tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32468702012-01-22T12:18:52.804-08:00There's a fine line between a literary drag queen and a complete lunatic... I live on that line.Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.comBlogger6121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-76667274204713468162010-07-05T09:30:00.000-07:002010-07-05T10:21:31.620-07:00

You'll no doubt remember, a couple of years ago I bought a new domain name when the old Mannersism.net went the way of the dodo; and you'll remember that I was planning to publish my blog to that domain so that I could keep everything together under one neatly branded umbrella.Well, I finally managed to do it. I now proudly present:(@ Robert Manners dot com)All of the Mannersism archives have

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-25990130613688303742010-06-30T06:35:00.000-07:002010-07-01T09:40:49.287-07:00

I finally met with my psychiatrist on Friday... I made a June 15th appointment in April, when I had that little breakdown, and then it got pushed back a week due to scheduling conflicts, and then pushed back three more days because the doctor was sick.Anyway, we talked over my medication issues, and decided to switch them out... but not both at once, we'll start with one and see how that works

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-61885635167318086342010-06-27T20:14:00.000-07:002010-07-01T08:19:37.219-07:00

I have nothing to talk about right now... or things I could talk about but don't have the time or energy to write down... so to keep you entertained, I present the following paragons of pulchritude:Hope your day is even half as lovely as the above. :-)

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-61985339541852469992010-06-20T16:03:00.000-07:002010-07-02T08:55:00.659-07:00

I'm not sure how to introduce a catch-up of this magnitude... in eight years, I've never neglected my blog for so long. So, since a picture is worth a thousand words, have a look at this while I do some me-my-mo-mu and warm up my typing fingers.So when last we visited, I was just coming to terms with my disappointment over failing to complete the NaNoWriMo project; I intended to keep going on

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-89326970292536445812009-12-01T19:35:00.000-08:002010-07-02T08:55:22.367-07:00

As you can probably tell from the headline, I did not complete my 50,000-word novel by the deadline of November 30. In fact, I only wrote 23,018 words (less than half!) and didn't even get to the plot part of the story. I'm trying to not get down on myself about it, reminding myself that my writing methods do not lend themselves to such an attempt, and congratulating myself on some excellent

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-31609042196190887172009-11-14T08:31:00.000-08:002009-11-14T09:46:13.123-08:00

The NaNoWriMo novel isn't going so well... I'm more than ten thousand words behind schedule, and the month is half over. I don't see how I can possibly catch up. I'm not going to admit defeat yet, but I don't believe I'm going to make the deadline.I guess I underestimated how difficult it would be for me to plow ahead without thinking about what I've already written. I can't give up the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-77466131832631889862009-11-01T14:09:00.000-08:002010-07-02T12:22:30.727-07:00

So after letting Worst Luck languish for two years, I suddenly decide to write another novel... a 50,000-word novel, to be specific, in exactly 30 days. Due to various malign influences at FaceBook and JUB, I was inspired to join the annual National Novel Writing Month event (better known as NaNoWriMo, though I'm not sure how that's pronounced) and squeeze out a tome of approximately 250 pages

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-90423411345023634802009-10-26T22:10:00.000-07:002010-07-02T12:23:54.282-07:00

I'm thinking of going Goth. I mean, I look good in black, I can even rock the dyed black hair; I love old-fashioned clothes, frock coats and riding boots and all that; I'm already fairly pale, and I'm emotionally unstable, and I totally dig the vampire genre... ...but then I remember that I'm 41 years old, and that brings my big black balloon back down to earth. There may be Goths in their

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-24296533138675686422009-09-16T07:33:00.000-07:002010-07-02T12:24:26.086-07:00

It's that time of year again, the dreadful weeks leading up to the autumnal equinox, in which my depression unpacks its adjectives and makes itself at home. Not that I don't get depression symptoms at other times of the year, but I always experience my severest symptoms from the beginning of August up until the latter part of September (the same thing happens in February and March...what is it

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-56903306344049996862009-08-19T11:01:00.000-07:002010-07-02T12:25:05.721-07:00

I was reading through my archives a few days ago, amazed at how much and how frequently I used to write here. But then, I was a few years younger and had more energy; the depression and the ensuing medications hadn't scrambled my brain yet, so I thought more efficiently; my work schedule was two fewer hours with a ten-minute commute, so I had more free time; and most importantly, I had a much

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-10525359319943388192009-06-03T06:37:00.000-07:002010-07-02T12:25:48.707-07:00

I have always loved Disneyland. It's so bright and colorful without being idiotic, so beautifully realized and meticulously detailed... and, most importantly, clean. There are lots of huge restrooms and lots of different kinds of food and lots of shopping. The rides are fun, and the areas for the lines to the rides are usually entertaining in themselves; even the roller-coasters, which I

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-87814989797360730672009-05-18T18:21:00.000-07:002010-07-02T12:27:51.767-07:00

I'm almost afraid to say it aloud (or in print) for fear that the Fates will hear me and snatch it all away, but I actually feel happy right now. Can it be that my meds are working? Is all the effort of positive lifestyle change finally paying off? Can it be that life might just return to normal after years of psychochemical chaos?Time will tell... but for now, the Lithium-Wellbutrin cocktail is

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-39619133672193400562009-04-16T07:45:00.000-07:002009-04-16T17:42:55.017-07:00

