Saw the Dark Knight finally with Kate. I thought it was quite good, much better than Ironman or Superman Returns or any other newer comic movie. Kate was scared and jumped around in her chair anytime something startling happened. I guess It was pretty heavy for a PG-13 movie.

We had dinner and drinks with Puja and Sunjeev, and I learned that there is still another layer of intrigue in the story of how Puja and Sunjeev met. What this new layer will reveal, I do not yet know, it's almost like a tv episode. Also I had a mojito for the first time and it was delicious, though expensive. I'll have to get the ingredients and start making them myself.

I've been working on a case where I've needed to do a little research on the use of ALU accumulators. I wish I could retake my old microprocessors class today, I'd be so good at assembly programming. I don't know why it all seemed so confusing at the time.

After walking aroud Mt Pleasant, I'm thinking of trying to move out there. The streets are nice and green. You can almost feel the negative ions in the air.

whitney: did you tell her i like joe mcmahan?
joe: no
joe: who's that?
whitney: my kenya buddy
joe: oh you like that blond joe guy?
whitney: ya.
whitney: blonde joe
whitney: cute
joe: huh. if you say so
whitney: he says he loves me
joe: aww
whitney: :)
whitney: yes...(sigh)
whitney: i say...well okay.
whitney: but buy me stuff to prove it

Watched Gone Baby Gone a couple nights ago. Pretty good movie. You could tell it was written by a guy because the female lead basically manages to be horribly unsubtle and mess up every single "play it cool" moment, and then she emotionally (and perhaps unrealistically) freaks out at the end. About half way through the movie I started wondering why the main character was dragging his girlfriend around with him to his shady meetings. That part was a little contrived. Ed Harris has a ridiculous haircut, trying to look more like a cop I guess. Casey Affleck is so much easier to watch than Ben Affleck. So much. He kinda looks like the kid from Malcolm in the Middle, but that doesn't bother me. All in all, pretty decent movie. I wonder whether Ben Afflick is really a good director or if directing is just much easier than everyone thinks it is. Or maybe he just got lucky, it's hard to believe that he's good at something.

(Quark talking to Worf)
"You know what I like about Klingon stories, Commander? Nothing. Lots of people die, and nobody makes any profit."

No more titles for me, I've moved past that. My dad sent me a link today to Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It's kinda funny. Neil Patrick Harris being weird. Skip to the song at 3:55 if it gets too slow for you.

Also, what's up with the facebook walls never being available when I try to write a comment? It always takes at least two tries. Something isn't right with those things.

I swear I would join a fight club if getting my ass kicked would help me get to sleep at night. I'm so tired of this cycle of waking up exhausted, soaking myself in caffine to be productive at work, and then not being able to sleep at night.

location, location, location

It's been about a week since my last update and a lot has happened.

Firstly, and most importantly, I just discovered that the lunch cafeteria across the street from my office has a breakfast buffet where you can buy eggs, sausages and tater tots by the pound. Tater tots! You can get an entire breakfast's worth for $3. Okay, maybe that wasn't the most important event.

Kate has moved into a house in columbia heights. I was pretty uncertain about the house and the neighborhood the first time I saw it, but seeing it again now I feel much better about it all. The house is old, but pretty nice. It's furnished, but sparsely so, and sorta reminds me of the old camp lodges at a summer camp. The neighborhood is a little sketchy but Kate is right on New Hampshire ave, which is well lit and I feel fine walking around there at night. I'm determined to move out of my kitchen-less apartment in October, and into something more suitable for working at home, but I'm still undecided as to where.

Also, the olympics are going on, but I don't care at all. People run/swim/etc, people win medals, 4 years pass. Rinse, repeat. Woohoo.

me: What do you think of the haircut? It's shorter than I usually get it.
(kate runs her hand through my hair)
kate: It's like a chia pet.
kate: (singing to the tune of the commercial's "cha-cha-cha-Chia!") Ja-Ja-Ja-Joseph!

Giaka!

Today I forgot my umbrella in the metro. It's a little upsetting, but the thing only cost me $5 and I bought it 3 years ago. Also, it's not nearly half as nice as the umbrella I randomly found on the metro two years ago and now keep in my office for rainy afternoons. (In a slightly humorous story, it's exactly the same kind of umbrella that my co-worker lost on the metro the very same day. So he was kinda suspicious that it was his, but his name wasn't on it and I didn't give it to him.) Over all, I think I've gotten a good trade of the forgotten-umbrella culture.

Also today there was a beggar on the metro train yelling at the top of his lungs. "Anyone have 40 cents? 40 cents?" He just stood at the front of the train car yelling it. Some lady gave him some change and then the yell turned into "Anyone have 40 cent? This lady gave me 20. Anyone have 40 cent?" He also occasionally threw in a word that I don't think was English. It sounded like the Japanese word for Godzilla, "Giaka!" (note: looking at this later, Giaka apparently isn't the Japanese word for Godzilla at all. I just thought so from this scene in Rush Hour 2.) It was quite annoying. He yelled all the way from Shaw to L'Efant Plaza, when the train operator found out about it was said over the loudspeaker "Can someone please call out the transient on the train." I'm not sure what that meant, but the guy finally hopped off the train and we left him at L'efant.

(dan, in an email responding my question of which wii games he recommends)
Red steel was fun but i'd just wait for the second one (better control i'd assume) wario ware smooth moves is the perfect party game for the ladies (as well as big brain academy wii degree, you can see how stupid your lady friends are).

still more weddings

I spent a busy weekend out of town at Kate's brother's wedding. She thought that she was going to be busy and I was going to get bored sitting around, so I brought a bunch of movies to watch and my laptop to work on. But it turned out that I was pretty busy with things too. It was a fun time though. It's interesting to compare how she gets along with her extended family against how I get along with mine. Kate's mom thought I was a great dancer, though had Kate said that I had no rhythm only a few hours earlier. Truthfully, I'm probably closer to "no rhythm" than being a great dancer.

Today I've been looking through craigslist ads for a new apartment. I think this lack of a kitchen is finally starting to affect my health. And having laundry facilities nearby will be fun. My goodness, 1-bedroom apartments in dc are expensive right now. I wish we were college age again and all my friends weren't so committed to living alone. Anyone want to get an apartment?

This blog is the first google result for Banjolina Jolie. I am so popular... or maybe they're just unpopular.

(a user review, talking about submitting a faulty ASUS laptop for repair)
"They have variously promised to email and phone me about the status of getting the unit I purchased back to me. They have done neither. Calling their support phone lines brings no joy."