The Nerd's Eye View

I was on my way to Berkeley yesterday on the BART, and as usual I missed my train having run the last several blocks. I won't rant here about the inferiority of BART to the MTA system in NYC, but suffice to say I wasn't surprised at the ensuing 15 min wait. As I stood sweating on the platform a group of young folks passed before me talking animatedly. I had headphones on so I couldn't actually hear what they were saying, but I passed the time by watching them, and as I did I saw an Asian guy walk up to them signing up a storm. I momentarily had some pity for this poor guy obviously requesting help and probably not about to get it.

To my surprise they replied in sign langage and were soon joined in conversation by another lady also signing madly. Everyone in the group took part and it seemed to be quite a lively discussion based on the smiles on everyones' faces. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted another couple a little further down the platform who seemed to be gesticulating, but it turned out they were also signing!

I felt, for a moment, like the subject of an elaborate prank, but resisted the urge to look around for the cameras. A moment later though I as overcome by a bizarre sort of envy at these folks who were carrying on a pleasant conversation without the need to worry about how loud the station was, or the train for that matter. Chalk that up on my long list of things I am envious of that I shouldn't be.

Posted by Lo Fat Mo at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just found this blog entry while puttering about avoiding my job. It's a remarkable post, not because it's particularly well written but because of the sentiments expressed in it. It certainly captures a period in my life fairly well; the obsession with comics and the awkwardness around girls may be common but as anyone who went through it will tell you, it always feels like you're the only one.

Moreso, I had a similar experience with female penpals. Flying Lufthansa from Khartoum to Boston almost 20 years ago I was given their kid's in-flight magazine. On the back cover was a list of the newest kids in the Lufthansa pen pals club. The small selection of kids seemed to be from all over the world and I suddenly wanted to be among them - not necessarily to write to any of them, but to be one of the names on the back of the magazine that some other kid would see and think was exotic and exciting. So I sent in my name and surprisingly they must have posted it since I started getting letters. More surprisingly the letters were all from girls.

They were from diverse backgrounds but all more enamored with getting a pen pal, I think than keeping one. There was one German girl who wrote enthusiastically and hoped we'd be in touch "forever" - but neglected to write down her address anywhere. There was the Nigerian girl who stopped writing after the second letter. In those and every other case the glamour wore off fairly soon. Perhaps it was me but I am convinced that it was the nature of the whole thing. Kicking off the correspondance was exciting and sort of romantic, putting you in touch with strangers on the other side of the world. After all, I had also been lured in by this idea - but after those first two letters what is there? Mostly banal accounts of the daily grind: school, sports, family; and those don't keep up the interest. In some ways it's a shorthand for most relationships, with their passionate beginnings descending into dull familiarity.

The interesting thing is that even these abortive attempts and pen pal-ing were a great boost to my adolescent confidence. It seemed that even as I schlepped along unnoticed in my daily life, there was some version of me that was cool, and attractive to people. On paper, anyway.

Posted by Lo Fat Mo at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The first glimpse of what could be happened this weekend with temperatures in San Francisco topping out in the high 70's and lo 80's! Like one of those stations you won't admit listening to, we basked in the warmth and sunshine and ate lunch on the roof Saturday, and even went for a walk or two in the early evening. It was a more civilized life which came to a soft, clammy end at dusk yesterday when a thick fog rolled over the city - seemingly meaning to stay a while. I certainly can't complain that the weekend was perfect, I just wish it were like that all the time.

Posted by Lo Fat Mo at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Reading the paper this morning I was faced with this headline and abstract:

U.S. Cites Planning Gaps in Iraqi Assault on Basra
Interviews suggest that Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki overestimated his military’s abilities and underestimated the scale of the resistance in Basra.

This is a galling statement on many levels. Not least of which is the echoing of the original sins of the "father" so to speak. I am disappointed in the Times for being so quick to point this out after being so lax in pointing out the same flaws in the invasion of the entire country of Iraq. Too little too late guys, no wonder your medium is dying.

Posted by Lo Fat Mo at 12:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)