After that last post, my yo-yo got stuck at the end of the string, and I was in an extremely unpleasant place for a couple weeks... angry all the time, and tired, and uncomfortable in my own skin. But then my psychiatrist told me to just jack up the lithium to the next dose and see if that helps (and if it doesn't, we'll add an antidepressant, maybe Zoloft or Wellbutrin) ... and it did! It made

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-6954034636571734152009-03-24T19:40:00.000-07:002009-03-25T15:47:34.080-07:00

Playing with a yo-yo isn't all that fun... I mean, it's amusing for a moment, once you get the hang of it; but unless you have the dexterity and the time to devote to learning tricks (with which to amuse others), it's just something to keep your hands busy while you wait for something better to come along.But as boring as playing with a yo-yo can be, imagine how much fun it is(n't) to be a yo-yo:

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-42794872068860042212009-03-18T17:12:00.000-07:002009-03-19T06:49:48.718-07:00

While it's a little early to call my diet a "success," I am certainly on track (13 pounds total as of Monday), and I am learning a lot about what I can eat versus what I want to eat versus whether it's even worth trying to trade one for another. One of the things I've discovered is that I don't have to eat certain kinds of food, I just habitually eat them. I "want" to eat bread and chocolate

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-67156062750153731492009-03-09T07:21:00.000-07:002009-03-10T22:15:22.455-07:00

So I just came back from the scale and can report the loss of (and good riddance to) three more pounds! That makes for a grand total of ten pounds... and ten pounds are so much easier to visualize than seven... lots of things come in ten-pound increments, potatoes and flour and oranges.Better still, it's really starting to show! Not around my tummy, so much (belly fat is stubborn), but in my

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-49521724105532953652009-03-03T20:44:00.000-08:002009-03-22T09:56:08.850-07:00

I'm trying to develop a visualization of what a seven-pound object might look and feel like. Say, a newborn baby, or a bag and a half of flour, or one of those supersize tubes of cheap hamburger. Seven pounds of potatoes, seven pounds of jelly-beans, seven pounds of foam peanuts.See, when you weigh two hundred and fifty-two pounds, and you lose seven of them, it seems rather a meager drop in

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-56174169818142082552009-02-22T20:00:00.000-08:002009-02-22T20:50:06.117-08:00

You know, sometimes unhappiness can be a great motivator. The mood I was in when I wrote the last post was me hitting bottom, and all this week I've been bouncing back up off that bottom. It's quite pleasant and invigorating.I think some of it is the new medication... though only a week and a half into it, now that the horrible-nightmare-side-effect is gone, I am seeing some results... but just

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-19856741488673522432009-02-16T19:26:00.000-08:002009-02-18T17:16:00.621-08:00

I'm very unhappy right now. The last two days, it has really been borne in on me that I have an incurable disease... treatable, perhaps, but a disease that will be with me for the rest of my life. I mean, I knew that, but I just didn't realize it, if you know what I mean. And if I wasn't already depressed, that would certainly depress me.But then, I do have some experience with treatable but

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-62265621226600747242009-02-02T17:16:00.000-08:002009-02-02T17:41:16.180-08:00

So that great mood I was in, which I discussed in the last post? The one I thought might be the beginning of a manic episode? Well, my fears proved correct, and the last week and a half I've been absolutely miserable, anxious, depressed, fidgety, sleepless and exhausted at once, a "mixed state" episode that made me want to open a vein and bleed the ick away.But I didn't open a vein, I just rode

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-54580792545648687482009-01-20T07:23:00.000-08:002009-01-22T17:40:32.349-08:00

Hey, guess what! I feel good! I'm actually well for the first time in months. It's fantastic, really. I'm a little worried that this sudden access of energy and cheer is just the prelude to a manic episode, but what the hell... put the mania to work, I say! And that's what I've been doing the last few days.I hit bottom with my cold/flu/malaise on Wednesday of last week, the cold medications

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-80650468325341109262009-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:002009-01-14T10:47:00.440-08:00

"Teeheehee, that Robert~Marlénè is a stitch!" ~ GodMy plans continue to progress, but not at the pace I had set for them. I am about halfway to the place I had expected to be a week ago... the boxes are up from the basement, but I still have to repack them and then get them to the attic; the tree is gone, but the ornaments are sitting on a blanket where the tree used to be, the living-room is

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-12175237517567229932009-01-02T07:05:00.000-08:002009-01-02T10:59:22.214-08:00

"If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." ~ Woody AllenI made a resolution to start the new year with a clean room and a clean attitude. I planned out my attack, decided what to do with all the stuff I want to get rid of (it's going to Goodwill), and took New Year's Eve off from work so I could get an early start. And then I came down with a flu. Hear that sound? It'd God

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-58137208408500044832008-12-22T11:54:00.000-08:002008-12-22T12:06:48.745-08:00

My depression is still dogging me, not as heavily as it was but rather in waves of sadness and nights of obsessive thinking; my joints still hurt; I still haven't done any laundry and am now wearing mismatched socks; I'm still tired all the time; my bank account keeps overdrawing itself no matter how I try to juggle things; I'm still fat and uncomfortable in my own skin.But you know what? I

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-9913993686734304372008-12-14T19:52:00.000-08:002008-12-14T19:53:26.315-08:00

