The Bald Guy Who Was In The Fifth Element and The Sixth Sense

You have all failed in stopping me from buying second-hand Penguin books. I hope you can live with yourselves.

Last night, I did something that will cause Bonnie to hurt me when I get home. I suggested that we play Trivial Pursuit. Would it help if I added that it was the '90s Edition instead of the usual one? I didn't think so. Anyway, that's what we did; Naomi and Stacie on one side, Laura and me on the other, in a game taken to the death! Well, almost. Naomi and Stacie, in a fit of silly generosity let us have one piece question when we perhaps shouldn't have; two rolls later, we had won the game. As ever, the NFL, NHL, and MLB questions were our major stumbling-block. But we prevailed!

Today, after buying the illicit Penguin (and it really is illicit, seeing as how it has "because of copyright laws, this book cannot be sold in the U.S. or Canada" printed on the back), I finally got to experience Tofu Tuesday at Carrburritos, which Christa has mentioned a few times since April. After having lunch with her there, I can say to things: firstly, the tofu (fried with jalapeno peppers amongst other things ) is really good, and secondly, don't eat a burrito with a knife and fork. For you will be mocked. Which leads to other avenues of mocking and a rather pink face. I will have my vengeance! Hmm, perhaps I need to break out some of those evil moustaches…

I denied the iPod for the third time tonight. Which means I'll probably have broken tomorrow. Then Laura and I spent an entertaining twenty minutes somehow managing to lose each other in Southpoint. We are Special.

An Indian dinner, and I Am Curious (Yellow) to finish, I think. Return To Oz soon, too!

currently playing: The Go-Gos — We Got The Bet

Pretty Houses!

Awwwww.

Eeeeep!

Laura's House!

2007, then.

I’m still disappointed about Autobot City: Earth.

And: who on Earth stops Blue Monday half-way through? WHOO?

Anyway, happy new year! I spent the last day of 2006 on a candy thermometer hunt with Stacie. We went here, we went there, we went back there, to somewhere else, and eventually found our prize waiting for us in Target.

And then, well, after phoning home, it was almost time for the trip to Durham. I was told that I'd be picked up at 9:30 sharp, only for a clothing combination conundrum to delay that slightly. Christa and I made it over to Durham at a reasonable hour (stopping first at Alex's (Mandy's boyfriend) apartment, where I stared at the books in envy and realised I'm getting to the stage where I look at old editions og Pynchon books and think 'oooh, those are pretty. I'd like those!', despite having perfectly good copies of them back home. It's a disease. Just keep me away from bookshops selling old Penguin books, I beg your), and spent the first few hours of 2007 alternately dancing and sitting. Oh, and drinking. Yes, the drinking. I seemed to spend quite a bit of time with Heather (possibly because I looked sober enough to hold some of a conversation while her friends were in the other room dancing. I'm not sure whether I really was, but I tried to keep sentences as coherent as possible).

I think Collin and I finally went to sleep around 4am. Sleeping on the dancefloor itself. That's how hardcore we are. Erm, yes. Anyway. it was surprisingly comfortable for a wooden floor, or perhaps that was just the alcohol making us numb. Either way, a half-decent sleep, followed by breakfast a la Wyatt, and then a quick dash back to Carrboro for Collin to work a shift at Weaver Street. Goodness knows how he's going to do that…

Today? Today, I went for a walk and got completely soaked. The rain was really quite hard. Hopefully it won't last.

currently playing: Johnny Boy - 15 Minutes

DATA #10

LAURA: So, have you eaten today?
IAN: Um, I think I had six or so tic-tacs earlier.

In fairness, the Mexican meal we ended up having could have fed an army.

Yesterday, then, I made up for the earlier Target Misadventures of April. I made it from Carrboro to Laura's house in Durham without getting lost once; the only trouble was waiting for the TTA and DATA buses to and from New Hope Commons. Hurrah!

I spent most of the day in Durham, meeting a still quite sick Laura and a on-her-way-to-getting-sick Naomi. There was chatter, Little Miss Sunshine, and much other fun. Plus, I finally got to find out where Laura works and what she does!

Afterwards, I had another mini-adventure, walking over to Christa's apartment for a night of gin, jewellery, and silent films from the 1920s. A very enjoyable Saturday night, there.

