So I’m walkin’ on my way to work this morning, mindin’ my own business… I’m the first one to cross the intersection SB at Hoover & Jefferson when I hear the revving engine of a motorcycle. I look to my left and there’s this guy on his bike in the #2 lane jumping and weaving out of control…. and approaching fast. He zooms through the crosswalk at around 30 mph about five feet behind me (I’m about halfway through the street at this time) and I turn to see him collide with the front third of a guy on a bicycle going through the crosswalk/intersection. There’s a large crashing sound, debris goes flying, and lots of students gather around. I call USC DPS emergency number (lots of kids are on their cellphones too) and the dispatcher says they’ve received the call and LAFD is on the way. Some people get the motorbike and bicycle out of the intersection.  A few minutes later LAFD arrives and the two vic’s are transported in the same ambulance (a bit of an irony). Even a student fro the Daily Trojan was there (the right place at the right time?). Fortunately, even seconds after the accident both victims were up and walking about. Thankfully the driver of the motorcycle was wearing a helmet because after he slammed headlong into the bicycle he skid into the front fender of a white 4-dr. Taurus that was waiting to make a left turn. I wait for half an hour for LAPD to show up but I decide to leave and let DPS give LAPD my contact/witness info. The only one left waiting besides the few DPS officers was the poor guy in the Taurus because he needed to get a report for insurance reasons. This was my brush with if not death then most certainly severe trauma.

I’m back from the Marathon. What fun. I was at mile 8 again this year and not half an hour after I get there (0600) a bike rider goes down so I call in LAFD through net control. Fortunately it was only a knee laceration and she was on her way shortly—albeit slowly. The rest of the day passed without incident (at least at my water station) and I made it home before 1200. Next year I’m going to need either a high noise environment headset for my VX-7R or a VHF Jedi series to interface with my Mot boom headset. That probably doesn’t make any sense to almost averyone. I’m tired. I got up at 0400 today. Nappy time….

The Returning Resident Renewal program here at USC (sounds like some kind of recycling program) is as convoluted and bureaucratic as anything else the university has to offer. I was hoping for a better (subjective term around here) apartment next year. I ended up signing a contract for the exact same room that I have now. But hope is not lost—the reassignment procedure begins on the 31st. Bully!

Composer Alan Williams was tonight’s guest in David Bondelevitch’s Directing the Composer Class. I, as the PA, ran the board from the control room, of course. Nice guy, he’s done a lot of stuff, especially Imax. The IMS TV paled in comparison to the 140mm projection system we’re supposed to use with his music, but it still went okay. 🙂

I encountered the Presidential motorcade twice today. Once at about 1700 and the next at roughly 1830. Both on the same street, Adams. Once going to the Shrine—apparently for a fundraiser—and another leaving it. That Bush fellow shure creates one heck of a mess wherever he goes. There were several hundred protesters there tonight. What were they protesting? Who knows. Maybe the traffic jam he creates whenever he goes somewhere. 🙂 Sheesh.

Okay, I’m in that strange place right now where you’re too tired to do anything, not tired enough to go to sleep, too hungry to not eat anything, and not motivated enough to make anything to eat. I thought I could come to me home on the web and make an entry about it but expressing my mental state is only exasperating the situation so I think I’ll go now. :)

I shot him because of the glare of the sun on the hot sand. 😄

Okay, and excuse me if I’m blunt, but what the hell is up with those freaky animated rodents on Quiznos commercials? It looks like something out of a poorly implemented underground flash animation webring. Okay, there, I’ve said it. I’ve gotten it off my chest and I feel better now. Your thoughts on these freaky rodent things?

My server’s front web page is getting hundreds upon hundreds of hits. My counter says I’m racking ‘em up. So why does it feel like my server is in a little corner of the internet? Actually, I like it that way. Unfortunately, Google found my site so it may not stay that way for long. Heck, people, it’s only on a cable modem right now! Upstream rates are mediocre at best. Okay, I admit, I submitted my site to Google. Shame on me.

In other news, I bought Avenue Q at the iTunes music store today. Talk about instant gratification! It was both instant and gratifying. I don’t mind having instant downloads even though it may stand against some part of my philosophy; I can justify it by saying I didn’t buy a CD so no plastic wasted, I didn’t drive to a store so no petroleum products wasted. I delayed entropy by saving energy. But most importantly of all, it’s funny and I enjoy the music. So beat that with a stick. Ha.