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December 2000 to Now
Monday, December 31, 2001
12:09 PMNYC Eve
I will be in Manhattan this evening for New Years Celebrations. No clue as to where we will be or what we will be doing.
Happy New Year.
Sunday, December 30, 2001
1:54 AM
One Year Anniversary
One year ago today I wrote my first entry. At that time I was on Blogspot with Normal. My blogspot site didn't last into 2001, I switched to Geocities and the site I am now currently on starting New Years Eve 2000. The dawn of the actual Millennium, but I didn't update again until the 18th of January. Starting soon I will be switching to an actual ISP, so that jadedturtle will be on jadedturtle.com. I will hopefully have that up by next week and would love if it was finished by the 18th (hey isn't that 3 weeks away?).
Later on today and all this week I will be posting highlights from the last year. There can't be that many.
Stats (12/30/00 to 12/30/01):
1623 visitors to my site (according to the geocities counter)
Breakdown:
327 in December 2001
286 in November
226 in October
161 in September
57 in August
50 in July
67 in June
172 in May
122 in April
23 in March
58 in February
54 in January
At least it was almost always increasing.
Since December 8th according to Extreme Tracker. I have had 170 Unique visitors and 229 including reloads. The two counters don't actually match but I never really trusted the Geocities counter, I think it screws up too much, but then again I don't know.
Saturday, December 29, 2001
4:10 AM
Aires
For those of you who don't know I was born on April 7th, 1973. That of course makes me a Aires, the ram. Well then this is my horoscope for today from Boston.com:
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don't start to get sentimental. Now is the time to eliminate what you don't like. Sitting and complaining will only lead to trouble with loved ones. Take action and you'll feel much better when the day is done.
Well this day had just begun, I was slightly intoxicated and trying to gain access to my car. Now I know I shouldn't drink and drive, especially when it comes to my car but well I wasn't drunk, though I am now. For those of you who don't know I drive a 1981 Dodge Aires. It was my grandmothers car, I was given it by my uncles in 1997.
history of car. will go here.
I of course will rewrite this tomorrow.
I just got tentaviley hired by Harvard Vanguard today and so was out celebrating with friends. I didn't plan to drive but I was playing Homeworld and lost track of time. I had to meet Rich at 8 at Crossroads, so I drove my car so I wo
More about the stupid funny story about my car and why I will never drive it again here.
I am just too tired to finish this now, so will fill in the blanks tomorrow.
Night.
Saturday, December 22, 2001
12:33 PM
Travel
Today I will be travelling to my mother's house in West Islip.
So if you see a car, a 1981 Dodge Aires K-car, white with maroon roof, broken down on the side of the road, please stop and help me out. If not at least I have AAA.
Merry Christmas.
Thursday, December 20, 2001
12:31 AM
Interred in interference
Sometimes I sit down at the computer ready to write. Sometimes when I do this the thoughts and images that were just in my head, the things that I wanted to explain or showcase or discuss, flee away when the screen comes up blank and waiting. When this happens I sometimes just browse the web, sometimes I write about my day, sometimes I just go to Daypop and post whatever tickles my fancy. In the course of my day millions of ideas, stories, conversations, and fragments pop into my head. But almost never when I am near a computer. I have been telling myself for sometime that I need to buy a voice recorder, but I haven't found one that I like.
Maybe if I had one then my posts would be a little more interesting. But then again, I do ok. I sit down at the computer and my head empties of all thought for awhile, but somehow I am able to write. I pick things out of the blue, I do a mental rehash of the day and try to pick out one of the millions. I might not pick the best one of the day. I might pick out the most banal trash ever thought, but still something comes. Something gets written, something gets posted.
Earlier this week Mitsu talked about internal narrators. I have this narration (as do most people). Sometimes it is just discussing my day. Sometimes it commentating on my surroundings. Most of the time though I am having conversations with myself. I once said that I have 5 to 6 lines of thought flowing through my head. At any time I only notice one or two of them. But I jump back and forth among them. This shows up a lot in my conversations with other people. We will be talking about one thing, and I will be thinking about some other things. If I am having a long conversation, it will flow through all my lines of thought. We will be discussing one topic, I will lead it into 2 or 3 others that have a slim connection (or none at all) and then round it all out with the original stream of thought. If I am planning my day I usually use this narrator to plan it out. "I will go shopping..", "I will go for a walk and then call a friend.", "I need to work on the website."
