I had an absolutely wonderful going away party, thank you all for coming!

This party was definitely an overreach of my grasp: It would have been a better party (and cleared out more of my stuff), if I’d aimed a little shorter. But hey, what’s a going away party for if not to be as big a bang as possible? I enjoyed every minute.

Starting the moment I rolled out of bed afterwords, I’ve been cleaning, clearing, boxing, reorganizing, and packing my bag. I have one more day of it, and I’ll be done!

There’s a ton of stuff I have to try to give back, and a much bigger ton (left over or otherwise free) for anyone who wants it. Do you want it, and can you grab things for people you’re going to see?

I can bring stuff to the rocky preshow meeting (at MIT, 7:30pm, 2-105); in general, any time before my bus at midnight tomorrow is possible.

Specific Peoples (mostly returns):

• Amy Y.: The Cartoon Guide to Genetics
• Anarchism Prof: The Anarchist Collectives
• Benji: Baby Ball
• Caera: Ancient Ways
• Ciana: Harmony and Voice Leading
• Claudia: Cake Pans, 2 books
• conana: Bottle
• Dave C.: The Story-Teller
• ESG: 8 books, Handyboard, Lego Equipment
• exponentialdk: D&D Spells & Magic
• Family Library: Riverworld Series, Mists of Avalon, Harrad Experiment
• Friend of Sussman: Distributed Algorithms Book
• Grandpa Michelsen: Books on Germany
• Jackie G.: Blanket
• jostlegrievance?: 101 Philosophical Problems, Ulysses
• katiesaur: Bird Hat
• Kimmie Bear: Canterbery Tales
• Lee: Delightism, The St. John’s Review
• MIT Libraries: 2 books
• Matt G.: Probability and Statistics
• Matt of Rocky: Riff Laser Circuit, Color Films
• residualentropy: The Eyre Affair
• siderea: Parzival
• stars_gone_nova?: Slaughter-House Five, Art & Party Supplies
• Unknown: Impossible Cure

For anyone who wants them:

Random Stuff:

• 6 black unmatched socks, 4 white unmatched socks
• White Wig (medium guy hair)
• Black Wig (long-for-guy hair, but not very much)
• Rock Revo T-Shirt (XL, tag still on)
• Office Hole Puncher
• Adult Report Card (include sections like “fidelity” and “big tipping”)
• Small work of art: “Paris” with drawn tower
• Small work of art: “Anarchy” 6 times
• Office Staple Remover
• Hand-made Paper (3 sheets)
• Globe Notepad (on stand)
• G.I.Joe Action Figure
• Wooden Dinosaur Back Rubber
• Slightly-bigger-than-pocket-size Photo Album
• Small Frog Stuffed Animal
• Small Alien Stuffed Animal
• Pink Happy Face Pillow
• Big Tropical Flower

Free Beers (and similar):

• 6 Amstel
• 15 Bud Light
• 4 Coors Light
• 8 Hoegaarden
• 2 Left Hand Haystack Wheat
• 3 Magic Hat Not Quite Pale Ale
• 3 Palma Louca
• 1 Paulaner Hefe-Weizen
• 3 Rouge Dead Guy Ale
• 4 Samuel Adams Summer Ale
• 6 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
• 3 Smirnoff Green Apple Bite
• 1 Smirnoff Ice
• 2 Smirnoff Ice Strawberry Acai
• 1 Smirnoff Wild Grape

Other Alcohol:

• Baileys Irish Cream
• Barenjager Honey Liquor
• Beleza Pura Brazilian Rum
• Dekuyper ButterShots
• French Kiss Vanilla Liquor
• Half Bottle Sweet Vermouth
• Half Bottle Dry Vermouth
• Bacardi Grand Melon shot bottle
• Dr. McGillicuddy’s Lemon Drop Schnapps shot bottle

Spices:

