Single serving

It can be a little odd to be turned on to an author or philosophy and realize that you've been a fan for years even though you've never really heard of them.

We saw Unstoppable on Saturday - in my opinion, pretty good. It got into the action pretty quickly, and all the emotional/social connecting and such took place on-the-run, so it never really felt like they had to stop the narrative. Chris Pine was great, and Rosario Dawson was excellent - but the hat tip goes to Denzel Washington, who just rocked it. But, man, he looked old. I hope that was mostly makeup.

Still no word on the job posting, but more calls from recruiters today. I also applied for a couple more positions; I figure that something has to stick at some point. The good new s is that, if I end up getting laid off, I've got years of contract work I can do at a really good rate.

A friend of mine is probably breaking up with his girlfriend; she's going through the whole post-highschool "I'm an adult I can do what I want so let's party" phase, which he sort of skipped. The real problem isn't her drinking, but that he's a geek-type and she's his first real girlfriend; he's upset at the idea of "being alone", pissed at a world where most people his age are far less mature/intelligent/aware, and mad at himself that he can't solve problems in the real world as easily as he can in code. The only part I have trouble with is the loneliness - I mean, he came to me of all people for reassurances that it gets better, that he'll meet people like him one day. I tried to offer them, since I think for him it will, but I had to smile to myself at the irony.

My coffee machine arrived Friday. It's one of those K-cup single-serving deals. I don't drink coffee, really; I like Kona, but that's it. It'll make hot chocolate too, though, and once in a while a cup of Kona is nice. I tell people I drink a cup of coffee before bed, and they flip out. "Doesn't that keep you awake?" Quite the opposite, actually: like most folks with ADHD, caffeine generally relaxes me. This is especially odd since one of the affects of caffeine is to reduce the functioning of the neurotransmitter primarily responsible for inducing sleep by suppressing neural activity. An 8-oz cup of kona will have me ready for bed in about 30 minutes.

(Random note: a friend of mine started working at a newly remodeled pool hall here in L.A.; I'll probably need to stop by. I love pool, but it's been ages since I've had a hall to go to that wasn't seedy.)

On the weather front, it's almost summer temps here again - mid-to-high 60's and low 70's, at least during the day. It's supposed to be cold and rainy again by the weekend, though.

At some point here in the not-to-distant future, I need to make plans for New Year's Eve... I haven't, yet, because I didn't know what my job situation would be. However, it's looking like I'm stuck here at least through December, so it's a good thing I scheduled the time off. I'll probably wait until Thanksgiving and then book a trip somewhere; maybe back up to Guerneville, since that was so relaxing last time.