Fishgirl Speaks

Bank & Fivebucks Report.10

Downtown San José's Christmas in the Park has recently added carnival rides to the fun. Turning onto Market Street from San Fernando, I am now greeted with (nothing says California Christmas like) a ferris wheel in front of the mango and azure Tech Museum.

While standing and waiting for my chai, I was struck by a familiar feeling. No, not that one...duh. I realized it felt the same as a bunch of cats milling about their food dishes, hoping someone will put something in them. Yeah, that's it. A bunch of hoomans standing around, ready to pounce as soon as their order is up. It's exactly the same, I swear.

Venti soy chai (no water, extra chai) and a blueberry scone.

Bank & Fivebucks Report.9

Yes, it's been while since I've ventured downtown for the money/coffee/sugar run.

Thank you, Wells Fargo, for eliminating envelopes with the deposit. Just stick your check or cash in the machine. It was a little scary at first, but now I love that I can get an image of the check on the receipt. Very handy for when I don't write things down! Nevermind your outrageous overdraft fees. Let's punish my lack of money by taking away more of what I don't have! Yeah, yeah, you've covered my ass many times. I know, I know. But ouch. I'm just saying.

Curse you, Starbucks, for encouraging me to pay double the norm for an old-fashioned doughnut, just because they are so...fucking....tasty! Go ahead and prey on my weakness for doughnuts, evil bastards. The call of mochas and scones wasn't enough? The fact that I ALWAYS buy a nosh to go with my beverage isn't enough? Curse you.

Construction on the building plaza between the two continues at what seems like a rather slow pace. I have no idea what they're up to, but it appears to be inspired by crop circles. Hey, if I don't know, I'm going to make it up, a'ight? They were also using some sort of base material, boards, plates, whathaveyous that were cotton-candy pink. Pink construction materials. I'm not making this one up. Wish I knew what that was about. Anyone know?

Grande decaf soy vanilla latte - kinda rolls off the tongue, don't it?
...and a fuckin' doughnut.

Bank & Fivebucks Report.8

Today's banking was pretty random: I cashed in a whole 7 dollars in pennies, closed an account I don't use anymore, and finally, 6 years later, took Ryan's name off the main account. Just one of those things I could never get around to.

By the way, that McWhorter's is still there. That is to say, the sign and space are still there.

Today was soy chai and pumpkin scone. Hello October. Holy crap! I guess it's almost goodbye October. Well, pumpkin-y goodness lasts at least another month or so. Pumpkin scone, pumpkin cheesecake, and mmmm pumpkin ribbon cake from Icing on the Cake. Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin - the more I type it the weirder it looks. Is it having that effect on you yet?

As of today, I am the happy recipient of two movies that just happen to be great flicks for Halloween: Wallace & Gromit - Curse of the Were-rabbit and Shaun of the Dead. The weekend is pretty full, so who knows when I'll get to see them. I know, not exactly hardcore Halloween stuff. My recommendation for something a little more in that direction is Slither, which, in my marginally humble opinion, has been marketed all wrong. It's way more funny and intelligent than the ads let on.

Happy haunting to all, or whatever it is the kids do these days.

Bank & Fivebucks Report.7

I know, I know - too many trips to Fivebucks. But icy chai goodness!

Grand Prix preparations continue apace. I'm amazed I found a parking spot considering how tied up the area was. The term "ratfuck" came to mind, which led me to ponder its etymology. I didn't find much on Wikipedia, other than a reference to political dirty tricks. So I tried "clusterfuck" instead and came up with this gem of an entry: a giant list of military slang! Highlights include:

• armored cow - canned milk
• balls - Term for midnight on a 24-hour clock since it looks like four balls (0000), "My watch is from balls to eight".
• Jawa  - (US) A soldier, usually of low rank, stationed in a desert area. From the creatures in the Star Wars films.
• Mox Nix - (US European Theatre) Bastardization of the German "es macht nichts", or it makes no difference.

Of course, there are many variations involving my original search word, and a lot of stuff that's probably only interesting if you're in the military...or not.

Additional searches for the origins of ratfuck brought up more political references, frequently using it as a verb requiring a direct object. Who knew? I never thought of using it that way. We love the Wikipedia. It's as if you're actually learning something while surfing the net.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of the military, a friend reminded me that even if we think it's hot here, the middle east is likely hotter. Try temps between 122 and 132. So to myself and everyone else I say, "embrace the suck."

Blueberry scone and out.

