It’s about time

I’m looking forward to Daylight Saving Time not only for the late-evening sunshine, but also the later sunrises, which we’ll have for a few weeks until the days grow longer as we approach summer. Lately I try to get up at 6 a.m. (see yesterday’s entry), and by then the sky is already bright. The daylight makes me think, “Oh well, it’s not that early anymore, so screw it, I’m going back to sleep.” Whereas, getting up while it’s still dark—without any extra effort on my part, mind you—at least conveys a sense of accomplishment. So, reminder (to those in most of North America): set your clocks forward one hour, preferably tomorrow night before you go to sleep, so as to avoid total disorientation.

Performance density. It always amazes me to think that on any given night, there are dozens (hundreds?) of plays, concerts, and other performances simultaneously taking place in theaters throughout New York City. Par example: as of tomorrow night, three different productions of La Bohème (City Opera, the Met, and Baz’s Broadway).

Nota bene: the Times critic favors City Opera and says just to wait for the DVD of Baz’s version, but in a way, it’s already out. The original 1990 production he directed for the Australian Opera is available on DVD and video.

A blog by any other name. I’ll admit to being somewhat of a reactionary when it comes to new vocabulary. I tried for the longest time not to use the word “blog.” I thought, “It’s just an online diary or journal. Who needs a new word for that?” Well, I’d like to say for the record that I’ve since come around. To me, “blog” encompasses the process, the automation (and proliferation, democratization?) of web publishing—that is what’s new and justifies word coinage—than the actual genre of journal websites, which pre-date the blog phenomenon.

And speaking of blog phenomena, there are those contagious surveys. Here’s one I selectively do, the Friday Five:

1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life?
Three. Daly City, Calif. (we moved from one part of town to another in the late 1980s), and currently Washington, D.C. More if you count four different dorms over four years of college. And actually, more than that if you count the three months in 1997 when I lived and worked in the Philippines. There I stayed in an apartment, then a house, with the other embassy interns. It wasn’t Real World, if you’re wondering. There was so little drama. Although, I did come out to the others during our weekend in Baguio.

2. Which was your favorite and why?
Regular readers will know. Definitely the Bay Area. It’s home.

3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why?
Moving is somewhat exciting. It’s the actual planning that’s stressful. And the annoying little tasks can be annoying: setting up phone service and electricity and all that.

4. What’s more important, location or price?
Since I don’t have a car right now, location is key. It would be impractical for me to move out into the boonies (or even just away from the Metro) solely for the savings.

5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)?
Ah, so many. But I’ll distill it down to two words: walk-in closets. Well, okay, I also have a thing for recessed lighting. And crown molding. It’s the little things.

By the way, I’ve come across a similar, but more involved, French questionnaire series, called “Mercredix,” which combines the French words “Wednesday” and “ten.” Cool.

The last word. On the Stanford alumni e-mailing list, I saw an address that ended in @menloventures.com. What does it say about me that my eye-brain synapses immediately read “men love adventures,” and not the complete (and correct) “menlo ventures”? Natural mistake, right? Ah, the mind.

To do this weekend: file tax returns (argh), do laundry (argh again), catch up on accumulating Netflix rentals, see Bend It Like Beckham and Phone Booth (at the Uptown, fancy!), check out Cherry Blossom parade (I’ll try to take pictures), go to Ticketplace for discount ticket to Fred Hersch, attend said performance… eat and sleep, as needed. Whew.

The last last word. Really, I promise. Seriously. The last. Back to the Google referrals. Check this out. Now, should I be more worried that (a) someone out there is looking for this stuff, or that (b) my site comes up first? (As of this writing.) And with that, have a great weekend, kids.