Click on pic for larger image
A bowling alley a couple miles from my house, the Broadview Bowl, closed back in 2007.
Recently, the “CLOSED” message on its marquee lost a letter.
What’s left on the sign is bad English that is somehow still appropriate, and which carries a strange sense of melancholy.
Page two from my sixth grade journal.
There is so much packed into these faint pencil scratches — I suffer injury, decide to attempt to make a connection with a friend (and forget), struggle under the pressure of my own procrastination, and for no apparent reason switch to cursive handwriting.
Click on journal to make it bigger
I haven’t scanned anything in a while.
Here’s the first page out of a journal I kept in 6th grade. The journal was actually a class assignment we did for credit.
If I remember correctly, you had to keep up with it on a daily basis, filling up at least a half page per day.
You can see I got a “1” on the first page, which I think was not a good thing — probably due to my not fulfilling the half page requirement.
I’ll be posting more pages from this journal — it’s clear to me that I did not enjoy recording my thoughts then as much as I do now, though I did find some inventive ways of stretching my very small journal entries.
Click on journal to make it bigger
I deleted it.
But, rest assured, I am an online drama queen.
To those who did manage to read the post, I got rid of it because I felt I was being a little jerky to the comedy folks. Probably because I’m, y’know, a little emotional and stuff.
Love,
Splotchy
I usually don’t blog about my day-to-day affairs, but this was kind of a fun day.
After work, I:
1) Attended the world premiere of Osso Bucco. It was being shown as part of the first 2008 installment of the Midwest Independent Film Festival. A lot of the cast and crew were present for the screening, including the lead, Mike Starr.
What, you don’t know him? Here, let me help:
Yeah, that guy!
I talked to him briefly at the after-show get-together. He seemed like a really nice guy. I had thought to myself if I got drunk enough I would harangue him into recreating one of his scenes from GoodFellas (with me playing the DeNiro part, of course). Thankfully for all parties concerned, I did not get that drunk.
I should note that Mr. Starr is still available for adoption.
Even cooler than meeting Mike Starr was meeting someone I had not seen for twenty years. I was in line for some food and thought I recognized someone. It turned out he was a grocery bagger at a supermarket in Springfield, Illinois at the same time I was. I was only sixteen at the time. I remember he was one of the bright spots of working there — he was funny and profane. Tonight we didn’t really talk too much as things were rather hectic, but it was really cool seeing him again.
2) Encouraging Signs
I have been a little down and/or worried about my new blog. I had my doubts there was that much negative signage around. Well, in the mall containing the movie theater showing Osso Bucco I saw several instances of negative signage. On my walk to the Belmont El stop I saw several instances of negative signage. On my walk from the downtown Jackson stop to Union Station I saw several instances of negative signage. Even Union Station had negative signage! That’s right! Union motherf*cking Station! I feel better now.
3) As I was walking to find a seat on the 11:40pm train, I noticed a guy wearing an Obama jacket, and some other political looking people. I decided to sit near them and chat them up. It turns out they had just come from an Obama rally at the Hyatt. One of them was repeatedly checking election results from his cellphone. Another person was Illinois State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia.
What, you don’t know her? Here, let me help:
Still nothing?
Anyways, it was an interesting few hours. I hope your Tuesday was Super, or at least a little bit Fat.
Oh, vikkitikitavi.
You had to put Richard Harris in my head. Now I take him out.
Out, Richard Harris! Out!
Mouse
Crutches
Alright, I’m breaking a promise I made just a few posts ago. I am going once more into the emotional landscape of McAwesome’s Gmail status message. Well, perhaps I can be considered to have not broken my promise, as this new status message doesn’t carry the melancholy of the two statuses before it.
C’mon, McAwesome — “exstending”? You expect me to believe your misspelling was not done on purpose? You have prompted me to include another status, one with a unique error — a message which will confirm that yes, I am talking about you, McAwesome, not some potential other McAwesomes running around.
You’re trying to smoke me out, aren’t you? Well, it worked. Consider me out and smoked.
I will be seeing McAwesome tomorrow night, and I hope no sadness or anger will be in evidence. We was just having fun is all and didn’t wanna hurt nobody.
On a positive note, I actually have permission to include this person’s status:
Okay, so we have played What’s In Your Clipboard? here and here.
I’m sure you’ll appreciate this new game.
Here’s how you play…
WHAT’S IN YOUR KEYBOARD?
1) Take your computer keyboard and turn it upside-down.
2) Bang the bottom edge of your keyboard on a hard flat surface for a good five or six minutes (if it is a laptop, you might want to tap rather than bang).
3) Take the detritus which falls out of your keyboard and push it into a pile.
4) Photograph the pile.
5) Put the photograph in a secret place. This photo is to remind you to clean your keyboard frequently — do not share this photo with anyone under any circumstance, because they most likely will shun you for the rest of your life.
6) Post a comment here to indicate how sparkly clean and grunge-free your keyboard naturally is!
Repeat as necessary, and most importantly, have fun.