This journal is almost entirely Friends Only.

(as in years, but also days)

On July 19th, I turn 30 years old. This is somewhat scary, but also a chance to really have a special day. My mother and my girlfriend theadacat are planning a party for me, but I thought it might help for me to mention the time frame.

The possible dates are...

Saturday July 19th - Bonus being it's my birthday, down side being that I just learned that Mike and Miranda are getting married that day, so none of my friends would be available.

Sunday July 20th - Same weekend as my birthday, but would have to be a daytime party, since night time would be tough for people to get back from.

Saturday June 26th - Main bonus being that it doesn't seem to conflict with anything as important. (Until I learn that it does.)

Another weird thought would be just to have my family party on the 19th, and do the friends part at Feast of Min, the weekend before. My friends will mostly be at the event... right? heh

UPDATE: Mom called, to ask about this, to see what I'd want. She's not sure how many family would be around for a family-only party, so a party on another date may be more likely. I guess she and Ada will work that out. I'm happy either way.

Click This Link to help me out in a little online game I play, and join the game yourself.

Iron Man opens next weekend, and all signs point to it being a great movie, and a huge opening weekend. I'm going to be organizing an outing to see it over opening weekend. This post is really a heads-up, to start to see who is interested.

The basic idea:
- See Iron Man as a group
- Very late Friday showing or some time Saturday, probably
- Near Boston

(Yep. I'm organizing things near Boston again, even though so few of us live here. The reasoning, besides the fact that I'm the organizer, is that Boston is incredibly accessible and central. It's reachable from Worcester, Nashua, Derry, and Metro-West.)

So, who wants to come? Any preference on a showing?

UPDATE: I had forgotten that was the weekend of Green & Gold. We may try for a late-night Friday, or even midnight Thurday, so people don't miss the event. Let me know if that makes a difference.

Lack of appetite is not a good thing in combination with a blood sugar problem. I haven't had as much of an appetite for a few weeks now, possibly due to my new medecine. Plus, I feel so ill today because of my sugar crash (and other things) that it took me 20 minutes to decide what to eat. I eventually got something I knew I could choke down, because even as starving as I am, nothing sounds appealing.

Update: Ate half a salad, and a breadstick.

I may be just about the worst person in the world.

I just took the 2008 Presidential Candidate quiz that has been going around, and I'm really glad I did. All of the press coverage of this election has been about the "horse race" and who is on top in the polls from week to week. Very little has been about the actual positions of the candidates.

This quiz lets you prioritize your positions, without knowing which candidate (or even party) is aligned with each option, and then tells you who your best matches are among the current field. I haven't seen any other good ways of doing this lately.

88% Chris Dodd
88% Barack Obama
85% Hillary Clinton
84% Joe Biden
84% Bill Richardson
83% John Edwards
81% Dennis Kucinich
76% Mike Gravel
40% Rudy Giuliani
33% John McCain
27% Mitt Romney
25% Mike Huckabee
20% Ron Paul
19% Tom Tancredo
15% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

My gut instinct has told me that Clinton and Obama are the most electable, Obama and Edwards the most charismatic. I'm torn on voting for Clinton because she really divides opinion, and would bring out the kind of Republican voters that could get another compassionate fascist into power. It's interesting that this puts Obama at the top, in terms of issues-- that helps a lot, really.

Just another reminder... My first art show is THIS SUNDAY! EEEEK!! I mean... Yay!

Since I first announced it so long ago, I'm not sure who has really RSVPed. Hence the constant reminders, so people won't forget, and so they will mention if they are coming. If you've told me in the last couple of weeks you're coming, awesome! With just such people, I'm looking at about 20 people.

Anyhow, enough rambling, here's the reminder/announcement...


Out of the Blue Art Gallery Presents:
Beauty and Darkness: The Photography of Ian C. Struckhoff
at The Middle East Restaurant
Central Square - Cambridge, MA

Sunday January 6th
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Appetizers provided. Drinks and food available.
Everyone welcome to stay after for dinner.

RSVP


That's it. Come meet each other, look at my art, and mingle over tasty middle eastern appetizers for a couple of hours.

I just wanted to quickly remind everyone that my art show is coming up. The opening is the Sunday after New Years, so just over two weeks away-- right after the holidays. It runs from 3-5 pm at the Middle East Restaurant, on Central Square, in Cambridge.

Appetizers will be free, and you can buy drinks there-- I'll be staying after with a few people to eat dinner, as well. We may still have a little more crash space, but the place is small so I'm not sure.

I'd really love it if you could all come and support me at my first show. There's more info on the show at http://ian-x.com/exhibits/1/ (The full sized images linked there are NOT work safe for most people, but not super bad either.) Drop me an email if you have any questions. If you're definitely coming, let me know.

It took me exactly two hours to get back to Somerville from Worcester. Understand that I was in the Boston Metro area within like 45 minutes, tops.

Why did it take me 75 minutes to go 10 miles? Because of two different highways being CLOSED once I got into their FUCKING TUNNELS and literally being sent from west of Boston to south of Boston to north Boston before (get this) not being put BACK ON the highway I should have been on but finding familiar territory so I could get myself home.

JESUS.

Can I move back to New Hampshire? Or Scotland? Or somewhere with reasonable traffic like LOS ANGELES or FUCKING Bombay?

It will probably come as no surprise that going out to the club (where I saw Nikki and Michela) was a lot of fun, but left me feeling even more lonely and melancholy than usual. Doh.

This week, there is a new Terry Pratchett (Discworld) book, "Making Money", and a new Naomi Novik (Temeraire) book, "Empire of Ivory". Both of them are in the mail to arrive tomorrow from Amazin, at a healthy discount, with free shipping.