But I also think in pictures and colors. There are times where the narrator takes a break. Where he goes to sleep and I start to think as a visualization of what I will do or am doing. When I think about going shopping, I see myself in the store, or I see myself at work. When I am going to call a friend I'll picture them or something that at that moment I associate with them. When I am working I will see what I need to do next. I do this rarely though, and when I do I usually don't notice. (and when I do notice the narrator wakes up and starts talking again "Oh wow was thinking in images right there.")
But then again maybe I just get bored fast and daydream.
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
3:27 PM
Heathers
I bought a DVD of Heathers which is my all time favorite film.
"How very."
I first saw this when I was over my friend Jim's house when I was a senior in High School in 1991. Jim's sister was friends with an ex of mine, Luna. The two of them were watching it on video and Luna was surprised that I never had seen it. Luna knew what my tastes were. I sat down and watched. I immediately fell in love with it.
"What a waste." "Oh the humanity."
Then I saw it again my freshman year of college on the big screen, the BU film club was showing it. Then during my sophomore year while I was working at a convenience store I stole a copy of it, even though I did not have a TV or VCR. I have watched it so much that I have the whole thing memorized. I usually force it on friends and especially on any one that I am dating.
"Fuck me gently with a chainsaw."
If you never have seen it, I recommend it highly.
Monday, December 17, 2001
12:37 AM
Doc Vollmer here
Sunday Night I catered a party in Lincoln, MA. It was at a farm, owned by George Berry. He has a very nice collection of Wolfe hardcovers. He also has the first edition of Jim Rock's Corsage, and a menu from the 75th anniversary of Rex Stout's B-Day, both which made me slightly jealous. Actually really jealous.
I still haven't started my hardcover collection, though I do have a few that I bought cheap at some used bookstores.
I completed my collection of paperbacks 3 years ago when I finally tracked down a copy of "Too Many Women".
His collection just made me think of how you never know who may be a Wolfe fan.
But it always makes me happy when I meet one. Even if I was just working for him for one night.
10:53 PM
'Bah', said Scrooge. 'Humbug.' - Dickens
Christmas time, oh Christmas time. I could lament for hours on how broke I am, on how I have no money to buy food, let alone gifts. I could go on for hours. The money isn't here. Mayhap it will be soon, but as for now it is not.
Still I hate to not give presents to my family. No matter how poor I was, I always found a way to purchase something. Not just anything but that one gift that my brothers and sisters would really like. Something that they don't know that they need but which they try to always use. Now I am not the perfect giver. Usually I get a 50% acceptance rate. That is of my family, 3 really like and will use the gift I give. While the others thank me, but know that they will never wear or use what I buy. It is worse when I have extra money. Then I buy gifts that I think that they will love but I am wrong, they never use them. (Like when I bought Riven for Kelly. Looking back I can't believe how I could believe that she would like it.) I almost always get Chris and James good gifts. Mary and Kelly are pretty easy. But Jenny, I have problems with Jenny's gifts, I think that the years separating us are too great, but as she gets older my choices get more on target. Mom, my mother wants nothing really. It is hard to buy things for her. We get clothes, we get candles, we get gift certificates. But she is almost always only happy with what she gets herself.
This year I have a problem. I don't know when the checks that I am waiting for will arrive. I don't know for how much they will be. BUT I DON'T WANT TO HAND OUT LITTLE CARDS THAT SAY "I am broke, no gifts this year." I am the oldest, I am supposed to be filling our fathers shoes, I want to give extravagant gifts. I want to give really personal gifts. This is what Christmas is. The giving of gifts. That may seem commercial but that is the way it has been for a long time. You give gifts to your loved ones. You gifts to others. You give and don't expect anything in return. I don't expect that my brothers and sisters will get me great gifts. I get a few. I get some good things. But I really don't care what I get if I get anything.
