This is going to be fun.
Showing posts with label James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James. Show all posts
Sunday, October 27, 2013
when cool people procreate
Yesterday was the non-traditional, just-a-celebration baby shower for The Jamez and Special K. They are, individually, ridiculously awesome people. Together: magic. Their progeny is expected within the next three-to-four weeks. Plus shipping and handling.
This is going to be fun.
This is going to be fun.
Friday, May 24, 2013
James!
Oh thank God. I finally got me some quality James time this week.
with a couple of beers
and old haunts.
And new memes:
with a couple of beers
and old haunts.
And new memes:
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
I'm up, I'm up.
Through conversation I was reminded of the now defunct but formerly awesome blog Foxy Librarian. I also remember one day while bored at the reference desk, Foxy blogged that she filled the time by memorizing the Litany Against Fear. Just for shits and giggles, I texted James (who got me into Dune in the first place): "Fear is the mind-killer. Just sayin'."
And then today I saw this online:
Two Dune references in as many days. I'll try not to be worried.
I sent the link to James, who wrote back:
I love this. And that he was able to recite the Litany. It's good to have at the ready. I have trouble remembering it, but did recite it repeatedly internally the last time I had to have blood drawn. And the last set of inoculations. I hate needles. The distraction worked.
By the way, I love that when I went to Google for this post, all I had to type in was "litan.." for "Litancy against fear" to auto-fill. Not surprisingly, the Internet is a nerd.
UPDATE:
Wow, this is on topic. i09's superlist for today:
16 Famous Science Fiction Quotes that Make Excellent Pick-Up Lines
Note that the Litany Against Fear is not one of them.
And then today I saw this online:
Two Dune references in as many days. I'll try not to be worried.
I sent the link to James, who wrote back:
Hey you!
Dune is everywhere one turns. Like a Fremen assassin, lying in the shadows, a crysknife gripped in his sandy hands.
A story - last night I was driving home when I mentioned your "Fear is the mind killer" txt to [my girlfriend]. I have no idea why. Must have been some conversational context around it, but anyway. I mentioned it and she had no idea what it meant, so I recited the Litany Against Fear to her - as one does - and she sat there in the shotgun seat for a moment, silent, then said, "You never brought that out on a first date, did you?" Without missing a beat, I responded, "No, it's all about timing." I looked at my imaginary watch. "You wait until you've moved in with the girl and quit your job."
Her laughter alone made her awesome.
I love this. And that he was able to recite the Litany. It's good to have at the ready. I have trouble remembering it, but did recite it repeatedly internally the last time I had to have blood drawn. And the last set of inoculations. I hate needles. The distraction worked.
By the way, I love that when I went to Google for this post, all I had to type in was "litan.." for "Litancy against fear" to auto-fill. Not surprisingly, the Internet is a nerd.
UPDATE:
Wow, this is on topic. i09's superlist for today:
16 Famous Science Fiction Quotes that Make Excellent Pick-Up Lines
Note that the Litany Against Fear is not one of them.
Friday, February 17, 2012
land sakes
While I have been considerably more of a homebody since Jan 2, I still haven't managed to carve out quality sitting still time. My "to read" stack is now going on a year old and is waist high. The James invited me up to the Land in Napa for an afternoon of quit contemplation, reading, and writing. I was happy to have some time alone with James and my own thoughts-- no phone, no internet, few distractions from the idyll.
Even though it has been a dangerously dry winter, there has been just enough rain to turn a bit of the trees and hillside green. The Spanish moss is thriving and enhances the otherworldly feel that is The Land.
As it turns out, instead of an all day along thing it turned out to be a late afternoon/ evening thing along with Circle R & Linx (our hosts) and Special K, the superlatively awesome girlfriend of The James. Not the original plan, but perhaps even a better one. Also consider that Circle R built a fantastic (i.e. a thing of fantasy) tree house bar.
Seriously.
Love The Land.
And it's pretty amazing after the sun goes down too. It was so clear even the evening star shows up in a photo from my point-and-shoot.
I needed to make it back to the City for an nighttime event, but I stayed long enough to take in the...experience...that is Turtle Rock.
In my 15 years in SF, I have learned that if you are given advice you do not understand, just file it away and it will make sense later. The Bay Area is almost like the land of Faerie in Stardust—it's a patchwork of surreal places which abut each other in dramatic fashions and rarely overlap. Earlier in the day Linx told me, from experience, not to be tempted to pull the dollar bills down. Sure. Okay. Fine.
Oh.
The hallmark of Turtle creek is that they are the only social establishment for miles around. They have a mini, mini mart of sorts in the back, and essentials—like sunscreen, bug repellent, and condoms, for sale above the bar. And they serve two things: liquor and egg rolls. Really. Even the neon says so.