• Basil Leaves
• Bay Leaves
• Bee Pollen
• Chervil Leaves
• Cilantro Leaves
• Cinnamon Stick Bundle (x 2)
• Cream of Tartar
• Eucalyptus
• Fennel Seed
• Green Cordamon Pouder Seeds
• Ground Coriander
• Ground Cumin
• Ground Ginger
• Ground Jamaica Allspice
• Ground Nutmeg (x 2)
• Ground Red Pepper
• Ground Thyme
• Imitation Vanilla Extract
• Lemon & Pepper
• Mulling Spices
• Organic Parseley
• Poultry Blend
• Red Pepper
• Sage Leaves
• Saigon Cinammon (x 2)
• Salt (Unopened)
• Sesame Seed
• Tasmanian Pepper
• Unknown Spice from ESG
• Unknown Spice from my hippieish sister
• Whole Cloves (x 2)
• Whole Pepper Corns

Food:

• 2 Easy-Open Coconuts
• 4 Avocado
• 5 Plantanes
• 1 Mango
• 12 Cobs of Corn

Rocky Party Lost and Found:

• Twine bracelet (necklace?) with three pale stone beads
• 3/4 circle piecing with pink stud
• Necklace with Q-Link pendant
• Green bracelet
• Orange foam dart
• Light blue winter cap
• White Hanes T-Shirt
• Brown with white threadlines hat (ivy cap?)
• Medium Black fleece sweater
• Small Black top with embroidered flowers design
• Black zelda shirt
• White reinforced Hanes socks
• White studded belt
• Small black hoodie (stretch material)
• Black lace underwear
• Small black sock, “12-24 mths *circo*”
• Grey Fruit of the Loom undershirt

Take it!

The ICA (Boston’s Contemporary Art Museum) is free Thursdays after 5pm. I’m going there today with a couple friends, and you should come too! I leave from Central Square at 5:30 today, and arrive at the museum at 6pm.

It looks like they have good exhibits now– take a look at http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/onview/

Tell me if you’re joining us!

Holy Clouds! That was incredible. It was clear outside the door I used to enter Harvest Coop, and the perfect storm was thundering out the other side. I swam home, to find a tree in the middle of my street! Two women came out to help as I was dragging its pieces to the sidewalk. I’m drenched!

Whew! My visa for Brazil came today. I was worried it wouldn’t come at all.

I first sent the application in two weeks ago, and they sent it back: they wouldn’t accept my check (it had to be a money order), they wanted to see my round-trip ticket (and I didn’t get a round-trip), and they wanted to know what the hell I would be doing in Brazil. So I re-applied– money order, one-way ticket, and a little letter saying I would just be traveling around Brazil all the while employed by a US company (almost true). They had every right to just refuse me entry. And if they had, the FAQs say I would have just had to change my travel plans.

But they didn’t, and they gave me the longest valid tourist visa they could. I may still have to spend half my year in Venezuela, but even if so, it could be worse.

I built a Community Auction site to sell my stuff! Take a look: Garage Sale Site

There are a bunch of items up, and I’m adding more every day.

This is Community Auction, (described here) which is different from normal auctions in three big ways:

• The seller only gets what they ask for (mostly).
• If you lose the auction to a higher bidder, you get the difference.
• You bid as high you want other people to pay to take the item from you, because if you win the auction, you only pay the second-place bid’s price (or you pay the asking price, if you were the only bidder).

There’s more information on the What is Community Auction Page.

Bidding on my items stops either 2 days after last bid, or 11:59pm on June 27 at the latest. And, they’re all on a “you pick it up” basis, but I might send it to you if you pay the shipping. Some of my items at higher-priced than normal garage sale prices, because sometimes I don’t mind not selling them and storing them instead. But it’s all cheap, and the more I get rid of, the better!

And you can add items your own items too! Feel free to pass the link on, and use the contact form if you see bugs or have suggestions.

There’s one very big thing of mine that’s not on the site, but desperately needs an owner. I have a soft-shelled underwater turtle. His name is Api. He’s wonderful and cute, but I can’t bring him to Brazil. He lives in a big 80 gallon aquarium currently on top of a bigger piece of wooden furniture (I don’t know what it’s called– it has cabinets and drawers).

