by Audrey -

Oh no! Pandora!

Alas, when I tried to listen to my internet radio today at work, it failed me.

I thought for a second that Pandora had been shut down for EVERYONE, and was about to be very sad, but I happily modify my status to sort of sad. The RIAA didn’t get Pandora, it just got Pandora (which mostly has us licensed music) to stop playing internationally.

I really like the sincerity of this note.  They’re sad, care about you getting your music, and hope that someday music licensing won’t be a horrible mess.

AND I just discovered…no Heroes either! I was counting on catching up on Heroes online while away.

(I sense the Japanese dramas circling, waiting to pounce on a moment of bored weakness.  Gimme my media!)

by audrey -

Last rites

Perhaps not so drastic as that. But I’m pretty sure that despite the delicious food in Japan, there are some things I’ll be missing from produce producing, ethnically diverse California.

In the past couple weeks, there’s been a disproportionate amount of Japan-unobtainable junk food going into my system.

  • In ‘n Out (grilled onion cheeseburger! makes me feel warm like LA sun.)
  • Falafel wraps
  • Pintxo’s honey biscuit scone things
  • Deep dish pizza
  • Burritos
  • Tartine
  • Taiwanese breakfast food
Really, no one does quality junk food like America.
I’ve also been savoring all the fruit and the variety of green things to munch on.  If I recall right, good fruit will be both extortion-level-expensive and two weeks old FROM California.
Alas, farmer’s markets and open space, I’ll miss ya.  Off to fish markets and subway malls!
(sidenote: I’m writing this from SFO. Interesting demographic on this (sadly looking to be packed) flight – a lot of middle aged white females with medium length dirty blond hair, wearing conference tags. Why would you wear a conference nametag TO the airport?  Solidarity? And then the Japanes people, of course. Looks like senior citizens and a smattering of hip vacationer types; not a business-heavy flight. Then again, I’m on business, and I probably look like a vacationer.)
by Audrey -

An old friend

I’m out! 

The Devonshire chapter of my life is now officially closed, and along with it, a ridiculous amount of garbage, my mech. eng problem sets, my well intentioned (but unused) culinary purchases, and some good times.

I think I don’t want to clean anything for the next 5 years, at least.  

Or pack.  But unfortunately there’s a lot of pack/unpacking in my immediate future,  especially given my current plans.

While a lot of my academic stuff just got trashed (ahem, recycled), I couldn’t quite part with this fellow right away.  So much so, that I wanted to bring him down to LA and take a picture, before saying goodbye.  

Used to be, we’d spin hula hoops together, back in the days of ME 101.   (Literally – this was attached to a device that picked up a hula hoop and spun it.  It was for a prototyping class.)  Alas, he’s seen better.  The hot-glue and rubber band joints seem to be going a bit arthritic, and his vision just isn’t what it used to be. 

I’m putting the gee-raf out to pasture on the sunny slopes of Landfill.  He’s just that age now.

Good times, though, good times.