It's a family-owned-for-generations sort of place, and feels it. And due to its heritage, dominoes are a big deal too. I was impressed by the full bar. And the egg rolls, as foretold, are not to be missed.
Also available for purchase, novelty sex toys for only 50 cents in the bathroom. James and K took their chances on the "Collect All Six" option...
...and received what at first looked like a tiny novelty eraser, the kind you would find by the bag in Japantown, in the shape of a miniature vagina.
Ultimately we determined, and this is our best guess here, that it was a finger tip tickler.
Sexy.
Even though it has been a dangerously dry winter, there has been just enough rain to turn a bit of the trees and hillside green. The Spanish moss is thriving and enhances the otherworldly feel that is The Land.
As it turns out, instead of an all day along thing it turned out to be a late afternoon/ evening thing along with Circle R & Linx (our hosts) and Special K, the superlatively awesome girlfriend of The James. Not the original plan, but perhaps even a better one. Also consider that Circle R built a fantastic (i.e. a thing of fantasy) tree house bar.
Seriously.
Love The Land.
And it's pretty amazing after the sun goes down too. It was so clear even the evening star shows up in a photo from my point-and-shoot.
I needed to make it back to the City for an nighttime event, but I stayed long enough to take in the...experience...that is Turtle Rock.
In my 15 years in SF, I have learned that if you are given advice you do not understand, just file it away and it will make sense later. The Bay Area is almost like the land of Faerie in Stardust—it's a patchwork of surreal places which abut each other in dramatic fashions and rarely overlap. Earlier in the day Linx told me, from experience, not to be tempted to pull the dollar bills down. Sure. Okay. Fine.
Oh.
The hallmark of Turtle creek is that they are the only social establishment for miles around. They have a mini, mini mart of sorts in the back, and essentials—like sunscreen, bug repellent, and condoms, for sale above the bar. And they serve two things: liquor and egg rolls. Really. Even the neon says so.
It's a family-owned-for-generations sort of place, and feels it. And due to its heritage, dominoes are a big deal too. I was impressed by the full bar. And the egg rolls, as foretold, are not to be missed.
Also available for purchase, novelty sex toys for only 50 cents in the bathroom. James and K took their chances on the "Collect All Six" option...
...and received what at first looked like a tiny novelty eraser, the kind you would find by the bag in Japantown, in the shape of a miniature vagina.
Ultimately we determined, and this is our best guess here, that it was a finger tip tickler.
Sexy.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tracy Chapman wants a ride
'cause The Jamez just got himself a fast car.
J surprised me after work yesterday with a call that he just bought a car, and would be picking me shortly for a quick ride to the beach. Brand spankin' new Mazda 3, fully freaking loaded touring package. Awesome ride.
I've only known James to have a "car" for the briefest of times over the past 13 years, and the quality of said auto merits the air quotes around "car."
Now that his friends are ever so slightly developing their farmland up in Napa, James has ordered some solar equipment and a geodesic dome for a writing retreat space. A such, he'll be commuting up every weekend, and he thought it was time to buy a car. And a sweet, sweet machine it is.
And finally, another friend with a car so I don't have to chauffeur all the time.
Of course, it's just not the same without a miniature of this guy permabonded to the dashboard.
J surprised me after work yesterday with a call that he just bought a car, and would be picking me shortly for a quick ride to the beach. Brand spankin' new Mazda 3, fully freaking loaded touring package. Awesome ride.
I've only known James to have a "car" for the briefest of times over the past 13 years, and the quality of said auto merits the air quotes around "car."
Now that his friends are ever so slightly developing their farmland up in Napa, James has ordered some solar equipment and a geodesic dome for a writing retreat space. A such, he'll be commuting up every weekend, and he thought it was time to buy a car. And a sweet, sweet machine it is.
And finally, another friend with a car so I don't have to chauffeur all the time.
Of course, it's just not the same without a miniature of this guy permabonded to the dashboard.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Words are hot
The Farallon Literary Review 2 reading last night was well done. The new Blue Macaw space (in the ever changing 12 Galaxies space) was remarkably intimate, and the stage and sound system were perfect for such an event. Good words and good readers all around.
I did note with some amusement that in the particular lit audience, I was one of two people in color. Not that black and grays are not technically colors I suppose, but you get the idea. In my embroidered western shirt, I felt very much The Lady In Red.