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sucks. I doubt if what I'm dealing with would be characterized as CFS by a physician, but I am certainly experiencing some symptoms, and I'm sick and tired of them. Being tired all the time is just so bloody inconvenient.I wanted to go to a Court show today, Mama P's Charitable Christmas, in fact I've been planning on it all week... I planned what I was going to wear,

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-47611802399801257292008-11-11T10:15:00.000-08:002008-11-12T07:41:08.809-08:00

I just came through a very dark time. I mean, I was angry that Prop 8 was on the ballot at all, I was angered by the outright lies of the Yes on 8 advertising, but I had no idea I could even be as angry as I was when it passed. The rage took up every corner of my heart and mind. The desire to punish and hurt was so strong I could barely function around it.The thing is, I have no way of

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-78910998854180539702008-11-06T18:31:00.001-08:002008-11-06T18:52:08.873-08:00

I'm so unbearably angry right now that I can't even think. I can't function.I want to scream, slash, maim, burn, destroy. I want to curl up in a ball and cry. I want to hit somebody. I almost want to kill myself just to express my feelings.I'm so furious and disappointed and hurt that I can't even enjoy the victory of Barack Obama... Prop 8's passage has ruined democracy for me.For now,

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-8196177325162187102008-10-20T09:46:00.001-07:002008-10-21T17:01:04.964-07:00

My employer-paid medical benefits kicked in this month, so I made an appointment with the same GP I had when I was a Kaiser member before, just for a general checkup. Kaiser Permanente has made a few improvements to the way they make appointments, by the way, and I got an appointment two days later (last time I had to wait five weeks). Well, anyway, I got to the appointment on time, with a list

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-59253577408616914922008-10-05T09:44:00.000-07:002008-10-05T14:30:30.123-07:00

Wow, am I glad that's over! The depression, I mean... the rest of my life is still in pretty much the same place, but without the depression painting it black, it's all so much more manageable! Thanks for the well-wishes after the previous kvetch-fest, guys! It really does help to know that people are out there, caring.?So today is my and Caroline's 25th Anniversary. We've been friends for a

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-90413734988746225992008-09-12T10:18:00.000-07:002008-09-12T17:19:32.806-07:00

I just can't shake this damned cold... three weeks now, it's been plaguing me. I thought I was over it on Monday, I felt so much better after taking last Friday off and spending pretty much the entire weekend in bed; but every day this week I've come home just a little more tired, a little more sore, a little more achey, a little more stuffy than the day before. I'm beginning to wonder if there

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-69701741415458739752008-09-03T09:54:00.000-07:002008-10-20T15:30:57.950-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrjIVhIeGnwI did say I would write more about what's going on in my life, but... well, I guess I lied, didn't I. The previous précis is enough... the details aren't really that interesting or important.So, I still have that cold I had last week. It's lingering rather tenaciously, no matter how much sleep I get or how much zinc I take or how much orange juice I

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-23719573116522529512008-08-24T14:00:00.000-07:002008-08-24T15:50:46.130-07:00

Sorry about the prolonged silence, kids... between the new job (so fucking busy), my reemergence on the drag court scene (I am now the Crown Baroness to the XVIIth Realm and planning to run for Grand Duchess next year), a huge family event (the Grandmother turned 90 on August 2nd), some allergy issues (who the fuck invented sinuses, anyway), and the semiannual depression (much better with the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-18360682342936266412008-06-30T06:32:00.000-07:002008-07-05T09:43:38.851-07:00

Such was the theme of the 2008 San Francisco Pride parade and festival, in which Caroline and I participated yesterday (much to the chagrin of our now-aching feet). We had a fantastic time hanging out, marching, and otherwise schmoozing with our friends in the Royal Grand Ducal Council of Alameda County, and then had almost as good a time wandering through the festival grounds.Wanna see some pix?

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-56631019880317624832008-06-17T21:26:00.000-07:002008-06-18T13:55:39.948-07:00

A few weeks ago, I mentioned something about an upcoming drag performance while discussing this & that on JUB; one of my fellow JUBbers asked me if I had any of my past performances on video that I could share. Well, at the time I didn't... but after a certain amount of aggravation, I managed to get some.I had this videotape that Cookie Dough made for me some years ago, which contained two

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-90936122845419936082008-06-07T11:51:00.000-07:002008-06-07T12:19:57.623-07:00

Whatever you did, whichever deity you invoked, it worked:I got the job! I got the job! I got the job!I'm thrilled and relieved. I'm dazzled and delighted! I'm choking on my own spit! The best part: the reason they delayed in offering me the job is because they were getting permission from the Board of Directors to offer me a higher starting salary than was listed! It's still not a lot, I am

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-32037787727703735292008-06-04T13:28:00.000-07:002008-07-05T09:44:41.172-07:00

As previously promised, I present Little Me in "all my Grissom-y goodness":I really like having a beard. I like the way it covers up my jowls and the sag in my chin, and I LOVE not having to shave except to trim around the edges once a week. I don't really like the big patches of gray, and even gave in to the temptation to buy a bottle of beard dye (Clairol Just For Men)...though I haven't used

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-3872222954184128662008-05-20T16:49:00.000-07:002008-05-21T08:43:07.319-07:00

Not wishing-wells...So I had a second interview today for a job I really want at a non-profit agency in Berkeley... and while I won't exactly say I bombed, I did come out of there feeling somewhat less than 100% confident in my interview. The first interview went like a breeze, but this one revealed some of my weaknesses, like my general inability to ask questions or develop long-term goals. But

