sunflowers in a field

To: girlie
Date: Jul 22 at 9:29 PM
Subject: sunflowers in a field (oh. i didn't write it.)


girlie:

i hope all is well and prosperous in the various places that you inhabit. i leave you with a poem and wish you all sorts of surprising moments of delight, those both large and small.

Sunflowers in a field.
Goldfinches everywhere.
They gorge on seed. They rise
To rest along the power line, then fall
Like drizzled lemon drops, like lozenges
Of candied yellow light.
Two weeks a year, goldfinches
Gather on sunflowers here.
These evenings after supper,
You see them in the honey-soft glow
As if they'd trapped and somehow stored
The rapture of September's sun.
You see goldfinches flicker
Among sunflower lanes,
Through mortal tides of light,
Through streams of apricot and chardonnay,
And you resolve to live
Your life with greater sympathy.
Sunflowers bowing their char black dials,
Their petals twist and writhe
Like fires, like silk coronas blazing west.
How inconceivable, then,
The pewter cold-front clouds,
The shabby settlement of crow and wren.
Though no one hears the oath,
You shall, you tell yourself,
Forgo deceit, increase the tithe.
Atone. Forgive. Embrace. You watch
Goldfinches and sunflowers both
Begin to fade. By subtle green degrees
They shed that bullion luster of the sun
Until the finches ricochet
Like flints among the drowsing flower heads.
Perhaps, as I have done,
You'll pace the darkling half mile home,
Intent on picking up the telephone
To reconcile with long-lost friends.
You will apologize, concede.
You'll vow to never, ever, ever let
Such distance grow again.
But then you reach your door and find
The day diminished to a thin blue rind
Of light above the township silhouette.
How nice a hot bath sounds.
Dessert. An herbal tea.
Perhaps you'll read the Arts
And Leisure pages of The Daily News.
With every stair you climb
Sleep settles just a little more behind
The knees, beneath the shoulder blades.
The calls, you tell yourself,
Perhaps some other time.

a gift, to see who these men might fall in love with...

To: girlie
Date: Jul 13 at 6:37 PM
Subject: a gift, to see who these men might fall in love with...

girlie:

i realize that i'm not going to receive very many cool points for admitting this, (actually, it could be that you don't award cool points, or that you don't recognize them, or that they don't even actually exist), but i've been involved in a fantasy baseball league for about ten years. it's a sports pool.

last night we had our annual "all-star break" meeting at the [------] by the canal. girlie, it was very hot in there. very fucking hot. a sweat box. i think my glasses might have steamed up when i walked into that humid, motionless room. i have digressed. and swore. i have started this letter by admitting a geeky past time, and then i swore and then started to complain about the weather. me. one. class. act.

my point is that i don't know the men who participate in the pool. i see them twice a year. i don't know anything about their lives. when i see them, we only talk about baseball. i don't know if they're married. i don't know what they do for a living. i don't know what sort of car they dream of driving. and the truth is that i've always imagined that i've lived a very different life than these men, these men who are all older than me, these men with bellies and t-shirts they bought from stadium rock concerts, these men who seem to know quite a bit about golf, but who knows, who knows...

it's a funny thing, this type of male relationship. by no stretch of the imagination are we friends, but we still depend on one another in a way. it's a safe zone. coded speech. you just talk about baseball, the clutter of our lives pushed to the side, no past or future or judgment, just baseball. a feeling of belonging that requires no effort. a default setting.

anyway, i really enjoy finding out about these men whenever i have the opportunity. to see them from a different angle. last night there was a woman. she was sitting beside jeff. she was wearing a yellow dress and had enormous breasts. she was drinking a glass or red wine and fanning herself with a coaster. ( did i mention that it was hot in there?) as far as i could tell, nobody introduced her to anyone. she was just sitting there amongst the wash of baseball chatter.

i began to speak with her. she had been to see zz top. she said that they were getting old. she was married to jeff. i had no idea jeff was married. i did not imagine that he was married. i was startled to find out that he was married to a red head with enormous breasts who looked ten years older than he did. stunned, girlie. suddenly, the baseball jeff i never knew (always thought he had a fine baseball mind) was changing, was becoming complex. they were going to niagara falls and toronto next week. they own a condo in [-----]. she was a numerologist. does life mapping for a living. wow. that is who he is in love with. wow. neat-o.

