tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56775582011-10-23T17:18:51.933-07:00Thoughts, ideas, stories. Hopefully short and nice, like a cup of tea, or something like that.Tanjanoreply@blogger.comBlogger471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1122391853208369622005-07-26T08:17:00.000-07:002005-08-03T09:57:42.136-07:00

I'll get a photo up soon I hope.Anyway, we're married.Finally. The wedding was perfect. Everything we wanted, but better than we expected.The flowers were beautiful, small roses in a bunch, tied with ribbons.Scott was handsome as ever in his suit.Our friend Rohit married us. He put a lot of work into it and he was charming and funny and only a little long-winded, but still wonderful.Scott and

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1113253005437844722005-04-11T13:54:00.000-07:002005-04-11T13:56:45.440-07:00

Scott and I recently sold a bunch of books to a local used bookstore. Well, okay, we sold a couple of books and deposited the rest (i.e. most of them) in the FREE BOOK bin outside the store.We didn't know what we wanted when we sold the books, so we took credit, which we pooled. We then researched and discussed what to do with the credit and the solution was simple: the bookstore sells a small

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1111711386911242112005-03-24T16:25:00.000-08:002005-03-24T16:45:35.393-08:00

Happy Anniversary, Scott. I hope you like the fake snow.

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1110506802033287792005-03-10T18:04:00.000-08:002005-03-11T11:16:22.430-08:00

Me: Lick my finger.Scott: It tastes like a finger.Me: Okay, try this one.Scott: Oh my god!

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1109800385731884392005-03-02T13:51:00.000-08:002005-03-02T13:54:33.066-08:00

Scott and I have discussed this a great deal. We want a small wedding. And by small, I don't mean less than 200 people. I mean less than 20. Including us.Sure, we'd love to have all our friends there, but the truth is that we're not endowed, funded by our parents, nor independently wealthy. And even if we were, to be honest, I just don't like weddings. I'll explain this in more detail in a later

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1109121185645829892005-02-22T17:10:00.000-08:002005-02-22T17:13:05.646-08:00

Yes is an affirmation of life.We had been fighting. All day. Things were not looking good for our hero. I was crying; he was crying. Over email, over the phone, while we both tried to make a show that we were actually doing work.We came home and sat together on the couch and talked calmly, straightening things out. I cried some more.And then he said: I have a surprise for you. It was a

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1100642380268411792004-11-16T13:40:00.000-08:002004-11-16T13:59:40.266-08:00

National Novel Writing Month is upon us. I meant to put a post about it here earlier, but, well, I've been busy. So now NaNoWriMo is half over and I'm finally posting about it. You can still join. You only have to write 3,334 words per day to finish. Go on! You can do it! So, I have a few observations about novel writing that I'd like to share. Now, for a little background, I have an MFA in

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1100038825368388972004-11-09T14:18:00.000-08:002004-11-15T13:46:25.040-08:00

So I just had the following conversation with one of my coworkers. We'll call him Martini. For background, we are in the kitchen and it is lunchtime. Me: So, Martini, what's for lunch today? Martini: I am microwaving a turkey sandwich. Me: That sounds terrible. Martini: Really? I think it's great. Me: (Shuddering inside and barely able to contain my disgust) But, microwaving is one of the

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1099002709905880602004-10-28T15:28:00.000-07:002004-10-28T15:33:32.163-07:00

What can I say. The Red Sox won--no, they swept the World Series. Sure, I could have used a longer series. Sure, I could have used a little drama, but it's fine. It's good. We, that is, all Red Sox fans, have had enough drama. So, for now, I'm not going to try to resolve any philosophical questions about what it means to be a fans of a Red Sox team that actually won a World Series, I'm just going

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1097712894885289852004-10-13T16:55:00.000-07:002004-10-13T17:40:24.566-07:00

So, here is the prerequisite note on yes, it's been a while since I posted. All apologies. It's not that I didn't have anything to say, it's that I didn't have the time to say it properly. Blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. ------------ Now onto slightly (but only slightly) more interesting things. I've been reading Don Quixote. It's great when it's good, and very sluggish and boring when it's not.

