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so more of the same today, this has been the longest week. as much as i want this week to end, i'm also dreading it, because that's where the deadline monster lives. the trick is not to think about it. i just go in and put in my 8+ hours a day until it's done. i didn't eat anthing during the day, only had a yogurt in the morning. i left work briefly to go to the bank. the humidity outside was suffocating, it's one of those great days to be in an air-conditoned office.i also got a large chai latte from seattle's best. this is where the SRM programming department used to have our informal department meeting, to gripe about work conditions. the place was heavily air-conditioned, almost like a refrigerator. here and there, pairs of people sat around tables, discussing what sounded like important matters. for some reason it seemed like the kind of place you come to meet a mortgage broker. today i was given a temporary reprieve from the TMS so i could work on the popups. it's good to finally work on something i can wrap my head around. the TMS is so complicated, it hurts my head to even think about it. after work i motorcycled home, it never did rain even though the sky was overcasted throughout the day.

on an empty stomach i went out for a run. the caffeine must've been giving me the strength to carry on, because i actually felt more energetic. it took me 30 minutes to do my usual route, then 15 minutes to walk back. after taking a shower, i got in touch with julie, who decided we have to go out and do something, especially after hearing i wasn't feeling so smart anymore.

we tried getting dinner at inman square but there was no place to park. so we make a detour to union square, where we ate at this indian restaurant (right next door to a peruvian restaurant). julie showed off her new david ortiz t-shirt. "what size is that?" i asked, admiring the ribbed stretchiness. "small," julie replied. "you didn't try to get extra small?" i inquired. i had the lamb rogan josh, and despite the fact that i was very hungry, i couldn't finish my meal, and ended up scattering the food around my plate so it'd look like there was less curry on my plate. i also gave julie her birthday present, a michael moore book and some kitty stickers.

with about 20 minutes to spare, we drove to kendall cinema, to catch maria full of grace. i bought one of those "5 tickets for $33" value packs, expires in 6 months (only after julie'd been harping about how great a bargain it is for the past few weeks). unfortunately we didn't have time to pick up any contrabands, so no smelly beef jerky for me. julie brought her glasses, so she could read the subtitles.

maria full of grace is the story of pregnant maria, living in colombia, who becomes a drug mule, smuggling cocaine into the US by swallowing drug filled balloons. after quitting her tedious factory job dethorning rose stems, she finds herself in need of money, especially since her overbearing sisters and mother depend on her for support. she meets up with the shady franklin who tells her she can make some money "travelling." she comes under the tutelage of lucy, who's at first reluctant but becomes her mentor, teaching her how to swallow by practicing on grapes. the swallowing scenes are almost obscene, but serves as a good metaphor for what some people have to endure in order to get a little bit ahead in the world. you'll learn all sorts of interesting things about the mule business: how drug balloons are made (compressed into little white sausages, made from the fingers of latex gloves, double wrapped), spraying the throat with anesthesia, eating medicine to prevent bowel movements, dipping the balloons in oil to make them go down smoother, massaging her stomach to distribute the balloons, and having people watch her the whole time as she swallows, to make sure she doesn't sneak away with the merchandise. that's just the first half of the movie. the second half takes place in NYC, where maria, along with her friend blanca, try to find a way out when something goes wrong during the course of the transaction. the movie is a reminder that the drug trade isn't just simply black and white, that there are plenty shades of grey, and seemingly normal people get involved in the business for one reason or another, and you can't just judge them, because you just might do the same in their shoes. the movie also makes you think the next time you ride the white horse, whether or not that blow came out of somebody's ass.

god damn clouds ruining my chances to see the perseid meteor shower! new england weather, you suck.