My brothers and sisters almost always tell each other what they want. They know who got them what before they open the gift. This means that on Christmas Eve, when we each open one gift, they go for mine. They don't know what I have gotten them and so it is almost always the one gift that they want to open. It is so much easier then to see if they are happy or disappointed. They can't just go on to the next gift.
I don't want to see disappointment in their eyes. This means that I will have to try even harder this year with what ever funds that I have.
Thursday, December 13, 2001
10:22 PM
Google got gravy
Ah ha. The long lost rantings of Michael.
alt.startrek.uss-amagosa - the adventures of Lt.jg Archie Goodwin, Starfleet (1996).
Some one decides that my sig file is obscene, they were right.
Oh god most of the ones from alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die are horrible. I guess too much caffeine and no sleep can do it to a college student. (1994)
read some more 1994-2001.
9:37 PM
Still taking tests
It appears that if I were to go to Hogwarts, then the sorting hat would place me in Slytherin. Don't know if I should be happy with that. But as I was just wispering, "I should kill them all, eat their brains." Then maybe it is correct. Where will you be sorted?
5:52 PM
Working in the coalmine
I worked last night. I worked for the first time in 3 months. I even got paid more per hour then at my last full time job. I catered a party at Harvard Med. I handed out food to a bunch of doctors. Good food that I couldn't eat.
I am so happy that I went back to school and got my degree.
On Tuesday I talked to a friend of a friend who might be able to get me a job. At $12 an hour. Ah I love the job market.
Well if I get it I no longer have to move home. I can get money so I can eat and play. In the meantime I'll look for a career. Either in the company or somewhere else. I can no longer worry about the fact that I have nothing to do day in and day out.
I am thinking that I might take some more classes this summer. Some more computer classes. If I can't get a job in the field I want to be in I'll have to find a backdoor.
I am still broke. I won't see any money til Friday. That will be for 2 days, 12 hours, of catering. I cashed out the 401K, I wasn't fully vested so there was little there anyway, I should get most of the taxes that I paid back. I haven't made enough money this year to even be a blip on the IRS tax screen. Last check that I saw listed overall earnings at less then $7K. I only received 2 checks after that. The 401K money shouldn't get here til Friday at the earliest, after Christmas as a worst case scenario. I think that I will go home on Saturday the 22nd if the check isn't here by mail. Spend the week at home then return after new years. Presents, I probably won't be giving any, unless the money comes. I'll give out, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Christmas will resume in 1 to 2 weeks, thank you for your patience" cards. Ah well.
5:06 PM
Link
This is a great site, love the animation and overall feel. Wish I could....Petgo.
2:38 PM
Conformity
I always wanted these pages to have the same theme. When I did the new design I worked on all the pages that would compose the new package. But I never posted the content or me pages. I instead linked to other pages that were from the old design package. Well 3 months later I finally put the new pages up.
Color Scheme:
Blue: anything dealing with the weblog. (Includes Archives)
Black: Anything dealing with content. This will include stories, lists, links and anything else.
Gray: Books, books are a subdirectory of Content so they are a similiar color.
Green: Anything directly about me.
Look around and tell me what you think.
12:14 PM
Money < Debt
So I am sitting here trying to calculate what I should do with my 401K. I have to roll it over as I no longer work at Barnes and Noble College. I am also broke, really broke, and this will be my only source of income until the part time paychecks come in (hopefully on next Monday but who knows it might not be to the following Monday), but the part time checks won't be enough. So I have to roll over some of my 401K into Cash, which will probably have a 20% tax deduction and a 10% early withdrawal deduction. How much cash do I take? Do I roll over any of the money into an IRA? Or Do I take all of it in cash?
I am in Fidelity Asset Manager which was $15.74 per share on 12/07/01. I have to think some more and call them. (No I am not telling you how many shares I have)
This also brings up the fact that I might have to move home. Get a part time job, save on rent and bills. This might be required even though I haven't lived at home in 8 years. I have to talk with my Mom about that though.
Sunday, December 09, 2001
11:52 PM
Still recovering from a major killer hangover. Ugh.
Started reading The Fellowship of the Ring recently in anticipitation of the movie. I think that this will be the fifth time that I have read it. I can't wait for the film. Can't think.