Umm, and at some point, I guess I will start taking pictures of people…

currently playing: something playing in the café

Day 3: In Which The Author Wonders

The most unlikely name for whisky ever?

I got PRESENTS last night! A weird and wonderful collection of chopsticks, tic-tacs, a pocket accordion, a device for throwing miniature babies, a set of EVIL PENCIL-THIN MOUSTACHES, and other delights from Christa. Hurrah! All that plus a return to OCSC!

Today - Stacie! We finally met up for lunch, but first we paid a visit to Srav down in the depths of Lenoir Hall. Plus a walk through Battle Park, DS experiments in Panera, a Starscream toy hanging lonely on the racks in Toys R Us (no Wii, but they do have classic controllers), and then a little rest back here at Collin's. The lazy day, then.

currently playing: Shimura Curves – Keep My Name Out Of Your Blog

Also:

Woohoo! We’ve finally finished paying for World War II!

currently playing: Lemon Jelly – The Fruity Track

I Am A Consumer Whore! And How!

Today: Shopping.

As I've mentioned before, there's something about being here that brings out my inner "MUST CONSUME OMG!". So, after waking up at 7:30am, I went down to Franklin Street and caught the bus to Southpoint. That turned out to be its own mini-adventure, because South Road is closed for construction. As an aside, since I've been coming here in 2002, UNC has resembled a vast building site, and it seems to be getting worse, not better. They still haven't finished the work next to Sitterson Hall (the Computer Science building where I spent a lot of 2002, and somewhat less of 2003 ensconced in). Anyway, that meant there was a rather long detour before getting anywhere near the mall again.

And again, it marks me out as a good little consumer, but I really like Southpoint Mall. I don't even have to buy anything; just looking around the shops, checking mail in the Apple Store and reading in Barnes & Noble is good enough for me. Mostly. For today, I was on a mission! Off to American Eagle, where this exchange of events occurred:

CUTE GIRL: How are you doing today, sir?
FLUSTERED IAN: Erm, fine thank you;.
CUTE GIRL: Is there anything you're looking for?
FLUSTERED IAN (suddenly emblazoned with purpose): Actually, yes!

(Ian reaches into his backpack, pulling out an A4 piece of paper with a picture of a sweater on it)

FLUSTERED IAN: Do you have any of these?
CUTE GIRL (a little flustered herself, looks to her left): Umm, I think they're over there...

(Ian throws himself into the women's clothing section)

FLUSTERED IAN: Thank you!

But I got the sweater. So hurrah! Then, off to Gap to see if I could get anything approaching a sane price (and I think a thick scarf for £3 plus a jumper for £10 counts, there). Then the Apple Store. Oh, Apple, you temptress. But I was strong! I walked out with my wallet intact (besides, I have to wait for the traveller's cheques to clear. Which I thought would happen immediately, but, er, it hasn't just yet).

Eventually, I pulled myself back to Chapel Hill, getting a phone call from a sick Laura. Struck down with 'flu and popped ears. Get well soon!

I made my way back down Franklin, seeing how much work has been done on the new hotel, getting a little sad about the bookshop being offered for sale, and yes, going into the fine, the fabulous Chapel Hill Comics to pick up my copies of Phonogram (which would have been complete if someone had kept to a monthly schedule), picked up another book for the Secret 2007 Project (if I say it enough times, it'll force me to make it happen, I guess), and got some lunch at Wendy's.

Oh my goodness. I had forgotten that Wendy's changed all their sizes since I've been away. And not in a good way. For, you see, they got rid of their small combo, replacing it with the medium, and the large combo became the medium. The new large combo seems to come in reinforced corrugated cardboard plus a plastic 42 fl oz soda. And perhaps they call 911 for you after the heart attack too. Even the small was too much for me, and I'm still feeling bloated from it now (and I was glad that I went for chicken, otherwise I don't think I would have made it through the afternoon).

Sadly, tacie and I couldn't meet up today, but I did have a visit from Esther and Ryan before they headed back to Concord. And I got a lovely collection of little toys and a robot notebook from her. Plus, they might visit in 2007, which would be quite splendid.

And now? Now, I'm sitting back in Collin's apartment with my new shiny toy: an 80Gb USB-powered hard drive. It's going to come in handy for another little project lalalalalala

currently playing: Johnny Boy – Johnny Boy Theme