On a Related Note...

...I just found out that everything that I purchased via "One-Click" is being sent to Reno (and, in case you haven't been paying attention these last few months, I don't live in Reno anymore). Way to go, stupid. Now I have to figure out how to getit all to Boston. Stupid impulse buying.

My 50th Blog of the Day.

Not to inundate all of you with incessant posting (I realized that not everything I have to say is interesting), but I would just like to mention the fact that it has been raining nonstop all day. NONSTOP. As in, *there hasn't been a time when drops weren't hitting the ground*. I may be a little naive to the whole East Coast thing, but this is crazy. I come from the desert. What the hell does one do with all this water?

I should put some buckets out. I won't ever have to use my faucet again.

A Flower Found in a Bar -or- I Haven't Perfected It Yet.

Perfecting the Lifewaza.

Some of you may have noticed that under "about me" on my profile, it says "Perfecting the lifewaza," so, I figured for those non-aiki inclined, I would elaborate.

As I have come to understand it, "waza" in Japanese is roughly translated as "technique." For example, the term "suwariwaza" describes a technique done while in the kneeling position, while tachiwaza (from tachi, a type of sword) describes standing techniques.

I can't remember the first time I bastardized the term "waza," but it has been completely abused ever since. When I'm tired, I'm ready for the nap-waza. When hungry, the food-waza. If I need a hug, its time for some love-waza. And so, in my silly sense of humor, the execution of living became the lifewaza.

I am only bringing this up now because I stumbled across a quote on a friend's blog the other day that I think was really appropriate. To me, it describes exactly what it means to perfect the lifewaza. I haven't gotten there, but I guess that is what keiko (practice) is for.

"The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both." -James A. Michener

Fuck the Man.

I had to pay $783 in taxes this year. What the hell??? I even told my work last year to change my status to claim only one exemption (instead of two) because I thought the $300 I paid last year was excessive. A lot of good that did...

Maybe it is one big government/turbotax conspiracy (stupid turbotax. stupid government). I mean, I don't have a problem with paying taxes. I just figured the $600 that they took out of my paycheck every month would cover it (wouldn't you?). But, I won't get duped again next year. I'm going to become a *real* adult and have my taxes done by a *real* tax guy. No more taking the cheap way out. It cost me in the end.

While you all are spending your nice fat tax refunds, I'll be sitting at home. Eating soup. Go team.

The Kitties Get Lazy With Me.

A healthy Amazon Addiction.

As apparent in my last couple of posts, I have been battling a crappy eye infection (which has spread to both eyes, but is healing). Everyone at work was kind of grossed out by the potential to be infected with my eye viruses, so I decided to spend a couple of days at home. And, naturally, I can't go to Aikido until this clears up, or else we might have a whole swarm of ninjas running around Boston with crusty eyes, and that just won't do.

Needless to say, I have had a fair amount of free time, with which I have:

1) not been cleaning my house
2) been spending way too much time on the internets
3) developed a healthy Amazon.com addiction.

Let me just say that when I say "healthy" I mean it more in the context of "robust" and less in the context of "beneficial for my health." For example, my alarm usually goes off pretty early in the morning, tuned to an NPR station here in Boston. As I was half sleeping through the chatter the other day, I heared some music, that, through my stupor, I think I liked. Some time later that day, I ended up on amazon, and decided to check out the album.

Amazon has this savvy little trick that they call "One-Click." It is basically where they store your purchasing information on file, and, when you decide you want something, all you have to do is click the button and it is done. No filling out forms, credit card information, etc. I realized that this is a pretty scary thing both in that 1) That is a lot of information that we allow companies like Amazon to have about us, and 2) it makes it *way* to easy to buy stuff. As I "one-clicked" my way to a new CD the other day, I realized that I had like 6 other things currently being shipped to me, mostly books. I couldn't even remember what was being shipped without going back to look at the receipts. This is getting insane.

Granted, there are worse things that one could be addicted to, like say, crack (did I mention that Joe, Taiga and I saw a woman drop her crack vial in the train station about a month ago?). Regardless, I don't need to be spending my money on every little silly book that strikes my fancy (at least not until I read the 20 or so that I have already waiting). I have officially banned myself from using Amazon for a while. We'll see how long it lasts.

My eye is fucked.

This stupid eye in-fuck-tion is killing me. Somebody make it go away. Its gross.

Feeling Domestic.

Easter = not my favorite holiday.

Easter = ~lame if age > 9 years old.

Easter could go away for all I care...

-but-

Easter = a good excuse to bake things.

Saturday I made a wicked (yes, I went there) brunch for Joe and Nan. Complete with scones (yum) with preserves (yum yum) and cream (heaven). We ate ourselves silly, then napped on the couch while eating chocolate and watching the Triplets of Bellville. What a way to spend the afternoon.

Today, the baking urge had not subsided, so I planned out a week's worth meals and trekked my ass to the grocery store (which I guess was needed--refer to my activities in previous paragraph). Instead of cleaning my house today, I whipped up a mean vegetarian cassoulet tonight and some lemon sunflower seed poppy seed bread/cake thing that is amazing. I'm on a roll and i have a new cookbook burning a hole in my apron. Contact me if you want to eat something yummy. I'm sure a deal could be arranged.

Have an awesome week.

The Granary

While wandering around yesterday, we took some time to explore the Granary cemetary. It is interesting in that:

1) The likes of Paul Revere, John Hancock, and the victims of the Boston Massacre are buried here.
2) The cemetary is smack dab in the middle of downtown Boston with large buildings on each side.
3) The builders seemed to want to make use of all available space--some of the tombstones in the cemetary somehow got incorporated into the building on the adjacent lot.

I'm old people now.

Birthday 2007.

I turned a quarter of a century old yesterday. I would like to say that this was a life-changing realization for me (I mean, having spent over ¼ of my life and all), but it really wasn’t. No, I haven’t cured HIV or worked with orphaned children in Africa. I haven’t saved a species or written a book or started an influential punk band. I’ve never traveled to Spain, gotten a medical degree or painted anything worth looking at. I do not regret the things I have not done—I look forward to doing them in the future. Instead, I have waged my personal war more quietly. I have made some truly incredible friends. I have become closer to my family. I have found out what I love (Aikido) and what I do not (going to punk shows). I am beginning to see the picture a little more clearly, to learn what is important in life (a warm cup of tea with good company) and what is not (having lots of stuff). These things might seem small, but they are significant to me. And so I have passed my first 25 years relatively quietly, but I have done so with love. I am excited to see what the next 25 have in store for me.