avoision: July 2002 Archives

July 31, 2002

I've got the first half of my roadtrip updated. Check out: The drive to Columbus. Day in Columbus. The drive back, Sunday. C'mon. There's whiskey, muffins, a bunch of drunk writers and Chicken McNuggets. You won't be disappointed.... (read more)

A Weird Sci-Fi Moment

As I was driving to work today, I came across a billboard with this image. Apparently, it's some film with Eddie Murphy in it. But I've never heard ANYTHING about it... didn't know about it, didn't recognize the title. Seeing him in some kind of spacesuit sort of freaked... (read more)

Cavity, v 2.0

July 30, 2002

As I was eating lunch, I felt my filling pop out. I ran to the bathroom, checked it out, saw that there was a big divot in one of my teeth, and called the dentist. Got an appointment for 5:15 PM. Turns out, I am an overreactive hypochondriac. :) The... (read more)

Updates Soon

Currently, it's 3:21 AM. Trying to get this friggin' blog updated. There are lots of images from the weekend... so I promise. Soon soon!... (read more)

Needles, Anesthetic and Thankfulness

July 29, 2002

Cavity day! Here are some pics: This is what I see, right as the chair is moving to its prone position. The needle. *shudder* Actually, my dentist (Dr. Tobias) was remarkably nice about explaining everything to me. He went right in with the needle, no swap or local anasthetic. When... (read more)

Visiting Jacki

July 28, 2002

Jacki recently moved a bit farther outside of Columbus, with Andy. He's a great guy, and I got to meet him on Sunday. The house is gorgeous, and Jacki showed me all the work that Andy's put into the place (and all he's planning to do). This is a... (read more)

Welcome to the Party!

July 27, 2002

A brief glimpse at the alcohol present. This table shot doesn't include the table of food outside, the BBQ, and the keg of beer. Writers, more than anyone else on the planet, know how to throw a good party. A great goodbye sign that Dan made for Meghan and... (read more)

I Get My Ass Kicked For Not Writing

After seeing Dipti, I called up Jason and Layla, friends of mine from the grad program at OSU. They recently had (well... recently being over a year ago) a beautiful baby girl, Miranda, and I stopped by to see all three of them. Jebus. It's been ages - the last... (read more)

Dipti Puts Me to Shame, Literally and Metaphorically

Dipti, someone I've known since middle school, is also living in Columbus. I spent most of Saturday day flitting around town, trying to catch up with folk. Dipti and I dated briefly during our undergrad years, and she's someone I've gotten along with smashingly. Between her and Melinda, I feel... (read more)

Juliet vs. Felix

I got up around 10:30, and staggered to my car. There was an Einstein Bros. somewhere nearby, and I drove up and down High Street in search. I grabbed two large coffees, one lemon poppyseed muffin and one mango orange muffin. Over breakfast, Juliet and I talked about my... (read more)

Arrival

July 26, 2002

I pull into Columbus a little after midnight, and roll up to Juliet's house. She lives in German Village , a rather cool, old part of Columbus... Victorian houses, brick-paved streets. Always a part of the city where I secretly wanted to live. We shot the shit for a good... (read more)

Road Trip, Continued

Around here (on the outskirts of Indiana), the sun broke open and lit up the interstate. "Summertime" by the Sundays was on my radio, and I felt incredibly good. I took this picture to capture the moment: Near Indianapolis, there is a sign for the border between Whitestown and Brownsburg.... (read more)

Guilty Secret, #1

I know, deep down, that Chicken McNuggets are made out of rat tails and rooster anuses. But I can't help it - I like them. Particularly for road trips. If I'm driving a long enough distance to necessitate food, I will often stop at McDonald's and get the biggest... (read more)

Road Trip

I leave work around 3 PM. I'm out in the suburbs, so it takes me almost 2 and 1/2 hours to get past the city, anywhere near I-65 South to Indianapolis. For some reason, every time I pass this particular overpass... I think of brontosaurs. Not sure why, but I... (read more)

Josh Installs the AIWA

On Thursday, I purchased a new CD player for my car. My friend and coworker Josh agreed to help me install the thing today, and I sat in the back feeling generally useless and snapped a few photos:... (read more)

Driving Makes Me Happy

On the way to work, I was filled with nervous energy, thinking about the road trip to Columbus. The drive in was good, and I finally got that poem-I-want-to-write feeling once more. I was going to be driving into the night, heading across three states, had a pint of whiskey... (read more)

Columbus... Ho!

