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when i got to the office this morning around 11am, i was the only employee there besides the bosses. i figured that everyone else had decided to stay home and i'd be spending a quiet day in the office, making copies of all my projects for future references. however, soon everyone started to show up, one after the other, until we had a full cast of characters.

i had brought in my portable dvd burner to archives my code work. what i can fit onto 3 dvd's would take about 17 cd's to match that same capacity. unfortunately, i'd only brought in 2 blank dvd's, and one of them i ruined in a failed burn, so i was left with just one. around lunchtime james and i went out in the rain in search of disc media. our first stop at the dtx radio shack came up empty (the prices were too high). we then trekked to city hall, where a visit to a staples was more rewarding, i ended up buying a pack of 10 memorex blank dvd's for $20. coming back, i saw glasses girl working behind the counter of the eyewear store, we briefly made eye contact, a glimmer of mutual recognition, i looked away and smiled. who is she? what is she like? would she be freaked out if i just went into the store to say hi? i know she lives near me, if i ever see her on the streets, i'll try to get to know her better. after taking photos of another girl in a green t-shirt, james and i paid a visit to the chinese bookstore, where we each got a cup of bubble ice tea (i used my free coupon with the 10 stamps).

an e-mail awaited us when we got back, informing us that the company would not be sold after all but rather it would close instead as originally planned. the primary reason for not selling was the fact that the entire staff wouldn't be onboard, no one selecting to stay when the company switches hands. so now things are a little less complicated, but more work for everyone as we deal with cleaning up for the next two weeks. it's good to finally know though, now there is no more mystery and we can all go on planning our futures accordingly. also around the same time i set the wheels in motion for what i'll be doing for the next 2 months: working as a freelancer for my old company (SRM). my dream of a relaxing fun summer was just that, a dream. i figured i could make some money, save up, and once the gig's over i can start my unemployment benefit, until i find a permanent job. if i play my cards right, i should have my mortgage payments covered until july 2005. whether i like it or not, i'm on the freelance train for the near future. it's scary not having a steady paycheck to cover my expenses, but it's not as scary as being out in the market without any work, which is what i would was going to happen when i first heard the news last week about the company closing its doors. working from home doesn't mean i'm completely trapped. i can still go out to lunch, and there's always a shower waiting for me if i decide to go running. i'm going to miss the commute though. all that summertime people watching, i'm really going to miss that. maybe i can put my work on my ibook and code from a park, preferably next to a source of wifi access. as much as i'm afraid what the future will bring, it's also exciting, this change. and it's not like something i don't know how to do, having done it all of last summer.

i was relatively dry when i got home despite the rain, but i got pretty soaked when i went back outside to move my motorcycle down the street so it wouldn't block valuable curbside parking space. i'm not really being altruistic though; i'm only moving the bike because i don't want somebody to rear end my ride trying to parallel park in a tight spot. while drying off and checking the status of my torrent downloads, i heard my doorbell ringing. who could it be? i went to the front door and saw rob house, soaking wet, standing outside. i let him in and gave him some towels to dry off. he came by to return the nikon coolpix 950 i let him borrow to take photos of his antiques. he showed me some potential freelance work later in the year if i wanted them. we got into a big discussion about how much we both despise the current administration, how corporations control everything, the civil war, and rob's patented cynicism. about an hour later, with the gilmore girls broadcasting on the television in the background, rob left on his bike, the rain still falling. if he had stayed i was going to heat up a rack of ribs, but instead i went with the old standby of ramen. i noticed comcast has finally decided to stop analog transmission of its premium channels other than HBO, forcing subscribers who have old-style cableboxes (like me) to go digital otherwise they can't get any of the movie channels.

office link of the day: vulgar spanish slangs!