SuperCyberSucks
You (well, I) know you're (well, I'm) in for a weird week when the first thing that happens in class is that you have a guest lecturer instead of your regularly scheduled programming. Monday, 9am, Jimi Hendrix's sister Jamie (CEO of the Hendrix Experience) came and lectured and did a Q/A on running the Hendrix empire. I think that Contract Drafting for the Music Industry may be my favorite class. So that was first thing in the morning. I was in tune with my Karma, my Dogma barking at my heels, and I was raring to go see what other sort of excitement would happen.
I went home to take a nap, which didn't happen because the phone kept ringing again. This time it was my father, and then Alexis on my cell, and then I swapped to my land line and it was Maria on my cell. You try sleeping with the phone always ringing. Nap didn't happen, but Alexis and I agreed to meet at SuperCyberSuds to hang out and chill and see eachother after a long time apart. Catch up on... well... whatever you catch up on with a guy you worked with for a few months.
Alexis is a good kid. 20 years old, fresh from Germany, with a design aesthetic that I rather like. He's also fearless when it comes to meeting new people. More on that, below.
So when Maria called, we determined that I couldn't get my T-shirts today. Ah well, shit happens. I pick them up tommorow. No big deal. I did homework until class, then to the gym, where I determined that my shoulders are far and away the weakest part of my body. Can you say: no ability to lift anything at all? It's as if they have been in suspended animation my whole life and now are suddenly being rebuilt. Think: Keanu Reeves in the Matrix right after he's spit out of that big Giger thing, and they're rebuilding him. Or Milla in the Fifth Element right after her ship's been exploded and before they grow her skin. Only without the cool special effects. And with much more embarassment - you try to look cool when you're unable to put more than 2 and a half pounds on a machine while you're lifting it. Then, you tell me, are you embarassed, or do you just want to crawl into a hole? I felt a little of both, especially with my trainer telling me that I could do it (I couldn't) it's only a tiny bit of weight, come on swerdloff, don't wuss out now. I didn't. I kept putting it up, but Jesus, I forgot why I never worked out before (because it's difficult and annoying and the weights are heavy, and until this round of working out, I never saw gains...) and why it's working for me now (I've seen gains, both in body shape, and in amount I can put up with every body part except, you know, my shoulders...)
After a thoroughly confusing Plato as Legal Theorist class (more on that a different day...) I proceeded to SuperCyberSuds which should have been called Not-really-very-super-
kind-of-annoying-place-where-
a-bunch-of-suits-are-haggling-over-
dot-com-crap-so-they-can-impress-
hot-chicks-cyber-no-suds-without
-a-hassle. For $20, I got to go to this networking extravaganza, this wonderful New York New Media Association waste of time and energy and money. I went to the free one a few months ago on a boat in S. Street Seaport. Friends came to that one, and we chilled, some business cards were exchanged, and some amusing times were had. And it was on a boat, so if things started to suck you could always run to the front of the boat, scream "I'm the king of the world" and pretend you were Leonardo DiCaprio, and have security eye you warily. That was then. This is now. Now, it's a big suit-schmooze fest. So I, in my inimitable Swerdloff fashion, after schmoozing with suits (Hey, you looking for a lawyer next year? No? Thanks for your... uh... nothing, you jerk) stood outside the hall holding my sign. That's when things started to get interesting.
I whipped it out. I stood there and showed it to everybody. Some people started to stare. I didn't care, that was the point. I wanted everyone to see. One guy, Henry, came over and started to talk to me, and ask me questions. Others stopped by and gave me business cards. Yes, the swerdloff dot com sign struck again. Standing, in my sign and my hat (anyone see a trend here?) people started to stare. And to point. And to scribble. And to call people on their cell phones. And to... well, I don't think any of them were actually paying attention to me, but one never knows. Kevin Ahern found me that way. We stood around and chatted, Alexis, Kevin(2) and I, as alexis smoked, I held my sign, and bewildered suits wondered if I was the next greatest portal. As we stood around, I held the sign. Some guy from "A Japanese Magazine, write Internet Thing" took a bunch of photographs of me. I held the sign. If you see me in a japanese magazine and send me the magazine, you get TWO free t-shirts. So I continued to hold the sign. I repeat this, because we stood there for a good thirty minutes before becoming utterly bored with our inaction. Alexis and I returned inside to chat with some women he'd met, while Kevin went on with his evening. More cards exchanged, more schmoozing, more product demos.
We left, and it was off to the Pink Pony for Hot Chocolate and astrological discussions. Alexis suggested I should find a woman who is a Leo. I suggested Astrology is nuts. He told me the signs I should avoid like the plague. No surprises there. Apparently, even this site fits into my Leo profile. When your life feels out of your control, you start turning to things like the Full Moon and Astrology to explain. Instead of rational thought and accepting the consequences of your own actions, which is what I prefer to do. No, it's not because of what day I was born, it's because things happen, and we make decisions, and astology/the full moon are loosely defined enough to be easy to mistake for reality. But it was good to chat with him, he's a talented kid, and easy to talk to. His startup debuts soon, and then I expect to hear from him again.
In Other News:
Dori knows one of the guys in We. Memories of his album As Is... So cool that she knows him. Maybe someday I'll get to meet him and go "Dude, great album you got there." Whatever happens, I won't say "Hey chief, great album" because I find people that call people "chief" get real annoying real fast.
Hopefully, Maria will deliver my tshirts tommorow. Then, I'll have to find a model or two to show ya'll what they look like. Pre-order now via my contact-tag (the link at the bottom of the page) or just wait until the shirts are in and I've got a form up.
What's The Craziest Thing You've Done This Month?
Posted by Swerdloff at October 25, 1999 05:04 PM
