dahanese.com

Greetings and hello!

Well, hello there! You might have noticed some changes around the blog – and I wanted to give you a bit of a rundown on the hows and whys and what’s of everything new.

When I started this blog in 2006, blogs were more of the “internet journaling” type deal – and I used mine as such. I’m quite happy I did, also, because I have a nice record of some otherwise mundane memories – but as time passed, I got a pretty public-facing job, moved across the country, and the landscape of the internet changed, this blog has morphed pretty substantially. Particularly when I moved, it served as a great place to tell stories to my friends and family one time and have them all talk about it. However, just because I choose to be a public figure doesn’t mean the people I know signed up for it, so this space, albeit a banal one, was more of a private affair.

October!

October's been good. Engagement, wedding ideas, planned Christmas, moved into a new place (expect pictures early next week) and got to announce happy stuff at work which always is a bonus. Also, Halloween is coming up, which is my favorite holiday, and being in a new house I think I might actually have kids come by and I can give them CANDY which I haven't gotten to do in years and makes me REALLY FUCKING EXCITED.

I need to start planning Thanksgiving. My house is big enough to host one now, but I don't know if anyone else is stranded in this state and needs a place to eat turkey.

Turkey.

Nom.

hi to you jimmy eat world!

my second favorite band, without question, is jimmy eat world. (tori being first.) my second favorite album, without question, is clarity. (boys for pele being first.)

last night, jimmy eat world played the fillmore, a teeny venue 1 block from where i live. they played the entirety of clarity, as they published the album 10 years ago.

my friend lydia got me a free ticket. i had a ton of work, and almost didn't make the show, but mike got one for a steal on the street, and we went together.

yesterday was a horrific day for me, and i was quite upset and stressed.

but i heard them play all of clarity, live, and i was about 100 feet from them when they did it.

it was awesome.

forays into not being professional.

note: that title is a joke. i'm professional.

but, today, i had a meeting with a company called wikia, who wanted to pitch me on their services and see if i wanted to work with them. i forgot they were coming. if i had remembered, i would not have brought pancake in.

at 11, the receptionist tells me they are here. i think, whatever, my dog's cute, and walk her down with me to the lobby. i start shaking hands, getting names, and then one of the guys goes "and jimmy wales decided to come today to give the presentation!"

yeah. i definitely asked dawn to hold on to pan for the next hour so i could let the founder of wikipedia give me a presentation.

DOH.

(as an aside that is definitely me being proud and also laughing at myself, he is rarely in the country apparently but they told me that we're a big name they really want to work with, so he wanted to come out and meet us. and then the guy who said that made a little impressed noise when he asked what i did and i said i founded and run the company's community and community-based events. i mean, thanks for being impressed, but dude, have you seen that guy sitting to my right?)

just say no to airplane food.

so, you probably know i went on a quick "tour" of london. so now i can officially say yes, i've been to europe. which is actually really awesome, except i can only say i passed by windsor castle, was hartleypool, newcastle, a bit of the tube, and a lot of heathrow airport. i landed on monday morning about 7 am, spent the day at the office, flew out to newcastle 8 am tuesday, back that night, (and at a lovely meal that the cow, if you know it, it's great) and then flew home on my amazing london-->LA-->SFO 14 hour journey 11 am wednesday.

so if you call that seeing london, next time, i'll see it a bit more.

anyway, the point of my story is this: business class rocks, and everyone should try their damnedest to get free miles. i always thought miles were for free tickets, and i'm sure they are, but by god, man, maybe buying a coach ticket and upgrading to business is where it's at. especially on the SFO to NY or SFO to london trips i'll be taking. nevermind the czech republic. you get a printed menu, a fully extending BED of a seat, and a pretty amazing meal. and for my london trip when we got in i got access to a shower and a lounge where i could drink some actually decent coffee.

now, in comparison, coach class home on my 12 hour flight was not as godawful as you would think. i was on a window, and sure, the woman behind me thought it was heinously awful i put my seat back as far as it would go, complained to high heaven about how shitty i was for that, and kicked my seat every 20 minutes, but i snoozed, read, and played DS. and they served me this horrid chicken and rice thing, some crackers, and a pizza, and while that doesn't compare to warm nuts and salad and steak and a cheese plate, hey, at least they feed you, right?

well. no, actually. because at 4 am the next morning (the morning of thanksgiving, mind you, the morning i'm to cook a 17 pound turkey, stuffing, and gravy for all my friends) i'm on my knees wretching up all that so-called coach class airplane food. until about 9 am. and the horror of the food poisoning doesn't stop the entire day. yes, i went to the dinner, although i could barely walk until around 11:30, and probably shouldn't have gone (i'm a moron.) i didn't really cook, but sat around and had people do what i told them, which was pretty much the only way food was going to get put in the oven. well, my part at least.

in a roundabout way, i'm saying my thanksgiving was really fun, and the food turned out well, and yes i had to go home by 8 and was dead asleep by 9, but by friday i was fine. and in some ways, i suppose being sick on that holiday was nice, because i was in too much pain to miss mom until friday, and somehow it being friday, and not thursday, the day i thought i'd be spending with her, the first thanksgiving i'd have with her since i was 15... somehow being sick and not thinking about that was really good. being around all my friends playing rock band trying desperately to stay hydrated, that was good.