I have a bag of silly things won at the AEF County Fair. I was so late to claim prizes with my tickets that I basically got the dregs, including about a dozen or so pleather "creatures" shaped like bean bags and about the size of your fist that make amusing electronic noises when you squeeze them. They feature a variety of odd cartoonish faces, and as I've got a bag of them now I keep them around as esoteric host or occasion gifts. James got the first one last night, as I thought it was ironic to give him a create with his mouth zipped shut on the occasion of a public reading. I slipped it to him in the hubbub and it was quickly forgotten for the time being.
I got a call around 11:00 last night. He was going through his things, putting books back on the desk, transferring gym clothes to the hamper, and dropping the bag into the corner...whereupon it growled and scared the bejeezes out of him.
Heh.
I did note with some amusement that in the particular lit audience, I was one of two people in color. Not that black and grays are not technically colors I suppose, but you get the idea. In my embroidered western shirt, I felt very much The Lady In Red.
I have a bag of silly things won at the AEF County Fair. I was so late to claim prizes with my tickets that I basically got the dregs, including about a dozen or so pleather "creatures" shaped like bean bags and about the size of your fist that make amusing electronic noises when you squeeze them. They feature a variety of odd cartoonish faces, and as I've got a bag of them now I keep them around as esoteric host or occasion gifts. James got the first one last night, as I thought it was ironic to give him a create with his mouth zipped shut on the occasion of a public reading. I slipped it to him in the hubbub and it was quickly forgotten for the time being.
I got a call around 11:00 last night. He was going through his things, putting books back on the desk, transferring gym clothes to the hamper, and dropping the bag into the corner...whereupon it growled and scared the bejeezes out of him.
Heh.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Literary Life Match: Readings from the new issue of the Farallon Review
The literary journal The Farallon Review will be launching its second issue next Tuesday, June 30 at a party/reading at the Blue Macaw (2565 Mission Street @ 22nd).The event will be hosted from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and promises "Alcohol. Food. Frivolity. Camaraderie. LitQuiz."
I think I won the last LitQuiz, which made me an insufferable smarty-pants for the rest of the night. But it was good booky fun.
And the readings/hearings are well worth attending and purchasing.
Fans of James Hass (aka The Jamez) must attend.
Event listing on Facebook.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
shaking words like a Boggle box
Recently, I got to enjoy the wandering, hipster wandering mass in the Mission that is LitQuake's Lit Crawl.
The masses themselves were not that enjoyable, and certainly not the parking, but the readings were cool. I joined some of the Witches and the Maidens in the celebration of the word—well, the word of James.
James was invited to read at the event at the Elbo Room, and was given the honored position of the final reader. The cavernous space was packed, surely beyond legal capacity, and literally rubbing shoulders with fellow literary enthusiasts spoke volumes to the cumulative brain power of those who choose to be San Franciscans.
I got to visit with Writer Nicole a bit, which is always nice. And an exceptional treat was that I got to rabble rouse with Maiden-Adjunct Nicole. Who brought her boyfriend (jealous!). Nicole introduced us, "Wilson, this is Brian. Brian, this is Wilson."
"Hi. Nice to meet you."
"Hi. I'm silently judging you."
Sometimes it's good to be up front about these things.
Brian, with an i (I checked), also brought his former roommate Ryan (visiting from SoCal) and they had a camaraderie bordering on adorable (Brian and Ryan) but stopped just this side of gay.
I liked them.
Luckily for us, our original perch was bar-adjacent. Shaking drinks, pouring ice, and rattling bottles, the bar staff were the only ones making noise. The crowd was focused on the readers. Trying to minimize the disruption by ordering a drink, I just handed the bartender one of my drink cards.
Yes, I have calling cards that read simply
Wilson Hardcastle
Mandarin & Soda
Every other time I have produced this card (usually when it is too loud to be heard), bartenders have been impressed that I have my cocktail preference preprinted on a calling card. This also often results in a free drink.
This bartender was perplexed, spoke loudly, and basically caused a scene. "What is this?!" He cried, holding the card in one hand and flipping the card with the other. "Why are you giving me this?"
If I thought this were a gay event in a straight bar or if there were any outward signs of my gayness, I would have thought he was displaying some form of gay panic. However, this was such a straight event and crowd, and I was lamentably dressed without flair, I had to conclude he was either illiterate or just a douche. Or maybe just severely myopic.
After I ordered orally, I pointed out that I was trying to be quiet in respect for the reader and that my order was printed on the card. He was suitably abashed and mixed our drinks with a heavy pour—something quite rare in my experience in straight bars.
Overall, the night was a great success, bolstered by the late summer warm weather outside.
James' reading was entertaining and very well received. He read the second half of a short story he has been working on—which was great for those of us who heard the first half at a previous reading.
When he polishes it, I hope he publishes it. At least online. I'd love to link to it here. It's a great local romp, and is even better when read aloud.