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-53224062547606452742008-05-17T14:02:00.000-07:002008-05-17T19:00:25.207-07:00

As I'm sure you know, I am addicted to YouTube. Almost every day I find something there (usually referred by my friends at JUB), and frequently I find myself laughing until the tears spurt from my eyes. Here's a perfect example (NOT safe for work, nor for children, nor for anyone of a delicate sensibility): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO0kRE5OTZIHere's another, safer little video, which is

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-72708629175984512912008-05-02T11:36:00.000-07:002008-05-02T15:35:22.328-07:00

I just don't feel like writing, is all. But I can't let you all languish in ignorance of my state-of-being, so here are some general updates:I lost my job at the end of February; the position I was occupying was horribly unnecessary, and I was bored out of my mind, and I looked bored out of my mind, and having people who obviously have nothing important to do sitting around when there are budget

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-58922413831830179022008-03-13T14:54:00.000-07:002008-03-31T10:51:07.754-07:00

Hi, thanks for visiting Mannersism.net; I can't come to the blog right now, as I have come down with a potentially fatal case of Procrastinitus. If you'll please leave a message after the tone, I will blog again as soon as I'm well. Thank you, and have a great day!BEEP!

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-53123576249488639162008-01-31T07:17:00.000-08:002008-01-31T19:30:20.622-08:00

Where do you go when you're not here? I just a few days ago got over my cold...the one that came hard on the heels of the flu I was telling you about last time; I've been sick for six weeks straight. Not terribly sick, of course, not sick enough to stay home from work, just sick enough to be completely useless and to make my life a burden and a misery. But now I'm feeling normal again (more or

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-65058112357172506412007-12-19T12:23:00.001-08:002007-12-19T12:37:56.924-08:00

Have you seen the movie Kinky Boots? If not, I highly recommend it. Anyway, they use this song in the course of the movie, and then play it during the closing credits. Instantly the movie was over, I was on iTunes downloading Krista MacColl's version (it's also been recorded by Bette Midler). And then I found it on YouTube so I could share it with you! (Pardon the weird Final Fantasy video,

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-4761597802455897622007-11-27T09:27:00.000-08:002007-11-27T12:04:39.352-08:00

It's only a few days after Thanksgiving, and I'm already sick to death of Christmas.I can deal with the decorations in all the stores, but do they have to play Christmas music now? Even the local Classical station, though they have a separate online channel just for Christmas music, has let the stray chorale and little bits of The Nutcracker loose already. It's especially irritating that so

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-83622539905780912792007-11-07T08:43:00.000-08:002007-11-07T11:54:27.488-08:00

I don't quite know what to do with myself these days. I'm so bored at work that I'm having difficulty functioning. I mean it's nice to have steady work to do, and it's nice that the work isn't too difficult. But it's so barely bearable in its boringness that making myself do the work is sometimes very difficult.It's all so repetitive and featureless: take the file apart, scan the file, save

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-49941738010263909932007-10-30T20:08:00.000-07:002007-11-01T20:50:29.646-07:00

Am I the only person who watched Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part 1? I put on my Halloween costume on Saturday, and decided that I looked enough like Harvey Korman that I went around all night announcing myself as "Count de Money"... and nobody got it. Was I being too obscure? Were people too dazzled by Caroline's costume to give my self-styling a second thought?Anyway, here I am as

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-62128479791063531002007-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:002007-10-25T14:45:12.424-07:00

Fucking Halloween candy.Here I am slaving away on the goddamned elliptical machine, suffering through a hundred salads, turning my back on cookies and pastries all over the place and generally starving half the day away, and the pounds continue to linger... rather than fleeing as they should under such torture. But I'm getting used to counting out how many crackers are 100 calories, and eating

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-25303561333447125062007-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:002007-10-15T14:47:48.922-07:00

Things haven't changed since my last post, and I don't have any cosmic insights to share today, so I just thought I'd pop in and post some beefcake just to let you all know I'm still alive.I'm also working on the novel at a pretty good speed, check out Chapter 10 Part 1, and then check out Part 2 (which I just now finished).Ciao!

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-55567355081688107542007-10-01T07:17:00.000-07:002007-10-02T17:26:44.202-07:00

Today I'm starting my new "permanent" position at work... I use quotation marks because, though it's a permanent rather than temporary or interim position, I'm hoping not to be in it for too terribly long. There's nothing wrong with the position itself, of course, only that it doesn't really utilize my skills and it represents a 20% pay cut. I can afford the pay cut, I just have to give up

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-14747453918884259252007-09-20T15:26:00.000-07:002007-09-22T12:20:47.642-07:00

So here I am trying to lose weight. I've joined a club here at work based on the TV show Biggest Loser... and though we don't do "challenges," nor do we have public weigh-ins where we are judged and humiliated by pseudo-celebs, we do have teams, and we have weekly lunchtime get-togethers for support and discussion.The first week, I did exercise... I started a regimen of twenty minutes on the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-90322598088038085522007-09-15T13:43:00.000-07:002007-09-16T08:06:54.896-07:00

You might remember, last October, I bought two little baby turtles from an apple-doll old woman in Chinatown? Sure you do. Though one of them didn't survive six weeks with me, the other thrived. But anyway, judging by their size when I bought them, I figured they were a month old; and so this month is their birthday!Claudius, the survivor, has been a surprisingly entertaining pet. He isn't

