Reading (For Dummies)

If the world ended today...

One time some years ago, Erik and I were in a bar in Philadelphia. He was half-flirting with this chick. All I can remember is that she had this shirt that said, "I'm from New Jersey..."

"...Where only the Strong Survive."

I guess there is some truth to that in all species in the state, like the poor stink bug above who was half-eaten by ants, yet crawled away (probably not to survive for too much longer, though).

I drove down Thursday evening with my buddy Hemant (from India). I wandered around New Jersey not much this time...exams meant I had to spend my days studying for the OS midterm. A few funny things did happen, though.

Fresh Fields exterior, walking to my car. I hear a sort of giggle behind me, so I turn and look. It's some vaguely cute woman with blond hair. "Groovy shirt, man," she says in hippy (obviously not her native dialect), "where'd you get it?"

I look down at my shirt. It is tie-dyed, a shirt from an Allman Brothers tour.

"Thanks, I think I found it in my closet," was my more-or-less response. "Well," she says, "if you ever find any more, give it to me, alright?" At this point I was in seek-and-destroy mode, "Only if you tell me your name and your phone number." Her name is Jen, and her number is now sitting somewhere in the back of my brain, encoded in neurons, the way that only humans know how.

This may very well have been the strangest phone number pickup of all time. I'm still confused about how it happened.

When I got back home, I looked at the back of the shirt. Mushroom Express is written on the sides.

While it would be amusing to have a date that I met for no more than five seconds in a grocery store parking lot, I won't call her. Druggies aren't really my type. And for reference, nope I've never done anything more than the occassional hashish smoking (my previous reference to psychedelics was for storytelling effects only). Perhaps I should give my gonzo reporting a check.

Anyway, I went back to Syracuse, stopping to pick up Hemant and some computer parts from my pal Chris.

I now have 4580VA of battery-backup

I officially have far too many UPS' after the visit. He bought me a lot at an auction a few weeks ago: 2 400VAs, 3 300VAs, and one 1440. I already have a 1440 here. A few of them need new batteries, but they might make nice presents for family with non-laptop computers. Working through Northeast power failures can be a good thing.

I should also mention other things collected on the trip: A table with chairs (thanks, mom), some polypro undershirts (thanks, dad), and some blue balls (thanks, Lauie). I'll spare the details on that last bit.

So I've lived to tell the tale of another New Jersey visit. Let's just hope I survive the rest of the week as projects and midterms roll through.