i'm not expressing myself very well, and i'm probably boring you, but it was just fascinating. this voice, the face of baseball jeff that i'd been seeing for the last ten years, was suddenly given a context, a home.

last year some of the baseball tribe got together to watch the world series. the red sox won, breaking a very long and tortuous tradition of not winning. paul, the larger guy who is vain about his long, curly hair, was elated. he turned to me, "i'm going to the highlander! i'm going to ask out that waitress, if the red sox can win the series, then anything can happen!" and then he was gone.

last night i shared a cab with him. he asked me to drop him off at the highlander. i don't think that he ever asked out that waitress. i think that he attends every baseball function, i think that he's lonely and really enjoys finding a default setting, finding companionship in its simplest flavours.

busy girlie, why don't you tell me something about some of the people you spend time with?

i <3 stories

To: girlie
Date: Jun 28 at 6:50 PM
Subject: swordfish.

girlie:

i lived in california many years ago. i was four years old and people wandered the streets without their shirts on, holsters strapped to their hips. my parents packing boxes, watergate on television. i thought it had something to do with the ocean. i wanted to be a fish. a swordfish. i would cut through the waves, i would stab all the sharks and play with the huge, misunderstood whales. that’s what i would do.

in san fransisco ducks hung in windows and street cars clattered. at the swimming pool in the hotel, vietnam veterans did their therapy in the water. men with long hair and tattoos, men with grudges who were scarred both inside and out, men who had lost limbs. and i wanted to go swimming, even though i didn’t know how to swim. my father would take me into the water and i would sit on a big, inflatable swan. he would guard me. i was fearless. i didn’t care that I had no idea how to swim. i was going to be a fish, a swordfish, it was just a matter of time. but my father was nervous this time, he thought i might be scared
of the strange men without arms and legs, that i might embarrass them, but i didn’t even notice, and we all splashed happily about, the vets tossing me each to each. a story my father still tells to this day.

one day myself and the neighbours daughter decided to go trick or treating. i have forgotten her name but i remember her secret. she liked to eat dry cat food. that was her secret. she did this in her garage. her father lost part of one of his fingers to a buzz saw. when we went out trick or treating we did not bother to dress up, we did not bother to check the date. two four year olds on a summer afternoon who thought that strangers would always give you candy, that that is what the world was like. the first door we rang revealed an older woman with white hair. we said trick or treat. we didn’t even have bags. she invited us in and gave us lemonade as she patiently explained the concept of halloween to us. i remember that the house was cool, that it smelled alien and safe.

that was california.

techtoy..

OK, this is what i want for my birthday WHICH IS ON AUGUST 31ST (write that down). it probably won't be available by then, but i still want it so please.. just sort it out.


Published in NOW Magazine, Toronto, ON
May, 2005

TECHTOYS
A weekly look at the latest gadgets - by Alexander Joo

In The Bag
Surf company O'Neill just raised the bar with its soon-to-come H2 series backpacks. Solar panels steal the sun's energy and recharge your audio player, cellphone and anything else with a USB connection. There's also a compartment made for iPods that can be controlled from a panel on the shoulder strap. Lastly, the freakin' thing incorporates Bluetooth technology, wirelessly connecting all your devices together and letting you make hands-free phone calls.

Available next fall.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [28]

To: girlie
Date: May 31 at 5:28 PM
Subject: I wrote 18 pages in 2 hrs last night...

...of that screenplay I was telling you about. I finally got it started. The trick is to get people to care...

Thanks for reading these...I mean that. Watch the show later in the evening (after the news) and sometimes you'll see a hair replacement ad (Pierre Amiollette, or something like that). They have an "expert" psychologist who basically says that hair replacement is "alright", and that it is not "un-macho" to go for hair replacement. Well...that lady is/was my head doctor (I know "you" think I don't need one). I saw her, when I was my mid twenties for the usual twice a week treatment (it lasted about a year, maybe a year and a half, I forget). I've seen her every now and then since then (not for 4 or 5 years now though). I think that maybe, back when I was i was in my mid twenties, that she did a lot of good for me (i'm sure of it). I bet she got big bucks to that ad.

digifest..