I love story time. Maybe I should host my own salon one night of my clever wordy friends. Maybe something December and fireside.
Who wants in?
The masses themselves were not that enjoyable, and certainly not the parking, but the readings were cool. I joined some of the Witches and the Maidens in the celebration of the word—well, the word of James.
James was invited to read at the event at the Elbo Room, and was given the honored position of the final reader. The cavernous space was packed, surely beyond legal capacity, and literally rubbing shoulders with fellow literary enthusiasts spoke volumes to the cumulative brain power of those who choose to be San Franciscans.
I got to visit with Writer Nicole a bit, which is always nice. And an exceptional treat was that I got to rabble rouse with Maiden-Adjunct Nicole. Who brought her boyfriend (jealous!). Nicole introduced us, "Wilson, this is Brian. Brian, this is Wilson."
"Hi. Nice to meet you."
"Hi. I'm silently judging you."
Sometimes it's good to be up front about these things.
Brian, with an i (I checked), also brought his former roommate Ryan (visiting from SoCal) and they had a camaraderie bordering on adorable (Brian and Ryan) but stopped just this side of gay.
I liked them.
Luckily for us, our original perch was bar-adjacent. Shaking drinks, pouring ice, and rattling bottles, the bar staff were the only ones making noise. The crowd was focused on the readers. Trying to minimize the disruption by ordering a drink, I just handed the bartender one of my drink cards.
Yes, I have calling cards that read simply
Wilson Hardcastle
Mandarin & Soda
Every other time I have produced this card (usually when it is too loud to be heard), bartenders have been impressed that I have my cocktail preference preprinted on a calling card. This also often results in a free drink.
This bartender was perplexed, spoke loudly, and basically caused a scene. "What is this?!" He cried, holding the card in one hand and flipping the card with the other. "Why are you giving me this?"
If I thought this were a gay event in a straight bar or if there were any outward signs of my gayness, I would have thought he was displaying some form of gay panic. However, this was such a straight event and crowd, and I was lamentably dressed without flair, I had to conclude he was either illiterate or just a douche. Or maybe just severely myopic.
After I ordered orally, I pointed out that I was trying to be quiet in respect for the reader and that my order was printed on the card. He was suitably abashed and mixed our drinks with a heavy pour—something quite rare in my experience in straight bars.
Overall, the night was a great success, bolstered by the late summer warm weather outside.
James' reading was entertaining and very well received. He read the second half of a short story he has been working on—which was great for those of us who heard the first half at a previous reading.
When he polishes it, I hope he publishes it. At least online. I'd love to link to it here. It's a great local romp, and is even better when read aloud.
I love story time. Maybe I should host my own salon one night of my clever wordy friends. Maybe something December and fireside.
Who wants in?
Monday, October 06, 2008
LitQuake; featuring The Jamez
Alert Reader and Alert Writer James Hass will be participating in this weekend's LitQuake!
From James:
The LitCrawl schedule
Phase I: 6-7 pm
Dalva, 3121 16th Street
SF Lit Journals Dish It Out: Watchword Press and Farallon Review
21 and over
For Watchword Press: Benjamin L. Perez, Andy Touhy, Carly Anne West
Emcee: Liz Lisle
For Farallon Review: Lynka Adams, James Bernard Frost, S.J. Sasken
Emcee: Tim Foley
Phase II: 7:15-8:15 pm
Downstairs @ The Elbo Room, 647 Valencia Street
Taking It All In: Opium And Canteen
21 and over
For Opium Magazine: James Hass, Kristin Kearns, Kelly Luce
Emcee: Todd Zuniga
For Canteen: Robin Ekiss, Sean Finney, Sam Wilson
Emcee: Sean Finney
From James:
This Saturday, the annual literature fest in San Francisco, LitQuake is holding its time-honored and much ballyhoo'd LitCrawl in the Mission. During which people shuffle from bar to bar, drinking as they go, seeing people read, flirting with strangers, and otherwise getting their buzz on while nodding or laughing as the wordly what-not is offered up over cocktails.The LitQuake site
And yours truly is involved in a few ways.
First! The Farallon Review, a lit journal with which I am involved, is having an event at Dalva @ 6pm. My friends Lynka, Jules, and Jim will be reading. Which will be...and I'm not exaggerating here...probably the most twisted line-up of fiction one could hear all night. I'll be right there with you for this one.
(first and a half! - a quick shuffle around the block to the Elbo Room, much giggling and stumbling encouraged)
Second! I'll be reading downstairs at the Elbo Room sometime between 7:15 and 8:15pm for Opium Magazine. Last time I read out, I read the first half of a short story that had no ending. On Saturday I'll read the ending of that short story and see how that goes. Be there to see me either soar or flop; it'll be a hoot. Opium is a fine publication with weird people attached. There will be entertainments galore.
