becky haycox

Month: August 2011

  • hash tag joke here

    don and sally eating a late night snack

    I’ve been rewatching Mad Men on Netflix. Of course, I enjoy the sets and the clothes and the hair and the yadda yadda.

    However, a short scene (above) between Don and Sally got me excited to my core. Don fixes a midnight snack of canned corned beef hash, fried in a pan, with an overeasy egg plopped on top.

    That was a popular meal prepared by my mother in my youth, and I want a serving of it so badly I’m freaking out a little. I don’t think it’s because of the warm family memories the scene, or the food, conjure. I just want some weird deliciousness. Right now! NOW!

    This post brought to you, 100%, by my hormones.

  • dull thud

    Red Meat Robot Comic Strip

    So. Team Breakfast Club did its thing at the championship games in LA. And we didn’t win. We weren’t crushed, exactly; it could’ve been anyone’s game. Personally, I screwed up a critical answer in a hail-mary, double-or nothing round (Chattanooga is not the capitol of Tennessee, numbnut); I also suspected a picture of an athlete was John Elway, but didn’t insist on it (it was John Elway and we could’ve pulled ahead on that one). But also: a few hours before the game, while having my breakfast, I memorized the last 20 years of Oscar-winning movies. To my shock, here was the last round’s question: “What are the 11 Best Picture films to have punctuation in their title?” I got 8, thanks to my last minute cram.

    So there you go. I am relieved it’s over and pining for the days when trivia was just a cigar.

  • seabreeze is right

    I did actually make it to the Ventura County Fair yesterday. My friend Troy, who bought a full Fair pass (August 3-14), feels compelled to attend every moment when he is not at work. I borrowed a pass from Troy’s less-Fair-obsessed roommate, and we hit it.

    As long as one remembers one’s “bundle up for any kind of weather!” San Francisco-style layering, I highly recommend going to a County fair when it’s grey and icky out. As uncomfortable as the stiff, chill breeze is to walk amongst, it cuts the Fair crowds to a pleasantly manageable level.

    By far the most thrilling ride at the Fair this year was a foodstuff. From a local cupcakery, Troy and I sampled a savory cupcake. Garlic cake, sour cream icing, a touch of caramelized onions and bacon. So, the texture of the frosting and cake were fully cupcakey but the ingredients weren’t. It was really, really weird. My stomach mulled it over (along with the porkchop on a stick, deep fried peanut butter cup, and indian taco) for a good part of the night.

    Hypnotist show, always a delight. Extra bonus of sitting near a dude who accidentally got hypnotized in the audience.

    accidentally hypnotized dude at the vc fair

    I enjoyed watching everyone on stage mimicking the dancing motions of a sock monkey that the hypnotist wielded.

    I’m going back on Friday to watch a friend participate in the karaoke contest on the Seabreeze stage; wanna come with?

  • fogust

    gloomy summer day from the office

    The view, right now, from my office. It is a grey and gloomy day; I am somewhat grateful for the weather, as it makes the temperature in this room bearable.

    But it’s Monday, it’s grey and gloomy and I’m not at the Fair!

  • autumnal bliss

    Here’s a photo set of same-sex couples getting married in New York. It made me weep a slightly bittersweet tear or two. Why isn’t my state doing what is right? Look at all this love! How can this not be right?

    Anyway. I’ve been down that road before. And besides, the bittersweet got washed away with a “save the date” email from my friend and old SF roommate Scott, who lives in NY and is marrying his honey in October in Manhattan.

    A sure-to-be elegant groom-groom wedding in Manhattan in the fall? I’m so there! I fired back a “yes” reply in nanoseconds. I think I worried Scott a little, as he was probably banking on out-of-town guests not attending, a standard ploy of the engaged. Well, too bad, Scott I plan on doing all these dances at your reception. Chicken, not fish, please!

     

  • cars two

    Wow, remember the days when I would post only when I wanted to, and when I did, they were well thought out and entertaining posts? And people would comment and everyone had fun?

    Like this post about my exciting experience with a ticket, and the DMV, and the massive bureaucratic detangling with the help of a faux Henry Rollins.

    Well, not only are the salad days of good, non-compulsory posts and lots of comments (AHEM) gone, but it turns out the massive DMV detangling was a lie, a lie!

    Upon receiving my new registration, it appears that the DMV still believes my 19-year-old car still belongs to the (now defunct) financing agency, even though the loan has been paid off for about 15 years, and I got a lien and signed forms and got high-fived by the faux Henry at the DMV. Not even the magical high-five worked.

    Faux Henry urged me to keep all the paper work “just in case”, so I must have it around somewhere. If only I knew where. I need this so I can get the Saturn either sold or traded in or donated — it’s on its last legs or tires or whatever. I only hope that it lasts before the next paycheck.

    Oh my hell, it’s hard to be a grownup.

  • a short summer memory

    blugiallobiancorosso

    I was perhaps 11 years old — old enough to be allowed to go to the movies with friends unsupervised. After watching one of the Voyage of Sinbad movies (most likely), my friend Paige (most likely) and I were killing time in the parking lot, waiting for my mom to pick us up.

    We had a super ball that we bounced back and forth to each other in the parking lot.

    A car came by, just I launched the ball to Paige. The car slowed, just in time to let the ball fly into one of its open windows. Then it sped up, with our super ball inside, and disappeared out of the parking lot.

  • error establishing a database connection

    My WordPress blogs that I manage, including this one, are not functioning very well today. Nor am I.

    My windows of opportunity to troubleshoot or post are very limited between error messages.

    This is probably a good thing, as I’m a bit of a downer today and my post drafts are reflecting that.

    Argh! This message just appeared in my admin window: ALERT: You are logged out! Could not save draft.

    Fuckity fuck. Can anyone hear me? Tommy can you hear me? Does anyone really know what time it is? If you could see me now? I feel love? Help?

    If I can get this posted, here’s a picture of my sister, to get us all through this challenging day.

    Annie as a fairy

  • aaaahoooo oooooweee!

    There are a handful of examples of why I, Miss Hambox, think the internet is capable of making the most magical feelings inside my brain.

    I have never shared here my favorite, most magical YouTube video of all time. It involves an aquatic creature, and it is the most hilariously filthy video I have ever witnessed. However, it may not be everyone’s taste (in fact I KNOW it’s not — sorry about that, Violet!) and I don’t want to be judged here for my really lowbrow sense of humor.

    But! Here are two videos, also involving aquatic creatures, that are completely non-filthy and still 100% pure magicalness.

    Oh, please watch this beluga whale being serenaded by mariachi musicians. Your grinchy heart cannot help but growing two sizes. One YouTube commenter: “Without the internet, I would probably never have seen this. Thank you internet.” Amen!

    [direct link]

    Now, stick with this next one. A humpback whale, freed from a gill net, seems to transmit happiness and appreciation towards the people who saved her. I won’t deny shedding some tears. Free Willymeena!

    [direct link]

  • in which i am a petulant teenager

    Ugh

    I hate my ill-fitting, matchy-matchy outfit.

    The shorts. though completely adorable (thanks, Violet!) are too big and keep going down, down — making me grateful that I’m working alone today, as there are ample crackage moments when I stand, sit, or walk. Or think.

    The tee-shirt matches too well with the shorts and I am not a matchy-matchy human. The tee-shirt is also too short, so it rides UP while the shorts ride DOWN, exposing far too much skim-milk-color torso for anyone’s taste.

    And the shoes clash. And it’s windy out and I’m chilly. And I’m grumpy.

    Hey! I just spilled an entire bottle of chilled water into my lap!