Bank & Fivebucks Report #6

I took my roomie's car to Fivebucks this morning, since she was parked behind me and it was a short trip. I thought I'd enjoy a little fresh air by opening the sun roof. Instead, I got hot sun beating down on me - at 8:30 a.m.! I successfully parallel parked in a somewhat tight space, in a car with which I am not very familiar, dropped 30 cents in the meter and got in line for beverages. I'm pleased to report that I brought mugs for both me and the roomie.

(cue hippie tangent:)

Today is a spare the air day. I was trying to see if I could take the bus to Cupertino this afternoon to cover a shift at the store (work with beads in air conditioning for money? OK.) Turns out, it's pretty complicated getting from here to there, so I bagged on that idea. On the plus side, I only drove 8 miles yesterday, none the day before, and today I'm driving during non-peak hours. Speaking of driving, my parents recently became a two-hybrid household - a Civic and a new Prius. That plus their solar paneling makes them pretty green. So green that my mom made calling cards for my dad that say "I'm greener than you are," or "I'm goddamn green!" It occurred to me today that friendly neighborhood competition would be a great way to encourge more green living. The key here is friendly. There are some hippies who have a holier-than-thou complex, despite what they think they are projecting. I like the open taunting - it's more honest somehow. Whaddya say? Are you ready to get your green on?

(fade back to Market street, outside Fivebucks:)

Got back in the car, put 'er in reverse, and discovered that someone had parked their scooter behind me. Hello? Do you really want to be squished? I managed to depart with no damage to either party and buzzed on home, eyeballing the new barriers and pedestrian walkover along the way. Downtown is getting ready for their second Grand Prix. I have mixed feelings about the GP. One the one hand, it's a pretty huge event and an exciting way to continue putting San José on the map. The turnout is impressive, and having these race cars zooming around downtown is kind of mind-blowing. On the other hand, the turnout is opressive, and having these race cars zooming around downtown is kind of mind-numbing. Not exactly a happy, green event. Keeps my neighbors happy, though. I have race fanatics on either side of me, including Richard who is in the San José Hall of Fame. He's got the special jacket and everything and will tell you all about it when he's done giving you his medical updates, god bless 'im.

Alright, enough stalling (puns always intended, whether I mean 'em or not!). Back to work for me, and soon off to air-conditioned work, and maybe even a swim later.

Lemon scone, long gone, and soy chai.

Bank & Fivebucks Report #5

My last couple of trips, I've driven past the old McWhorter's on San Fernando and Market. Why the heck has this been empty for the last SEVERAL years? This is prime real estate! Whenever the question is "Why don't they...?", the Man's astute answer is always "money." Somebody must want too much money for it, or the city is looking for a proposal for something new there. We already have tons of restaurants, but why not throw in another one? It's close to St. Joe, the museums, and more. I vote for Aqui's. Who's with me? Mmm...swirls within walking distance to home.

I really do enjoy downtown San José. I don't indulge in all it has to offer on a regular basis, but I love the scale and variety of architecture. Pretty much all of downtown is walkable. There's Discovery Meadow with the purple Children's Discovery Museum, and a giant Monopoly board. From the same architect, we have The Tech Museum, whose official colors are Mango and Azure. I remember when they were building it, the plywood fence around the worksite was painted with mangos on it and cut-outs to peer through. At the time I wondered what the heck mangos had to do with anything. The San José Rep is another creatively built and hued building. And in a bold combination of materials, the Musuem of Art built a modern facility right onto what was once a Federal Post Office. They are planning to restore the upper 40 of the clock tower, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Of course, there is always a lot going on in terms of events, so I'll only highlight one of my favorites: Cinema San Pedro -free movies, outdoors, surrounded by restaurants. Can they do that in San Francisco? I'm just sayin'.

This city has certainly come along way in the last 20 years or more.

Oh yeah- soy chai and a lemon scone. I got the last of the soy, which wasn't quite enough for a venti, so they gave me a coupon for a free beverage. Woo hoo!

Bank & Fivebucks Report #4

One of the challenges of working at home is getting in to the right frame of mind: this is me, going to work now. The distractions are endless, to say nothing of the four cats. It's been a challenging week, so to make it through one more day I decided that a trip to Fivebucks would help, but not for something as simple as a caffeine and sugar boost, no.

Since most working folk pretty much get up, get ready, and head out the door, I figured that would be good for me to do, too. It required actually putting on clothes in which I don't mind being seen in public. Todays' choice: a Foamy the Squirrel T-shirt, featuring just the right balance of comfort with a hip, yet somewhat nerdy graphic, accompanied by a lightweight, zip-up hoodie, jeans, and high-tops - also hip and somewhat nerdy. Put a clip in the hair, throw on some earrings, and I'm out the door.

