remember that time sean fitzsimmons and I saw tony shalhoub?

My friend Sean Fitzsimmons and I were having coffee at the Starbucks under the Westin-Francis Marion on Saturday when suddenly we noticed a flurry of activity outside. Since most of it was a bunch of frat guys acting like dipshits and hitting each other, we ignored it. After a few minutes though, Sean figured out what what going on:

Sean: "Hey, that's...HOLY SHIT, IT'S MONK!!"
Me: "What? A monk?"
Sean: "You know that show, Monk? It's Tony Shalhoub!"
Me: "No way!!! Holy crap everyone, it's Tony Shalhoub!"

Fact is, I have only ever seen one episode of Monk in my life. But that doesn't take away from the fact that I saw him. With Sean, who I hadn't seen in two years. In Charleston. It was a special moment.

In other news...
My boss is sick. Our grad student is out of town. Our post-doc is sick. It is 2pm. Would it be completely dishonest if I went home now but took credit for a whole day?

another item off the 'things to do before i die' list

I still can't believe that I actually got this thing. Every time I see it in the mirror it surprises me. It's kind of the same way I felt after I went blonde (aside from the whole irreversible thing). However, unlike being blonde, it's not really taken any getting used to as far as affection goes. This is going to sound like the most shallow, insipid, self centered comment ever and is probably an insult to mothers everywhere, but the way i felt the first time I saw the finished product of this tattoo was, I imagine, similar to the way a mother feels the first time she sees her newborn baby. It was love at first sight, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. And here's the best part: tattoos don't require 3 am feedings. Tattoos (aside from initial cost) are not expensive. You don't have to plan your life around them. I won't have to buy a minivan/crossover vehicle to drive my new tattoo to daycare. There is no "tattoo weight" to lose. It won't grow up to make bad decisions and resent me as a parent. There is just no bad side to this situation.

Sidenote: I'm not sure if its grandparents will feel as enthusiastic about it as I do. This remains to be seen.

*UPDATE*
Mom likes it. Dad, in a fit of medical paranoia, has convinced himself that I have probably transmitted Hepatitis via contaminated needle, but likes the actual design.

i love my house.

things i love about my new house:

1. there is a carport so i don't have to stand in the rain whilst struggling to find the correct key on my keychain.

2. there is space out of the way next to the washing machine for the litterbox so that when george takes one of his epic dumps it isn't noticeable to everyone within a 2 mile radius.

3. my bedroom ceiling is over 6 feet tall.

4. i have my own bathroom. i never realized the difference it could make in my overall happiness with my morning routine.

5. walk in closet.

6. middle class neighborhood. call me an elitist, but i really enjoy not waking up at 4 am to the sounds of loud cracked-out arguments, taxi horns, and gunfire.

7. BACK YARD. i havent had a back yard in five years.

8. windows. lots of them.

I could go on and on, but I won't because I'm getting bored with myself. Anyway, I'm looking forward to spending the next several years of my life in this place. It's nice to know that I wont be moving any time soon (for once).

don't you hate it when

you're listening to your itunes at work, and you've kind of zoned out because you're writing emails, but suddenly you realize that you're listening to something REALLY embarrassing. like "africa" by toto.