For about 2 or 3 hours today I was occupied with trying to find the long-lost weblog of a friend from high school. A particular entry had worked itself into my memory when it was written long ago, the details of which I could not recall, and I decided that I had to find this blog and read the post in its entirety.
So I looked high and low for this elusive web-journal, using all my Google skills and trying every conceivable channel to get to it. Alas, it was not to be- I threw in the towel when I exhausted the last of my leads. But what I had found from my search was much more valuable than what I was looking for.
A few years ago, I made the decision to delete my old Xanga and Livejournal accounts, a decision that I have come to regret immensely. Trying to find my friend's blog involved clicking through a host of other friends' blog- to attempt to follow a single thread in the intricate social web that was my digital life back in high school. I could not help but take a few detours along the way, perusing the old entries in these virtual time capsules, some dated back all the way to 2002- Junior year.
It is amazing how content we all were in describing our lives in excruciating detail- nearly every inane moment captured for all others to see and reflect on. For the webloging (as it was called back in the day) community was still in its infancy in the early 2000's, not every entry had to contain some existential masterpiece.
I wish I could see my entries again. A visit to my page brings up the following: "This journal has been deleted and purged." Purged? Yikes. This is almost an inappropriate word to use. I struggle now to recall any bits of my old blogs, but I feel as if my memories have been somehow deleted along with the data on those servers.
High school went by so quickly.
I wish I had been able to better keep up with my friends. Our interactions now amount to nothing more than the occasional inside joke or birthday salutation on Facebook. Moving away from New York obviously played a big part in driving a wedge into my social life, but I feel as if I should have done better. Do they still remember all the stuff we wrote about? Do they feel the same sense of sweet nostalgia that I feel? Or have they moved on?
The entries in these blogs start fizzling out as the years go by, and most have become defunct by 2007 as the social networking evolution is further facilitated by Facebook. I suppose this is the new time capsule...
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, July 12, 2007
ARES!!!!!
Here he is!
He's a cutie, and really smart too. I've already taught him to sit, and stay. He also follows me around everywhere. He was really crazy when i first got him out of the crate, but he seems to have calmed down a bit. Hopefully he's this calm all the time.
Ming
He's a cutie, and really smart too. I've already taught him to sit, and stay. He also follows me around everywhere. He was really crazy when i first got him out of the crate, but he seems to have calmed down a bit. Hopefully he's this calm all the time.
Ming
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Goddamn you MVA
Today's Topic: Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration
So today I went to get my car inspected so I can register my car in Maryland. Sounds simple, right? Sure, in every other state maybe. But here in Maryland, your car must pass a checklist of, and I kid you not, about 60 tests. Failing even one of these tests means that you must have your car "repaired" then sent back to the inspectors for a re-inspection that costs more money. Now among the list of things wrong with my car returned to me are as follows:
(1) Bad left tires...now isn't this really my issue? If my car careens off of a highway because my tires explode, shouldn't I be at fault? I guess the state is more concerned with that sort of thing...as long as I pay to fix it. This'll run me up about $200.
(2) Bad right fog light...This light has been broken since I purchased the car, it passed both NY and PA inspections without so much as a mere mentioning of it. But here in MD, your FOG LIGHTS MUST WORK PERFECTLY!!! Truthfully, I didn't even know I had fog lights- only today did I realize what the switch in the middle of my turning signal bar was for- yup, fog lights. This'll cost about another $200 to fix.
(3) One of the bulbs on my license plate holder is out, this one is fine, because it's an important issue, and should only cost no more than $10 to fix.
(4) My alignment is off... again, my problem. If I want to wear down my tires to a nub because they're improperly calibrated, that's my prerogative. I don't want to pay $60 to have that fixed.
(5) CV Joints... this is actually a pretty complex issue- but what surprises me is that this problem did not show up in any of the past inspections I've had of the car. I'm gonna chalk this one up to the anal pencil-pushers at the MVA. Also this will cost at least $500 to fix.
Let's total the numbers shall we? My repair bill, as I predict, will come to a grand total of $970. This is $970 I would not have spent had I lived in ANY OTHER STATE. And it occurs to me that the actual estimate may yet be even higher. Fucking terrific.
But on a brighter note, I visited Baltimore today with Shannon. The aquarium there was very nice, on par, dare I say better than the aquarium at Coney Island, though I haven't been to that one in a while. We had dinner in Baltimore's Little Italy, a quaint little neighborhood right next to the Inner Harbor, a far cry from the crowded alleys of New York's Little Italy. I'd like to explore Baltimore further when I get a chance.
Anyway, that is all. Oh also I'm going to get my dog tomorrow, but more on that later.