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-56916461422265903322007-09-12T14:54:00.000-07:002007-09-12T16:52:18.698-07:00

OK, so I finally heard back about the job I wanted here at my company. Unfortunately, what I heard was that I didn't get the job.On the plus side, though, nobody got the job. After the process of interviewing a whole lot of people, the principals of the department had such a hard time agreeing on the qualities and qualifications they wanted in an Administrative Assistant that it eventually

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-10867907473321188372007-09-09T08:40:00.000-07:002007-09-09T13:18:12.720-07:00

I've always been fascinated by dollhouses, as you might remember from this post not so long ago; but my fascination seems only to turn to obsession when I'm unhappy (as I was when I wrote that post and was on another dollhouse obsession).And now here I am, my meds going a little flooey again, my employment shakey (I still haven't heard back from the job I applied for, yea or nay, and am on

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-3942056198824247502007-08-28T08:45:00.000-07:002007-08-28T09:02:38.277-07:00

I swear, sometimes I think I must be the world's worst interviewee.On Friday I had my second interview for the transfer position I want in my company, Admin Assistant to the Practice Management Consultants. Only three PMCs came to the interview, and since these are all people I know, I didn't feel nervous or angsty or anything... I was a little tense, I mean I want this job so bad I can't stand

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-53442912764277963202007-08-21T20:29:00.001-07:002007-08-21T20:34:33.643-07:00

Tell me, how am I supposed to live without a diamond-covered human skull? I ask you!In case you were wondering what to get me for Christmas, Damian Hirst's "For the Love of God" is currently for sale at a measly little $100,000,000.00 (plus sales tax, one assumes). And aren't I worth it?

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-83399347671738847742007-08-14T09:55:00.000-07:002007-08-14T14:00:33.751-07:00

Hey, Kids! OK, so I'm having some work drama these days, I'm changing positions in my company as things didn't work out with the compliance department; on top of that I've been dealing with some serious depression issues. And so I've been ignoring you. Well, not ignoring... I'm just too wrapped up in my own issues and emotions to pay any attention to you. Which amounts to the same thing.On

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-84874956354073218012007-06-14T17:16:00.000-07:002007-06-14T17:42:27.971-07:00

You may be wondering what happened to all the decoration around here... did burglars come in the night and steal all the graphics?No, it's much more mundane than that: I unfortunately forgot to renew my domain hosting services in a timely manner, and didn't notice until the domain was turned off. And since getting it turned back on would require calling Scotland at eight in the morning, I

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-90540598539264942492007-05-12T10:37:00.000-07:002007-08-14T12:35:25.942-07:00

Hello, Possums! I've been away from this diary for a while... still finding my feet at work, coming home rather tired, and not much to talk about in my life. On the other hand, I have been working on the novel, so that's where much of my blogging energy goes. If you haven't already, go on over (there's a link just above here, it says "Novel in Progress"... go ahead and click on it, it won't

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-37177143285733845582007-04-14T10:37:00.000-07:002007-04-15T02:02:48.176-07:00

I know you've all been sitting on the very edges of your seats, waiting to see how my new job is going. Well, it's going great! And I just got a paycheck, a fat one, which makes everything nicer.Anyway, since I'm a visual person and expect you're also a visual person, I have some visuals to let you know what my new job's like!Here's the building in which I work. It's gorgeous! Well, I think

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-36219926114968449092007-04-02T18:24:00.000-07:002007-04-02T18:38:56.992-07:00

I was never a huge fan of the whining and weeping, though I have enjoyed some of her songs; and then there's the fact that she took Ryan Reynolds off the market, for which I'm not quite sure I can forgive her.But then I found this video on YouTube, and my entire opinion of her has been revolutionized. To me, the greatest personality trait anybody can have is a sense of humor about him- or

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-12477293847038115172007-03-27T09:29:00.000-07:002007-03-27T09:33:46.780-07:00

That job I applied for? The one I wanted more than any of the other ones I applied for? The one that pays really well and has fabulous benefits? The one in the gorgeous office tower with views all around? The one with the cute guys?I got it! Yay me!I start on Wednesday... I'll let you know more about it as the drama unfolds. In the meantime, I'm celebrating my ass off!Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1420298344334172932007-03-19T17:53:00.000-07:002007-03-19T19:55:21.890-07:00

God, I hate that question! And every person with whom I've interviewed this last week has asked me that. It's so cliche! And what really bugs me is that I don't have an answer. Shall I try to be funny? "Not looking for a job!" Shall I try to be ooey-gooey positive? "Doing something meaningful for the planet." Shall I be fantastic? "Cruising around the world on my three-hundred-foot-yacht

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-70252925174204733972007-03-08T14:01:00.000-08:002007-03-08T14:11:42.298-08:00

Since it is well known that my most princess-and-the-pea pet peeve is the misuse of who/whom in English grammar, I though it might be a good idea to bless the masses with my knowledge on the matter. So for your enlightenment, and for my jangled nerves, here is the simple rule:All you have to do is turn the sentence into a question, then answer the question. If the answer ends with a vowel (he/she

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-84886856567077085722007-03-02T06:37:00.000-08:002007-03-02T07:17:43.601-08:00