July 25, 2002

Packing right now. Laundry is tumbling in the dryer, I'm sleepy as can be, and I'm sipping on a beer. Gathering my CD's together, and inventorying (is that even a word?) what I need for a short jaunt over to Cow Town. This will be fun. My first road trip... (read more)

Witnessing a Breakup, 5:57 AM

Got up early today, so I could make it to work earlier. I'm heading to Columbus, OH, to attend a farewell party for two great folks - Megan and Jim Fox. Lots of pics to come soon, the bulk of which will be drunken writers with a cookout theme. :D... (read more)

It Would Be Easier if She Weren't Still So Damn Beautiful

July 24, 2002

... (read more)

Artful Dodger

After dinner, we decided to have a few more beers and headed to the Artful Dodger. A nice place, fairly quiet, dark, low key... and great, if you're there before it gets too packed. There's a dance floor in the back, which I've never seen and probably never will see.... (read more)

Dinner with Chelsea

We went to Blue Fin, had a beer with dinner, and got caught up on current events between the two of us. All day, I was a bit apprehensive, and a bit excited. It felt good to see Chelsea again, and tonight felt like a positive step towards us becoming... (read more)

I'm Turning Into a Content Whore

In the misguided attempt to provide you, dear reader, constant entertainment and information... I've resorted to snapping pictures from my car, while driving. That's right - I'm risking life and limb to bring you the most pure "snapshot" of what I'm seeing, as I'm seeing it, diesel fumes and all.... (read more)

Life is Good

July 23, 2002

I'm sitting in my shorts, no shirt, the windows are wide open and it's a cool 70 degrees outside. A slight breeze is coming in through the windows, cooling off what has been the sauna of my apartment. I'm two beers into the night, on an empty stomach, chatting with... (read more)

Dinner with Chelsea

Tomorrow, Chelsea and I are going out for sushi. I'm looking forward to the meal, and to seeing her again. It's been a long, long time since we've hung out, and that's been primarily my fault. I've been avoiding her, and isolating myself a great deal. I hope the past... (read more)

Universal Food & Liquor

Walking to the Liquor Store today, I ran into Michael, who does a lot of maintenance work for my landlord. My friend Steph also works for my landlord, and we were meeting to do a few photo shots for their business cards. I met Michael outside the office, cleaning off... (read more)

My Apartment Looks Like an Asylum

There's absolutely nothing on the walls here. I've got two rather nice bookshelves, but as far as any kind of artwork, photography... it's just blank emptiness. Today at work, I decided to walk down to an art/print store, to see what wares they had on display. I found a few... (read more)

I Make Jenny Promise

Jenny took the train into work today, but I drove. At 5:30 PM, I offered to give her a lift back to her car, and she accepted. We had a nice conversation along the way, and she asked about the pictures I took a few weeks back. I balked a... (read more)

Dental Psychoanalysis

July 22, 2002

Driving in to work, I got that good morning feeling I've been trying to recapture (see 'The Muse Has Been Having Teeth Issues'). Felt great driving on the Kennedy, despite having woken up late as a result of yesterday's work. Made it in about 10 minutes late... which, for waking... (read more)

Dentist Dread

I had my dental appointment today, and went to see Dr. Tobias, D.D.S. He found my gum bleeding "curious," and seemed really intrigued by the whole thing. I felt incredibly bad - he had to clean up five years worth of muck and awfulness that is the inside of my... (read more)

I've Created an Entire Site of Ammunition Against Myself

jverbal: son of a jverbal:: wheres you little doll now domo boy * jverbal crushes you Portnoy:hehehe jverbal: nose sweater jverbal: Portnoy: Damn. jverbal: HAR HAR Portnoy: I've created an entire site of ammunition against myself. * portnoy nutkicks self jverbal: LOL jverbal: cries Portnoy: You can ... Portnoy: DAMN... (read more)

Fate vs. Free Will: Fate? Or Free Will?