[Toronto]

met up with scott again, but this time in toronto. he was the keynote speaker at digifest which is put on annually by the design exchange (the building was formerly home to the old stock exchange). met some great creatives with some happening projects. this one was especially interesting to me...

[murmur]

[murmur] is an archival audio project that collects and curates stories set in specific Toronto locations, told by Torontonians themselves. At each of these locations, a [murmur] sign with a telephone number and location code marks where stories are available. By using a mobile phone, users are able to listen to the story of that place while engaging in the physical experience of being there. Some stories suggest that the listener walk around, following a certain path through a place, while others allow a person to wander with both their feet and their gaze.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [27]

To: girlie
Date: May 26 at 9:15 PM
Subject: Like I was saying...

Remember that message about the guy bringing up his new "other" in the conversation. Well...last year I ran into someone else that I had not seen in many years...and about three or four sentences after the old "holy crap...I haven't seen you in ten yers", he brings up the topic of the new woman he's seeing. I mean...what gives with that...why do some men have to advertise that they have a new flame in their life? Some women do the same thing...I don't understand that either? Like...who cares?

bunk rock and kill the 8..

[Toronto]

visiting my friend jeff at bunk rock hq at the mo. i'll stay with him and aletha through the weekend. what a wikked building. they have one of the highest broadband speeds in north america over here. all of the entertainment companies are around here i guess.

saw an old friend tony again (9 years later - how time flies!). he used to have a clothing line called snug, but has started a new company called kill the 8. they're doing original cutting-edge custom merchandise for artists and bands. choice stuff. figured i'd post it here in case any of you needed anything made for your next tour.

chris cunningham's latest @resfest..

[Los Angeles]

tonight, friends and i went to this month's resfest at the egyptian theater b/c it premiered chris cunningham's latest work "rubber johnny", soundtrack by aphex twin. apparantly he has been working on it since nine eleven 2001.. so, almost 4 years. it's unbelievable.
[just about to be released --> UK/Europe 20 june | USA 12 july]

got the latest dish on my friends' projects too..

anna and rd just finished getting their new record label launched "the designed disorder" and will be pressing the first compilation "autonomous addicts" to disc with proper distribution so you should see it in stores soon.

william and ogre are just finishing up their latest skinny puppy album/DVD and we should be seeing that soon as well. william has been directing, producing and authoring it for the past 3 months, so it will most definitely be worth the wait.

cyrus bought a new hotel in miami and phillipe starck is designing the interior. oh yum.


alas, it is the end of my trip. i leave for toronto tomorrow..

cinderella man..

[Los Angeles]

so last night damon took me to my first movie premiere. what a to-do. it was at universal city, and you had to walk through a crowd of tourists to even get to the red carpet. this felt more like an awards ceremony than a screening. there were so many stars out for it, everyone else had to wait for them to be photographed and interviewed. the film started an hour late. madness.

walking down the red carpet was a bit daunting at first. it really felt like it was a wall of cameras a mile long. luckily the friends we made in the parking-lot-from-hell went ahead of us. i heard shouts of "potsie potsie!" to which our friend started waving.. a distraction ahead, i was saved!

the pleasant surprise was that it really was a great film. russell crowe and paul giamati were absolutely their characters.. fantastic performances, and the story is inspiring.

i had to laugh though. at the party afterward everyone was talking about how it was the longest red carpet they've ever had to walk down. great. nothing like having the biggest as your first one.. seems to be the story of my life.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [26]

To: girlie
Date: May 20 at 10:10 PM
Subject: Well...your profile still says that you live approx. ten miles away...

Is that "dog" miles--or is that "human" miles? If they are neither dog or human miles, but are, in actual fact, "flea" miles, then i think it is safe to say that you back in L.A.

I laughed a little bit when i wrote the preceding paragraph. Just a little bit though...people who are going to "do themselves in" usually don't laugh that much...so I tried to keep it down.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [25]

To: girlie
Date: May 19 at 7:36 PM
Subject: So I'm walking home this evening...

...and an old freind of mine rides up on the latest and greatest Harley-Davidson. We engage in the usual small talk...y'know the kind..."How's so- and-so doing?...have you you talked to who's-it lately?...I hear Beth is in the hospital!" He mentions (and tells me all about) his 34 year old girlfriend (he's 57) and asks me if I'm seeing anyone. I replied with "It's kind of hard when you're almost broke". So tell me something--do men like to flaunt their much younger girlfriends the same way they like to flaunt their fancy motorcycles?