today i was sitting on the couch and mike was talking about the list of stuff he was asking for from his parents for christmas, and i said "get fallout and fable for me!" and he said, "i'm asking for fallout" and i reply "fable II also please, i want!" and he says "why don't you ask for it?" and i replied "i don't have anyone to give my presents anymore." and he just kind of looked at me, and i didn't mean it in a guilt trip, or a pity, or a sad kind of way. it was just that way. basically, these days, mom did the still-a-kid christmas. which adults don't need at all, but it's fun and awesome in its own way (albeit with its drawbacks, but that's mom.) but, of course, when i said it, and the beat set in, and he went back to his thing and i went back to mine, i realized i was trying desperately not to cry, and even typing this, i'm trying desperately not to cry.

the best coping is still not thinking about it, except in metered, measured doses, or when i'm alone, and sadly, always when i'm driving my car.

i wish i could ask her exactly why her gravy is always so much better than mine. i've gotten mine down to damned good, but it's this weird light beige color and it's just wrong. i have no idea what exactly she does that took it to this holy good god heaven of a gravy level.

i do not miss her waldorf salad, not a bit. mayo as a dressing always weirded me out.

but i really miss her.

and wee!

man. i am a really big dork. not only do i adore my job, and got to work on the game i have loved since i was like 12 years old, but today i came into my office and my producer presented me with this box. apparently they were made for the team, and i fucking squealed like a little girl on christmas.

...yes. yes it actually works too. i hit lydia with a dime. WHERE ARE JELLY BEANS I WILL BLUDGEON YOU WITH SUGARY PELLETS OF DOOM.


thankfulness.

i have been told that i have been gloomy lately in my entries. and this is true. i have been pretty gloomy lately. some is irrational. some is not. some will mend. well, all will mend in time, right?

anyway. here's a list of things that are good, and that i am thankful for.

- cats that sleep on my feet
- miso who sits in my lap when i work on the computer
- pancake who has a cute face (we shall add to this later when she does not whine at 6 am, is potty trained, and i am over her chewing through my laptop cord which cost $86 to replace)
- an awesome fucking job
- an awesome fucking bunch of coworkers
- a car that i think is really awesome
- two sisters, a father, and a mother who are really supportive and fun and kind and wonderful
- a group of friends that now pull from real life means so that when i use internet forums, i can use them just to bullshit, and not feel the need to socialize with the people that annoy me there because i have no other friends and/or means to socialize, thusly i have to see them
- being debt free
- having lost some weight and enjoying thoroughly working out
- being an excellent cook and really enjoying it (and having a really awesome kitchen and easy access to barbecuing)
- lots of sunshine and good weather in california
- cheap, amazing wine
- accessible flowers so that i always have blooms on my kitchen table
- an apartment big enough to HAVE a kitchen table
- a farmer's market
- access to a city with all the food i like, and a town with all the takeout i could desire
- a beach within day's driving distance (albeit perhaps shark infested)
- knowledge that, no matter what the hurtles, i am successful, surrounded by loving and supportive people, and saving money, and that each passing day, these things grow stronger, and the goals that i am shaping for my future are becoming more and more real and incredible

i am sickipoo.

so last night i had my housewarming shackmeet. pictures of the apartment will be up soon, i promise. the even was good. we had about 17 people here, including ourselves, and played games and chatted. and it was not too crowded!

it's weird to have to stop drinking and sit around and let everyone sober up, but honestly, i'm glad they do that.

by 2 am, everyone had left but chris remo and jake, who stayed talking business with me till... 4.30 am? yeah. when finally i looked at the clock and was like HOLY FUCK and they left.

woke up at 10 and felt like hell. sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, body ache. i'm like, fuckin great. but, we clean up and go to the MOST AWESOME farmer's market ever. like... jesus. 100 or more stalls? so we buy some yummy food, and then i come home and make homemade bacon and eggs and brusselsprouts, and then i passed out because i felt like hell.

i miss sarah, and i miss dad. but i have to say i don't miss my tiny apartment. i miss my old friends, i miss new york partying, but i really love my job and what i'm doing here. i don't relish paying for gas and my car, but i really do like it here.

When Manhattan becomes the Thunderdome

so last night i woke up around 4 am to torrential rain and terrified lightning. loving that sound, i snuggled down happy.

but today i wake up and check the shack before heading off to work and hear that the new york subways are flooded and i'm going to have to walk to work. OH SNAP.

so i got about halfway there and then a cab stops and lets people out. YOINK. i stole that badboy because there is nothing worse than arriving at work sweaty and disgusting.

but seriously. it's like Thunderdome. hordes of people angrily fighting for buses and cabs. apparently the working subways are hysterically dangerous. some dude was fighting and BARKING at another passenger trying to get on a pack train.

barking.

man, i'm going to miss new york.

shake shack ahoy!

so last friday, mikey came and interviewed at my company. i heard his voice in the hallway and thought "OH GOD OH GOD DON'T LAUGH I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO SEE HIM." it was super mature.

i'm betting 70% odds on him. since no one else is currently in the interviewing lineup, i'd say that's conservative... but you never know. something could happen and a more senior person could come in, be totally affordable, and beat him out. but senior people generally get bored faster. and anyway. he IS the coolest guy on the internet.

regardless. afterward loboca, mikey, sergeon, and eric came to the shake shack and we all got shack attack shakes (concretes but whatever they were supposedly drinkable) and shack burgers. and then portax showed up, because portax has a knack for saying he has to be somewhere else and blowing off my invitations, then showing the fuck up. i suppose that's flattering, eh? anyway.

loboca went back to work, because he's like that, and we went to midtown comics because eric wanted a green lantern ring. which... he actually wears... to work. it's plastic. and green.

i date this boy.

after that, i bought some pots for plants at work, and went home.

i have some great tonsil/work nightmares for you coming up, by the way. STAY TUNED!