Ming
So today I went to get my car inspected so I can register my car in Maryland. Sounds simple, right? Sure, in every other state maybe. But here in Maryland, your car must pass a checklist of, and I kid you not, about 60 tests. Failing even one of these tests means that you must have your car "repaired" then sent back to the inspectors for a re-inspection that costs more money. Now among the list of things wrong with my car returned to me are as follows:
(1) Bad left tires...now isn't this really my issue? If my car careens off of a highway because my tires explode, shouldn't I be at fault? I guess the state is more concerned with that sort of thing...as long as I pay to fix it. This'll run me up about $200.
(2) Bad right fog light...This light has been broken since I purchased the car, it passed both NY and PA inspections without so much as a mere mentioning of it. But here in MD, your FOG LIGHTS MUST WORK PERFECTLY!!! Truthfully, I didn't even know I had fog lights- only today did I realize what the switch in the middle of my turning signal bar was for- yup, fog lights. This'll cost about another $200 to fix.
(3) One of the bulbs on my license plate holder is out, this one is fine, because it's an important issue, and should only cost no more than $10 to fix.
(4) My alignment is off... again, my problem. If I want to wear down my tires to a nub because they're improperly calibrated, that's my prerogative. I don't want to pay $60 to have that fixed.
(5) CV Joints... this is actually a pretty complex issue- but what surprises me is that this problem did not show up in any of the past inspections I've had of the car. I'm gonna chalk this one up to the anal pencil-pushers at the MVA. Also this will cost at least $500 to fix.
Let's total the numbers shall we? My repair bill, as I predict, will come to a grand total of $970. This is $970 I would not have spent had I lived in ANY OTHER STATE. And it occurs to me that the actual estimate may yet be even higher. Fucking terrific.
But on a brighter note, I visited Baltimore today with Shannon. The aquarium there was very nice, on par, dare I say better than the aquarium at Coney Island, though I haven't been to that one in a while. We had dinner in Baltimore's Little Italy, a quaint little neighborhood right next to the Inner Harbor, a far cry from the crowded alleys of New York's Little Italy. I'd like to explore Baltimore further when I get a chance.
Anyway, that is all. Oh also I'm going to get my dog tomorrow, but more on that later.
Ming
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The End of an Era
I got my Maryland driver's license today, and I noticed that the photo is significantly different from the one on my New York license, and totally different from my PA license also. So I thought I'd take a few minutes here to point out some major differences.
Here is my NY photo
As you can see, this photo was taken when I was approximately 7 years old. Actually it was when I was 18. Some distinguishing features include my awesome haircut, you can tell in particular that I had not taken a shower that morning by the the hair sticks straight up in the front, also by my 'I'm going to fall asleep' face. Also note the collar of the rather large winter coat I was wearing, as well as the massive size of the neckhole of the sweater I had on- a shining example of my fashion sense back in the days.
Now my PA license was taken away from me today, which is stupid because they should just put a hole in it and give it back to you. As such, I could not scan the license photo, but here is one that's pretty much what I looked like in it.
This is by and large my emo days, which didn't last very long. I simply had kept putting off cutting my hair, and this was the result. Of course I am wearing a shirt in my driver's license photo- a green one as I recall, and you could see my eyes, but this is a fairly accurate representation of that photo. Interesting note: literally minutes after I got my license photo taken, I got a haircut.
And finally, my Maryland photo.
This is my favorite of the three- as this time I came prepared. I was not wearing a big jacket or sporting a crappy haircut. And instead I look rather aloof and confused, as per the norm with driver's license photos.
And that concludes our exciting journey through my license photos, I hope you've enjoyed it. I sure did.
Ming
Here is my NY photo
As you can see, this photo was taken when I was approximately 7 years old. Actually it was when I was 18. Some distinguishing features include my awesome haircut, you can tell in particular that I had not taken a shower that morning by the the hair sticks straight up in the front, also by my 'I'm going to fall asleep' face. Also note the collar of the rather large winter coat I was wearing, as well as the massive size of the neckhole of the sweater I had on- a shining example of my fashion sense back in the days.
Now my PA license was taken away from me today, which is stupid because they should just put a hole in it and give it back to you. As such, I could not scan the license photo, but here is one that's pretty much what I looked like in it.
This is by and large my emo days, which didn't last very long. I simply had kept putting off cutting my hair, and this was the result. Of course I am wearing a shirt in my driver's license photo- a green one as I recall, and you could see my eyes, but this is a fairly accurate representation of that photo. Interesting note: literally minutes after I got my license photo taken, I got a haircut.
And finally, my Maryland photo.
This is my favorite of the three- as this time I came prepared. I was not wearing a big jacket or sporting a crappy haircut. And instead I look rather aloof and confused, as per the norm with driver's license photos.
And that concludes our exciting journey through my license photos, I hope you've enjoyed it. I sure did.
Ming
Monday, July 9, 2007
Milk was a bad choice
I think my air conditioner is broken. It's been going all day but the temperature in here's not fallen below 77 degrees. Heads are gonna roll tomorrow.
Ming
Ming
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