klea started her month long contract work at my company today. it's ironic, but last year i was heavily griping to klea about my current project, the abnormally long hours and my lack of weekends, sleep, and social life. now, 8 months later, it's a different world, and i don't think she in her wildest dreams - nor i in mine - could imagine that one day we'd be working together again on that same hellish project. it makes me want to sit down and appreciate how weird this is. it's good to have her here, even if it is just for one month, and even if she and i work on different floors of the company. when i was still working at screen house and moved to the design department, klea and i were assigned to be cubicle mates. the special bond we forged, we can finish each other sentences, that's how linked we are. if klea gets hurt miles away, i can feel it as well. it's that kind of connection. my only hope is she doesn't reveal all the office dirt i've been feeding her over the years because i thought, "oh yeah, there's no way she would ever come work here at srm, that stuff's never going to come back and haunt me." boo!

and here's a piece of unethical content! dated about 8 months ago, it was a conversation i had with klea during one of the darkest days of project development:

8/16/01 9:18 AM zeecat66: tony how is your slave driving work going iamtonyang: f*cking nutso zeecat66: ohoh iamtonyang: i'm hitting the caffeine like a junky iamtonyang: i went to bed yesterday at 8pm iamtonyang: woke up at 2am iamtonyang: groggy iamtonyang: still tired iamtonyang: and started working again iamtonyang: i've been up since 2am iamtonyang: and then i left my house to come to the office at 5am zeecat66: are they paying you overtime at all? iamtonyang: um -- not really iamtonyang: the only payment i get is personal satisfaction over a job well done! zeecat66: somehow i feel that is not enough iamtonyang: i'm not even going to ask for a day off zeecat66: they could at least spring for a pair of red pants iamtonyang: oh, if only they knew me that well, upper management! iamtonyang: i'd *work* for red pants iamtonyang: i'd stay awake 24/7 for red pants zeecat66: would they be pleather or rayon zeecat66: cotton? iamtonyang: nothing but red leather on this body zeecat66: oh yes iamtonyang: i think i saw a girl with red leather pants yesterday zeecat66: wow a little warm for leather iamtonyang: i just stood there and gawked iamtonyang: it could've been hallucinations zeecat66: this is true zeecat66: when you talk about your red pants i cannot help but think of that freaks and geeks episode with the disco pants suit iamtonyang: i know levi sells some red jeans zeecat66: yes they do in fact iamtonyang: but i was hoping for red pants in a fabric other than denim iamtonyang: they also have levi red corduroy zeecat66: that's it red pants for your birthday next year and i won't take no for an answer iamtonyang: not if i get them first zeecat66: you can have two pair iamtonyang: whoa iamtonyang: i wonder if there might be in increase in red pants availability for men during christmas? iamtonyang: due to the holiday iamtonyang: and guys wanting to dress up in x-mas colors iamtonyang: green and red zeecat66: julie says that the next fashion trend for men should be really tight pants zeecat66: maybe they will be red iamtonyang: tight pants never go out of style iamtonyang: but with my fat ass iamtonyang: it's a style option that's unavailable for me at this time

so what is that? including myself, klea becomes the 8th xtsher person to pass through these srm doors. we're like a safe haven for destitute former coworkers. it's not all fun though. in this new economic climate, everything is so so serious. it's a lot less like disneyworld and more like boot camp, or maybe one of those shops that make you sweat. everyone's so busy, there hasn't been much time for socializing. chitchat costs money! those smiles are coming out of your next paycheck!

during part of my lunch i wandered to the phone depot located on 205 broadway street in kendall square to do some comparison phone shopping. by then i already knew what phone i wanted, just didn't know which carrier. i was hoping to see racks of phones all over the showroom, but at most they had maybe 8 demo phones attached to retractable security strings. they did carry the nokia 8260 which is the phone i wanted, but they were selling it at a super expensive price of $179. last night i was browsing amazon.com and they had the same phone and the same plan (at&t digital advantage 250) for something like $60 + $30/month.

so i came back to work but not before i was almost struck dead by a car when i was waving to eliza jones on the opposite side of the street and not paying attention to oncoming traffic when i crossed the road. across binney street eliza was laughing at my brush with vehicular death.

surviving a near miss collision with permanent early retirement, i went upstairs, where i waited for klea to aim me when she was ready for lunch. finally by 3pm she alerted me of her availability and we stole away for a quick bite at the kendall house of pizza. because i was very hungry, i got the steak tips sub (i only eat these on special occasions), while klea got the greek salad. we talked mostly about housebuying stuff, klea being one of the very first homeowners i've known.

today was a day full of helpful advice. i asked a whole bunch of people about their cellphones (julie, carrie, eliza hoover, klea) and i asked eliza and klea about mortgages and house purchasing info. i am just soaking in this wealth of useful information!

i came home and the night sky was so beautiful that i whipped out my camera as soon as i got off the bus. it looked like somebody went crazy with a photoshop filter, the amazing color contrast. i just wanted to stand on the street corner and watch the sky go dark. every evening nature puts on a spectacular light show for us human beings, every now and then we should stop and appreciate the free show.

after dinner i got a haircut from the only place that's still opened at this time of the night and where i don't need a reservation - my mother, the self taught barber. i'd made the decision earlier during the day that i was going to get a haircut one way or another. i'm getting tired of this wild man look. it was cool for a while, but i am just getting way too hairy. when i wake up in the mornings, my hair's all sticking up and crazy, it takes a while to wet it down and comb it into shape with a helpful glob of hair gel. i don't need that level of hair maintenance. i'm cutting it short, keeping it simple, shave off a few minutes from my already hectic morning routine. my beard i'm still going to keep however. i did trim it a little bit. i don't like the way i look without some sort of facial growth (that's because psychologically i have something to hide, obviously), even though i'll get sick of that eventually as well, and end up shaving it off.

and then later tonight i ordered that nokia 8260 from amazon.com with the at&t digital advantage 250 plan for $30/month (the phone itself was $60 after an instant $50 rebate). julie raved about this plan and using at&t as the carrier. i'm not sure how this is all going to work. how will i activate the phone when i receive it at the end of the week? i guess at&t wireless will find me one way or another. soon i will be joining the cellphone elite! although a somewhat diluted elite as it exists right now with so many people already using cellphones. the novelty has worn off. wireless communication is now commonplace. i can't wait to have my own custom ringing sound!