-As some of you already know, the past week has been busy and somewhat chaotic with my dad hosting a huge reunion for all his high school classmates. There were about a couple hundred folks in town from all over the country-- and world-- for a long weekend of parties and events (translation, lots of food). Quick observations: 1) My 'rents may be older, but they know how to party. They were probably out til 2 am and up by 8 am for a few days straight. 2) Huan's new nickname is officially "Binh Juniaaa." 3) Someone actually thought I was only 13 years old. Awesome. I can usually accept the 15, the 16, but 13? Good god! Hopefully that means when I'm 33 I'll look like I'm 23...
-I just watched "Million Dollar Baby" last night. That's right, after my boycott I finally gave in after hearing a number of "I know you hate Hilary Swank, but it's still a really great movie..." So I decided to pop it into the player and give it a try. Hate to say it, but I didn't love the movie. It was "fine," but I wouldn't go as far as to call it the movie of the year starring the actress of the year, and so on and so forth... Yes, great little drama about an underdog who wants to realize her dreams and become a successful boxer (this basic plot sounds all-too-familiar), but then a terrible and untimely tragedy strikes, and you know the rest. Aside from what I felt were "stock" characters, I also thought the countless dark and shadowy scenes were overdone. In fairness, I'm sure most of my critique is still heavily influenced by the negative bias I took into the movie, though there's no way I can quantify its effect. Bottom line is that it didn't really do anything for me. I didn't hate it but I definitely still don't understand all the hype.
-I think it's time for my next Google promo since I promoted a competing service the other day (Yahoo's Flickr). Google is officially attacking the IM market, and it looks like they've got some big ideas. Google Talk, which is in beta, "enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free-anytime, anywhere in the world." That's right, computer-to-computer talk, just like a phone, with a promise of a quality connection. I haven't tried this out yet, but I believe Kam and I will be experimenting in the coming days... Though I'm sure it will take a while for the millions of AIMers in the world to make the switch, I wouldn't be surprised if Google is able to successfully penetrate this market. I also wouldn't be surprised if Google discovered a new planet and took over the universe.
-This morning I witnessed the strangest thing on the metro. I boarded the train and was trying to find a seat. Since my ride from Springfield to Smithsonian is about 40+ minutes, I usually like to get the window seat that faces front with the chairs behind it facing opposite. (Yes, very OCD of me.) Today I sat down in the only one of these seats that was left. It was then that I noticed the most god-awful odor coming from somewhere in the metro car. I thought, "Geezus, no wonder this seat is free. Someone's got some B.O.!!!" It was really unpleasant, but I didn't see any other appealing seats that were available that would allow me to escape this pungent stench. After a moment of looking around (trying to find the source), I noticed the man across the aisle from me holding a raw onion in his hand. I definitely did a double take before I realized this was the cause of the odor. There he was, reading his newspaper like anyone else, but in his right hand he was grasping half of a raw, red onion. It wasn't like he was eating it (which would have been equally bizarre, but still easier to understand) or saving it for later (he had what appeared to be a lunch bag with food in it, so I assume the onion would be in there if that were the case)-- he was just holding it, so deliberately, as if he were trying to keep people away with its smell. Call me crazy, but something about knowing the odor was an onion and not someone's bad hygiene made it more tolerable, and I put my headphones on and enjoyed the ride into the city. Still perplexed about that onion, though. Any ideas or theories?
Current Music: Suedehead, by Morrissey
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Just a shot in the dark, but maybe he knew exactly what he was doing -- repelling people with the smell, boosting his own "space bubble", and so on. In my own experience, the red line can be crazy crowded both ways. There are some days that I'd give anything for an extra 3-5 inches around me, just so I can scratch my nose without elbowing six people. Again-- just a shot in the dark.
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