Okay, so after two or three months of complete silence on this blog/diary/whatever, I've decided to come back. I needed the break, I've been slogging away at this spot for five plus years, and I was tired of it. But I miss having the outlet. I mean, I still do a hell of a lot of writing over on JUB, and have a blog there as well; but it's just not the same, the audience is different and the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-56267869717682532202007-02-28T20:51:00.000-08:002007-03-08T14:13:26.215-08:00

In most instances, I have the whole Impulse Control thing down to a science... I'm so good at it that I seldom ever do anything scary or risky or potentially dangerous, no matter how good an idea it seems at the moment.Except, of course, when it come to spending money. I've been really good lately, saving up some money, paying my bills on time and all that; but something snapped this week.First,

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-20192012831214165182006-12-24T13:24:00.000-08:002007-03-02T06:37:47.668-08:00

Yay, I came down with a loverly cold just in time for Christmas! It is in fact the cold that the Grandmother just got over, so at least she's all sympathetic since she remembers the symptoms... the overwhelming fatigue being the the most dramatic. I also have diarrhea, nausea, and random aches. She had a lot of phlegm as well, which I've managed to avoid so far, with only a slight post-nasal drip

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-45257950526191059692006-12-22T22:56:00.000-08:002007-03-02T06:34:36.406-08:00

Well, after giving it some thought, I broke down and decided to buy Christmas presents for my family. I had intended not to, due to my straitened finances, but I did a little jotting on the notepad and figured I could spare $150 without dying, and if I kept the gifts under $10 I could manage. And you know, Ross is right around the corner from the job I've been working this week, and there were a

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-12342928500291539762006-12-19T22:09:00.000-08:002007-03-02T06:22:14.471-08:00

Sometimes I just hate Christmas. Well, no, I don't hate Christmas, I just hate the hoop-de-do. What I wouldn't give to spend a nice quiet Christmas all alone, or with one other person, no tree, no ginormous family dinner, no presents, no stress. But that's not the life I drew... mine is a life of family, and my family has traditions, and those traditions are labor-intensive. But what I really

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-15232995312443418752006-12-01T09:26:00.000-08:002007-03-02T06:16:51.207-08:00

So I got to the new jobsite, dressed all snazzy and every hair in place, and I loved it from the first minute. Beautiful office, fabulous view across the Bay, bleached pine woodwork and black leather upholstery (a favorite combination of mine), all the amenities. The office wasn't as big as I'd been led to believe, and the duties of the admin-assistant not as heavy, and of course the dress-code

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-14788481669046160582006-11-29T20:09:00.000-08:002007-03-02T06:09:01.456-08:00

Okay, so I have this new assignment starting tomorrow, and from everything they've told me, it sounds dreamy... admin-assisting and front-office management with lots of word-processing at a big property-management firm in a highrise downtown, neckties and shiny shoes, more pay per hour, a six-month assignment that has a good chance of turning temp-to-hire. Jazzy, no?Well, I didn't want to get too

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-25754159681710425322006-11-19T17:38:00.000-08:002007-03-02T08:16:16.111-08:00

First, some background: about a month or so ago, Caroline and I were out and about on one of our Saturday loafing-trips; we'd gone to Chinatown for lunch at King-Wah, and on the way back to the car we encountered this little old Chinese lady with a face like an apple-doll and a little red wagon, from which she was selling an assortment of wares. Among these wares were fresh figs and live turtles

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1163694346647760882006-11-18T22:22:00.000-08:002006-11-19T00:19:23.870-08:00

Yes, I've been kind of busy, but mostly I've been kind of out-of-it: tired a lot of the time, getting depressed sometimes, and not feeling very creative or communicative. My temp assignments have been spotty, boring, and far too underpaid... very catch-as-catch-can and unpredictable and disastrous to my already disordered finances, which is where a lot of the bleah feeling is coming from; I think

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1162112746166165892006-10-29T00:53:00.000-07:002006-10-29T13:31:48.363-08:00

As promised, pictures of little me in my pirate drag:And Caroline in her Polynesian dancing costume.More pictures were taken; anything better than the above will be shared.We were both big hits at the party (which was fabulous, by the bye), and I felt dead sexy the whole time. Definitely worth all the energy and cash I invested. I want to wear it some more now! I will probably wear it

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1161803007446486382006-10-25T11:42:00.000-07:002006-10-25T13:24:51.760-07:00

Hey, kids! Sorry to have been out of touch for so long, but life has been... well, not exactly hectic so much as surprisingly time-consuming. I've been feeling tired a lot lately, largely I think due to the fact that my work (which was so exciting and busy as of our last printing) quickly devolved into an utter drudgery of daily filing after we moved back to our regular office: there's simply

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1157314772603413452006-09-03T12:58:00.000-07:002006-09-03T14:17:50.536-07:00

Well, my friends, shortly after writing the previous post, all Hell done broke loose at my work. For the whole following week we were so busy that we had to hire more temps, and all of us worked an hour and a half of overtime every day. No only did I not have the time or energy to write, I frequently skipped my breaks because I couldn't leave so many people needing to be helped.And though I

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1155749235722508462006-08-16T09:35:00.000-07:002006-08-17T09:58:53.640-07:00

So here I am, back at the old post, literally. After six weeks of unemployment (temp assignments tend to become scarce in the summer, when larger companies can get their grunt work done by interns), my agency sent me right back to the school district, though fortunately to a different department. So now I'm part of a rather large team of temps up in the ballroom/auditorium at the top of the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1153415142496822622006-07-20T09:52:00.000-07:002006-07-20T15:35:13.626-07:00