I've decided to kill myself if you don't answer me pretty soon. I'm not fooling around this time either--I mean it--I'm not fooling around--I mean it--seriously. (Why won't you take me seriously?)

party at the consulate general's house!

[Los Angeles]

accompanied my friend scott campbell to a soiree at the british consulate general's LA house last night. he's in town for the E3 conference.. he's the advisor to the UK guv on hot new technologies and trends. nice gig.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [24]

To: girlie
Date: May 06 at 9:47 PM
Subject: I forgot to mention....my mom was on the TV news

There was a candidate nomination for [XXX] ([XXX] won it) and the CBC asked my mom's opinion. She was the best looking and most intelligent of the three or four they gathered sound bites from. But...I guess you would have already assumed that. I bet your mom and dad are, I gather, good looking and intelligent too.

My offer of marriage is still on the table.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [23]

To: girlie
Date: May 06 at 9:06 PM
Subject: Well hello there...it's been a long long time...how'ya do'in...I'm do'in fine

It's funny how time slips away.

2 twenty ounce draughts are almost as good as a few hits off a nicely rolled ... whatever.

I haven't seen you for a week now. I could almost say that I've missed you.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [22]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 29 at 8:56 PM
Subject: Knock, Knock.."Who is it?" .... "It's me man, it's Dave" ... "Daves not here!" ...

... "No man, open up, it's me, DAVE!!!" ... "Dave's not here" ... (you know the rest)

I was delivering and picking up to/from a client tonight. He arrives at the door with a joint"... well... need I say more. I smoked some weed last summer and it floored me. This was hash. Not bad. Very nice. Much like the stuff I remember. (Stay away from that "new" weed... I mean--yikes.)

Wish you could pick me up so we could go somewhere.

women are like apples..

[Cute Shan]

Women are like apples on trees...the best ones are at the top.

Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are too lazy. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy. So the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along - the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [21]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 22 at 7:19 AM
Subject: Rain this weekend

I misspelled lasagna in my message. I wasn't sure on the spelling so I looked it up in the Oxford Concise...and there it was.../lasagne/. It turns out that /lasagne /is plural for /lasagna. /And I thought I was being so smart...for a minute there I thought that there was an English and American version of the spelling. Not quite.

I've attached an mp3 for the rainy weekend ahead. [Pennies From Heaven by Bing Crosby] Steve Martin starred in a movie with the same title (a disturbing bit of a movie it was, too). The best part of the movie was when someone (not Steve) did a song and dance of the title track. Whoever it was did a nice job. I liked it.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [20]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 20 at 5:46 PM
Subject: So how about lunch then?

I got caught in the rain today and ducked into the [XXX] restaurant--home of the "Elvis Sighting Society"--for lunch. I had the baked lasagne (it was on special). It came with soup (I had the lentil), and rice pudding or jello. The waitress asked if I would like raisins and whipped cream on my pudding--who could resist. Much to my delight, the rice pudding arrived with a cinnamon sprinkle on the whipped cream--definitely five stars. I'm still in love with you.

hacked

i was hacked.
site's been down for a couple of days.

thanks.
*sigh*

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [19]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 19 at 7:54 PM
Subject: Hey...you're cheating on me

Oh wait..no you're not. Some other loser (don't you just love Nelson Muntz) must have sent you something and you rushed, hoping, of course, that it was me who sent you another letter, to check your mail. (Did I mention that I was arrogant...in a low self-esteem kind of way.)

No responses to that letter I sent to [XXX] et al. Except from one of the so-called activists...that was a complete waste of time...for some strange reason, I get the impression that she, in a previous life, must have been of those who led the Light Brigade into the Valley of Death.

So c'mon...let's go out for dinner. We can both have a great time laughing at me and my fight with [XXX]. But all things considered...I think I'm doing the right thing...to ignore it would be the wrong thing to do...that I know for sure. Rocks and hard places.

the robots are coming

ummm, if you haven't checked out what honda is doing with their robots lately you had better catch up...


asimo the running robot

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [18]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 17 at 7:24 PM
Subject: I did some research on that Kitty Kallen tune...