3:16 AM
It is SNOWING!!!!!!!!
I am so happy.
Saturday, December 08, 2001
3:36 PM
So I added a tracker to the page. Now I can compare what it says to what the geocities crappy tracker says, and you can all see too. I have this odd feeeling that the geocities tracker is tracking ME and no one else, either that or no one reads this site but me, which could also be true. Thanks to extreme tracking for the free tracker, thanks to trippyswell for the idea.
I really can't wait til I have a job so that I can host this page somewhere else, under jadedturtle.com.
Friday, December 07, 2001
8:55 PM
This is getting ridiculous
 | I am Matched Phrenology Busts. I enlighten Norwegian glass bacteria with richly sponged hardwood thought processes. Four ripe metronomes ridicule my lucky castle of relief. My auspicious mercury rides level coral. What erudite spheres reveal strata? The Utterly Surreal Test |
6:31 PM
A Cohen Film
I have an idea, you all know I am low on cash, so I have an idea. Lets go to Fargo and find that money that was buried in the snow at the end of the film. Just imagine we could drive down that road, it should be by the 15th or 53rd or 106th telephone pole.
It will solve all my problems. Oh this will be so great, I'm going to look for plane tickets right now. I just have to get a better coat so that I don't freeze to death like this woman did.....
6:05 PM
Would you like some more wine sir?
So thanks to my friends Shelle and Ken I now have a job. I'll be doing some part time catering work for Table of Content. I start on the 12th.
Thanks Guys.
So now I just need another part time job to compliment it. I stopped by the bookstore to pick up a new calendar, I always buy the Greenpeace Calendar">. Well an old fellow employee said that they need someone for Sundays hockey game at 3pm. I might call Karen and see if I can work it. I loved working the hockey games, it was more fun then work. No one bought anything during the periods, so we were free to watch the game without interruption. I wouldn't mind doing that again.
So if I don't get any money from the insurance fund then I just might have to cash out my 401K. I just have to call and find out what the penalties will be.
But at least I won't be homeless.
12:11 AM
One Ring
I'm not doing so well right now. My friend Guilio's father passed away today. Guilio left to go back home in Italy, he will just make it in time for the funeral. The funeral is in 5 hours. (Its 7am there now) He missed the wake, he missed his father, he wasn't there. I know the feeling. I missed seeing my dad by a half hour. It still hurts. I am deeply sad for Giulio, I wish him and his family all the best.
I feel sad also for the fact that Giulio is moving out, he is one of my housemates, he is moving to Holland. He got a job offer and he wanted to be closer to home. He really is the last friend that lives in the house. Everyone else has been here less then 6 months, I've been here 6 years, Giulio had been here 5. I'll miss him.
I feel that I must move on. I feel that I need to get out of this rut and maybe the only way to do that is to leave Boston. Leave this entrenched life that I have been living. Maybe move close to home, or go someplace completely new. There aren't that many good friends left in Boston, those that are still here spend most of there time at work or with there families, I don't blame them for that its just that I think I need to do something else.
Wednesday, December 05, 2001
5:34 PM
Suicide King
Have you ever built a house of cards? The higher you get, the more floors you build, the harder it becomes for the system to keep standing. That top card, perched perilously atop his brothers, until a puff of wind or slight bump on the table flattens the whole construction. Then if you can you start over.
My financial situation is a vary shaky 52 card tower. Today I did a few things that may shore it up, keep it stable, but I am not all that sure if they will pull through.
First: I called the keepers of the insurance money. Friends of my fathers who run the Bill Cutillo Memorial Golf Tournament which helps pay for my mother's health insurance and my brothers and sisters well being. I asked if they could help pay the bills that ran up from my broken elbow this summer. They have to check the books, my mother has had more bills then normal this year, so as I know that they would love to help me out they might not have enough. Of course I didn't stress that I am broke. I just asked if they could help. If they can't my tower will almost definitely tumble.
Second: I finally got through to Bernard at Tables of Content and will go in tomorrow to fill out an application. I should be getting some work out of this as I have a reference from Shelle, Ken's wife, who works for him, but it won't be every day. I won't be able to live on the catering job on its own, and I don't have it yet .