So here we are again. I don't have a hell of a lot to talk about, or at least nothing I feel like talking about, so I've done the usual: borrowed a meme from DM at GreenDuckies. Enjoy!GRUB-OLOGY What is your salad dressing of choice? Honey Mustard.What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Boston Market.What is your favorite sit down restaurant? The Cheesecake Factory. It is almost ironic,

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1149609526330348502006-06-22T08:50:00.000-07:002006-06-24T00:32:07.700-07:00

It will come as no surprise to you, my faithful longtime readers, that I occasionally go a little bit overboard with the eBay. But for those just joining us, I will summarize: I almost always have some eBay obsession going on at any given moment, and that obsession tends to get stronger in direct counterproportion to how much money I can afford to spend.For the last few years, I have been almost

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1148489441642955112006-05-24T09:50:00.000-07:002006-05-25T08:52:05.223-07:00

You may have noticed, if you've read through this website with any regularity or depth, that I have a lot of pet peeves. There are grammar peeves like misusing who and whom or ending sentences with prepositions, and there are domestic peeves like squeezing the toothpaste in the middle or folding towels in halves instead of thirds, and there are roadway peeves like going the speed limit in the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1147733431882431982006-05-15T12:28:00.000-07:002006-05-16T08:09:16.710-07:00

So here we are halfway through a month and I haven't posted yet! Bad blogger! But I get the feeling, every time I sit down to write something, that I've already said it. So little is going on in my life, and so little going on in my brain, that I feel like anything I make up to write will be boring... basically a dreary catalog of my mental health.I did, on that topic, decide to start taking

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1146174208505174932006-04-27T10:56:00.000-07:002006-04-27T17:24:13.033-07:00

So after running manic for several days, it was inevitable that I would plunge into a depression, even though I'm back on my meds and taking them faithfully every day. At least the Prozac is keeping me from the weepy despairing kind of depression... instead, I am just a little droopy-feeling, I'm tired all the time yet don't sleep very well, and the occasional suicidal ideation pops into my head

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1145393135873073532006-04-18T13:58:00.000-07:002006-04-18T17:06:34.620-07:00

Okay, so what if it's actually Tuesday... I was manic yesterday, too, so it counts. I realized this morning when I woke up at 5 a.m., after going to sleep after midnight, and then being unable to get back to sleep — not to mention the fact the I've done this exact thing the last three mornings in a row — that I must be manic. Also, I've been getting into these incredibly long and complicated

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1144617179901755032006-04-09T11:52:00.000-07:002006-04-09T19:36:07.433-07:00

Hello, my babies; hello, my darlings; hello, my rag-time gals! I've been bizz-bizz-busy these last couple of weeks, and then laid out the last two days with a rather irritating flu; I just now have the energy to update you all on my nefarious doings, after so long a silence. Not that there's much to tell, but it's not like there ever was, and when did that stop me?The last few weeks, Adventures

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1143497078267872862006-03-27T08:54:00.000-08:002006-03-27T14:10:28.546-08:00

And since I haven't got any words of my own (nothing much going on, the disasters seem to have slowed down and I had a nice little temp job last week, but otherwise I have nothing to say), we will turn to a picture instead of words:The Sacrifice of Isaac, 1590-1610, by Caravaggio (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence)Discuss...

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1142313269364349032006-03-13T20:52:00.000-08:002006-03-13T21:27:11.550-08:00

...except, of course, in the most abysmally literal sense.The parade of disasters continues. My job I once loved now sucks, I hate it and I'm doing it badly and everyone notices that I am doing it badly, which bruises my ego and makes me hate the job even more. My window and rear-view mirror are still busted, I haven't had time to get them fixed yet; so I'm still driving around with duct-tape

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1141369327136124712006-03-02T22:02:00.000-08:002006-03-03T19:28:43.993-08:00

Okay, there's something going on here. Somebody's got a voodoo doll of me somewhere. Or some serious bad shit from five lifetimes ago is coming back to haunt me. I'm telling you, friends, there's too much shit in my life fucking with me right now.Like the whole missing-package thing? It's becoming an epidemic. One of my reps in Arizona called up today all pissed off because he never got the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1141229470496769842006-03-01T07:20:00.000-08:002006-03-01T08:11:10.560-08:00

I had a bad day yesterday. I was really tired, I hadn't slept at all well, my body ached, and I simply didn't feel like being up and dressed. I had a hell of a time focusing, and I had a lot of work to do... a bad combination. But what really got me was the Great UPS Mystery: it wasn't really a big deal, but it was so bizarre that I couldn't (can't, obviously) stop thinking about it. See,

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1140064469142578992006-02-15T20:14:00.000-08:002006-02-15T21:49:09.943-08:00

I can't decide if it's a hygienic practicality or a new depth of vanity, but I've started wearing latex gloves at work. I noticed after my first few weeks that my cuticles were getting into a hell of a state, and it occurred to me that the high volume of paper-handling I do is what was drying them out; besides, the more paper you push in a given day, the greater your chances of getting

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1140065817348939612006-02-10T20:43:00.000-08:002006-02-15T20:56:57.366-08:00