I'd love to see you all. Pass the invite on to friends. Form a flash crowd. Start a fight, an absurd political movement, whatever works, make me proud. In any case, have a great night out.
Cheers,
James
The LitCrawl schedule
Phase I: 6-7 pm
Dalva, 3121 16th Street
SF Lit Journals Dish It Out: Watchword Press and Farallon Review
21 and over
For Watchword Press: Benjamin L. Perez, Andy Touhy, Carly Anne West
Emcee: Liz Lisle
For Farallon Review: Lynka Adams, James Bernard Frost, S.J. Sasken
Emcee: Tim Foley
Phase II: 7:15-8:15 pm
Downstairs @ The Elbo Room, 647 Valencia Street
Taking It All In: Opium And Canteen
21 and over
For Opium Magazine: James Hass, Kristin Kearns, Kelly Luce
Emcee: Todd Zuniga
For Canteen: Robin Ekiss, Sean Finney, Sam Wilson
Emcee: Sean Finney
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
belated shout out
Kate, James and I are very tight. But our schedules are very tight too so we only get to have our family dinners twice a year. And James couldn't even make the Christmas dinner last year.
The stars aligned this month and James and Kate and I managed another Ploy II rendezvous.
Those nights are sublime.
______
The stars aligned this month and James and Kate and I managed another Ploy II rendezvous.
Those nights are sublime.
______Friday, August 08, 2008
that'll do, PIG!!!
I'm not going.
I so want to.
But I just got back from one vacation and already have too much on my plate for work and for this weekend to take off on another.
James left today.
He's headed to Connecticut. He'll see his family, go to Will's, see Radio Head, and then jet back for another Radio Head show in Golden Gate Park, a wedding in Sonoma, and then directly to Burning Man.
What will the Jamez be doing at The Will Compound?
Pig III!
PIG III!!!
They are all over this. A huge pig roast. Actual large pig. Big pit. Roasting. And a crazy insane amount of Cross Fit competitions.
And the beer mile. A competition wherein contestants sprint a mile as fast as they can, stopping every quarter mile to chug a beer. I am not sure how they determine who "wins" this competition.
James, Will, and Will's rockin wife had a practice beer run (while they were already half in the bag) last June. They called me hammered while I was working the boot check at Pride.
Other Pig III notes:
Although I think wearing a Pig Champion shirt South of Market may be its own reward.
This was promptly vetoed by Mrs. Will, who hurls Chevys.
I so want to.
But I just got back from one vacation and already have too much on my plate for work and for this weekend to take off on another.
James left today.
He's headed to Connecticut. He'll see his family, go to Will's, see Radio Head, and then jet back for another Radio Head show in Golden Gate Park, a wedding in Sonoma, and then directly to Burning Man.
What will the Jamez be doing at The Will Compound?
Pig III!
PIG III!!!
They are all over this. A huge pig roast. Actual large pig. Big pit. Roasting. And a crazy insane amount of Cross Fit competitions.
And the beer mile. A competition wherein contestants sprint a mile as fast as they can, stopping every quarter mile to chug a beer. I am not sure how they determine who "wins" this competition.
James, Will, and Will's rockin wife had a practice beer run (while they were already half in the bag) last June. They called me hammered while I was working the boot check at Pride.
Other Pig III notes:
- Will has designed/ordered t-shirts for the contestants. And one for the Pig III Champion.
Although I think wearing a Pig Champion shirt South of Market may be its own reward.
- The Pig weekend party events and roasts are an annual tradition. The roman numerals following PIG are assigned arbitrarily.
This was promptly vetoed by Mrs. Will, who hurls Chevys.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Overhead in the City
James and I have been shopping for our specs at City Optix for a decade now. We enable each other to get the really cool if not a bit fashion forward frames. I have haver had any regrets.
And we totally dig the City Optix Chick who has been there forever too. Love her. (Name known and withheld.)
James picked up a new pair this weekend.
Over dinner:
"I was going to ask out the chick at City Optix. I hovered for a while but I had to be waited on by the weird guy because she was busy helping this woman all in pink. ALL in pink. With a pink crutch. She was picking out monocles."
I love this town.
And we totally dig the City Optix Chick who has been there forever too. Love her. (Name known and withheld.)
James picked up a new pair this weekend.
Over dinner:
"I was going to ask out the chick at City Optix. I hovered for a while but I had to be waited on by the weird guy because she was busy helping this woman all in pink. ALL in pink. With a pink crutch. She was picking out monocles."