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1088803030556398322004-07-02T14:08:00.000-07:002004-07-02T14:21:23.996-07:00

I can't tell these days whether it's bohemian or anti-bohemian to go to an opera. I'm guessing, based on the cost of the seats, that it isn't. Still, it's something everybody should probably do at least once. I recommend something comical and by Mozart to start with, otherwise you may never attempt this apprecation of art and culture ever, ever again. Tuesday night, after a week of

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1087410276503820212004-06-16T10:55:00.000-07:002004-06-16T11:29:30.020-07:00

A few years ago I started reading Ulysses by James Joyce in May intending to finish it in time to go to Bloomsday on Broadway. I finished reading the book. In August. But I still went to Bloomsday on Broadway. It was very enjoyable. But the best part of the evening was listening to Fionnula Flanagan read Molly Bloom's soliloquy in its entirety. I didn't get to stay for the entire reading

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1081900524506380732004-04-13T16:55:00.000-07:002004-04-13T17:03:22.060-07:00

Sorry, no, I didn't fix the problem with the blog (or Blogger) mentioned in my last post. However, I did fix my water pump lamp. It would be nice to include a photo of this lamp, but I don't have one. Sorry. To give a little history, the water pump lamp is the lamp I built in 8th grade woodshop. That is, I put together all the wood parts but didn't do the wiring because I got sick. When I

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1080849296597058372004-04-01T11:54:00.000-08:002004-04-01T12:01:35.750-08:00

According to Graham at Blogger Support, I have been the victim of a "bug". This bug wiped out my template without warning. It's not caused by anything I did, that is I have not been punished for my last blog. I'm just unlucky. Also reminding me that I should backup my template. This is just another one of those things that you know, you just don't do until it's too late. *shrug* But I've

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1080338097635053022004-03-26T13:54:00.000-08:002004-03-26T13:57:31.513-08:00

Okay, so you want to take away my right to choose what to do with my own body? You want to prosecute me for the bad decisions I make that might cause harm to my unborn child? You want to see me as merely an incubator for the child growing in my womb and give him or her more rights than I have? Well, I have a solution to this. I and all other women of child-bearing age will simply stop having

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1077661964341285212004-02-24T14:32:00.000-08:002004-03-02T15:58:42.060-08:00

Lately, George W. Bush has been "troubled" by gay marriage. He supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages because Mr. Bush does not want gay marriage determined in court. He says "And unless action is taken, we can expect more arbitrary court decisions, more litigation, more defiance of the law by local officials, all of which adds to uncertainty," he said. Perhaps he knows

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1077325000365282882004-02-20T16:56:00.000-08:002004-02-20T17:04:05.623-08:00

I finished Under The Banner Of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. It was interesting. I'd say it has given me a slightly better understanding of religious fanaticism, though I still don't really understand it. I understand a little bit about Mormonism, but then I still don't really get that, either. I've just started reading The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem. It took me about 3 pages but

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1076450534260268632004-02-10T14:02:00.000-08:002004-02-10T14:04:23.996-08:00

I had to remove the maps post, but you can still build your own maps of places you've been. And the big news: it's finally here. COMMENTS! So, leave me comments, please! All one of you! Thanks!

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1075418273862588262004-01-29T15:17:00.000-08:002004-02-03T17:12:24.966-08:00

I'm working on a rating system for all my completed books. I'm thinking something simple like a 5-star system. I don't know about 1/2 stars. I think if I want half stars I might as well choose a 10 star system. Or a hundred or something. Half-stars are a way of hedging, cheating really on a star system. So maybe 5 stars and I will boldly declare something 3 or 4 or 5 or 1 star and be

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1073430861347023712004-01-06T15:14:00.000-08:002004-01-06T15:25:47.013-08:00

I've decided to use this blog as a sort of record of not only what I'm currently reading, but what I have read this year. If you want to know what I read last year, well, I didn't read a lot, but the list includes: Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender On Writing by Stephen King Of these, I enjoyed the first

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1073430073193689772004-01-06T15:01:00.000-08:002004-01-06T15:02:25.843-08:00

Well, no, I haven't started writing yet. I had a lot of good ideas the last couple weeks, when I had lots of time off from work, but little free time. But my latest excuse for why I'm not writing is my office. This would be a prime time to post one of those explanatory photos of my desk and why exactly I have to clean it before I begin 'work'. Let's just say that my desk is very small,

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-107109633323506102003-12-10T14:45:00.000-08:002003-12-10T14:46:55.560-08:00

I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I've lost everything I had. That all the skills and talent I had as a writer are gone. That I can't write a sentence to save my life. That all my characters will be thin and my dialogue will be tinny. That my stories won't compel my readers to continue. That my stories won't "work." I'm afraid I'll have to start at the beginning again. I think of where I might

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1071007869581953962003-12-09T14:11:00.000-08:002003-12-10T14:34:55.890-08:00

I've been reading On Writing by Stephen King. I started reading it in hopes that it would inspire me. It has. But not exactly in the ways I expected. It's a page turner. It's straightforward advice on writing. If you want to write, do this, the rest will fall into place. Or it won't. Mr. King can't help with that. But he gives sound advice and so far, better than I've encountered.