I always feel horrible after asking for money. I'm in a funk right now, and until I hear about whether I have the money or not I won't feel any better. I really have no cash. It is at the point that I have considered moving back in with my mother. It would save me the roughly $500 that I spend on bills at the house. Which does not include food, or car expenses. If I even some money then I will be able to look for any job that will pay for January. I have to sit down and make out a plan. Like if I don't have a job by Feb 1st then I will move home. There isn't that much holding me to this city except the cheap rent and my love of Boston.
I'll have to do some deep thinking about this. Wish me luck.
 | I am rigidly organised and regimented, although my cold and unapproachable exterior hides a clever way of thinking and a rebellious and innovative nature. A lot of people don't understand me, but I can still affect them on an emotional level. |
Which work of art would you be? The Art Test
I really need to get out of the house RIGHT NOW!
12:44 PM
Mr. Pink got nuthin on me
Okay really, I need a job.
12:03 PM
Price is Money
The high point of my day so far: 3 people get $1.00 and win $1000 in one Showcase Showdown. Oh I live the life.
Tuesday, December 04, 2001
6:56 PM
Jakwon
So my friend Keith now has a weblog. Neatly non-titled Jakwon. Pretty sparse, didn't even use one of the blogger templates, but he is new to the game. My original design was pretty sparse too, but that was only for one month and then my replacement looked a tad bit better, but not much. But it was my own design.
I've known Keith since 1991. We both went to the same high school but he graduated 2 years before me and I only met him after I graduated. At the time I started hanging with a new group of friends and Keith was one of the crowd. Now he is the only one from that group that I still speak to. I just lost track with the rest of them but, for some odd reason, I still speak to Keith. Okay it's not that odd of a reason, I really never fit in completely with that old group, and really there were only a few people in it that I ever considered true friends, the rest were just acquaintances.
So I kept in touch with him. Went to his wedding. Went to his divorce. (Well there wasn't an event for that but we went to a bar.) Knew him when he was forced to once again live in West Islip with his parents cause he was low on funds, and know him now that he has a job and a nice pad in Brooklyn. This is the guy who keeps telling me to write write write. So he will be the one that gets to read first what ever I do actually, if I ever start, write.
I gotta stop watching TV while I write, it just totally throws the flow.
Well time for darts.
4:28 PM
So some more system cleaning today. It seems that I haven't updated my virus files in awhile. So I did that.
I WAS INFECTED! I had the SunOS/Box Poison.defaced. I'm clean now. Wonder how long it was there?
Monday, December 03, 2001
12:45 PM
Some great pictures on onfocus, he has a good eye. This is my favorite. Very stark. This a close second.
12:15 PM
A larger and more fleshed out article on the Segway by TIME magazine. This looks very interseting, hopefully by the time that the consumer version is out it will be cheaper, but in a couple of years (if still around) it will be under $1000. I wouldn't mind trying one out before then though. It looks fun. Really fun. I want one.
But then again I want a job first.
The Segway Website.
More articles: (that rely to heavily on the TIME article)
Wired Article.
CNET article.
BBC News SCI/Tech.
Sunday, December 02, 2001
10:55 PM
IT is finally here, no longer Ginger it is now The Segway Human Transporter.
Saturday, December 01, 2001
11:38 PM
 | If I was a James Bond villain, I would be Hugo Drax. I enjoy rare orchids, hunting people with dogs, and passing judgment on humanity as unworthy of life. I am played by Michael Lonsdale in Moonraker. Who would you be? James Bond Villain Personality Test |
5:46 PM
Today is World AIDs day. Which usually meant "a day without Weblogs" but now it is a day for reference links and personal stories. I, luckily, have never had a friend die of AIDs complications so my links will be to sites about and information on AIDs.
New York Times Articles Today: (requires free account to access)
AIDS Day Filled With Reflection
China Ends AIDS Silence, Mandela Calls for Drugs
World AIDs Day site.
Time Magazine's AIDs in Africa site.
AIDs and Africa
AIDs Action Committee (Boston)
Inspiring Stories of Living with AIDs
4:24 PM
Happy Birthday to Rex Stout. Born today in 1886.