Juliet pointed out to me that that entry I was going to make, about love and fate and free will? Well, I never got around to writing it. Because I decided not to? Or because it was destined to never be written? Did I ever mention how Juliet likes to... (read more)

Working Version

July 21, 2002

Around midnight, I have a working version that I'm happy with. I send it off, and plop down to sleep. I toss and turn for almost an hour, unable to fully fall asleep. Even now, as I type this... my wrists and hands ache. Working version is here.... (read more)

I Order Chinese Food

Coffee all day. Ordered some Chinese food (delivered), and kept on working. Why is it that, when I order Chinese, I only want crap? My parents owned a number of restaurants when I was a kid, and continue to run one now. The current restaurant, Yummy's (I hated the name... (read more)

9:00 PM

... (read more)

7:00 PM

... (read more)

Noon

... (read more)

Wake Up, 6:30 AM

... (read more)

Imagine Looking At This

July 20, 2002

Now, imagine looking at this for about 10 hours. Fast forward to 2:30 AM. Shut down computer. Sleep.... (read more)

Blog as Psuedo-Honest Dialogue Between Friends

"If you didn't want me to know about it," says Alex, "you should never have linked to my site. That's how I found it." Early at the start of this blog, I was hesitant to "give out" the address. I was worried that it would somehow compromise my ability to... (read more)

Justin Gets Things Rolling

I woke up early today, around 8 AM, and logged some hours in on fine tuning the rough interface for the radio station project (Warning: Requires the Flash plug-in). I got the basic mechanics working with blobs of color. The game is a "matching" game, where baby pictures of radio... (read more)

Talking with Friends About My Blog, and the Weirdness That Accompanies That Conversation

July 19, 2002

Interesting. Slightly disconcerting. Weird. More later.... (read more)

Rob's Opening, Better Late Than Never

Elissa has been calling me the past few days, and we've played phone tag, trying to coordinate a time where we could both visit Rob's gallery and see his work. Rob, along with his good friend Jake, share gallery space together. They both wrote up separate "Artist Statements", and I... (read more)

Determining Whether I Have a Drinking Problem or Not

It seems to be a bad idea for me to have a bottle of whiskey around the house. The process seems to be: Come home. Throw down 2 shots. Feel fuzzy. Throw down some more shots. Get sleepy. Eat. Sleep. I guess... what doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger... (read more)

Fate vs. Free Will (Point / Counterpoint)

July 18, 2002

I was going to write a Pro vs. Con type entry regarding Love and Fate and Free Will. But I'm a little too tired, and a little too drunk to get into it right now. Tomorrow is Friday, and that means it's a Metra day. I'll try to compose some... (read more)

Darts of Poison Extreme

Played a FANTASTIC multiplayer e-mail based game today, called "Darts of Poison Extreme." It's one of the many games offered by MOHYSE.com, and quite addictive. I played a3dmofo and jverbal; lost to mofo, and won against verbal. Check out some of the screenshots: A few thoughts here. From a design... (read more)

The Muse Has Been Having Teeth Issues

The past week, I've been driving to work, hoping to catch a positive sense of the morning and put it into a poem. But I've been preoccupied a bit, thinking a lot about my teeth. I haven't been to a dentist in ages. Almost 5 years, I want to say.... (read more)

The Ratio of Secrets and Events

July 17, 2002

Today, I began thinking about You. Whoever is reading this thing that I update on a day to day basis. Unnamed, stranger, quiet observer who is You. And in thinking about you, I realized that there are certain expectations that have established themselves between us. For me to write in... (read more)

Drinking Allergy, Part 2

I've noticed that, what I will heretofor refer to as "splotching," occurs only when I've had food, or am on an otherwise full stomach. I still have no idea what this means. I've also noticed my tendency to come home from work, throw down a few, and then stumble and... (read more)

Fate and Free Will

A coworker of mine, Jan, recently got married. At a party for her, a few weeks back, the two of us shared a rather slurred converastion about love and "fate." She asked me if I believed in it, and I said "no." We then talked at length about love, and... (read more)

Freelance Work

My friend Justin IM'ed me today, and basically gave me a nice little gift. A small freelance gig, creating a "matching" game in Flash for a radio station. The bulk of it should be ActionScript, which is very exciting to me! It's due Monday, so I'm hoping to get a... (read more)

