Truth in Advertising

"(There is) a good dose of prejudice based on your age and status as an itinerant uninstitutionalized heart-throb."
- a concern raised while discussing whether or not I am "boyfriend material"

Sandwiches from the Food Co-Op are incredible.  Ted (in the red shirt) always gets all the free extras available, while I go for the classic lettuce-tomato-onion combo. Either way, as you can see, salivation is unavoidable.

These Boxes is totally the name of my new Indie Aleatoric Funk band.

I moved into a new house and now must stock my cupboard with staples and my bathroom with toiletries. With less and less time in my day to work up a good lather, I've decided to revisit body wash as a medium for expeditious general hygiene. In the past I've used an Adidas brand body wash which, in retrospect, seems like using Kraft toilet paper. Yesterday I stood before an 8ft shelf of scented varieties for men and slowly narrowed my options to select the scent that best represents Me (a marketing rep for any of these companies would have creamed their jeans to observe this process outside of a focus group):

The first consideration was cost, so my choices were limited to what was on sale. I didn't even look at the labeling of the other brands.

So far so good: my frugalness is my core value here.

The next consideration was finding a mild scent: not too strong and not too soapy. My brother once brought my attention to the malodorous combination of fruit and B.O.

Apparently, I value subtlety over style. I don't want to wear the scent like an expensive watch.

The final stage was repeatedly sniffing 3 different scents, trying to identify with the smell: Is this what I want to smell like? I was trying very hard to ignore the associations of the labeling, but still walked away with Old Spice Denali which smells, according to the label, "like wilderness, open air and freedom". I wonder whether this is the result of very precise marketing or simply the power of suggestion... probably a little of both. Or maybe the Universe is trying to sell tell me something.

Played during the intermission of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Arboretum:

The Road to Hell

"Oh, it's you. Is anyone of consequence home?"
- Jessi to me, finding me on the couch reading the Hobbit

I love running at sunset. Everything starts to glow. The temp drops from superfucking hot down to very warm. I've taken to bringing my camera along to try to catch the little jems I pass on my loop around campus. 

Oh my dear sweet lord, what a mess I've made. I have so thoroughly deluded myself in so many respects that, while I'm beginning to understand the current state of things, I have no idea how it has come this far. Perhaps I could be more vague? The last two weeks have been filled with self reflection regarding my romantic machinations, more specifically the ethos that has informed my decision-making before, during, and after my relationships. All of them. There is a number equal to the amount of people I have slept with. Like your weight or maybe your age, it's a number that I've been rounding down for so long that I'd lost track of the real thing. This number, as it turns out, is very large relative to anyone I know. While I'm not surprised, I'm suddenly a little uncomfortable.
It wasn't my goal to end up here. I've never identified as a ladies man and I've never felt particularly confident as a suitor. I'm not saying I'm not a scoundrel; I just thought that all my good intentions might make up for my flights-of-fancy. Apparently not. So now what? I'm still me and there's nothing to be done about that— but I can use this new clarity to move forward with more... discipline. Already, I feel less pressure to pursue every opportunity that comes up. Which is to say I'm enjoying not feeling the need to, you know, hump every cute girl that comes within arms' reach.

Fucking mynocks, right?* Always chewing on power cables. What's that about?

*obligatory Star Wars reference of the week