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1070592882997333362003-12-04T18:54:00.000-08:002003-12-10T14:39:29.093-08:00

Someone once told me that Faulkner hated his characters. I don't particularly enjoy Faulkner, so I've only read of his what I was forced to read, but I guess that's enough to realize that Faulkner's characters are generally not the kind of people you'd like to meet in real life. But then, in that respect, they are like real people: greedy, selfish, prejudiced, mean for no reason. I don't know

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1070046595162157932003-11-28T11:09:00.000-08:002003-12-04T18:57:14.873-08:00

Well, it seems I'm a bit rusty on the ol'punkin pie front. After making my pie yesterday, I have some corrections. Forgive me. Anyway, keep these in mind when you're making a pumpkin pie for Christmas. Or Memorial Day. I will post the recipe I used for my fabulously light and delicious pumpkin pie in a day or so.

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1069890951325756222003-11-26T15:55:00.000-08:002003-11-28T11:29:16.280-08:00

I love pumpkin pie. I love it so much that I learned to make it just the way I like it and I always have pumpkin on hand so I can make it year round, if I want to. I also love pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup and pumpkin curry. The pumpkin curry is new for me this year, so I'll have to find or develop a recipe for it. I have a very basic pumpkin pie recipe. I think I got it from my mother's

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1069445514620754662003-11-21T12:11:00.000-08:002003-11-21T16:57:19.060-08:00

Seasons. Or the lack there of. There are really only two: rainy and dry. And yet everyone insists on calling them spring and summer and fall and winter. Today is a crisp cool clear day. It's 55 F, no wind and visibility is something like 150 miles. I commented to a colleague that it's a nice crisp fall day. He hesitated and then corrected me: It's a crisp winter day. Um. I have spent

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1069293469062435362003-11-19T17:57:00.000-08:002003-11-19T18:00:41.590-08:00

I was listening to a story about the court decision against the gay marriage ban in the state of Massachussetts on Morning Edition on NPR this morning. Among the arguments listed for and against the decision they played a sound bite from a congressman who said something along the lines of "marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman" (please forgive me if I don't have the exact quote

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1067651596571691512003-10-31T17:53:00.000-08:002003-10-31T17:53:15.780-08:00

Last night I had a little gathering. It was a purposeful gathering and for a good cause. Now, I have to explain. I am not a good planner. I put a lot of thought into things, how to do them, when to have them, who to invite and how to set it all up. Which of course can take months and months to plan out and when you have a deadline all the planning (which I'm not very good at to begin with)

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1066941509857805522003-10-23T13:38:00.000-07:002003-10-23T13:39:22.650-07:00

Pick one, or do all 3, it's up to you. 1. Last night you didn't win $98M playing Lotto. What would be the first 3 things you did after learning you won and why (and we already assume that you would verify the ticket and collect the money)? 2. Describe your favorite toy or game from childhood. Why was it your favorite? What do you remember about learning to play? What is your most vivid

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1066435067131712832003-10-17T16:57:00.000-07:002003-10-17T17:03:49.953-07:00

It should be sadness, but it's relief I'm feeling. Maybe I'm not a "real" fan. I don't know. But I've been very tense all week, trying not to get my hopes up. Oddly enough, I became less excited about the Red Sox going to the World Series when the Cubs blew it on Wednesday night. I mean, a Red Sox-Cubs World Series would be historic. But a Red Sox-Marlins World Series? Egh. And now, I'm

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1065644599985602672003-10-08T13:23:00.000-07:002003-10-08T13:23:58.026-07:00

During the '76 presidential election between Carter and Ford my elementary school had a mock presidential election. It was very cool. Our school was a polling place so we used actual voting machines. We discussed how to vote, the purpose of voting and learned a little bit about how our government worked. But as far as I remember, we did not discuss any of the issues involved. I believe

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1065559001975841472003-10-07T13:36:00.000-07:002003-10-07T13:36:41.616-07:00

I will say it now, and I will say it after Boston beats the Yankees: I would rather have my pain now. But no, the Red Sox had to go and beat the A's, giving me hope yet again. But I know. I KNOW! So don't even bother to say it. And don't rub it in when it happens again.

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1064609541785575902003-09-26T13:09:00.000-07:002003-09-26T14:07:49.570-07:00

Vegan Shoe Stores. Well, I think this is cool. I mean, I think vegans are slowly raising awareness about a lot of issues that we like to pretend don't exist, like the levelling of the rainforest for use as grazing land for cattle--that's not good. I, personally, am an omnivore (unless there is a name fore people who don't eat olives or cheesecake--except I do eat the components of cheesecake

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1063747754137773392003-09-16T14:05:00.000-07:002003-09-16T14:29:13.983-07:00

I don't know quite how else to express this but: I'm tired of dodging cars...on the sidewalk. As I've mentioned, I've lived in and visited many cities. And none seem to have quite the parking problem as San Francisco does. I've routinely seen cars parked, not on the driveway across the sidewalk to their garage, but turned and facing parallel to the street. Okay, I know there is a parking

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1063408713658086362003-09-12T16:13:00.000-07:002003-10-31T10:50:11.463-08:00

I just want to note that I've gotten no requests to be interview. Nix. Nein. Niente. None. I understand that this is a new blog and very few people read it, so it's on you. This blog wants you (visualize old guy with white beard and flag-painted hat pointing at you)! Email me at tangible@nycmail.com and request to be interviewed. I want to get this meme right.