Ozone Action Days

For the past two days, the city of Chicago has declared an Ozone Action Day. Before moving here, I had never heard the word. In fact, after almost two years in the city, yesterday was the first time I had heard a reference to it. People who are already especially... (read more)

Only Geeks Stay Up This Late for Documentaries

Alright. I had dinner, drifted off, and fell asleep on the couch. I woke up sometime around 3 AM, and saw that a NOVA documentary on the trebuchet was on. This was the coolest thing ever. I stayed up and watched it for an hour. What makes it even geekier... (read more)

:nutkicks self:

July 16, 2002

You can't blame someone for their feelings, or hold them responsible when those feelings change. Still, I seem to be doing a pretty good job of that.... (read more)

I Think I'm Allergic to Alcohol

This kind of thing happens once every few weeks. I'm not sure what it means, but I know that my hand gets extremely red. Perhaps it's some gene. Not that many people in my family drink, so I haven't been able to confirm this. The few times I have... (read more)

Note to Self

On Tuesdays, you need to tape NOVA. You keep saying you're going to do it, but for Christ's sake... it's been what, more than 6 months of talk? How hard is it to remember to put a tape in the VCR?... (read more)

BEST_SMILEY_EVER

Portnoy: This is strategic to the company because if the advancement of the value of its image over time is contingent upon the alignment of all activities and the desired image is ill defined at the outset, over time the ability to control it will be lost. jverbal: alrighty then... (read more)

Brief Thoughts on Music, and Why We Love It

I drove to work today, instead of taking the train. Partly because I wanted to be more in control of my traveling. Partly because I wanted to hear music. Lately, I've been wanting to write a poem that captures the essence of the morning - that sensation where the coffee's... (read more)

A Stern and Firm Warning from Juliet

July 15, 2002

-----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 12:59 PM To: 'Felix Jung' Subject: RE: 2 seconds and 3 days later... But I do have a SERIOUS bone to pick with you. I clicked on "Yesterday" on your site, and saw this: I ended up staying at work late, doing... (read more)

This is Boring, Even for Me

For the past two entries, nothing's happening here. No pictures. No stories. No excitment... I don't know about you, but I'm bored silly. And this is my friggin' blog! Going to try to ride the Metra tomorrow. Hopefully, I can compose a more coherent/interesting entry.... (read more)

Procrastinating? What are You Talking About?

July 14, 2002

Just went through Photoshop and created an action to throw in a 3 pixel white border on an image. Created a batch process, and updated all the pics.... (read more)

I'm at Home. But I'm Working. But I'm at Home. But I'm Working.

Big day Monday. A client of ours is having an incredibly big launch Tuesday, so we need to have a TON of crap ready to go by end of day, tomorrow. I've got all the components I need, and it's a matter of weaving all the pieces together. I'm making... (read more)

Penny Arcade

July 13, 2002

I wasted my entire day. Short of updating this area, I haven't done one productive thing while the sun was out. I went back and used the spellchecker, and tried to clean up most the pages, made sure all the titles were using intial caps.... yadda yadda. Most of today... (read more)

FYI

jverbal thinks it looks fat.... (read more)

Temptation, Thy Name is Tobacco

This was the only redemptive thing from last night. Jenny had gone up to the bar, and was buying cigarettes from the bartender. She came back with two. They were both for her, but I kept handling one of them, rolling it through my fingers, smelling it... Actually, I... (read more)

And Our Winner for the Darwin Awards is...

6 AM. I woke up on the couch, thinking: My. Who's cooking this early in the morning? That smells pretty go... OH SHIT! In case you've ever wondered what a Tombstone Supreme Pizza looks like after spending all night in the oven, well here's your answer. Darwin awards, here... (read more)

Oh, I Could Have Won at Pool, But I was Too Drunk

July 12, 2002

Seriously.... (read more)

Alcohol: Start Happy, End Crying (Part 2)

Jenny and I had some good, interesting conversations. Lots of relationship stuff. Really good conversations, actually. Lost track of how many drinks we had. I feel like a lightweight anymore, as far as my liver is concerned. Also - there's something about hanging out with Jenny that's problematic. I never... (read more)

Alcohol: Start Happy, End Crying

A ritual we used to have at work (before the massive layoffs, when there were six of us commuting via train) is the Friday Beer Train. For some reason, Metra allows its passengers to bring alcohol on board. Suckers! There is a liquor store about 100 yards from the trainstop... (read more)

Inspiration on the Train

This morning, riding the Metra, I was looking out the window at the line that ran alongside the train. From my angle, the sunlight reflected off the tops of the tracks. Not a singular glint, but two bright reflections that actually seemed to be traveling down the tracks. I... (read more)

Note to God: Give Me More Hours Per Day

July 11, 2002

Cripes. I ended up staying at work late, doing stupid "trademark" searches for potential brand names. Glad I could help out, but it was grunt work - any warm body could have complied the same data. I should know better than to ask "Is there anything I can help out... (read more)

Second day, second letter.

