11/2/2001, 1:54 am

Go YANKEES!

I watched the game tonight at Bubby's down in TriBeCa, where I used to bus tables as a teenager. I had dinner and drinks there with Melissa, Carrie, and company, and we decided to stay and watch the end of the game. After Brosius homered with two down in the ninth to tie it, there really was no other choice.

Earlier in the evening, I went to see Waking Life. It was a bit disappointing. The rotoscoped animation under Art Director Bob Sabiston is amazing, and it's super cool to see simple animation feel so human. Director Richard Linklater opted for philosphy instead of a narrative, though, and that was probably what got me dozing halfway through. (That and waking up at 6:30 to play tennis this morning...) I suspect that Linklater was trying to find a communication style that fit the artistic medium. Sometimes, though, telling a story is the thing to do. It usually is in feature-length films.

So, about the tennis. I accepted an invite from a coworker, Shannon, to play tennis this morning at East River Park. I woke up early (it was good motivation to get to bed early last night) and did a combination of skating and bus-riding to get over there. (Have I mentioned how much I *love* my new skates?) It was a beautiful morning and great to be outside exercising. Definitely want to do it again.

Last night, I watched a very talented volleyball coach teach Jeanhee's team how to improve their game. He was pretty amazing. Incredible control of the ball -- he was able to put it anywhere he wanted with bumps, sets, serves or spikes. Afterwards, I played for a while with Jeanhee and her teammates on the hard court and then sand doubles. It was a blast.

Other things on my mind: Java, Dynamo, Thailand, expanding my two-week vacation to three, being single, cooking, family, rent.

Live With Passion!

10/31/01, 1:57 am

"I began to like New York, the racy, adventurous feel of it at night and the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women and machines gives to the restless eye." -The Great Gatsby

10/30/01, 12:22 am

I cried reading this article about two WTC survivors. The Times' magazine piece What Makes A Suicide Bomber was pretty intense, too, not in a crying sort of way, but in a "sh*t, this is even more problematic than I thought" sort of way. Long, but worth the read.

First day at my new desk was a success. Didn't fall out of the chair or nothin'. It's my sixth desk at O2, and I imagine that some would find that annoying, but it fits right into my short attention span. I'm glad for the change of scenery. Seems like it will be fun talking to Anthony about our websites all day, too. Maybe we'll get it out of our systems during the day so we don't get hassled by our friends for talking about weblogs at restaurants.

I felt busier today than I have been in a while, which is cool. Glad to have some stuff I can dig into. I'm feeling much better about life in general too, this week. Must have been that time of the month...

10/28/01, 9:57 am

Cool. I added meta tags to my site and it's now the first Google result for "Luke Melia". Kudos to Anthony for the idea.

10/28/01, 10:13 am

I love this weekend of the year. The extra hour is such a sweet gift.

For me, it's an especially gratefully received offer. I've been staying up so late. There always is something else to read, write, learn, or tweak. Going to bed without being utterly exhausted is a feeling I can dimy remeber. It's a bad habit that puts a burden on my mid-day energy level, and wrecks any hopes of morning trips to the gym. I'm going to try improve it. Not sure how yet, though.

I spent yesterday on Long Island celebrating my sister Isabella's birthday. (Her fourteenth, I think.) It was great to be around their attitudes. The energy they invest in spending time with friends and family, hanging out doing nothing, is something that I don't often feel during the week. Dave Sibek was over with a beautiful acoustic guitar. Monica and I played a little and we all sang Beatles song together. As usual, the food never stopped. Lentil soup, olive- artichoke salad, bread from Amy's (my contribution), lemon shrimp salad, green salad, linguine with broccoli rabe, stuffed baked apples, chocolate-walnut pie, and pumpkin pie.

After the Yankee game went sour, Monica set me in a chair in the kitchen and "fixed" my self-administered haircut. We had a funny exchange in which she said she might want to be a haircutter when she grows up. I mentioned that I didn't think it paid too well. In reply, she pointed out that if she became the best haircutter and cut hair for the president or celebrities she would make a lot. That girl is smart!

I think she improved the back of my head, but did some new damage up top.

My attitude about work is on the upswing. I'm going to take steps to shift back into some more challenging technology work, replacing the challenge of managing people that I had been dealing with. I have a feeling it's the best thing.

Volleyball this afternoon. Looks nice but cold out there. I'd best start putting on some layers. Later.