Hey kids. Don’t worry i’m not ill, i’m not dead. I’m just in new york and away from computers for a week or so. In the meantime, go see stephen.
Alright alright, it seems like rabbit’s hinting at charging for her wares. Even though i’m pretty good at poker-faced bargaining, i admit i kinda would pay $5 a month for some serious daily rabbit blog. But it better be high quality rabbit blog, if ya know what i’m sayin. The kind that never cracks and never rusts. Also, i better be able to pay using something other than Paypal which freaks the fuck out if your credit card address doesn’t end in USA.
IHT: Coping in a strange, new world
“You think, "I’m living in Paris. How can I be miserable?" Yet it happens, even in the most romantic and historic settings. You get the dream assignment in Paris or London, or Florence, settle in – and the bottom falls out.”
From a special section in the Herald Tribune. Ya think they could’ve done this 7 months ago? They say the period of “cultural adjustment” is usually 12 to 18 months. 12 to 18 months! Some of us just have way too low a pain threshold…
More from the Head Lefty In Charge:
So, as i’m changing servers, i won’t even be able to see the new posts for awhile (although those closer to my new server in Missoula, Montana (thanks again to juli for the tip), will see it fresh as mountain spring water from the Rockies. (??)
So the point of all this new server, new system stuff is that as i am approaching the one year anniversary of the blog, i’m thinking about turning it into something different. Less of a diary, more of something else. I haven’t decided what this something else is. But i will. Spring is coming and it’s a time of new beginnings, or so they say. Truth is, anytime is a good time for a new beginning, but spring is sunny and it’s easier to wake up in the morning.
I’m going to New York tomorrow, and a lot of the trip will be making preparations for a new beginning in the non-website portion of my life. New lease, taxes, housing, friends, cats, shitty bread, weak coffee, and good rich serious conversation.
I’m smiling because it’s sunny today and i’m changing hosts.
IHT: Pentagon is arming with words
“The Office of Strategic Influence”, Usually they don’t admit this stuff..
Off to New York for about 10 days on Friday. This week here’s been a tough one, last week was tough too. Finally made some decisions. Now i just have to carry them all out. Haven’t had more than 4 hours of sleep a night in over a week. I don’t know how I’m going to go on like this.
My New York trip is a list of things to resolve. These pending resolutions are what’s keeping me up at night. I turn over scenario after scenario in my mind. Sadistically ending on the worst so i have to get up and drink a glass of water to try and distract myself to the next thing. I’ve seen every hour on my alarm clock out of one open eye, contemplating sleep aids.
I’m not the only American in Paris who’s ground has slipped out from under her. It’s hard here. I guess it’s hard everywhere. I guess i just want to go home.
David Gallagher reminds me of the the city (3 days. 3 days!), Witold reminds me of being goofy, and PFord reminds me i shouldn’t hate birds so much.
Take note.. i’m changing hosts, and then changing my content management system this week (and next if i’m slow). All the reading materials say that there should be no downtime.. but you know…
Another note: I’m finding that “a priori” is like a regular word that French people use in conversation. When was the last time you heard that in English chit chat? (clearly college profs no counto)
So i got to this story in the Times: Driver Who Mowed Down 19 Returned to Hit 7. A very bizarre story about a solitary guy who lives with his mother and goes wacky. It’s kind of hard to follow. As i was reading it, it was a struggle to keep up.
Bloodstains were found on the car’s seat. After learning that the car was registered to Mr. Popadich, investigators expanded their search across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania after they discovered that his credit card had been used at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan to buy an Amtrak ticket to Philadelphia. He apparently took the train to Trenton, where he stayed Wednesday night, and then took another train to northern New Jersey early yesterday.
Egads. Too much brain power on that one. Only if you live in the tri-state area would you know that Trenton is a stop on the Philly train (i think, i’m actually not sure). But yeah, this is a weird story and i bet it’s on the tri-state news twice and hour every hour. I am so removed from this stuff. Obviously i don’t get too much local NYC news here in Paris. I’m sure there is equally trashy local news here in Paris, but i haven’t the resolve to sit through a half hour of local news in French. It’s all i can do get through 15 minutes of international news, just to count how many wars are going on.
Anyway, if i were back in the city, i’m sure i’d be well in step with this bizarre story as well as Greta Van Sustren’s surgery and whatever else clutters up the last 20 mins of the half-hour newscast. It sounds kinda snotty (hey maybe it is), but it’s really nice not to have that crap swimming around in my brain, and 7 months of it too, it’s like a brain enema.
I can’t resolve this: I long for television, i miss it; but i like my brain so much better without it.
New Angeles Monthly, June 2008
Weekend America, March 30, 2008
Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2008
Los Angeles Times, March 6, 2008
Nil by Mouth is written by Neille Ilel. Neille is a writer, reporter and user interface specialist in Los Angeles. If you think that's a lot, she's also got a host of meandering sidelines including improv comedy, tennis, cooking, drawing and thinking about learning to play the guitar.
Nil is her given name. It's a long story.
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