Once I'm at Fivebucks, I'm oddly comforted by the site of other working people, in various attire, also engaging in their morning ritual. Hey, look! I'm out and about with working folk. I'm up and at 'em! Look at me go! The clerk who waited on me was a little less envigorated. I think I said "lemon scone" about five times before he got it. Complimenting the lemon scone today was a soy chai in my travel mug with lotsa chocolate. Yum!

This weekend, I'll have to do something about the great piles of paper that the cats rearrange daily in the office. That's a whole other challenge of working at home. I meant the paper. Well, the cats, too. One of them, probaby Mot, decided that my roommate's red sneaker would be a helpful tool today, as she left it in the middle of my office floor. So thoughtful.

Have a chai-rrific Friday everyone!

Bank & Fivebucks Report #3

No observations about color or weather or San José-esque things. Today I'm recovering from a long and surly day yesterday. Actually, it was me that was surly and the day long. No need to re-live the details. The good news is I'm getting ready to go on a week-long vacation with the man - YAY! The bad news is somehow life contrives to make the two weeks prior extra stressful so that we may better appreciate the time off. Honestly, I don't need the contrast. The last trip I took, I was so stressed out beforehand that it took a good 36 hours to wind down - that included a nice, long drive, a hot bath, and about 14 hours of sleep. I'm also pondering why when I'm in a bad mood I want to do things that are bad for me, like ingest caffeine and sugar (hence the Fivebucks run), stay up late, and spend money. Now you probably have a visual of me in front of the computer at midnight with a mocha, perusing eBay or something. Nah, it'd likely be something like buying CDs (yes, I still buy CDs) or a new pair of shoes. "It's gotta be da shoes."

Yesterday I started a post with things that annoy me, and was going to balance it with positive things. In an effort to get outta the funk ("Negativity festers on you, man"), I'll forgo the bitch list and just go with the happy happy joy joy:

Completely Random List of Stuff I Dig:

1. Coming home from a long day and getting a headbutt from Herman the kitty.
2. When you're so in tune with a friend that one of you can change topics without warning (or context for that matter) and the other one follows without missing a beat.
3. Popcorn and white Russians.
4. Sharing my weird tips for memorizing music or kung fu forms and having them actually work for other people.
5. "Enhance your calm, John Spartan."
6. The fact that my WHOLE family is going to see a Zappa concert one night, then come see The Choral Project's One is the All the next day. That includes aunt and uncle, brother, and the man - all from out of town, parents, and Cyd, who might as well be my sister. That's enough ahem culture in one weekend to put anyone under the table.
7. Funny mistypings, like Stephen Schwartz's hit musical Wicker.
8. Alternate names for things: Blood Bath & Beyond, Vallium Fair, Skinterprise (when Enterprise seemed to rely on less clothing for more ratings), Screamastera (for a high, fast and loud piece of music by Ginastera), and of course, Fivebucks.

Ah, I feel better now, thanks.
For the record: decaf mocha and apricot bar.

Bank and Fivebucks Report #2

MMmmmocha!

Full caffeine, baby. Lookout.
Somedays you gotta do what you gotta do.

I again chided myself for not using a travel mug, instead of consuming paper cup after paper cup. I could purchase a Starbucks mug since they're right there, but I'm not sure I want one that says Starbucks. As much as I love the ritual, I don't feel the need to advertise them. I did step out of line briefly to at least look at the selection, and when I returned to line, two gals with their office's order had gotten in front of me. No mug, longer wait. How's that for stupid?

More and more I notice how the sky affects the colors around us. When it's a moody sky - I think you know what I mean - all the yellows pop out. There's an intersection in Sunnyvale (Fremont and S'vale-S'toga)where the gas stations' yellows are the same as the road signs, same as the road striping. When the light is just right, they all pop out together. It's a trip! Today's sky is treating us with a nice, crisp light courtesy of an intense blue sky and puffy clouds. All the spring greens are coming forward. You know, the color of new growth. Go find your nearest bush or non-deciduous tree (bring me a shrubbery!a nice one too)and check for two shades of green. There'll be the darker, veteran leaves, and the brighter, more yellow leaves that say "Check it out! I'm new!" Wouldn't that be funny if our hair did that? I could have blonde roots, and as it grew out and got older, it would become the more surly brown I wear now. Hee hee.

You'd think for such a visual person that I'd maybe throw some pictures up here (notice I did not say throw up some pictures here). All in good time, grasshopper. And now, to work before the caffeine wears off.

Lemon scone.