Second day, second letter. Who would have thunk it? a3dmofo send me an awesome letter in the mail. Here I was yacking away about how nice hand made mail is, and I have this gorgeousness waiting by my door. My crappy picture taking doesn't do this letter justice. I'm... (read more)

Thinking Outside the Box

About two weeks back, I noticed a strange little fact. Let me fill you in on where I work. I commute from Chicago to Barrington, M-F. My company has gone through several changes, since the market went south some twelve months ago. We've moved several times, and our current digs... (read more)

Time and Exercise

July 10, 2002

Ack. Been trying to log off of the computer for a while now. But it's hard to just shut down when you're talking to multiple people and chatting. I don't want to be rude and simply disconnect. I've got to say "Hey - I'm taking off. Going to head to... (read more)

isketch

Stayed up late to play a few rounds of iSketch last night with the WH crew. What an evil, addictive game that is. Mr. Grumpy took some screenshots, and that reminded me I should do the same. I actually won a round! My score was 666, but let's look past... (read more)

Letter from rypunked

Got a letter from rypunked in the mail today! Last week, when my cousin was in town, I read a post by her that she wasn't feeling well. When Carolyn and I went out to eat, we killed some time in a nearby comic/book/store, called Quimby's. Found some cool stickers... (read more)

Jacki

July 9, 2002

Talked to an ex-girlfriend of mine, Jacki, from Columbus. I found out from our mutual friend Juliet that Jacki's mother is having open heart surgery on Thursday (I'm sending good thoughts towards Columbus). We chatted for a long while, and got caught up on recent events. Well... recent is stretching... (read more)

That Above "Mom" Thing was a Joke.

I haven't told my mom about this site. And I doubt she'd ever find it. I'm a bit of a nerd and a bit of a loser, but come on. Give me SOME credit. :D... (read more)

Homeless

Derrickito and StinkFist are still at it. If you haven't seen their site already, check out Homelessweek.com. I'm still uncertain about my views on this. While I don't feel they're really experiencing homelessness... they never really claimed to set out to do that. The point of the experiment was to... (read more)

I Ate a Moldy Donut

I don't think you can spot any mold in this picture, but this is how far into it I got: At first, I just thought it was a crappy ass donut. Tasted like hell, and I figured it was the preservatives, chemicals, whatever. A bit later, my coworker Mike tells... (read more)

Strange Library Coincidences

July 8, 2002

My friend Kevin and Camelia were visiting Chicago last night. Chalk more points up for the newer, more social Portnoy! We all were at my friend Justin's house (I'd provide a link, but he doesn't have a portfolio up yet, the bastage) and ordered Thai food. I met Kevin through... (read more)

Ted Williams Dies At 83

I don't really know anything about baseball. But driving home over the weekend, I heard on NPR that Ted Williams died. It was pretty incredible to hear his accomplishments, both on and off the field. His era was truly a very different time from now. Prior to this weekend, what... (read more)

Matthew Motivates Portnoy into Writing

Matt: I've decided not to talk to you until you send me a poem. I figure that kind of threat would get the words pouring out. ;) Portnoy: Doesn't this message automatically negate your threat? Portnoy: Matt: I'm still not talking to you. Portnoy: Got a favor to ask Matt:... (read more)

derrickito Checks In

For those who may not get this... a lot of us WH folk play a little game called Unreal Tournament. Derrick and I both seem to have a penchant for the sniper rifle, and the word "snipe" seems to have come into its own, as a verb. A few... (read more)

I am the Worst Brother in the World

July 7, 2002

In the hustle and bustle of yesterday's wedding, I completely forgot to call my sister to wish her a happy birthday. I called her this morning, full of apologies, and she told me not to worry about it - something a forgiving, kindhearted person like her would say. In an... (read more)

You Have a Blog? Really? What's the Address?

