Saturday

[elfs]

The Villa Sternberg has been the hub of much activity, most of it painfully domestic. I cleaned the grill and the kitchen and am trying (but not really succeeding) in doing a purge of all the crap that has accreted onto my desk.

Our errands took us out to guitar center, where for $17 Omaha figured out how to turn a great mike and a crappy little digital recorder into a portable interview studio for her journalistic efforts. While she did that and fed Kouryou-chan, I went and got my haircut with Lancer, all the while eying the other patron, a very cute M-to-F with the kind of eyes that make me imagine making out for hours on end. That's just me, though. Very cute, great skin and hair. For some reason, we had both just been exposed to Loudon Wainright's "I Wish I Was A Lesbian," and started quoting it to each other, much to Lancer's great puzzlement.

Anyway, after that I started walking up Broadway, being accosted by members of the Nationalist Socialist Worker's Party who encouraged me to see Sicko and wanted me to sign their petition to the effect that health care is fucked up. I wandered away. I caught up with Kouryou-chan and Omaha in the park. They had eaten, so I walked over to Dick's and stood in line, all the while listening to some poor woman wandering around the lot, crying her eyes out and having a conversation with someone who wasn't there.

(At least she wasn't as edgy as the guy on the bus last Wednesday who suddenly turned to the unoccupied seat next to him and said, loudly, "I am not Kurt Cobain! I did not write all those crappy songs! I don't care what you think!" He proceeded to keep this up. I wish it were only performance art.)

You're excused.

We stopped by desirae and j5nn5r's place to pick through their garage sale, picking up a VCR since we didn't have one that worked, but we do have all these tapes. Omaha picked up copies of Tron and Princess Bride (the latter of which is 20 years old today, in case anyone is starting to feel young at heart again). They look good; I'll have to help them move. (I still feel guilty about not helping Jen & Technoshaman the last time they moved.)

On the way home we stopped by Home Depot so I could pick up a circular saw for our outdoor project. I chose a corded saw, rather than a cordless. I'm tired of having the power die. In the lot, we saw this great license plate. I had to snap it.

We also passed a car with a bumper sticker, "I played D&D before it was cool." We stopped at a light. "What year did you start playing D&D?" The occupants were about a decade younger than Omaha and I, colorful geeky-- heavyset, bearded, the girl with cornrows, mumu or Hawaiian colors.

"Uh, 1983, I think."

I pointed at Omaha and myself. "1978. Greyhawk!"

"Cool!"

I got home and tried out the saw. I should not be allowed to use such powerful equipment, it's way too much fun. I finished the decking for the kid's playset in a matter of just a few hours, before it began to rain lightly. I'll have pictures of it soon.

Omaha made a delicious beef stew using vegetables from the co-op to which we belong. (We are so neo-Victorian, a lifestyle Neal Stephenson predicted which has now come true. Another thing I was before it was cool.) They're watching Tron. I may go play the video game instead.

---

$200 vinegar.

This photo is from Friday, but I have to share. It's of a 34oz. bottle of vinegar priced at $200. Good grief, talk about use sparingly! I can't believe someone would spend this much money on a tiny amount of vinegar, not even really old Balsamic vinegar.

Comments

[lucky-otter.livejournal.com]

Based on what I've read of your journal, I wouldn't describe you as having an "ethos of propriety, modesty and caution". It has been a long time since I read The Diamond Age, and I don't remember the Neo-Victorians from it, but you don't appear to resemble those described in the linked article.

[damiana-swan.livejournal.com]

If you think a circular saw is fun, you should try a miter saw. *evil grins*

[whipartist.livejournal.com]

My old communal household had a $200 bottle of vinegar. Long story that.

In any case, it's quite wonderful and you only use a few drops at a time.

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

Definitely 1977, possibly very late 1976.

[slfisher.livejournal.com]

yes, same here, because it was when I was in high school.

[kingfox.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... by around 1983, I think it was cool.

Socialist Stoners' Party

[edichka2.livejournal.com]

I remember an encounter with a late-30s (old enough to know better) solicitor on Broadway years ago, in which I was asked to contribute or buy a newspaper or something....

Me: [feeling glib] No thanks, I used to live in the Soviet Union.

Solicitor: But the Soviet Union wasn't socialist, man --

Me: Hmm. [Sensing a potentially interesting conversation about the USSR being socialist/communist in ideology but not in fact, or corrupt in its version of socialist ideology, or something]

Solicitor: They were capitalist, man!

Me: What?!!

Solicitor: Because it's like a few people controlling everyone else, and that's like capitalist, man!

I walked away after tossing out a disparaging remark or two.


- Eddie

[chrish68.livejournal.com]

When did D&D become cool? I must have missed something.

[bolindbergh]

When Jack Chick denounced it as satanist?

[chrish68.livejournal.com]

Y'know, even then, I don't think that announcing your mad D&D skills has ever become the kind of thing that's gonna get you laid or invited to the cool parties. Hell, even as far as RPG's go, I think there's much cooler things to play.

[woggie.livejournal.com]

I guess it had to've been 1976 for me. Midway through Middle School. I didn't even know about Greyhawk until about five years down the road. :p