revjim.net

An interesting set of questions for a Friday, stolen from Jet.

If you had the power, what would your ideal weather be today?

My ideal weather for today is the same as it would be on any day. I like temperatures between 65 and 75 with a cool breeze. I like the sky to be partially cloudy. Every now and then, a nice rain is good. I can do without the hot sunny days unless the come with very low dew points — somewhere in the 30s would be great. Really, I can find something to enjoy in almost any climate as long as dew point is low. I can't handle it hot and humid. I find it's the quickest way to turn me into a recluse.

"Download This:" What songs are you happy to put on repeat these days?

I actually have a play list called "Right Now" that rarely contains more than 10 tracks. If I'm in the mood for repeating music I use that playlist and I change the tracks in it regularly. It's not always the most complex music. Often the songs aren't even "good" except that I somehow can't seem to get enough of them. "Since U Been Gone" is probably the strongest occurrence of this in the history of me.

Currently, the list contains the following:

1. Colorful - Rocco Deluca
2. Wings - Josh Ritter
3. Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
4. Train Song - Phish
5. Mayonnaise - Smashing Pumpkins

What's your worst dumping experience?

Oddly enough, I've, technically, never been dumped as in had an official boyfriend-girlfriend relationship ended by the other party. However, I've had a few unofficial relationships ended. The worst of all of these has to be Ashley.

Ashley was a stripper and a coke addict and, despite many warnings from many people, I just couldn't get enough of her. To this day, strangely enough, I still think fondly on the good times that we had.

She started growing distant after a while and the only explanation I was ever given was that she still really liked me but she was just really confused and not sure what she wanted and wasn't even sure she wanted to date MEN any more. That hurt quite a bit, but I let her have whatever freedom she felt she needed. Eventually, we talked less and less until we hardly talked at all. Then, one day I heard through the grapevine that she had started seeing someone else. I was truly heart broken. I decided to just stop contacting her altogether. About a month or so later, out of the blue, my phone was ringing and her name was on the display. My heart jumped with excitement as I answered the phone.

Hello. "Hi, Daniel, it's Ashley." Oh! Hi! How are you? "Good. Listen I wanted to ask you a favor?" Um… sure okay, what's up? "My boyfriend and I are thinking about starting a porn site starring me and I was hoping you could give him some pointers on the technical side of it all?" … "Daniel?" … "Are you there?" … Um. Yeah. Um. Sure… I'd be happy to. I'm busy now, though, can you call back later?

I never answered the phone again.

What quirks/annoying qualities/pet peeves do you have in a car - either driving or passenger side?

My biggest pet peeve is people who are doing something to block traffic, put lives in jeopardy, or otherwise cause strife to other road sharers while, at the same time, holding a mobile phone to their face. I've been known to go out of my way to humiliate and reprimand people who do this.

I don't have a problem with people using the phone when they drive as long as they can do it without causing a disturbance or putting any lives at risk. As drivers, we all have the safety of one another in our hands. When the phone interferes with your ability to drive, you're basically saying that your phone is more important than your life or the lives of the other people sharing the road with you. If that's how you feel about me, then I have no reason to hold you in any higher regard.

My second biggest pet peeve is people who eat inappropriate car food in the car – especially the driver. French fries are easy. Potato chips, fine. A granola bar, great. A messy, dripping hamburger that you have to cram into your face in order to bite, an ear of butter dripping corn, or barbequed pork ribs are all absolutely out of the question. Looking over and seeing someone with one hand on the wheel and the other hand cramming something into, and all over their face absolutely disgusts me. 

One time, while on a road trip, my mom actually purchased clam chowder at a restaurant to feed my dad by the spoonful as we drove, at night, in the ice, over a windy treacherous mountain. I thought I was going to be sick. Jess and I have discussed this at length and we've decided that, most likely, the worst possible food one could be seen eating in a car would be a big plate of spaghetti with marina sauce. I can picture now the slurping of each subsequent noodle causing even more red spots to appear on the back side of the windshield and all over the eaters face.

Best and Worst Things of The Week

Best: Feeling a sense of pride in myself for the work that I perform in my day job as well as my growing abilities as an artistic photographer.

Worst: Knowing that something I did hurt Jess and wanting so badly to somehow make life right and still be able to take it all back.