Category: x-personal
Random and intermittent postings about life, the universe, etc..
Storytelling – The Question Mark
What is up with the question marks on campus? I realize this isn’t much of a story, but you have to wonder if all these pink pieces of paper with nothing but a question mark are the work of some secret society or something. Are they messages? Is it some long, dragged out ad campaign? I found a button in the CADlab today with a question mark on it. Great, now I can be the riddler.
I’d like to do somethign like that that has absolutely no meaning whatsoever. Just to get peoople talking and wondering. Hmmm. I wonder if that could be considred a public art project?
Protected: Where to go, where to go
Storytelling – I’m not a trained Folklorist
Something Betsy said in class today made me think of this. There are stories all around us, but I probably just don’t notice them. I’m not a trained folklorist. I’m in training. I suppose that’s what the purpose of this diary was, to get us noticing the stories around us more.
Storytelling – The Cup Holder
I recall this short story I heard once about a man who had just bought a new computer. This was back in the early nineties, just as the web and e-mail and multimedia were starting to get big.
A tech support representative at a major computer manufacturer received a call from a very angry customer one afternoon.
“My cup holder just broke off,” complained the man on the other end of the phone.
“Your what? Your cup holder?” stammered the tech support guy. “In your car?”
“No, on my computer. I haven’t had this thing even a month and it’s already starting to break!”
“Was this a special order sir?”
“No! I just got my computer, pressed one of the button on the front, and this cup holder just slid out.”
At this point the tech support guy broke up laughing when he realized the man was using the CD-ROM tray as a coffee cup holder.
I’ve heard this as a joke most often, but the first time I heard it it was presented as fact, as a letter in one of the big computer magazines of the time.
Protected: What I’m listening to
Protected: God Damn Opera!!!
Protected: Storytelling – My Dad, the Smartass
Storytelling – The Unicycle
So last night, and in fact several nights and days over the last few weeks, I’ve seen a guy riding a unicycle around campus. He’s never far from the quad, but he rides in all kinds of weather. Kind of makes me wonder why. How. Is he just keeping in practice? Maybe he’s a clown who takes classes in the winter while the circuses are in their off season. Maybe somebody superglued his ass to the seat.
Whatever the reason, he’s good. He keeps up a pretty good clip – faster than the walkers, but slower than a slow bicyclist. I’ve never seen him waver, and he can go off curbs with absolutely no problem. There’s somthing to this, I know there is.
Storytelling – Dibbuk Haunted Jewish Wine Cabinet Box
I found this auction on e-bay, and found the story attached to it to be quite interesting. I don’t know how long e-bay auctions last before they evaporate, so I’ll just cut and past the entire story here. You can find the original auction, with pictures, at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3701347648.
Read the whole sordid tale here. This is what cuts were meant for.