Home Work

One of the wackiest things about going home to be with your family during the festivuses is the things that we do around the house. As the next generation, and generally speaking, the younger/healthier/technologically saavy-ier, we bring home our big brains filled with knowledge about fighting the war against spyware, viruses, disfunctional computer components, and lest we not forget – wireless internet.

For their part the elders have tried to keep up in our absence. They’ve spent the loot to buy a few of the latest toys they’ve heard the kids are using. Or they’ve waited with loot in hand for our arrival to go shopping for the latest in personal-pod-computing-beep beep beep-publishing equipment.

And so I face a somewhat similar fate as so many are recounting via blogs. I remember an article in some magazine about this. And then I saw Karisa’s email on busblog, which reflected my fate with the parental units computer stuff. I am the chosen one… I am a jedi… I will fix it.

Of course not all ye bloggers are fixing stuff. Some are just hanging at home like the dude, takin ‘er easy for all of us sinners. One of my most favorite home-for-the-holidays blogging has been coming from Bunny Mac.

On a more serious note, it’s the anniversary of that nightmare earthquake in Bam, Iran. One year ago… the communiqu? remembers.

Today’s Sounds: Blind Melon – Nico Blue (diggin through my cd archives)

Pile of Stuff

Like myself, I hope you all got something you wanted this festivus.

I was pretty much satisfied meeting my 7 month old nephew, A-Ren, for the first time since his birth. Those big blue eyes make all my troubles melt away. I just lean towards him and make sounds, he responds with his own blend of clicking and chanting. Then his little paws reach out for me, until he quickly turns and buries his head into my sis’s shoulder like a human ostrich baby.

But just when you think you don’t need anything else… someone gets you a palette of maple syrup from one of these insane wholesale supermarkets. I hope they’ve got room on that Air Portugal flying tylenol… I needs me my syrup. And my books by Mo Rocca, John Stewart, and a collection of other radical revolutionaries. Not to mention my new CD’s; The Stars, Talib Kweli, and the Slackers. Yeehaww.. time to update my wishful list.

If you’re looking for last minute day-after-festivus gifts, I recommend a one-two-three punch. First, get How To Blog. Then add a pinch of Jamie’s artwork. And round it off with Grouphug.us ‘s book of confessions. If you don’t read grouphug, go look. As Mr. Winter of Discontent will tell you, it’s fantastic! (happy festivus Michael)

Oh and sometimes I can predict the future before it happens. YES its true. Just like that. I hate to say it, but regardless of tomorrow’s election, the average Ukrainian is fucked. Especially if you work in a mine. Or if you simply don’t work at all. It is good to be part of a cause, and to demonstrate or live in a tent city in the center of the city. It is awesome do hold up the finger and the ruling party and the corrupt bastards. It is even awesomer to look election officials in the eye and say this is bullshit! But friends… you’re in the Ukraine… where the world demands that you stay in a state of cold, bitterness, and declining economics. Hooray for freemarkets… hold you hands out and maybe it will trickle down from the east or west. Let’s all do the election boogie.

Today’s Sounds: The Stars – Nightsongs

The best moment

The front door just opened…. Im about to see my nephew…

Tribute to a lady

I’m jetlagged, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking of my baby… Ms.Thingk, who today left Amsterdam forever. In doing so, she leaves my daily life. No more wrapping at my chamber door… so lightly tapping… NEVERMORE.

When we first met I was manning the bridge of the fishtank, keeping the universe safe for internauts. She saw me blogging? and I looked at her and was hypnotized. I bla-bla-bla’d about weblogs and my addiction to them, the whole time thinking ? dam this girl is fun. And by fun I mean hot. And funny. Which I combine into fun. So naturally I wanted to work her into the blog… and take her around my city. Hence the invention of “this ol park.”

But little did I know, the girl I once referred to as “Kirstin Dunst’s Twin” would become my left-hand woman. Together we’d invade neighborhoods, rock street markets, and cruise the parties. Bicyclemark rules of engagement usually disallow any closeness with international one-semester types, but this one was beyond my control… we were fast friends. And even though she’d usually turn her attention to some dude at the party, and I’d run off flirting with some yummy gal, she was still the reason for the season. She made student life fun again, even for a no-longer-student, fishtank supervisor like myself.

And so today I picture her on the flight back to Holland… Michigan, rather somber having just left her beloved ‘Dam, and I miss her already. I’m sure she’s striking up conversation with the mysterious long haired heart-throb type sitting next to her, and little does he know what a lucky guy he is… to ever get the chance to meet THE Ms. Thingk.

Tonight, during my first meal in the people’s republic of New Jersey, I shall raise my glass in tribute to my darling… and say thank you. Thanks for gracing the pages of my blog and the days of my life for the last 5 months. Amsterdam will miss you. The University will suck without you. And I will lose a bit of zing in my bike peddling

But hey, we’ll always have the blogosphere!

Arrived all over myself

I landed smack dab on Newark today. Place of my birth. Land of hundreds of thousands of Portuguese, and their somewhat American offspring.

Dad was there, at the gate to greet me. Isn’t it weird how dads get shorter? I remember when my dad was the tallest man in the world. Now he’s shorter than me in a cute way. He even wore an old man hat to the airport, I felt like Colombo had come to pick me up.

I had to lie in customs. Fuck the immigration dept. Fascists with a god complex. Even though the guys I got were nice. At one point they asked me “so you’re student?” Rule #1 of talking to INS folk: KEEP IT SIMPLE. So of course I said “yes.” And then she asks “What school?” just as I was walking off. I stumbled, “actually in Lisbon.” Whatever the fuck that means.

If I could have my own world, there would be none of these bullshit borders and passports and whatnot. I hate seeing people panicking on the plain, worried that they will fill out their form wrong and be banished by the wizard of INS. I want to start a low budget airline that uses no security but offers super cheap flights with speedy check in times. We could call it AT YOUR OWN RISK AIR.

Home has changed a lot, details in the coming days. Mostly it involves the presence of baby equipment everywhere. My bed has been pushed into a corner in favor of a crib for the A-Ren who spends a few of his days sleeping in my room. Which is totally cool by me. Plus, I love that my old stuffed animals are among his own collection.

Hello NJ. it’s me. I just wanted to come see you for a few days. You look tired and used. Get some sleep.

Today’s Sounds: Mates of State – Team Boo