(before i start, i'd like to say that i think i should make a point to watch charles barkley on tnt more. as they were coming back from break, ernie johnson was plugging the nba all-star experience in denver, and mentioned that children had their chance to learn skills, as the video was showing a boy strapped to bungee cords, jumping on a trampoline, and throwing the ball at the hoop. chuck interrupted: "what kind of skill is that? that's just stupid. aside: i like dwight howard, based on the interview he just gave.)

every wednesday and every thursday, the two primary free publications of the qca are delivered to my apartment building. as is the delivery person's job, the papers are left between the street door, and the key-carded entrance door. it would seem that the leasing agent sitting in the office all day would be the one to get those, but she never does. they're always just left there. (the wednesday publication is delivered at about 11, the thursday after 1. the office closes at 5.) as perhaps the only reader of these free publications (i like picking up free publications, but then end up not really reading much of them.), i'm always the person that brings them into the mailbox annex, where they're kept. it would seem to not be my duty, but i'll continue to take one for the team. i took only one of the two bundles of today's publication. we'll see what happens.

there's a pathological liar in our office. it's awful. he comes up with ridiculous things that make no sense and are obviously not true, things like 'i was personally recruited to play football by lou holtz. i didn't even play high school football. i was just on campus, and he saw my body, and figured i could play tight end' and '...saddest day of my life...when i was pulling bodies out of the trade center...' and he always talks about job offers that never happen (although, i guess i do that as well) and fake sales appointments and things of that nature. of the now 13 people in our office, five are coffee drinkers. i'm a twice-a-week kind of guy, one has his own coffee maker in his own office, and three take from the kitchen coffee pot on a daily basis. today, in the kitchen, somebody (clearly the pl) had started to microwave a cup of coffee (i don't know why), then knocked it over while removing the styrofoam cup (doesn't styrofoam melt?), then left the toppled cup in the open microwave. i noticed this, incredulously alerted our office manager who was standing nearby, and she sent out a not-too-indignant all staff email about respecting people and our kitchen or something. the pl soon responded via his own all staff email, 'i didn't do it, but i decided to clean it up for everyone's sake.' we all know he did it. he could have just quietly cleaned it up. instead, he told another lie. sigh.

i watched the new survivor this evening, and maybe it's finally getting old. being the ninth season, they've had to make some changes and add some 'twists,' but i found myself very disinterested. perhaps it's because the baseball season's coming up, and i know that i won't be able to follow it all the way through. (i'm committing to taping 24 to the end, and i don't know if i'll be able to follow two shows at a time. i'll also do my best to not miss arrested development episodes.)

after no social activity since the end of january (i guess there was the boss' super bowl party, but that's it), this is shaping up like a banner weekend. 50-cent drafts and a four-dollar cover for a crappy 'rock covers' band (a friend of the co-worker with whom i'm probably closest) tonight. saturday brings another night out with co-workers. (saturday afternoon brings laundry, i think.)

and tomorrow, because i like to support good live music, and because it's at sort of an oddball venue, i'm going to see william elliott whitmore. he's a native son (to the great state of iowa), and draws comparisons to iron & wine (who i've never heard) and johnny cash.

i'm reading blink, a bestseller by malcolm gladwell. he's a generally good writer, very conversational but very informative. he was the visiting writer in a literary journalism class i took senior year, and i also personally liked him very much. he told us, step-by-step, about how he formulated his piece about the diaper industry. and, since then, he's become a two-time bestseller. get it at your local library.