Turns out (Little Things Mean A Lot) was her biggest hit. Not only that...it turns out it was one of the biggest hits of the post-war era...it was number one for nine weeks and on the charts for seven months. So...I guess that means that I have good taste as well...I mean...of all songs that I had to choose from...I chose that one. Shall I take a bow. I like to think that I have good taste when it comes to women as well...as a matter of fact...I know I do...you're the living proof.

compilation: autonomous addicts

new music label, new compilation
(obviously a must have...)

to listen and download, visit:
thedesigneddisorder.net

the Designed Disorder (dD) Launch 2005
..an electronic music digital download label


Autonomous Addicts [dD01]
a compilation featuring:

Anon
Ben milstein
Deru
edIT
Eight Frozen Modules
Hologram
Logreybeam
L'usine
Tipper
Twerk
RD
Richard Devine
+ a bonus track revealed with download!


Each release is available as a download only, no material waste, instant gratification with a chance to preview each track before purchase.

In an effort to spread peace through technology, every release that is purchased and downloaded will generate money for organizations such as Amnesty International, UNICEF and the Red Cross.

Welcome to the future of peaceful action through music!

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [17]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 15 at 9:47 PM
Subject: Even though I am hopelessly and madly in love with you...I have a funny feeling that we are not going to work out

Did you get that Kitty Kallen tune (Little Things Mean A Lot)? I hope you have high speed because I don't...and it took forever to upload that thing to my mail server...so...if you are on dial-up...all I have to say is...sorry about that. I thought it was a kind of nice, albeit a little cornball, tune.

So...the next time you hear that song...which will probably be never...try and think of me and how much I loved you, and, when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, how it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you, how thoughtless and foolish I have sometimes been. But oh Stacey, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen amongst those they love, I shall always be with you in the brightest day and the darkest night...always...always. HEY WAIT A MINUTE...THAT'S THE SULLIVAN BALLOU LETTER. Sorry about that...got a little carried away.

new series: HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND

so i am active on various social networks. i'm used to meeting people through the web. no big deal. first time i did it was in 1989, true story, did a road trip from nova scotia to vermont with my friend trish for a music festival and hooked up with a bunch of people we had been telnetting with.

years later in 1997 on the same day i met him irl (in real life), i fell in love with a man who i had known for a year and a half through the internet. i spent 9 days with him traveling from vancouver to seattle to san francisco and los angeles, then 2 weeks later flew to london and moved in. we spent 4 years together.

it doesn't seem weird to me.

so that being said, i have an ongoing influx of messages from various people i meet out there in virtual-land. this particular series "YOUR IMAGINARY FRIEND" is highlighting messages from someone i spoke to once or twice a couple of months ago through a social networking site. i believe i have become his imaginary friend. he sends me a note pretty much every day but I NEVER WRITE HIM BACK. i do enjoy reading his notes tho. he's an intelligent and witty man.

i have backdated the posts and decided not to publish every one that i received. unfortunately i do not have them all from the very beginning. just from march 16th onwards.


(obviously i don't want to reveal his name or embarass him in any way, just wanted to share the fantasy with you all...)

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [16]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 14 at 11:54 AM
Subject: I have a title for that screenplay. I'm going to call it, "Brain Damaged"

It's perfect. I'd go and see and movie with that title. Would you?

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [15]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 11 at 11:31 PM
Subject: you can get new yorker cartoons for your presentation for 20 bucks american (each)...what a bargain

they are funny though...but not as funny as i am...ha...ha

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [14]

(i've X'd out specifics)

To: girlie
Date: Apr 10 at 5:41 PM
Subject: Hey!!! You're not reading my mail. Why not? Was it something I said?

This is perfect...it will fit right into "the plot".

I'm not crazy Stace (I can call you "Stace"...right?), I just get a little carried away sometimes...just for the fun of it. Too much creativity. One of my Profs, when I showed her my research design (it was part of the course requirement), commented on my level of creativity. And, by the way, my research design was the one that was chosen to be run. When the Prof and TA saw it they were rather impressed. They didn't say so...but you could see it in their faces...and hear it in their voices. I miss the good old days at the University of [XXX]...now it's just real life money making drudge.

(Why do I get the feeling that I am talking to myself.)