I love this town.
Monday, July 28, 2008
doppelgänger, you brought her.
It's such an easy joke. And so lame for its ease. But there it is.
Anyway...
So The Jamez has a doppelgänger. Friends and coworkers of his have been claiming to have seen him all over the place, and at lots of work-related things. It took a while for them all to figure out that half of the James sightings were non-James sightings. But the mystery deepened: who is this Alternate James?
James went to a show the other week where, lo and behold, his doppelgänger was playing drums. Adding to the Twilight Zone weirdness, it was a Radio Head cover band, and James is one of those clinically obsessed Radio Head Heads. Via the band's listing, James found out the guys' name. And it took only a little bit more digging to find out who/what he was at the big G.
We, the fans of James Prime, egged him to contact the guy. Especially Special K, who once spent about 15 minutes talked to the guy on the bus thinking it was James Prime and wondering why James was being all aloof and rude to her and not cluing in to anything she was saying (she called James out on it later and had to say, "That wasn't me." Special K thought she had gone mad.
I found James Sub1 on MySpace via his band.
Here is a randomly cropped odd headshot of James Prime:
And here is a random pic of James Sub1 from his MySpace profile:
You can sorta see it.
What's weirder is that James Sub1 is wearing my glasses!
James Prime ultimately wrote to the guy via the internal mail system:
James Sub1 replied and James Prime forwarded the response, but I accidentally deleted that e-mail. Suffice it to say he was pretty cool about the whole thing. I did not e-mail Sub1 about the frame. That would have been a little too close to stalker craziness I think. But we'll probably take in another show. And get a side-by-side shot of the twins, then pimp them out for DoubleMint ads.
And readers beware: you may have a double out there too.
Which may prove convenient when you chose to ignore people you know on the bus.
I'm just sayin'.
Anyway...
So The Jamez has a doppelgänger. Friends and coworkers of his have been claiming to have seen him all over the place, and at lots of work-related things. It took a while for them all to figure out that half of the James sightings were non-James sightings. But the mystery deepened: who is this Alternate James?
James went to a show the other week where, lo and behold, his doppelgänger was playing drums. Adding to the Twilight Zone weirdness, it was a Radio Head cover band, and James is one of those clinically obsessed Radio Head Heads. Via the band's listing, James found out the guys' name. And it took only a little bit more digging to find out who/what he was at the big G.
We, the fans of James Prime, egged him to contact the guy. Especially Special K, who once spent about 15 minutes talked to the guy on the bus thinking it was James Prime and wondering why James was being all aloof and rude to her and not cluing in to anything she was saying (she called James out on it later and had to say, "That wasn't me." Special K thought she had gone mad.
I found James Sub1 on MySpace via his band.
Here is a randomly cropped odd headshot of James Prime:
And here is a random pic of James Sub1 from his MySpace profile:
You can sorta see it.What's weirder is that James Sub1 is wearing my glasses!
James Prime ultimately wrote to the guy via the internal mail system:
Hi there,I imagine he means everyone needs new eyeglasses except for me. Clearly, James Sub1 would approve of mine.
This is going to be a weird email, but bear with me.
I've worked at [The G] for ages, and a few years ago people started telling me odd stories about seeing me in some random cafeteria but realizing the me they saw wasn't me. Apparently there was a doppleganger on campus. And as time wore on the guy with dark eyeglass frames has been pointed out to me, who wears navy blue dickies jackets and such (like mine), and has the same kind of dark blonde hair worn in a sort of less than, shall we say, combed manner. Which is to say the same scruffy way I've got it.
I've even got a friend who apparently started talking to me on the bus but realized the me she was talking to didn't know her. Which was you.
This sort of thing happens, everyone has someone who looks like them. However last night I went to see Disappear Incompletely at Bruno's. I'm a huge Radiohead fan. And there you are playing drums, named Jamie, and more or less having a similar look to mine. Not to mention playing music that I am clinically addicted to. It was would have been more surreal if I weren't paying so much attention to the music.
Anyway, all that being said you guys were great. Which is the point of this email. I was completely impressed and can't imagine that the band wouldn't be pleased with the arrangements you all have put together. I'll be back out to see you again.
And yes, if you put our two employee pics next to each other you'd think all of my friends need new eyeglasses.
Cheers,
J
James Sub1 replied and James Prime forwarded the response, but I accidentally deleted that e-mail. Suffice it to say he was pretty cool about the whole thing. I did not e-mail Sub1 about the frame. That would have been a little too close to stalker craziness I think. But we'll probably take in another show. And get a side-by-side shot of the twins, then pimp them out for DoubleMint ads.
And readers beware: you may have a double out there too.
