leweil's Xanga

We have moved!

Thu, 22 May 2008 02:42:27 GMT

I am proud to announce that I have moved my blooging activities to my good friend Paul Stiverson's site at www.thismatters.net.

Keep up with my blooging and other thismatterers at his site under the "ramblings" link.

Wew!

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:23:40 GMT

Life is good! Whew. Rachel has some pretty nice friends. So do I. We have nice friends. Wew!

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:46:55 GMT

Man I never update this thing. Sometimes I think I should mention something cool that happened, but then I forget.

We bought a bookshelf and desk at Ikea last night. We are dividing the bedroom in half. One half bedroom one half creative room. For hobbies (hoobies) and what not.

We got a typewriter. It is fun to write with, it is going in the hobby room. I wrote a letter to my estranged grandfather. I hope to write letters with it often. I think the typewriter is good because it is instant gratification. No need to hook up to a printer. The words appear straight onto the page, it is like magic (or like a pen). You can't go back, you have to really plan what you write and know how to spell the words. It is sort of freaky after being dependent on the computer for the last 15 years. Wanna try it? Want me to write you a letter? The sounds and the ding! when the line ends make it all worth it. Oh and no electricity. Rachel and I are post-convenience.

I am seeing a shark movie in a couple hours. It is going to be very cool but very sad because it is about conservation. Shark finning is a terrible practice that is destroying the shark populations. I thought about rallying and trying to get sharkfin soup banned in Austin... I will educate the kiddies about shark fin soup (and how delicious it is) and how bad the fishing practices are. Central Texas isn't really the heart of the shark fin trade anyway.

OR IS IT?

A Day in My Life

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:26:26 GMT

Regulators
We regulate any stealing of his property
And we damn good too
But you cant be any geek off the street,
Gotta be handy with the steel if you know what I mean, earn your keep!
Regulators!!! mount up!

It was a clear black night, a clear white moon
LEW g was on the streets, trying to consume
Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some funk
Just rollin in my ride, chillin all alone

Just hit the eastside of the lbc
On a mission trying to find mr. LEW g.
Seen a car full of girls aint no need to tweak
All you skirts know whats up with 213

So I hooks a left on the 21 and lewis
Some brothas shootin dice so I said lets do this
I jumped out the ride, and said whats up?
Some brothas pulled some gats so I said Im stuck.

Since these girls peepin me ima glide and swerve
These hookers lookin so hard they straight hit the curb
Wontcha think of better things than some horny tricks
I see my homey and some suckers all in his mix

Im gettin jacked, Im breakin myself
I cant believe they taking LEWs wealth
They took my rings, they took my rolex
I looked at the brotha said damn, whats next?

They got my homey hemmed up and they all around
Aint none of them seeing if they going straight pound for pound
I gotta come up real quick before they start to clown
I best pull out my strap and lay them busters down

They got guns to my head
I think Im going down
I cant believe this happenin in my own town
If I had wings I could fly
Let me contemplate
I glanced in the cut and I see my homey Rach

Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole
Rach dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold
Now they droppin and yellin
Its a tad bit late
Rach dogg and LEW g had to regulate

I laid all them busters down
I let my gat explode
Now Im switching my mind back into freak mode
If you want skirts sit back and observe
I just left a gang of those over there on the curb

Now Rach got the freaks
And thats a known fact
Before I got jacked I was on the same track
Back up back up cause its on
R a c h and me
The LEW to the g

Just like I thought
They were in the same spot
In need of some desperate help
The Rach dogg and the VINCE -child
Were in need of something else
One of them dames was sexy as hell
I said ooo I like your size.
She said my cars broke down and you seem real nice,
Would ya let me ride?
I got a car full of girls and its going real swell
The next stop is the eastside motel

Monday, October 29, 2007

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 01:27:15 GMT

Today I finally finished moving to Austin. I have had a storage unit in CS for the last year (paying $84 a month for it). I could never afford a truck to move the rest of the way. Basically anything that wasn't essential and could fit in my car stayed in CS. I still can't really afford it, but I can at least now make due through the month. So I got a truck and a cheaper storage unit in town (actually near work in Bastrop, much cheaper than Austin). Rachel helped me move, she is a badass. We went from Austin to B/CS and back in Austin. In a moving truck. And moved all my stuff twice. This was in a 6 hour period. Thanks Baby!

