associated in random thought

things i see.

alright, so i admit that, lately, my bloglife has been less than satisfying, both to you as reader, and to me as writer. everything has simply been a bit lackluster recently. here's the breakdown, the kind anyone gets on the phone when they ask "so how are you?"

i am working. a lot. voluntary overtime, which translates to passive-agressive mandatory overtime. fiftyish hours a week. i wake up, and groggily drive to work with a mug full of strong coffee. ipod loaded with tunes to wake me up (radiohead today), and two cigarettes for the thirty minute commute in austin traffic. and then i solve the myriad problems of apple consumers for the next twelve hours. and then i drive home. play with the puppies, and watch cable (!) tv with helen until nearly passing out on the couch. i take the pups out for their evening squat, feed the turtle, and go to bed. and that's about it.

but what about those in-between hours, you ask? well. there is so much to explore online between phonecalls, and i have been amusing myself with my flickr page. i've even been taking pics at work, enjoying the opportunity to find things worth looking at in such a suburban, business park world. (photoshop helps.)

also, i've been taking mental notes about call center culture, such as:

1. in a long line of bathroom stalls, stall #2 is everyone's favorite. it's almost always out of toilet paper. my rationale for this phenomenon? stall #1 is too close to the door, and if you were to take that one, everyone would assume you have diarrhea, and couldn't make it to stall #2. stalls further down the line are too far away from the door, so if you do have diarrhea, there is a chance you'll have to pass someone on your way out of the bathroom, and they'll know it was you making the weird noises. by choosing stall #2, you are choosing convenience, and making a statement to the rest of the bathroom: i'm just peeing here.

2. out at the smoking depot, it is very fun to be the conversation starter. usually, people just stand around like they're waiting for a bus, holding their cigarette like a joint, staring at their feet. but if you say something, anything, a conversation begins and evolves quickly into character-revelation. for instance, the other day i was standing outside with h, a guy who likes phish and jamgrass music. he's a corporate guy, but can tell he was probably a stoner back in the day. i mention his briefcase, tell him he looks so sophisticated with it: intimidating. he laughs, and says that he used to only wear ripped jeans and he used to have a fro. and then he makes a comment about how quickly my hair is growing, and how it always seems to be a different color every week. we laugh: we've noticed each other. mr engineer guy, the tall skinny man with cropped greying hair and wire-rimmed glasses, pipes in. "i used to have really long hair," he states and pulls out his driver's license. indeed, he did. it was a cross between headbanger/creepy long hair--waist-length--and thin on top. i don't want to mention that he looks way less scary with his engineer haircut, but he says it for me: "yeah, when i realized that i was going completely bald on top, i decided it was time to get rid of it, or else buy a big old van with no windows."

3. i've edited for job-security purposes. i don't want to end up like dooce.

so yes, i'm trying to remain awake in these sleepy days of vast repetition. every night, i drive home in crisp air darkness, and the stars are pinholes. the interstate is somehow backed up, even at nine or ten, and so as i drive over the decks just north of downtown, i get a good look at the city. austin shines at night, just over there to the right. she's really quite beautiful, and i wave hello every evening. most nights, i just want the slowpoke in front of me to pick it up a bit, but sometimes i get the feeling that i'm living a life while i'm driving. i'm getting to witness the city that is now my home, when it is at its most beautiful. it is a similar feeling to seeing your mother in a new dress.

more later. there are problems to solve over here.