What am I supposed to do, work?

We had no server or internet access for the first five hours of my workday. Obviously this dark period has ended. Although I can't seem to leave any comments on others' livejournals to save my life.

Last night I watched the second Harry Potter movie while dommeyourass sewed sock puppets of Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice. They were both looking good, especially Condi -- I liked to make the puppets interact with her cat. While the movie made for enjoyable enough entertainment, I just wasn't that into it. I wasn't bored, I just wasn't compelled either. Or at least the compulsion for nicotine and chocolate was stronger so I went to the corner store and didn't ask to have the movie paused.

I worked at Borders when the first book blew up on the bestseller list and folks started salivating for the release of second. I continued working at a different bookstore when books three or four came out. I would offer this as explanation for my aversion to the series, but I had plenty of co-workers who devoured them and enjoyed them and they handled the books as much as I did. I'm not sure why I just haven't gotten into them. I tried reading the first one while hiding in the receiving area one day, and I got drowsy. Once when I was sick, my ex-gf K tried reading aloud to me the first book while I lay in bed. I was so uncomfortable with my stomach pain that I couldn't stand to listen to anything, but I shut my mouth to humor her.

I truly don't find the phenomenon of the books strange or lame or silly -- I completely understand the dozens of intelligent adult friends of mine who have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I loved the Chronicles of Narnia, the Edward Eager books (Half-Magic, Seven Day Magic, etc.), the Indian in the Cupboard, Lord of the Rings, and other fanciful and magical type books growing up and as an adult But for some reason, Harry Potter just didn't take. I don't think I'm going to be like any of my friends anytime soon. Possibly never.

Last night I became lucid while dreaming. Though it wasn't hardcorse REM dreaming -- more the kind that starts as your drifting off before fully asleep. The sound of the passing el train helped tip me off -- I heard it in my dream, and it made me remember that I was still in bed and not wandering the rainy streets going CD shopping at 3 am. Yeah, it didn't make sense to my dreaming self either, and I was on my way back to bed when I just suddenly remember "wait, I'm already there!" I didn't stay lucid for much longer -- in fact, I just woke up compeletely because I had to go to the bathroom.

I was sort of hoping our computer problems would last all day so I could go home early. Now that I've had my internet fix, I'm feeling all sated and drowsy. I'm sure the Arby's roast beef sandwich didn't help either.

Until after five years, if you live that long.

I took home a big pile of CD's that had been playing nonstop at work and exchanged them for some other albums that I wanted to become better acquainted with. Now I'm bitterly wishing some of my other CD's were here. I'm not sure why I'm so music-moody these days. Several times this week I'll start an album and once I'm a couple songs into it, I switch it out for another. Or I'll just listen to one song on repeat until I drive the neighbors mad, only to rip it out halfway through in a fit of exasperation.

I was dying to leave the office from the approximate time 9 am until 3:30 pm. Now I'm quite comfortable sitting here in the quiet of a near-empty environment, puttering around online while half-heartedly researching state laws on glbt inclusive domestic violence laws. I don't think this will last much longer. I'm sure by 4:45 pm I'll quite content to leave and go home.

Damn, I need a new job.

Before I go, a story!

In college I was slightly smitten with this guy named Joe, though not Joe-the-film-student who was good friends with my friend. A different Joe. This one had shaggy brown hair and a full beard and wore colorful tie-dye. Obviously it wasn't his fashion that wooed me, but instead his fabulously warm smile and wicked sense of humor. He also just seemed like a geniunely happy person and liked to make people laugh and showed interest in their lives. The first time we hung out was with two other friends in his small single dorm room. He got up periodically to take swigs out of a bottle of jack daniels in the closet. He played guitar and we got started talking about Paul & Linda McCartney and the video "Comin' Up" or whatever it's called, and then he picked up the guitar and started playing REM's Everybody Hurts which we performed in the style of Paul and Linda. It was hiLAYrious.

One night at dinner Joe told a story I've possibly told more than him. He went to a U2 concert during the Joshua Tree tour in Ireland. Bono was introducing the song "With or Without You". He talked about the woman he wrote it for, an older girl (a neighbor?) who he was in love and how it was a "sweet sweet love". He went on and on about her, when a fan from the front yelled out with this thick drunken brogue: "DID YOU FUCK HER, BONO?!" Bono went stark raving mad, pacing around the stage, yelling at the guy. Then he said, "just for that, we're going on to Bullet the Blue Sky!" and he cued the band.

When my friend heard this story, her first words were "damn, I would have been mad -- I love With or Without You."