Manlio Rules

calls himself an “internet entrepreneur”. has his own website wrong in the footer of his email signature. May or may not have an “esquire” after his name.
(from trish)

Wears a subway t-shirt.

i’m very glad we’re working on stuff like this:

5 second rule debunked

so, as we know. i’m in a sub-optimal situation with my apartment. a few things have changed since last i complained about this on the internets.

1. parking: despite the high cost of parking spaces in my neighborhood, (and ali, i don’t care what you say, $300 is a lot to pay for parking), i have found that i can get away with a combination of street parking and leaving the car down here at work, i have been able to get away with not paying for parking. which is sweet.

2. laundry: yeah… this is still sort of a problem, as i dropped off a load today and it is going to cost me $40. that’s right, $40 for laundry. about 2 loads worth.

3. the general odor of the common spaces: this is still an issue.

4. space: there is still enough space, but something is starting to occur to me. apparently all I need to really live on a day to day basis is:

i apparently do not need anything in the other 15 boxes that are still neatly stacked around my room. i am going to go through everything and hopefully give most of it away. at least, that’s the plan. more likely i will keep it and move it from now until i get a basement, and then i’ll put everything in the basement.

5. the roommate: i think robert is great. very friendly, very helpful. i am less sure about his friend who will be staying with us indefinitely. rock!

throws the football around the office to “liven things up”. occasionally hits your computer (touchdown?). bonus points if he also “runs” the football around the office. super bonus points if he treats the chairs as defenders. negative points if the chairs usually hold him under 5 yards per carry.

loves your work, adds his feedback, feels very good about the project. then when someone else finds fault with your work, he jumps out and says: “oh yeah, i’ve been telling these guys that we’re not even close yet”.

my number:

1019 9295 5482 8926

send me yours!

well, since i don’t get to WFH anymore on fridays (mostly due to a slow home internet connection), i’ve decided to start something else for a friday blog series. long ago, Eric Schinfeld and I used to write “that guy” series for Rivet Magazine. after i quit Rivet, Eric kept it up. But i always felt like i had something to add to the “that guy” series, that my work was perchance not finished. so i’m going to start it up again on the blog. here we go:

That guy #3478: somehow thinks it’s funny to read his wedding vows in his Christopher Walken voice. Bonus points if it’s better than Jay Mohr’s Walken voice. negative points if he goes into the whole “star wars audition” routine.

so, last weekend i moved into my new apartment. after a year at page st it was time to search for something a little more commute friendly. micah moved out on friday, and so I spent the weekend (ably assisted by tricia) moving, cleaning, and stressing out about finding parking for my car (which isn’t going to ever happen, fuck you parking lots, i’d rather get 3-5 tickets a month than pay $300 for parking). so here’s a quick fact sheet about my new apartment, in QA form:

Q. Is it more space?
A. Nope. it’s 2 10×10 rooms, with 1 closet. it feels like a little more space, but that’s because i haven’t unpacked most of my stuff yet.

Q. well… is it nicer?
A. Hells no. for those of you from NY, it’s somewhat akin to the Astoria basement i lived in. for those of you who never saw that place, think my allen st apartment and then take away the nice floors, and don’t clean it for about 5-6 years. the kitchen and bathroom both smell very musty.

Q. ok… so… is the commute shorter?
A. yes! by about 15 minutes (each way).

Q. good! well… is there more stuff around there? centrally located?
A. um… not really. it is closer to tricia, which is a large bonus. the immediate area is pretty desolate.

Q. uh, sweet. What about parking?
A. there’s street parking with a permit, which i can’t get till i get a CA drivers license and a bill sent to my new address. until then i’m parked 4 long blocks away and i need to get up tomorrow at 6AM to switch sides of the street. i’m considering keeping my car at work a few days a week. all the parking lots in the area are full up for monthly, and cost about $250-$300 a month anyways.

Q. yikes. so how’s your new roommate?
A. he seems great actually. very nice, helpful, keeps to himself for the most part.

Q. well, that’s something. what about cost?
A. it is cheaper than my old place. BUT that is being offset by the added cost of taking the caltrain on a regular basis, which my company doesn’t pay for.

Q. how about other stuff, amenities and the like?
A. well, there’s no laundry anywhere in the area, so i’ve signed up for a home delivery laundry service which is sweet but expensive ($1.25/lb, $15 min). the Internet is old school DSL on wireless, so it’s pretty slow. right now i’m leeching off another open network somewhere in the building. and we don’t currently have TV.

Q. o….k…. so remind us why you did this?
A. yeah, i have no idea.

Q. fair enough. so what are you going to do?
A. Weeeellll… the place is month to month, so i figure maybe it makes sense to stay for a few months (2-3), save some dough, and keep looking for a new place. i’m not going to unpack, just keep everything in boxes except for the essentials, so if i move again it’ll be a quicker, more painless process.

Q. oh, is it possible that you’re just freaking out and everything will be fine in a few weeks?
A. …yes. i suppose that’s possible.