When Alex and Elissa heard that I started this blog, they wanted to know the address. I balked. :D My concern is that, if all my friends start visiting this page... will I begin to edit myself? Will I stop myself from saying certain things in fear that a friend... (read more)

A More Social Attitude. Or: Me Version 1.2

My friends Alex and Elissa came by today, around 1 PM. They were heading out to Hollywood Grill, and wanted to see if I was interested. Having just finished lunch, I decided to join them for coffee. When they came by, I was still unshaven, unshowered, and a bit smelly... (read more)

Homeless Week

Two major figures from the We're Here Flash Forum are spending a week out on the streets of Seattle. Derrick Clark (derrickito) and Scotty Weeks (StinkFist) have decided to forgo lodging, food, all the basic necessities we take for granted. You can follow their progress at http://www.homelessweek.com/. I've been kicking... (read more)

First Fan Mail. Can the Movie Deal be Far Behind?

I got my first ever (read: non-test) e-mail on the avoision.com account. Woot! Portnoy, I just checked your blog, groovy stuff. Thought I'd let you know you have an audience. Not that I'm going to be looking at it too much this week but I'll definitely check back when I'm... (read more)

Wedding in Crystal Lake

July 6, 2002

After re-hydrating for most of the morning, Ed and I wandered around the neighborhood looking for an appropriate gift. Went into some rather fancy stores, but turned up empty (unless you want to count a $3000 Buddha head as a possible gift). We finally came across one place that was,... (read more)

Cheating

July 5, 2002

I was too far gone to come up with anything, and sent Matt an old haiku that I had written: I'm a walking stick living in the woodpile. It's a matter of time.... (read more)

Images

Leopard Lounge, exterior. Gorgeous evening, and a mild breeze. Ed and I used to come here after work on Fridays. It's a nice place when it's deserted, but pretty awful once the regular Friday night crowd arrives. Our server, Anaeshka (sp?), was nice enough to pose. A shot of... (read more)

Leopard Lounge

An expensive place, but it's really close to the train stop. Stumbling distance from home. Going to meet my friend Ed (an ex-coworker) for a drink or two, before heading out to find a wedding gift for our friend Ron (another ex-coworker). Ron was the guy who served as my... (read more)

The Working World

July 4, 2002

Like many folks, I'll be heading in to work tomorrow. More than half my office has requested July 5th off - so it'll be crickets and tumbleweeds tomorrow. The plus side is that I expect everyone else to be a bit slow from the festivities. I've decided to start drinking.... (read more)

Sweat

by Felix Jung Tonight is not extreme, not the kind of evening some would call blistering. It's a slow melting, a film of warm jelly enveloping the city. Around the house, random things cling to my arms. The paper holds tightly as if grafted to my wrist, lint finds its... (read more)

This Week's Assignment is...

My friend Matt has been yelling at me lately. I haven't written much since I got out of school, and this is coming up on almost 2 years now. There was a time where I was waking up every day at 6, putting on a pot of coffee, and writing... (read more)

Introversion

July 3, 2002

Right now, I can hear fireworks going off all around the neighborhood. Earlier tonight, my friend Alex Galt invited me out with a bunch of folks to go see the fireworks downtown. I called him up and said I wouldn't be going. Here are my questions: At what point does... (read more)

microserfs

July 2, 2002

I've been rereading Douglas Coupland's microserfs for the past week. To say it inspired me to start up this blog is an understatement. I'm loving the book again, and I'm about 30 pages until the finish. Definitely one of those novels that you hate to see end. Excerpt: It's late... (read more)

The Upper Echelon

My cousin Carolyn left yesterday. After a week of deciding, she's chosen to attend law school in San Diego, instead of Chicago. So - even though she didn't end up getting an apartment here, we were able to do some catching up. It's been eight years since we've talked, so... (read more)

Taste of Chicago

July 1, 2002

My cousin Carolyn is in town, visiting from California. She's been deciding on whether to attend law school here (at Loyola) or in California (San Diego). It's been a tough week for her, as she has been trying to figure out where she wants to attend school (and, by extension,... (read more)

Chinese New Year - February 2, 2003

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