Which may prove convenient when you chose to ignore people you know on the bus.
I'm just sayin'.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Saturday and all that jazz
James and I planned to go to the Crossfit Games on Saturday. There were held somewhere south of San Jose and started at like 8:00 in the morning, so it was going to be a coffee-fueled commute to be sure.
As it turned out, we both had late nights Independence Day Friday and come the cold gray dawn of Saturday morning, neither of us wanted to be conscious or in a car. We deferred to an afternoon of quality time at the Fillmore Street Fair and Jazz Festival.
I had a wonderful breakfast with the G-Man and dropped him off in the Castro for his coffee and sojourn to meet his crew in Noe Valley, then made my way over to the Jamez. The fankle* was holding together for the most part, and we enjoyed the walk over to Fillmore and up the corridor.
The music, expectedly, was awesome, and so much better than usual street fair fare. Although some stages fell into the same trap of thinking that a high volume makes the music better.
It was a perfect day for the street fair, and I/we really needed our quality time to debrief, churn up, analyze, and get over all of our internal madness that had built up since the last time. As the event and the day were so perfect, it should have been no surprise that we ran into so many of our friends. We ran into most of the maidens and picked up Sheryl Dare for the rest of the day.
We also saw many of the characters from the night before, and at every turn seemed to re-encounter Kevin and Shawn.
Dietary restrictions fully flown out the window, we enjoyed that mainstay of SF street fair foods: stuff on sticks. I reveled in a corn dog, and managed to resist the funnel cake. Sheryl got some roasted corn, and astounded us with the level of OCD with which she approaches the cob.
She eats the corn a single kernel at a time, single row by single row.
All in all it was a good Saturday, culminating in Vietnamese Pha on Polk and a screening of Wall-E.
And I loves me some crazy, and the mish-mash of Lower Fillmore Jazz and Upper Fillmore Yuppie did not disappoint. Belonging to neither end of the spectrum, somewhere in the middle we bumped into this woman: crazy cat lady with airbrushed cat sweatshirt and cat face paint.
And to think she tried to avoid having her picture took.
Yesterday, James sent me a link to this flickr set, with the header "this will make you want to go next year" and the message "see what you missed?"
. 
The women, I am assured, were also ripped.
Will sent me this video (quicktime movie, auto plays) of the women's clean and jerk finals. Intense. And I certainly know better than to make any sort of "women's clean and jerk" sexual puns to these women. They'd kick my ass.
*fankle=fucked-up ankle, originally coined to describe the Coco's post-surgery Frankenankle.
As it turned out, we both had late nights Independence Day Friday and come the cold gray dawn of Saturday morning, neither of us wanted to be conscious or in a car. We deferred to an afternoon of quality time at the Fillmore Street Fair and Jazz Festival.
I had a wonderful breakfast with the G-Man and dropped him off in the Castro for his coffee and sojourn to meet his crew in Noe Valley, then made my way over to the Jamez. The fankle* was holding together for the most part, and we enjoyed the walk over to Fillmore and up the corridor.
The music, expectedly, was awesome, and so much better than usual street fair fare. Although some stages fell into the same trap of thinking that a high volume makes the music better.
It was a perfect day for the street fair, and I/we really needed our quality time to debrief, churn up, analyze, and get over all of our internal madness that had built up since the last time. As the event and the day were so perfect, it should have been no surprise that we ran into so many of our friends. We ran into most of the maidens and picked up Sheryl Dare for the rest of the day.
We also saw many of the characters from the night before, and at every turn seemed to re-encounter Kevin and Shawn.
Dietary restrictions fully flown out the window, we enjoyed that mainstay of SF street fair foods: stuff on sticks. I reveled in a corn dog, and managed to resist the funnel cake. Sheryl got some roasted corn, and astounded us with the level of OCD with which she approaches the cob.
She eats the corn a single kernel at a time, single row by single row.
All in all it was a good Saturday, culminating in Vietnamese Pha on Polk and a screening of Wall-E.
And I loves me some crazy, and the mish-mash of Lower Fillmore Jazz and Upper Fillmore Yuppie did not disappoint. Belonging to neither end of the spectrum, somewhere in the middle we bumped into this woman: crazy cat lady with airbrushed cat sweatshirt and cat face paint.
And to think she tried to avoid having her picture took.
Yesterday, James sent me a link to this flickr set, with the header "this will make you want to go next year" and the message "see what you missed?"
. The women, I am assured, were also ripped.
Will sent me this video (quicktime movie, auto plays) of the women's clean and jerk finals. Intense. And I certainly know better than to make any sort of "women's clean and jerk" sexual puns to these women. They'd kick my ass.
