Better Living Through Introspection

next!
i just want to say tha i love this post-barbershop smell that is lingering around me, filling my head with all sorts of flashbacks: the talc from the brush (almost never actually brushes anything off), hot shaving cream (for the straight-razor finish), cheap-ass aftershave (i’m thinking 12cents/gallon)…know what i’m talking about? reminds me of all the (military) barbershops i’ve been to in all my life (as a dependent then again as a enlisted soldier).

see, it’s been a while since i’ve been to one at all, having finally succumbed to the pressures of this glamorous salon-patronizing lifestyle i lead (what? wtf does that mean?! i have no idea) and of course this summer (as with all summers) its been all about complete and utter baldness — but now i’m trying to get back into the swing of things (i.e., having hair) and since harlow (the salon down the street) seems to have vanished over night (available for lease!), i took a friend’s recommendation and went over to corfu hairstylist and barbershop at lunch today.

i’m sorry to say i didn’t have to wait: i would’ve liked to peruse the available reading material more closely (having caught on my way in a glimpse of the amazing spiderman and playboy — yes, playboy — just casually lying around). all in all, quiet an experience.

i’m going back in two weeks. you know, to read some articles.

i need to tell you this
going jogging through a torential downpour punctuated by severe lightning strikes and grumbling rolls of thunder does wonders for the ego. the world was mine yesterday afternoon — i defied nature and survived. foolish? yes, by all means. but the rush was worth it. i ran more than i ever have in recent weeks, spurred on by each stinging drop of rain, each searing crack of light tearing through the sky. by the time i reached the washington monument, i was soaked through to the skin, shorts, shirt, shoes and socks so drenched that my movements were starting to become impeded. still, it was beautiful. i headed north from the monument, passing tourists huddled under overhangs, sitting in their cars, waiting in doorways for the rain to pass, each of my strides proudly defiant: ha! i’m enjoying this while you huddle there weak and dry. i believe i was enjoying it so much that my grin might have seemed maniacal given the circumstances (downpour, lightning, thunder), but it was soo much fun.

of course my legs hate me this morning.

another reason i love this city: the view of lincoln from the washington monument during a storm, with wind and rain churning up the reflecting pool, and the shredded clouds overhead advancing and blanketing the city, and the sound of fifty flags snapping in the gale.

stream of consciousness no. 437
it’s the deliberate pace that kills me;
i prefer the burnout, each full stride blurring
into the next, lungslegs burning — that tingling
rush presaging the borderline loss of consciousness
where i can lose myself in the physicality,
the overwhelming biorhythm,
as i sretch valuable seconds
into one continuous breath,
one rough exhale.

this about sums it up
if architects had to work like web programmers.
reasonable link : : : netelligence [ via harrumph! via zeldman ]

hearty italian? what the?!
so subway has finally learned to slice bread sidewise instead of taking out that odd triangular chunk. this is all very exciting, as are the new types of bread they’re offering. goodbye “white or wheat?” hello “italian, hearty italian, sesame, poppy, oregano?”. okay, well, i can’t remember all the types they had there, but it’s new bread. that’s the point. and sliced properly. that’s the other point. why this information isn’t being advertised on their web site is beyond me. maybe i’m in a test market and don’t know it…

hungry? link : : : the way a sandwich should be?