ssc

the current story i've been working on -- mostly in the car while i'm driving to and from work, rather than actually writing -- involves a character with a fairly heavy New York accent. (Brooklyn, to be more precise. i based it on the accent of my aunt Mary Kay and uncle Ron's neighbor, whom i met when i was 14. i've forgotten her name, but her accent is still crystal clear in my memory.)

not only have i caught myself speaking to people in this accent, i have started to notice his speech patterns and language usage in my writing the last few days.

i think this is his revenge for the angst-ridden backstory i inflicted on him.

things that are just fucking stupid

House Approves Flag-Burning Amendment

for christ's sake, with everything going on in the world right now, they waste time on shit like this? who the fuck gives a crap about flag-burning anyway? shit, we've got mulleted fuckwads practically dragging the thing behind their cars, and they're worried about burning it? a few weeks ago as i drove by the San Francisco city hall, i noticed that the US flag they were flying was torn horizontally along its length so that the lowest two stripes were barely hanging on. that is a fucking desecration of the flag. and from what i remember of the US Flag Code, burning is in fact the only honorable way of disposing of a retired flag -- you can't just go throwing it in the garbage, you know.

i am so goddamn disgusted with this country that i cannot find the words to express it.

palabras en español

some time back i passed a bookstore in the Mission and noticed that they had a book by one of my favorite authors -- Arturo Pérez-Reverte -- that i hadn't yet seen. it was the Spanish edition, and the bookstore was closed anyway. but i looked it up on Amazon and found out there was no English translation yet.

i thought idly that it would be interesting to try to read it in the original Spanish. now, mind you, i had two years of high school Spanish, and i remember very little of it. but i do have a good ear for language in general, and i'm familiar with a lot of the latin root words. and i'd like to learn more Spanish. it would be extremely useful, living around here.

it turns out that the book i saw -- El Capitán Alatriste -- is actually several years old, and the first of a series of swashbuckling action/adventure novels set in the 17th century. (!) it is out in English now, but i decided to be adventurous, so i bought the Spanish edition anyway.

i have a Spanish/English dictionary. somehow, though, i suspect i'm going to be doing a lot of Google translations and begging Roberto and Antonio to help. although i suppose it could be a good way to pick up cute latino guys. "¿excúseme, qué es esta palabra en inglés?"[1]

sí, estoy totalmente loco.

[1] yes, in fact, i can figure out a way to turn any situation into an opportunity to get laid. sadly, i continue to lack the courage to actually try.

memememe

( all the cool kids are doing it... )