1. timothy uninterrupted

several weeks ago, my illustrious former roomie checked himself into the hospital again. apparently, he was out of his prescription anti-anxiety meds (the ones that cause you to pace the floor and stare at walls at 4 in the morning). everyone involved believed that this stay would be longer and more beneficial that the last. there was much rejoicing at my former digs, especially after he moved in some 40-something sleaze-ass portuguese queen without either the advice or consent of the poor sap who had moved into my old room. short lived though. within a week, he was back, released into his parent's care, i believe. right back to the booze and such. he is now on a six-month medical leave from his retail job at marshall field's. how can this be? medical leave from the perfume counter? apparently, he never leaves the house now, even smoking inside and consistently rejecting offers by others to socialize. probably headed for the another break. honestly, i just hope he finally gets the help he clearly needs.

2. synergy amok

last night, while watching tng on tnn, there was an ad heralding the arrival of the first season of csi on that there national network. my brain kicked into hyperdrive trying to make the corporate connection. both tnn and cbs (which broadcasts csi first-run) are owned by viacom. keep in mind that viacom also owns upn, mtv, vh-1 and nickelodeon.

3. time zone chaos

recently, i changed my cell phone number to reflect my soon-to-be hometown. this whole multiple time zone thing is got me all wonky. you see, if i miss a call, my phone displays my current local time (central daylight time). if that missed call generates a voicemail, the time stamp reflects the local time in the area code of my phone number (eastern daylight time). the voicemail was left an hour after the phone call. talk about time-space distortion. it was worse when i was visting new york, because the effect was reversed, so that i was receiving voicemails before missing the phone calls. eerie.

4. not rabies, bubonic plague

last night, i saw this verizon commercial. something about text messaging involving a squirrel attacking this guy and biting his tongue. yesterday afternoon, on a trip to the dumpster, i went to open the lid and was confronted with two tiny paws clawing at the edge from the inside. i jumped back startled. looking closer, two shiny beady eyes stared back at me from within the darkness. somehow this creature had got in the dumpster, but couldn't get out? the image of this squirrel flying out of the dumpster and onto my face as i flailed and screamed flashed before my eyes. this was something to avoid. i backed up, propped open the lid with a stick and he was free. no jumping, no attacking, no flailing, no screaming. but that verizon commercial legitimized my fear. this shit happens, you know. i saw it on the tee vee. brian, i feel your pain.