When in the showER, as I often do, I composed an LJ entry or two. Now a few minutes later I can't recall any of it. Brains all fuzzy from what I guess is allergies. Popping generic benadryl every 4 hours to keep breathing through my nose. This morning I did a system check on a customer's server and before I sent out the "every thing's AOK" update they called to complain that their application was not working right. I looked again and yep. I had looked at the system 30 minutes after it went kerplunk but the error messages did not register in my brain as error messages. I just had looked at it and went "oooh. messages. good." and didn't actually read them and process the words. So they were down for nearly 4 hours and had users complaining. Do the words coming from my finger tips make any sense. I'm not sure. Perhaps I should stop. Naw. I'll stop writing here but go ramble in some of your journals instead...

"Here are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish."

This list is a curious mish mash of pop literature past and recent past. Maybe seems so since I am so old that several of those were not yet writ when last I was in school. Plus I only barely finished HS so there's 4 years less for reading that many had.

( Still I will clutter herein with my response:  )
I do do http://www.librarything.com/profile/wrayb but only a fraction of my books are listed, being mostly those I've gotten in the last few years or some favorites that I've kept close at hand. In fact, now that I think of it, attributing this list to librarything is likely apocryphal.

Tags: books, meme

The old looney toon where the young owl want to croon and his Fritz father tries to surpress him until fame and fortune in the shape of Jack Bunny's amatuer hour radio show brings joy to the swinging family. You know the one.

Here is the other Owl Jolson crooner along with Cab Calloway's band:

It's 3am and someone is vacuuming either next door or in the hall of the hotel? Like WTF? Ah. It's over. jesus, what a day.

Been in here for most of the last week. One more application to install and test and it is taking all day and the end is nowhere in sight. Curiously although my mobile phone doesn't work in here, I can connect to their wifi internet only service. And, although gmail and yahoo mail are blocked, LJ is there for me to wile away the minutes between clicking next and reboot.

When will this day endd.....

Seriously wtf with the allergies starting and spring hasn't even sprung yet. I going to google what the max antihistamine dossage is before I have to worry about OD.

Bought some books today at The Strand. Food and music dominated the bag.

One is a revelation for me, equally for the contents and the subject.



Anacaona, an all female Cuban son band that started in the 1930s. Included with the book is a 6 song cd and I had to admit that until I read more detail about them I thought that there were probably men who took crucial parts (bongos, conga, trumpet) with them in the studio. I apologize ladies, particularly Ondina, trumpeter extraordiaire, for doubting you ladies could play so hot as well as sing so sweetly.

Tags: book, music
Current Music: Besame Aqui - Anacaona

Screw ball discription: "full-fledged assembly worker". Maybe it had particular meaning at the time, like "full security clearance" or "full time" or whatever. What I find most remarkable is how contemporary she appears in style and attitude. Cool African themed pin too.

When recently in Japan I tried and really liked Hoppy. I had seen a retro poster in a restaurant and decided it looked interesting and to try it. Turned out that Hoppy is a low alcohol malt drink that was first made in Japan in about 1948. Faster and cheaper than beer to make, it is made alcoholic by mixing it with a shot or two of shochu, Asian vodka. Today went to Hagi, the Japanese bar/restaurant on 49th street between 6th and 7th avenue. On the way to Hagi the subject of Hoppy came up and my friend said maybe they will have it. Naw, naw I poohed poohed, it isn't available in Japan out side of the Tokyo metropolitan area so why would it be found in NYC, then again, that's the sort of thing tha makes living in NYC worth paying the rent. Of course, since I am writing about it you know that they had it. 3 hoppy sets later I am feeling no pain. Almost good enough to recover from the near constant work from Saturday to tonight because of the time change. Yes.

Current Location: showered and ready for bed

For the first time in my life, I just popped the perfect bowl of popcorn. Not a kernel left unpopped. Not even 1 kernel scorched or burnt. The secret? I guess it was beginner's luck when for the first time using a wok to make popcorn. It was just Jolly Time brand, not Orville, not Paul.

My use of the wok, though I've heard of such an approach for years, was inspired by Japanese tv show I saw on the airplane a week ago, Saturday. They showed how you could save 9 minutes by only using a wok instead of the usual array of saute skillet and pot for making a typical US/Euro meal of steak, potato with gravy and vegetables. So tonight I reached for the wok.

Ah, what's this. I am wrong. At the bottom of the bowl I find a previously unnoticed single unpopped kernel. How poetic. A reminder of the old adage about how perfection is a state for which we strive but to which we cannot truly expect to arrive.

There. Wasn't that more interesting than me blabbing about recent travails with the teen (he went to CT for the night and not back yet), or how I cringe whenever my cell phone rings because I think it is work calling me (most often it is, 3 calls this weekend, two were work), or about the oldie-but-goodies rock show that i semi-successfully recorded from the audience last night (Roky Erickson with opener Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth fame).

Good night LJ. I love you guys.

Current Mood: silly