I like taking care of business. I go through spurts where I do the things I have been putting off because I dread doing them. This was a big one. It feels good to have done it. I will slowly go through my stuff and with any luck I will have no need for storage unit by the end of December.

Oh and we did all this after a magnificent night on 6th street with Dani. After a couple of set backs, including a party at which we knew no one and a lack of ID we managed to have a few drunks, take in the costumes and live it up. I used to not like the idea of 6th street. I can't say I didn't like it because I hadn't spent much time there, so I can only say I didn't like what I imagined it was. On Saturday everyone way really friendly and excited, even the overworked bartenders and bouncers. Everyone was excited by the costumes and having a good time. I was a lame mime (lame out of lack of effort). Rachel was the Hamburger Helper (not the glove character, this was of her own creation). It was amazing I hope she gets pictures. Hamburger hat, curly blonde wig and a shirt she made that says "Burger Buns" the fast food chain she invented. Dani was in the legendary Katamari costume, and fortunately some people recognized it. There is hope for humanity.

Thai Kitchen is awesome. Go there.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:19:06 GMT

Offer: Company is a lot more valuable to me than money. So if you ever want a meal and some company let me know. Coffee/sandwiches/curry is on me. I am not rich or poor. Friends are more valuable than dollars, so if I can I like to buy. I am trying to impress. Interesting people are better than numbers in my account. So open offer. Just give me a call, the coffee/tacos/pizza is already yours, come get it.

Delightful

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:13:52 GMT

What a delightful pair of days I have had. Yesterday I ducked out of work to go see a talk by my old mentor from Utah. I came to campus around noon and had an ol' school lunch on the porch with Vince. I enjoyed my beloved chicken parmesan (only $4.95!). The combo of the chicken parm and eating with Vince took me back... to 6 weeks ago. Being at UT made me feel nostaligic. It hasn't been two months, but school feels like a different life. Which it was. I don't miss grad school. I do miss hanging out with Vince daily. Vince you are a good guy, and good fascinating guy. Vince very kindly lent me his Harvard Classics copy of Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Darwin. I love Darwin and I love sea adventure books. So this is perfect. I wandered over to the Drag, to the Hole in the Wall. On the way I stumbled on my friend's old dorm from when I would visit them freshman year. It brought back a flood of memories as I sat on the swing in the courtyard. I made my way to the hole in the wall. In tribute to Mike Manson, the man who has had more impact on me than any other teacher, I had a Newcastle. Then another. I enjoyed my burrs and read Voyage. It was beautiful. I was soon joined by Dani, Vince and Youme and we had a gay old time. I had another Newcastle. Dani taught me that tree leaves are out to get us.

Vince and I made a mad dash for the lecture as time had carried away a little too far. The talk was delightful. The subject matter (flagella) was interesting. But most interesting was seeing Kelly (my mentor) again after two years. I was thinking more about life than flagella. He recently remarried and has a new baby son. I could tell in his voice that he was softer and happier than when I met him two years ago. I thought back to that summer I spent in his lab. I worked furiously for 6 weeks, trying to impress him and thinking impressing him would help get me into MIT (it didn't obviously). At the end of mind intended 6 weeks I told him I was leaving. He informed me that it was too bad because he was going to ask me to join his lab, and to house sit for him over the summer. Sitting in the audience I thought about how much I could have been part of his life. But now I am just a blip on his radar, while he is a blimp on mine. It's interesting more than anything. I couldn't stay, I had more important things back home. I expected him to be excited to see me and ask me to join him for the evening. Instead we exchanged pleasantries and I excused myself. No big deal though. It was still a fantastic day.