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1062711762657046612003-09-04T14:42:00.000-07:002003-09-04T14:45:03.503-07:00

Just time for a quick note. San Francisco is the only place I've lived where anyone would consider 50F cold and 70 hot. One day it was 68 and I overheard someone say: "It must be 100 degrees!"

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1062610338832816822003-09-03T10:32:00.000-07:002003-09-03T10:34:45.036-07:00

Yesterday, I don't know why, but I had to listen to Argyle, a coworker, explain 4 times that he walked to his doctor's office and that gets you sweaty. 4 times(!)--while he first told 3 other people and then cornered me to announce it to me. When you talk as loud as you do, Argyle, you only have to say it once and the whole office can hear. And then, he expounded AT LENGTH to a man 2 cubicles

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1062182187335087492003-08-29T11:36:00.000-07:002003-08-29T11:36:27.263-07:00

Every new place you move is going to be different from the last place, even if you moved from one place to another in the same city. Little things are different and you have to make minor adjustments, but the big picture is still the same and familiar. But when you move to a new city in an entirely different area of the country, there are many things you have to adjust to and many things you

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1062023212336288992003-08-27T15:26:00.000-07:002003-09-12T16:30:48.820-07:00

1. We used to work in a bookstore together, oh almost 10 years and 3000 miles ago. What do you remember from that time? You know, I often think about that. In fact, I was thinking about that the other day. It was such a shitty job, low pay, bad hours and, of course, the horror that was Suzanne, but man, that was the most fun job I've ever had. But here is a list of various things I remember:

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1061847682043263492003-08-25T14:41:00.000-07:002003-08-25T14:44:39.730-07:00

I have gone wine-tasting a few times. And I've talked with wine-makers and wine-sellers and wine-representatives. I've even read a few articles and sections of books on wine, wine-tasting and wine-making. I find all of this interesting and good and I feel I know a little about wine. I'm not being modest, I really know very little, but I do know that whites are chilled and reds are

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1061590171727081592003-08-22T15:09:00.000-07:002003-08-22T15:14:47.733-07:00

Well the evening was going fine. We went to an art show at Rx Gallery, then hopped on the 27 Bryant Muni Bus and went to CellSpace. The Rx Gallery show was mechanical art, some of it was interesting, but didn't really excite us. The CellSpace show was all stencil art. Some of it was quite beautiful and stunning, especially the pieces with multiple colors that had been layered on with multiple

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1061509538534439252003-08-21T16:45:00.000-07:002003-08-21T16:45:38.593-07:00

My boyfriend is having problems coming up with ideas to write about. So, this is for him, but if you're having the same problem, want some practice writing, but can't think of anything to write about, you may tap in here for the occasional idea. Ideally this will be a daily thing, but be realistic and don't expect too much. There are some other sites on the web that will generate a random

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1061337688940910102003-08-19T17:01:00.000-07:002003-08-19T17:02:51.796-07:00

We were walking from Berkeley Bowl to REI on Sunday and passed an Open House. Curious, we went in. It was a small (1200 sq. ft) house, '50s-ish, with a small yard with a carport. The house was poorly laid out: you walk into a smallish living/dining area, immediately to your right is the master bedroom, proceed through a doorway into the eat in kitchen. A second bedroom and laundry room are

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1060976212344557992003-08-15T12:36:00.000-07:002003-08-15T12:43:30.230-07:00

The lights are out, but people are home I have to admit, I read the news yesterday about the blackouts in New York City and the Midwest and I was envious. It's true, I would have been miserable stuck in a dark elevator or in a subway car, or having to walk down 40 floors from my office. But if you've ever lived in NYC, you'll understand. There's something about the people in New York that is

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1060899699072212792003-08-14T15:21:00.000-07:002003-08-14T15:40:32.270-07:00

Actual headlines on CNN.com This makes me want to pay extra just to see the video. Crowd forces reporter off phone Just when you thought they cleaned up Times Square... Thousands walking the streets

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5677558.post-1060805982213448552003-08-13T13:19:00.000-07:002003-08-13T13:24:26.423-07:00

It just occurred to me that we start out reading picture-books. Then we learn to read, so we have picture books with words. Then all words. And then we get a job and it's all about PowerPoint presentations and looking at pictures and not words so people can understand better. So why do we need the words?

Tanjanoreply@blogger.com0