Sonic fixations



1. Her Space Holiday's video "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" is awesome! Click on sights and sounds.



2. While browsing through the iTunes music store, I found out that Postal Service has a cover of Phil Collins' Against All Odds. It's in the Wicker Park soundtrack, which has an interesting track list.



3. The saddest song I've ever heard: Arvo Part's Spiegel im Spiegel



4. If I Were A Carpenter. I love Sonic Youth's Superstar cover.

Under the Blazing Heat of the Sun: A Day (Well, Six Hours) at the US Open



This is supposed to be a slide show presentation of sorts but I'm too lazy to actually make one so you'll have to imagine the pictures fading out instead of you actually just scrolling down. While you're at it, imagine Polyphonic Spree's Light and Day playing in the background.









Arthur Ashe stadium





an Agassi action shot





another Agassi action shot with some tummy exposure





Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams played a really good game. (Davenport won)





Venus (in one of her pretty little outfits) action shot. That's Serena in the orange shirt above the Heineken sign.



The pictures have a paparazzi-like feel precisely because they were taken from quite a distance. Last year I saw a pregnant Steffi Graf through my binoculars. Later in the day, when our brain cells got enough sun stimulation, we realized that the people on the other side of the stadium were less likely to get skin cancer as they were under some sort of shade, so we moved and found some seats a few rows down.

Dog day Friday



Today when my co-worker, the one who always gives me a hard time, snapped at me, I snapped back. We snapped at each other for a good two minutes and the whole department fell silent. Even my boss was quiet. That was the first time I ever really talked back to her after months and months of her being nasty to me. I think I shocked everyone. When I got back to my desk, I was upset but also kind of giddy. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from grinning like a crazy fool. Woohoooo!!!

All quiet on the eastern front



The RNC sessions and related events have been peaceful, to my knowledge, so far. Arrests have been plentiful and unreasonable at times. 264 arrests at the bike rally. On the other hand, I've also had the misfortune of being stuck on the same train as drunken young men who had come from a protest. Next.



Giancarlo Giannini, who played the sailor in the original Swept Away, also plays Enzo the producer on CQ.



Today was interesting. One of my co-workers was so obviously drunk; if we had struck a match near him he would have burst into flames right there. I am officially sick of my job.



Still loving my iPod.



Betsey Johnson dresses are $100 in Woodbury Commons.

Dela- where?



Camping was fun, if you're into the whole sleeping-in-a-wet-tent-smothered-by-a-sleeping-bag thing. We went to this shithole called Upper Delaware Campgrounds that didn't even have proper bathroom facilities. The campsite itself could have been beautiful if it weren't surrounded by puddles of water. We were right by the river and the mist in the early mornings made it all the more authentic.







When we got there late Friday night, the rain was pour-ing. That cute little tent I bought on ebay wasn't so easy to set up particularly when it is dark, wet, and one is wearing an oversized soaked poncho - a real one, not one of those pretty little numbers. It took six of us to finally get my "water-resistant, not waterproof" (according to the wet manual) tent up. By that time, of course, it was soaked. I was soaked. My slacks and blouse were soaked (I came straight from the office). So we just changed into swimsuits and splish splashed in the rain, Filipino style. We also waded in the river (the current was too strong to go further than a foot or two from the bank) and ducked and turned our flashlights off when the roving patrol came by. So that was fun.



One of the things I realized on that trip is that I am not an outdoors person, no matter how hard I try to be. I thought I came prepared. After all, I had been to the camping section in KMart and bought essentials and nice-to-haves like a floating(!) lantern, an emergency blanket, utensils that interlocked, a poncho, an extra duffel bag. And the day before I'd gone to Modell's and bought a backpack, a flashlight, a tarp, and pool slippers (they were on sale). But the next day, we went hiking and got lost and the only shoes I had were these pretty, white Tommy Hilfiger maryjanes that were clearly made for city walking. Of course, I slipped and slid on the rocks and the mud and my disposable poncho was torn and I had to roll up my capris because I hadn't brought shorts. Also I had to borrow an air mattress because I clearly could not just lay out my sleeping bag on my wet tent floor. I'd forgotten to buy extra seam sealer and I slept with a roll of paper towel beside me just in case the water soaked through the towels I had lined my tent seams with. Also, the next night when it was freezing, I only had the cable knit hoodie that matched my outfit, but could not keep the cold out.



Anway, the next day, we sent a team to the town to buy out the local grocery store's tarp supply. We completely rain-proofed the entire campsite. One guy, whose talent in tying tarps bordered on genius, set up an elaborate web of tarps, in anticipation of the direction of rain flow. True to the laws of the universe, it did not rain at all.