*fankle=fucked-up ankle, originally coined to describe the Coco's post-surgery Frankenankle.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
James Hass has a nice snatch.
I'm just sayin'.
James working snatch form from Will Malz on Vimeo.
Will also manages to toss, in his words, "the equivalent of a reasonably-sized man overhead."
He's invited me out to CT for the BBQ, which sounds like a blast. And now he's suggesting something called "hooverball," which sounds so very (1) sexual and (2) gay, I'm all over it.
Oh. Now he explains. That would kill me.
I prefer the gay version.
James working snatch form from Will Malz on Vimeo.
Will also manages to toss, in his words, "the equivalent of a reasonably-sized man overhead."
He's invited me out to CT for the BBQ, which sounds like a blast. And now he's suggesting something called "hooverball," which sounds so very (1) sexual and (2) gay, I'm all over it.
Oh. Now he explains. That would kill me.
I prefer the gay version.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Looks like IM going to CT
As I sometimes post, James and Will instant message (IM) all the time. Will is a big (as in stature) successful software guy James grew up with in CT. Will is like Super Hacker, and is an awesome enough nerd that he named his kid Odin. We've never met, but we crack each other up. Will is also the one who got James into the crazy crossfit thing.
Will is hosting this enormous pig roast in August and now I'm invited.
From James' IM:
James has gotten really serious about the crossfit thing and is now basically built like Spider-man: slim, but nothing but muscle. James sent me this crossfit video clip.
This is basically what James would look like if he ever got out of baggy clothes. Of course, then he'd be a spandexed muscle-douche and I'd have to kick his ass to the Marina. As much as I can stare at this guy on a loop, it does not inspire me to crossfit myself, as the idea is that you push yourself until you're sick.
From a recent IM with James myself:
(Click to embiggen.)
Basically Will is making his boys crossfit, then run a beer mile.
J: I'm going to puke.
Me: I'm going to watch.
Will is hosting this enormous pig roast in August and now I'm invited.
From James' IM:
James has gotten really serious about the crossfit thing and is now basically built like Spider-man: slim, but nothing but muscle. James sent me this crossfit video clip.
This is basically what James would look like if he ever got out of baggy clothes. Of course, then he'd be a spandexed muscle-douche and I'd have to kick his ass to the Marina. As much as I can stare at this guy on a loop, it does not inspire me to crossfit myself, as the idea is that you push yourself until you're sick.
From a recent IM with James myself:
(Click to embiggen.)
Basically Will is making his boys crossfit, then run a beer mile.
J: I'm going to puke.
Me: I'm going to watch.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Bi the numbers
James and I have just been IM'ing about last night's event. He invited me to the Farallon Literary Review launch reading, which was very nice and I'll blog about that later. James has a semi-regular lunch group at The G, all female, whom he refers to as "The Maidens," shortened from their original designation, "The Lunch Maidens." The Maidens made it to the launch/readings as well (James is an Associate Editor of The Farallon Review and was a reader last night.)I had only met one Maiden before, Michelle, who totally hat and sundressed it up and looked fab for the Kentucky Derby. It was nice to meet two more of the foursome. I liked them. They liked me. I feared I would be a let down as they have been eager to meet me for months. James tells typical stories about me, and they think my name, Wilson Hardcastle, is so dramatic I must enter rooms with declarations. Or perhaps a cape (I've done both).
From the IM:
J: -they all loved you
Me: - they are all sweet
J: -it was sweet them all to come
Me: - James' Maidens
..... - sounds like a band
...... - or some sort of cult
...... - polygamist
J: -that's what they wanted me to do for b2b with them, as you may recall
Me: -right!
J: -apparently there were a lot of them at the race!
..... -a lot of polygamist themed running groups
Me: -how many tigers?
J: -tigers?
Me: -like the zoo mauling
J: -ah!
Me: -I saw a photo of one and thought that was clever
J: -man, you've been going for dark lately, what with the SoCal costume and all
..... -good idea tho
Me: -it's a result of gay+age=clever/dark
..... -or bitter/dark (clever but overly dark, or bitter over dark)
..... -it's just the math
J: -is that the equation?
..... -good to know
Me: -don't even start me on our 'square' roots
..... -(i.e. most of us were geeks)
..... -and the 'imaginary numbers'
..... -would those be the drag shows?
J: -prime #s are booze
Me: -or the happy hours
Me: -only in queer math are the prime numbers 2-4-1
I'm thinking there could be a whole riff on gay math. Feel free to submit your own.
Me + Jack(Daniels) = Fun • 4ME/guys+N!(thedark)
Me plus Jack Daniels equals fun times for capital ME all over guys in the dark.
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