meshuggah, kittens, tofu, churches, cops, rental cars.
I spent last week in Charleston, SC for work. Let's see.
When I walked into my hotel, the woman at the desk looked up and said "hey". That's the greeting I got everywhere -- "hey". Not "hi", not "hello", not "good morning". I think "hey" is the best. So very friendly and informal.
My rented Kia had a sticker on the door that said WARNING: this vehicle is protected by a passive security system. I figured the "passive system" was "who the fuck would steal this car".
A week of time in a police department was enough to change my perspective on cops a little bit. For the record, that perspective was "I don't like cops". Or, really, "I can't stand it when cops treat everyone like criminals; ignore reason so that they can maintain 'control'; break laws they're supposed to enforce; and in general act like complete assholes with short-guy complexes". But going back and forth between a consulting company's big beautiful office and a crowded, busy, working police building -- that was interesting. Being a cop isn't exactly glamorous. Being support staff in the police department is even less so. The place is obviously budget-starved, they have hard problems to solve, and all those regular working folk that are in the back office are just doing their crappy jobs like the rest of us.
Bradee acquired a kitten while I was gone. THE KITTEN IS REALLY DAMN CUTE. The big old cat doesn't think the kitten is particularly cute.
Call me a sissy vegetarian but burritos should always provide the tofu option. Goddamn that was good.
While in South Carolina, I bought the new Meshuggah record the day it came out. Then I found a very cool indie record store and bought a Pig Destroyer CD. Then I drove around in the Kia all week wearing "business casual" attire and listening to Meshuggah and Pig Destroyer.
Speaking of Meshuggah, tomorrow it's Ozzfest again. 12 hours of metal, heat, rednecks, and expensive pizza.
There's an old church for sale in upstate NY and I really want to buy it, open a recording studio, and never program for a living again.