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [13]

(i've X'd out specifics)

To: girlie
Date: Apr 08 at 9:27 AM
Subject: C'mon Stacey...don't be so talkative

No calls from the mental health cops yet. Maybe the newspaper tipped them off to the fact that I recorded the conversation I had with the [XXX] where they tried to explain to me that what the falsified records were about "made a difference". When the [XXX] I the other end of the line told me that nothing criminal was going on I replied with "Not yet". He then muttered something under his breath. I couldn't quite make it out, but I think he said "Oh you son of a bitch".

After the [XXX] meeting I told my lawyer that I had recorded the conversation. She just gave me this blank stare...I thought I was going to have to wave my hand in front of her face and say "Are you okay?"

social networking..wtf are we doing?

so we did friendster. then we did tribe. then it was myspace. then we checked out orkut. well keram invited me into the latest social networking site yesterday. it's the brainchild of e. jean, the advice columnist for elle magazine.

catch27.com takes it a step further, where you can actually buy and trade your friends (who are 'playing cards'). seriously, you can buy somebody for like $5 to $10 bucks. they'll let you put it on your credit card.



so i signed up yesterday and got a message this morning from diana, one of their columnists:
"check out the homepage...i featured you in my column tonight!"

this is what she had to say about me:
"Stacey: A mix between Liv Tyler and Angelina Jolie. Boys (and girls!) I'm not gunna lie...you're gunna wanna jump on this!"

wow, erm...what is this place? i'm out, ciao.

 

stocktown airs in japan

that really kewl tv series "stocktown" that anna and i were featured in along with princess superstar, kool keith and kid koala is going to air in japan in july.

stocktown.com

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [12]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 06 at 11:59 PM
Subject: I guess the activists were not too impressed

One of them has my phone number and I have not heard from her. (It's a good thing I'm not out to impress anyone.) If you didn't read that hotmail stuff you don't know what i am talking about. Maybe that is just as well.

So...anyway...i was dropping off some stuff that I have been doing for someone and he mentioned how old his girlfriend is. He is 49..she is 23. I could not believe it. I thought she must have been at least in her late twenties. But the funny thing is that...if you saw them together...you would say that they make a nice couple.


Remember that screenplay I was talking about...well...it is evolving nicely. And guess what...you're in it. But the only part you play is the part you are playing now. I know...it sounds "way" cool. Maybe, if it ever makes it too screen, we (me and Scorcese) can use your actual pic. How much would you charge us to use your image?

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [11]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 03 at 11:03 PM
Subject: "Did I miss the mark, or over-step the line, that only you could see"--Bob Dylan

I guess you've figured out that I'm a bit of a Dylan fan. Rolling Stone ranked him number 2 behind The Beatles. I can listen to all sorts of music...but it's a funny thing how I I always end up feeling "rescued" whenever I put a Dylan disc back in (or on) the player. It will be a sad day when he goes. I hope I never see it.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [10]

To: girlie
Date: Apr 02 at 7:16 PM
Subject: I can't stay mad at you

Just like Homer couldn't stay mad at his submarine sandwhich

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [9]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 30 at 5:37 PM
Subject: Did I mention that I dated [XXX]'s ex

Stacey,

That's right. Small world isn't it. They were separated at the time. This was before [XXX] was at Vanity Fair; he was at Time magazine when we (me and his ex) met. It lasted 2 1/2 years. It was the best relationship I've ever had (apart, that is, from the relationship that we have going here).

Well...that's it for my name dropping.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [8]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 30 at 1:02 AM
Subject: Stacey...I've changed my mind

It's time to blow this popsicle stand. I think I gave you my number (xxx-xxxx), and I think you have my e-mail (xxx@xxx.xxx). If you feel like going out sometime, and there is no one else to go out with, drop me a line. If I don't here from you...well...all I can say is that it has been a slice and I hope everything works out for you (I'm sure it will, you seem to be one of those lucky people).

You take care of yourself. You've kind of grown on me: and I have never as much as laid eyes on you. (Life's funny like that sometimes.)

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [7]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 28 at 12:37 AM
Subject: Are you in town much longer?

I would like to go out sometime. And NO, I am NOT old enough to be your father. Well...maybe a young teenage father...but most people don't get into parenthood until at least their mid-twenties these days. Actually, it's more like late twenties/early thirties. I freind of mine was 34 when she had her first child.

