May 29, 2004
500 yen
man, it was 5 of the best bucks i`ve ever spent.
rinsing the bangkok grime and sweat off of me was quite delightful.
my five dollars bought me a half-hour rental of a bathroom.
the contents were as follows: 1 fancy bidet/toilet - which i didn`t use and regretfully didn't photograph, 1 sink, 1, 3/4 length shower, 1 dressing table of sorts in the ante-room, 1 bath towel, 1 hand towel, 1 floormat, 1 shower cap, 1 comb, 1 hair dryer, 1 roll of toilet paper, 1 oscillating fan, one container each: hair tonic, body lotion, body soap, rinse-in shampoo.
i did not use any of the complimentary hair tonic, but did partake of the body soap and the `rinse-in shampoo.`
the water pressure of the shower was excellent.
as an added bonus, the lady attendants giggled at me when i said `arrigato!`
May 24, 2004
anything goes
last night on the street in bangkok, i fed and pet an elephant. i guess it was a mid-sized elephant. my guess is that it was about 8 feet tall to the top of his/her head. i'll post the photo when i get home and get a better look at it.
i think someone in the group i was with gave the guy with the sugarcane(what we fed the elephant) the equivalent of like 2 american dollars.
you just don't see that kind of stuff in chicago.
later, i enjoyed two singha's for about a total of $3, played pool, and discussed near death experiences with the australians i'm working with.
earlier that day, i got to go to a thai grocery store to run some errands for my team. i nearly died on the 5 minute walk back to the hotel. it is nasty, stinking, hot and humid here at 3 in the afternoon.
May 16, 2004
pad thai
i'm going to bangkok.
i leave this friday.
pretty cool, huh?
i can't help but be reminded of margaret cho's description of the city:
"see pussy play ping pong!"
May 14, 2004
dern tootin'
this is the front license plate on a car at the quickie mart in florida.
in lawless florida, famous for its hanging chads, having an official, identifying plate on the front of your car isn't required. consequently, many choose to decorate these empty spots with personal identifying signs that quip, "i'd rather be golfing", or "my other car is a/an 'insert something stupid here'", or my personal favorite, "Dern tootin' I'm a REBEL!"
oh florida, how i miss you.
May 12, 2004
screw up.
except maybe for telling you that these were the only instructions that were sent with my friend steev's bed.
menus galore!
do you know how cool amazon is??!!??
they have menus for restaurants on their site!
i have to worry about saving all my food stained carryout menus no more.
i can't remember all the cities they have menus for, but chicago is one of them. god bless 'em!
now my indian food is on the way -
it's the greatest thing ever.
ok, maybe one of the greatest things ever.
May 11, 2004
this is me, in orlando, being a geek.
this is me. in orlando. my flight is delayed. two reasons.
1. weather. 2. mechnical problems.
florida is torturing me. i just want to get back to chicago where the humidity isn't 90% and the people don't drive with their turn signals on.
i used my future phone to take the photo and a bluetooth connection with my gprs service to post this. few better ways to kill time while waiting for a delayed flight i guess, huh?
i'm also proud to report that while waiting for the flight, i pulled off my first bluejack. i sent several 'contacts' to a powerbook across the way. she's probably still confused. she was laughing, though.
so very geeky, indeed.
May 08, 2004
try a smaller hill.
<-- this nifty old sled with metal runners, i came across this regional medical emergencies site from reno, nevada.
among many other things, i learned that 'ziploc bags filled with snow make quick cold packs.'
quite possibly the best psa i'll see all year - and just in time for summer!
by the way, the sled's found a new home with a smart, super happy 8 year old kid! he knows that 'metal runner sleds position the rider off the ground and away from small, stationary objects.'
May 07, 2004
sexy hardware, sexier name
unlike home depot, there are plenty of knowledgable people at the crafty beaver available to help you. in fact, it's better to just tell them what you're looking for and let them guide you around the store. this is how a hardware store should be. they also have an amazing machine there for cutting plywood. they charge you .25/cut, i think. what a deal! i love the crafty beaver.
this trip, i got some ceiling hooks, a filter for my heater (it's 24x14x1 in case you're wanting to send gifts), and a watering can. i spent less than 8 dollars.
May 05, 2004
spun sugar
it was at a catering place.
it is so creepy, that i think it needs to be at my next party.
i'll cover the sofa in plastic and we'll all get sticky.
it'll be great. we'll all have nightmares.
May 04, 2004
lion's mane or trainwreck?
we can watch frank o. gehry's bandshell/trainwreck being built in millennium park on this webcam. as is the norm with all of gehry's projects, our bandshell is behind schedule and over budget.
at least chicago is finally cool again. apparently, cities just aren't 'it' till they have a gehry of their own.
i'm looking forward to summer afternoons sitting under the spiderweb and being blinded by the southern sun reflected back in my face by the stainless steel 'curls'. that'll be living.
me and my future phone
i mean, how many times have you been walking down the street and said, 'damn, i wish i had a camera?' well, now i have a camera with me _all_the_time_. i'm going to try to take a picture of something at least halfway interesting/disturbing/funny/sickeningly cute/what have you, each day. if i'm going to indeed be 'right there with it', i could start showing where 'it' is, i guess.
so, i've already started. behold the post below.
trixie invasion?
as i was walking past charlie's ale house in andersonville today, it became immediately apparent without doubt what i had been suspecting for months - - this bar does not belong in andersonville.
how did i come to realize this?
this sign was posted in the window.
uh huh. a 'friends' party. really... eww.
honestly, i wasn't aware that the population of andersonville would be able to support such an event. the charlie's ale house in lincoln park, sure... but andersonville? please, no! i moved out of lincoln park to get away from such insipidness.
maybe i'll go spy and take some more photos to confirm my fears.