Do you want him? You may change his name, his diet, even resell him. I only ask that you treat him well: I don’t want to run into him 20 years from now working at a turtle sweatshop in China. The turtle, his fishy friends, tank, furniture (if you want it), and all supplies are free to a good home.

I’m headed to MetroRock in Everett tonight to climb! If you want to come along, meet us at the Wellington T stop at 5:45 to get the shuttle, or just meet us there. If you miss us at the T stop, you can call them at 617-387-7625 and they’ll send the shuttle.

I have three weeks left, three years of stuff I want to do, and about three days of free time to fill. Help me schedule my last days! Below are the open-invitation activities that I’d love to do, but they’ll only happen if there’s enough interest. Fill out the survey thingy below to express your interest!

• Camping Trip– Next Weekend???: I have a free entry into any national park, and I’m free next weekend! Let’s head up to Vermont, build a big fire, make smores, tell ghost stories, hike around, relax, and take substances best taken in the middle of the wilderness!
  I was thinking about heading up Friday early evening or Saturday morning (20th or 21st) and coming back Sunday (and skipping Rocky), and the more the merrier. Come join me!
• Visit the ICA: I’ve been meaning to go for years! The Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art is supposed to be great, and I’m interested in almost everything there now.
• Poker Night: A night of beer, cards, and poker faces. There was interest earlier in having a doing a $5 entry Texas Hold’em tournament, but I’d also be open to something more varied and freeformed. Newbies are probably welcome, but it depends on the setup.
• Rock Climbing at MetroRock: MetroRock is a climbing gym in Everett, and it’s so much fun and an excellent work out. It’s about $18 after entrance and rental, but they have a ton of walls to climb, from totally-beginner to totally-impossible. No experience needed!
• How to Run a Revolution Lectures: I have piles of notes on everything from understanding the game, to setting up the dominoes, to letting them fall. It’s *probably* too much for me to organize before I go, but I might be convinced! If it doesn’t happen this month, I’ll come back and give the lectures some other year.

Now vote! Expressing your interest *is not* a commitment to come, but it means you can help me decide on the details.

Some years ago I was cutting wood not far from this journal, and I was about to cut down one tree when a little man, not more than three feet high, came running out of nowhere and begged me to spare it. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I just started stammering, “You’re a– you mean– I thought–”

“Oh, god!” he said. “Don’t even start that. Listen, I’ll give you three wishes if you *stop* babbling, and spare my tree. No wishes-for-wishes though, or anything that will get my forest overrun with wish-hungry humans.”

“Three magic wishes, huh? Do I have to decide on them now?”

“Not at all! Take your time. When you want to make a wish, just put your hands like this, and say ‘I wish…’, and, you know.” And then he disappeared.

I never decided what to wish for. I have a list of my top ideas somewhere, and there have been some times when I’ve come really close to using one of my wishes. But I always ended up doing things the non-magic way (or not doing them, and then deciding it wasn’t worth it).

Today I got a little note on crinkly leaf-paper in my mailbox. It said my wishes expired.

I can’t decide whether or not to be disappointed. I might have really enjoyed my wishes. Or I might have ended up with a carrot nose. I bet not, though.

I guess I’ll keep living like I still have three wishes.

In other news, some random friends heard that I do hypnosis sometimes and asked to try it, so I’m reviewing my skills. Anyone want in on a round of trances?

I’m having a Salon Party this Friday, May 30, and you should come! Part salon, part party: we’ll have good food and drink, good company, and plenty of good discussion– politics, religion, philosophy, sex, art, and society.

When: Friday, May 30, starting around 7 pm
Where: My apartment, 283 Washington St., Cambridge
Directions: http://www.existencia.org/info/grey17.txt

Many of the French salons were like parties, with the greatest thinkers of the day schmoozing, sharing ideas, and playing games (language games being the most popular). If you have ideas for activities or games, tell me about them!

Invite friends that you think would enjoy the salon atmosphere. And RSVP so I know how many people to expect!