look down their noses at "Third World" citizens for. Shooting cops for trying to prevent looting? Attacking helicopters trying to bring food and aid? Are we living in the United States of America, or Somalia, or the Sunni Triangle?

Talking of decadence and turpitude, I was impressed with HBO's debut of "Rome" last Sunday night. I just might have to add a show to my short list of must-see TV. I couldn't help catching the reference to Julius Caesar's "illegal war," the same phrase I've used all along for Dubya's action in Iraq... Of course, if I do make a habit of watching "Rome," I'm going to have to start TiVoing "Family Guy" on Fox when it starts up again.

Closer to our own time, the New York Renaissance Faire was fun last Saturday. Barbara and I picked a good day to go, both weather-wise and capacity-wise; while it wasn't empty by any means, it was not as packed as I've usually seen it. On previous visits, I've purchased a rose made of feathers, and one made of leather, for Gina. I didn't see any new types to get my honey, but I did buy a princess hat for little Princess Hannah, which I'm sure she'll appreciate when they return from their latest travels. During an especially-long pause between acts in the end-of-the-day joust, I quipped, "Tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion of..." Guess I was louder than I'd realized, because a few people around us chuckled. Oh, and there were chuckles aplenty during the magic, comedy, and contortionism show of Bret Blackshear and Jayna Lee. Go hear Jayna giggle in the Box of Death if you can!

I'd much rather hear (and see) my pretty baby, of course... August marked two years since my first date with Gina (and Hannah), but as she's getting a lot of traveling and family stuff in during the school break, I haven't seen her in longer than I'd care to consider. And after the day I've had, I need a hug. She'll be back soon, though, and I'll have lots of stuff to give her then.

Can this really be the end of CBGB? Hilly Kristal, to whom any and all punk rockers should pay homage for not only allowing the Ramones to play his club but subsequently allowing all sorts of punk (and non-punk) acts to get onstage, has vowed to fight eviction, but I think he can only delay and not derail the final, unwelcome outcome. I haven't seen any shows in a long while, but maybe I need to get to CBGB one last time before it's... gone? Wow.

I must've devoted at least four hours total to reading some of Stephen King's "Dreamcatcher" on Sunday. I find myself reluctant to put his books down as a general rule, but Lyndhurst's librarian was right to tell me that this was a really good one. I still have some unread King to check out, and I want to re-read "Insomnia" in the wake of having finished "The Dark Tower," but I'm reading other stuff, too, and really enjoying Vonnegut lately. I just started Dickens' "Bleak House" yesterday.

The jury's still out on whether or not my signing up with MySpace was such a hot idea, but you can check out my accounts there (one as Andersen and one as Joy in the New), if you'd like; feel free to add me. Since I've had a Gmail account for a while now, I've also set myself up with Google Talk; of course, I seem to be the only person I know who has done so. Not that I chat online much these days anyway... but again, feel free to add rockstarandy if you use it.

I'll be 35 at the end of the month. "So what?" as Metallica is contemptuously querying from my desktop speakers... So I'm going to get myself the 12-string, with some pecuniary input from my parents and anyone else who'd care to chip in. A fairly reasonable salve for the mid-life crisis, wouldn't you agree? Heh-heh...
  - A (webmaster@andersensilva.com)


June 2006 - "Desperation," concerts, where's my music been?
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May 2006 - Nothing too exciting for Cinco de Mayo, fresh blood at Microwize, Apple v. Apple
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April 2006 - Late night at the office, a trip to DC
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March 2006 - Aimee Mann, fillin' up the iPod, science fiction, a trigger-happy veep?
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January 2006 - In the paper again, my own iPod, on my own
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December 2005 - Where is everybody?!? "Christmas Lonely"
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November 2005 - Arizona, the Palisades Center, alone again... naturally
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October 2005 - 35 and still alive, an Ovation and not a Tanglewood, anyone for tennis?
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September 2005 - The city of New Orleans, Rome, CBGB, let's joust!
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August 2005 - Microsoft Winblows, no Transit Village for you!, songs 'n guitars
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July 2005 - The Fourth, the Ozonic, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"
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June 2005 - Lunch with Gina, a penguin from her penguin, hongry for Nine Inch Nails, "Episode III" and "Hitchhiker's"
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May 2005 - My new PowerBook, HHGttG, the end of the Astronomy Tip of the Day
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April 2005 - The Children's Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Dark Tower, the Dell
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March 2005 - Snow, my sushi valentine, technical difficulties (please stand by)
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February 2005 - It's BSD, it's dynamite! the Dalai Lama, Zhao Ziyang, fruit with "Raymond"
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January 2005 - A frightening New Year's, spaghetti and meatballs (and Christmas gifts!) with Gina and Hannah, Samichlaus
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December 2004 - A fun evening with Gina and Hannah, test-taking, partaking of the library
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November 2004 - A lot can change in twelve months
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October 2004 - My birthday and my honey
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September 2004 - Anniversary, spreadin' the word about the CD, dumb E-mails and the women who send them
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August 2004 - Philadelphia freedom, the album is finished, where did my parents go?
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July 2004 - Together again!; playin' guitar in the park, promoting the album
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June 2004 - Mother's Day, Gina's day, preparing the CD... don't dream it's over. Please don't
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May 2004 - Gina being so far away from me, chicken cordon bleu, Macintosh consulting, the album
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April 2004 - No more Vitriol, lovin' and cookin' for my pretty baby, upgrading to a Treo 600, working on my music
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Last updated 6-28-2022