July 03

The lottery is often dismissed as a tax on people who can't do math.

I can't argue with that, really. I was a liberal arts major, so it turns out that I'm not that good at math. Still, I don't see the harm in purchasing the occasional scratch ticket, or powerball ticket, or even the odd raffle ticket. I'm certainly not gambling great amounts of money on stuff like this -- I can't afford to -- but it's nice to entertain notions about what Boyfriend and I would do if we were to win all that money. The powerball, by the way, is up to $113 million tonight.

$113 million. That's a lot of Dr Pepper ....

184/365 -

March 22

This was nearly the edit-in that wasn't.

I've been lazy about showing up on time at National Novel Editing Month events, since I'm not actively participating. I'm there more for moral support than any real editing purpose. Nonetheless, I'm usually there.

This afternoon, I was running a little late. Life interfered, and I took care of life first. While I was taking care of life, about 45 minutes after the edit-in was scheduled to begin, my phone rang. Anna was on the line, telling me to tell everyone that she was on the way. I chuckled at her naïve assumption that I was there, and we began making phone calls -- only to discover that nobody we knew was around.

Marion, meanwhile, was there, but wasn't sure there was an edit-in, since nobody else was at the restaurant. So she went to our other usual venue and discovered nobody there, either. Marion spent a considerable amount of time running to and fro, trying to find the edit-in. Finally, she thought to call me to find out what was going on.

I arrived at the event about a minute before it was scheduled to end, and thanks to Brandon's arrival two hours later, I was not the last person to arrive. Having friends like this is pretty darn cool. For once, I'm among people who are just as screwed up as I am.

81/365 -

March 06

There's something to be said for ending the day on a high note. I loathe the snow, so I find very little amusing about it. However, on my way to my car after getting off work last night (or, more correctly, early this morning), I saw this. Then I laughed, unlimbered my backpack, took out my camera, and took the picture.

This is the exit in front of the Colonnade Hotel from the E Line at Prudential. Somebody -- a prankster, or one of the many art students who roam the sidewalks at night -- had put a "carrots" sign, such as you might see in a freshly-tilled garden, in the snowbank. I've been studying the photo and can't really explain why I think it's funny. I just think it is.

I ended the day laughing at this wretched snow, which was a perfectly marvelous way to end a long day, and hopefully will be my bon voyage to the wretched stuff for the season.

65/365 -

January 26

It's been a snowy and chilly winter in Boston. Tomorrow's forecast, into Wednesday, is calling for snow and winds and other assorted nastiness. With the current temperature at 12 degrees Fahrenheit, it's long past time to quit wishing for warmer weather and get down to the business of staying warm. This means wearing coats, long johns, gloves, scarves, and a hat.

So here I am, modeling my new winter hat. It cost the princely sum of $12 at a booth in Back Bay Station. Considering its modest price, fake fur and polyester construction, it's surprisingly warm -- warm enough that I'm willing to go around looking like Nanook of the North wearing the thing.

I think I'm going to continue to wish for warmer weather, though. Spring arrives on March 21st, so it's only 53 days away. Only 53 ever-lengthening days.

26/365 -

January 24

When you go to KFC with an artist and a sharpie in your backpack, the unexpected will happen.

Harland David Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders, founded Kentucky Fried Chicken. His face is synonymous with the fast-food chain, and his cartoon image adorns buckets, cups, and signs at the restaurant. However, my friend Keith (the artist in question) decided that the good colonel needed a facelift. In Keith's able hands (kooky, perhaps, but able), ol' Harland got a perm, edgier facial hair, and noticeably hairier eyebrows.

While I'm sure other people have interesting lives and more exciting ways of spending a Saturday night, I doubt they're as entertained as I was by this little bit of impromptu artistry.

24/365 -

January 13

I was beside myself trying to come up with an image to post for the Photo of the Day.

No, really. I was -- albeit, not this literally.

It was a slow day for me, and I didn't get nearly as much done as I'd intended. I didn't get my car in for an oil change, I didn't get my car in for it's annual inspection, and other than helping a friend with a craigslist advert, I didn't accomplish bupkis today. It's not like I was even very busy.

Unfortunately, slow days don't always find me at my most creative, or my most observant, or my most experimental. Today was the exception.

I had to do a little repair work on my "boot," the special shoe I'm wearing on my right foot until it heals (which it's doing, albeit too slowly). The photo of the toe of the boot, having been carefully super-glued back together and adorned with a wooden sunburst of clothespins, was my best option until I decided to bend the self-portrait rule and do a little Photoshop magic.

13/365 -

January 12

I've been a happy iPhone user for a little more than a year now. While I was initial skeptical, following the hype of the original iPhone's release, using the phone on a day-to-day basis won me over.

It was kind of distressing when my phone began turning itself off, apparently at random. The iPhone is a small computer, and when you're done, it goes to sleep, but it's always ready to wake up for an alarm or an incoming call. I restored my software to a new configuration, on the advice of Apple, and the problem didn't go away. The folks at Apple were adamant that the problem was software-related -- which didn't make sense to me. I narrowed the problem down to the switch at the top of the phone sticking.

The stars and moons aligned today, and I was able to find a parking space near the AT&T Wireless store. I went in and told them about my problem, only to be told that yeah, three people today have had the same problem with the switch sticking. Unfortunately, the repair involves shipping the iPhone out to Apple and waiting, so I opted to buy a new iPhone (pictured above).

12/365 -