Today was equally nice. Work was a breeze. Then this evening we (by default we is Rachel+I btw), Dani, Marc and Gabi went to see Darjeeling Limited. It was great. We enjoyed burrs and snacks and a fine film. All of us - Dani had coffee at Dominican Joe afterwords. I felt like I was truly part of the city. In contrast to Vince I think this city is fantastic. Not in the ways people outside Austin think (music and parties, which there are plenty of) but for it's beauty and comfort. I love it. I am so happy to be here. But, to each their own.

Rachel's looking at rocks. Tomorrow is Friday. Sunday I am going to College Station to grab all my things that have been in storage for the past year. It will be highly symbolic for me to finally be fully moved from College Station.

Good night interweb.

emo

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:14:26 GMT

Man that entry is emo. I shouldn't stay up that late without drinking some coffee.

Rachel I said I would edit my next entry. I meant after this one...

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 03:36:53 GMT

I knew it all along, but it finally hit me. I didn't go to college, I went to a fancy job training school. University isn't what it used to be. It isn't about education or enlightenment. It's about getting you ready for a job. This is probably more practical than reading philosophy under a ginko tree for four years, then graduating unqualified for anything. But, it is pretty odd to make 18 year olds pick a career course that is supposed to last a life time.

I love Biology, that is why I got a degree in it. Academically it is interesting, in practice it is a bit limiting. I am wondering if I can make a real living being a Biologist. If not what the hell am I doing. I am in no particular rush to make a career. But, I had/have a passion for Biology but I am not sure I can lead the kind of life I want as a Biologist. I can climb up the ladder at my company, but that would mean leaving the science and becoming more managerial .

I enjoy my job and am glad to have it. I am wondering where I am going though. I have time to figure it out. But, I don't want spend my life figuring out what I am doing. I want to be doing it. I am thus filled with a sense of urgency. Days, months are slipping by.

Can you ask a 25 year old what they want to do with the rest of their life?

I have heard it said either everything matters or nothing matters. I feel that way about my interests. I am interested in everything, or nothing at all. I vacillate between having my hands on everything or being content to lay on floor and stare at the ceiling. I can't pick one thing to do.

If you didn't have to work, what would you do? (that's what you should do). Right now I don't have an answer.

AND NOT HAVING AN ANSWER IS MY POWER!

Hi gays

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:02:02 GMT

Remember me? Since we last met I have quit grad school and obtained gainful employment. Pretend I wrote well thought out entries on those subject. I work at Stratagene, it's a biotech company. I am a biotechnician.

Today was interesting. I overcame, or at least ignored, my fears. Today was our lab's annual team bonding outing. The company pays for us to take a day off to do a fun activity together. We went on a zip line tour and then out to Pace Bend Lake. Our zip line can be seen here: http://www.cypressvalleycanopytours.com. I was probably the most scared to do this out of our 11 person group. I hate going uncontrollably fast. I don't like roller coasters, water slides, going over hills quickly, or anything most people consider "thrilling." However, I loved it. It was a blast. The forest was beautiful. It was a cypress filled creek with lots of plants and animals. I ate wild grapes. It was thrilling. I hope to do it again. It is interesting because cypress aren't common in central Texas. These are because the creek is spring fed providing the constant water that cypress need. One tree we zipped to was estimated to be 400 to 500 years old. Damn.

Having looked pretend danger in the facing and laughing I decided to go on the boat at the lake and attempt wake-boarding. It didn't go well but I tried. I had a good time, bonded with my coworkers. I think I am now accepted in the cool kids group at work. It was funny seeing my bosses being dragged while tubing behind the boat. For the first time I realized my coworkers are actual people. I think today I completed my transition from student to working stiff. I am quite happy with it.

Tomorrow I am volunteering at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I will be working the greenhouse. I am making a concerted effort to do thing I said I wanted to do when I got a job. Possibly, maybe I will be going with Vince to Marfa to see Sonic Youth. Vince?

NAD THAT'S MY POWER