Do you ever wonder what human flesh tastes like? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to hit the ground after a leap from a very tall building, would you feel the impact in slow degrees or would you not even feel it all all it happens so fast? Do you ever wonder who was first hungry enough to find out whether or not an artichoke is edible? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to die

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1138468234896926932006-01-29T14:06:00.000-08:002006-01-29T23:01:13.033-08:00

Well, I guess I left that last post at the top for quite long enough. I haven't had much more exciting to say, so I figured I'd let it bask in the sun for a while. But I had some time on my hands today, so I thought I'd check in with you-all. Work continues at the financial services giant, and I'm beginning to really love it there... I could see working there for years (though not doing what

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1137444471222003062006-01-16T12:46:00.000-08:002006-01-24T20:36:59.200-08:00

Often in my travels, people will ask me questions about drag... why is it done, what is the process, how do you learn to do it? Recently someone posted a thread on my Home Away From Home, Just Us Boys, asking if anybody did drag, and wondering how to get started or just how to go about experimenting with it... and as the resident expert I decided to give a lengthy disquisition on the topic.And

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1136561593718078802006-01-06T19:03:00.000-08:002006-04-09T19:44:48.056-07:00

Now that real Winter is here, and the holidays past, I seem to have slipped into hibernation mode. I mean, I've spent more time asleep this week than I would have thought possible without having a major illness or final exams to blame it on. Of course, I was worn out from the exertions of the holidays, and the unaccustomed extra exertion of working during the holiday week (I haven't had to do

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1135751399319028702005-12-27T22:13:00.000-08:002005-12-27T22:29:59.333-08:00

This has got to have been the most unspectacular birthday I remember ever having. It was pleasant, mind you... but wierd. For one thing, I've never in my life had to work on my birthday, so that was something new; there I was slaving away at the elevator company, entering data and whatnot, writing this special-to-me date on mysterious reports and breakdowns. I usually go shopping on my

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1135453849971781942005-12-24T10:39:00.000-08:002005-12-24T22:41:22.210-08:00

I am so not prepared for tomorrow. In fact, I have to report that I am fucking exhausted, working my ass off all week, and there is still a pile of chores to do before everyone shows up here at four tomorrow... cleaning, decorating, wrapping, cooking, cleaning up after the cooking, table-setting, cooking some more, and cleaning up after the cooking again. Here is a perfect visual representation

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1134492145358592972005-12-12T11:25:00.000-08:002005-12-13T12:32:28.633-08:00

It's that time of year again; and, as usual, I wish it weren't. There is a buck-naked six-foot Douglas fir taking up too much space and putting out too much scent and dropping too many little green needles on the carpet in my living room. The Grandmother wants to go to the mall and finish her Christmas shopping, plunging wheelchair-first into the densest and most stupefied crowds of the year,

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1134071846972747262005-12-08T11:44:00.000-08:002005-12-08T16:03:53.853-08:00

Well, The Great Temping Adventure continues. I am now working the switchboard and mailroom of a wholesale restaurant supply company. I answer the phone and I sort the mail. But the mail only goes out once a day and comes in once a day; and the phones, while busy, only come on in waves... I'll be sitting here in perfect silence for ten or fifteen minutes, then five people call all at the same

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1132005929122075412005-11-14T14:05:00.000-08:002005-11-14T17:54:14.446-08:00

So here we are once again, blessed with both the time and the energy to record our thoughts for the benefit of posterity. I'm printing out payroll reports from our dinosaur accounting program to our dinosaur dot-matrix printer, which takes a while; and I am all caught up with my invoicing (well, I was caught up until somebody just had to bring today's mail in... damn, all that must have given the

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1130693822022519872005-11-02T16:18:00.000-08:002005-11-04T09:14:41.273-08:00

I don't seem to quite know who or what I am anymore. I am finding much of my identity either in flux or entirely MIA; so much more of it hinged on my old job than I had ever imagined. I feel quite lost right now, and I haven't the tiniest idea what to do about it, or even if there's anything I should or can do about it.Here are a few examples...Identity-Defining Statement #1: I am a

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1129398139417456382005-10-20T10:29:00.000-07:002005-10-23T09:12:28.726-07:00

Just one of the many new facts and concepts I've had to absorb these last two weeks, along with "what is slurry" and "what is a skid loader." And I'm learning all these new things at such a dizzying speed that sometimes when I leave the office I just sit in my car staring forward while my brain just turns off. It's a pleasant kind of numbness, though... like the fatigue after a good

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1129038548616454512005-10-11T06:24:00.000-07:002005-10-11T06:49:08.663-07:00

Hey, kids! Forgive the absence, but I got to a point where I couldn't keep up with things for a while there. The ennui and stasis of unemployment really got me down for a while, and I simply didn't have anything to write about. But now I do!See, I signed on with this temp agency, and after some initial mishaps about my assessment interview (I came down with a nasty flu on the day I was

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246870.post-1127341606906168312005-09-21T12:52:00.000-07:002005-09-21T15:26:46.936-07:00

I'm still here. I just don't have anything to say. I feel very, I don't know, quiet. Not unhappy or depressed at all... maybe a little too bored, irritated by my continuing poverty, hurt by so many potential employers' indifference to me, a little bit dissipated by my complete lack of life-structure... but generally okay.Just thought I'd check in. Talk to you soon! I hope.

Robert Mannershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00750253662683370745noreply@blogger.com0