I'm trying to be more serious now (Sartre will kill me if he ever finds out that I'm trying to take myself seriously).

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [6]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 25 at 9:42 PM
Subject: When we get married...

...and if we have two girls and a boy...can we call them Maggie, Lisa, and Bart?

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [5]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 24 at 7:49 PM
Subject: I got my stuff (no thanks to you)...

I borrowed some wheels and went out to the airport'ish area to pick up my Pelican. While I was in the neighborhood I took a tour through the airport. I saw an old DC-3 taking off.

It reminded me of a dream of mine. I have always wanted my own regional airline. That airline would consist of a fleet of DC-3's. I have heard, that if the landing gear fails to deploy, that the gear can be "cranked" out manually. Name of airline: "Cool Air".

Pilots and stewardesses would, of course, have to be outfiited in a 50's/60's flight uniforms.

VoIP

if you're not using skype for phone calls through the net, you'd better hurry up.

went to ottawa's voip conference today (won free business dsl for a year from telecom ottawa - wikked). met a lot of interesting fellows. shouts out to alex schecter of ocri, darrin lamont of vonage (fastest growing telephony company in the word - hurry up if yer not on it) and don smith of mitel networks.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [4]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 22 at 8:40 PM
Subject: "Flying into Los Angele'ees..pick'in up a couple of keys"--Arlo

What are you doing tomorrow? I need a ride (and back) out to the airport'ish area. There is a custom case builder out there who has the best deals on Pelican cases in town. Maybe we could do lunch at the same time. I have to pick up some 11x14 dev. trays as well (I have some but they suck).


PS I'm not holding my breath

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [3]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 19 at 8:21 PM
Subject: I need to go out and get 3/4 drunk

Will you help me get 3/4 drunk? I need someone to pick me up, drive me around to the different bars, and then drive me home. Could you do that for me? There is, of course, the outside chance that I will get 4/4 drunk. If you agree to do this for me I promise to be a perfect gentleman. I promise that I will not throw up in your car. I promise not to say "What?" every time you you give me a funny look.

I'm not fooling on this one Stacey...this is a serious matter.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [2]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 18 at 11:19 PM
Subject: Somebody sent me a message....

However, there is no need to start getting jealous: it's her first day and she is probably sending everyone a message (I think that is referred to as "trolling").

I was wondering...can someone make somebody pregnant if they send them too many messages. The last thing I need is a paternity suit.

Someday I'm going to catch you online...and then...oh my little handsome...I'll get back those ruby red slippers.

HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND [1]

To: girlie
Date: Mar 16 at 1:06 AM
Subject: "It's a town full of loser's...I'm pulling out of here to win" --Springsteen


So there handsome...I bet you're a TO kid.

I got the handsome bit from an episode of "Sharpe's Rifles". Alistaire Cooke (dead now) was doing the preamble to an episode. He went on about the main character (Sharpe) becoming involved with a "handsome woman". She was part of the Spanish underground/resistance to Napoleon. She died at the hands of french spies...tragic. Sharpe was a bit upset (or at least he was when the cameras were rolling).

update

just got back from nova scotia for the xmas/new year holidays. my 2 weeks trip turned into 5 weeks. i wanted to spend more time with the grandparents, plus, i got hit with 3 blizzards in a row. the snow was up to the roof (see pic).



back in gatineau now. have been for a month (how time flies). chris and i are moving ahead with our company, and we're pleased that we found a great development team with the perfect man in charge who will come on as CTO of the company. the original concept has grown into something a lot larger, so i'd love it if some of you would give feedback - i'll give you a free account and you can poke around.

went to the 'ebusiness cluster' last week and met some local tech execs. they had a couple of great speakers in as well, vp of royal bank of canada, and CEO of viasafe. i walked away with a free flying lesson when they drew my name from a hat. dig.

on a personal note...my dreams have been absolutely full-on. haven't had a full night's sleep in months. always wake up in the middle of the night, which is a drag. socially feeling bored to tears (thank gawd new york and montreal are close) but grateful to be able to spend time with chris & chantals group...they are all so lovely. looking forward to spring when i can get out a bit more. winter is such a pain in the ass.